Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

Printable View

09-04-2010, 12:54 PM
Salazaar

Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

It's stories like this that make me smile in these days of being screwed by big business and gutless politicians...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/09/plywood_cheque/
09-04-2010, 12:59 PM
Saracen

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

I love the guy's name - he's clearly gotten the hump(age) with BT .... for which I can't blame him.

Lovely story. A wonderful example of the small man thoroughly sticking it to the giant corporate, right where the Sun don't shine, and they seem to have had a monumental sense of humour failure over it.
09-04-2010, 01:04 PM
Flash477

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

Ohh, I so wish I had a cheque book now - the fun that could be had!
09-04-2010, 01:06 PM
oolon

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saracen

Lovely story. A wonderful example of the small man thoroughly sticking it to the giant corporate, right where the Sun don't shine, and they seem to have had a monumental sense of humour failure over it.

I think I would have framed it and put it in the lobby of the main offices. Let the guy off the bill so long as he undertook do only send bank issued checks in future.
09-04-2010, 01:06 PM
Grey M@a

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

Good read and a laugh on a Friday, but clearly useless without pics xD I love the admin charge he is imposing if they want a replacement cheque lol

Quote:

Oolon:

I think I would have framed it and put it in the lobby of the main offices. Let the guy off the bill so long as he undertook do only send bank issued checks in future.

That's the point, there isn't actually any law to state you have to use a banks cheque book. As long as you have the right details on it, you could write it on anything you like :P
09-04-2010, 01:13 PM
oolon

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grey M@a

That's the point, there isn't actually any law to state you have to use a banks cheque book. As long as you have the right details on it, you could write it on anything you like :P

That is why I would have requested him to only use them in future, I have not read BTs terms and conditions however you might find they state they only accept bank issued cheques. Yes you CAN write a cheque on anything, I do not have to accept it though. It may be legal but it might not be acceptable, like if I paid my bill in 1p coins (unbagged).
09-04-2010, 01:16 PM
Grey M@a

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

Quote:

Originally Posted by oolon

That is why I would have requested him to only use them in future, I have not read BTs terms and conditions however you might find they state they only accept bank issued cheques. Yes you CAN write a cheque on anything, I do not have to accept it though. It may be legal but it might not be acceptable, like if I paid my bill in 1p coins (unbagged).

Will be a thing of the past soon if the banks do indeed cancel cheques altogether. Remember reading a while back about banks thinking about this. I have three cheque books at home and think I have used em twice whilst at computer fairs. They just gather dust now.
09-04-2010, 01:25 PM
sammyc

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

^ Cheque phase-out is due round 2018 iirc, however the lack of cheque guarantee facility (should be 2011 but sneaking in early) is going to help finish off the cheque long before - as intended.
09-04-2010, 01:30 PM
oolon

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grey M@a

Will be a thing of the past soon if the banks do indeed cancel cheques altogether. Remember reading a while back about banks thinking about this. I have three cheque books at home and think I have used em twice whilst at computer fairs. They just gather dust now.

I use cheques to send money to other people, I do not like paying money directly into peoples accounts, if there is a mistake it is your fault good luck getting the money back (you are entitled to however its very difficult). One thing I have found is if you do need to pay in money to someone elses account do it at a branch of the bank, they will put your name as the reference on the payment, also you can ask them to verify the name is correct on the account before you do it.

Over a period of time banks have done more and more to shift the responsibility for problems onto the customer, this was the case with "fool-proof" chip n pin, card scanning, online accounts, and now they want to get rid of cheques.

I have told RBS (virginone) a number of times there security system on their online banking is flawed as it asks you for the letters and numbers before you have a customer number entered so only the first 6 digits are used even if you use more "secure" (longer) ones. Are they interested ... NOPE, I got a letter back saying thank you for your interest we regularly audit our security and we believe it is secure enough, didn't even bother to address what I said..... Why bother... oh yes... because if it failed they would try to blaim me and make me take the hit not them!
09-04-2010, 01:45 PM
Powderhound

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

I've always wanted to have a book full of those giant cheques they use for charity donations to hand out whenever I go shopping. :P
09-04-2010, 01:51 PM
peterb

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

Quote:

Originally Posted by oolon

<---snip

It may be legal but it might not be acceptable, like if I paid my bill in 1p coins (unbagged).

Not actually true. Coinage is only legal tender up to a certain value - for a 1p coin, the value is 20p. So if you went into a shop and tried to buy a £5 item with 500 penny coins, they can legally refuse to accept it. Similarly if you tried to pay a bill for (in the case of penny coins) over 20p.

http://www.royalmint.com/corporate/p...uidelines.aspx
09-04-2010, 01:52 PM
finlay666

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

Quote:

Originally Posted by oolon

It may be legal but it might not be acceptable, like if I paid my bill in 1p coins (unbagged).

Actually they can refuse it, there are limits on the amount you can pay with change as in copper and silvers

http://www.solarnavigator.net/ventur...d_sterling.htm

unless your bill is 20p they can refuse it, a cheque is a cheque however and with all the relevant details is legal, if a person was so inclined they could write it on a snotty rag if they wanted (not sure about used toilet paper....)
09-04-2010, 01:59 PM
Andeh13

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

BT should have accepted it & sent him a thank you letter/final statement in the same manner. The good publicity/sense of humour would have made it more then worthwhile!
09-04-2010, 02:03 PM
Saracen

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andehh

BT should have accepted it & sent him a thank you letter/final statement in the same manner. The good publicity/sense of humour would have made it more then worthwhile!

Yes, quite. They could have turned it into good PR. Or they could have just written off the balance, and gone quitet. Instead, they've been made to look like stuffed-shirt muppets. Way to go, BT.

Of course, if they had done either of those, it might well have just encouraged imitators.
09-04-2010, 02:18 PM
Steve

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

Quote:

BT then claimed the cheque rubbered "because it was non-standard" - something David nicely describes as "clearly bollocks".

This chap doesn't mince his words. I like him.
09-04-2010, 02:19 PM
Behemoth

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

Ha ha thats brilliant, that'll teach BT to charge for online billing.

Its not his fault that BT won't accept the cheque, he's made a totally legal payment if they don't want to accept then in all honesty they can take their debt collection agencies and shove them where the monkey stuffs his nuts.
09-04-2010, 02:35 PM
j.o.s.h.1408

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

Quote:

Originally Posted by oolon

I use cheques to send money to other people, I do not like paying money directly into peoples accounts, if there is a mistake it is your fault good luck getting the money back (you are entitled to however its very difficult). One thing I have found is if you do need to pay in money to someone elses account do it at a branch of the bank, they will put your name as the reference on the payment, also you can ask them to verify the name is correct on the account before you do it.

Over a period of time banks have done more and more to shift the responsibility for problems onto the customer, this was the case with "fool-proof" chip n pin, card scanning, online accounts, and now they want to get rid of cheques.

I have told RBS (virginone) a number of times there security system on their online banking is flawed as it asks you for the letters and numbers before you have a customer number entered so only the first 6 digits are used even if you use more "secure" (longer) ones. Are they interested ... NOPE, I got a letter back saying thank you for your interest we regularly audit our security and we believe it is secure enough, didn't even bother to address what I said..... Why bother... oh yes... because if it failed they would try to blaim me and make me take the hit not them!

i know a web develoepr that found an api that deals with RBS's security system for use with a charity website his setting up
09-04-2010, 02:43 PM
Callum1001

Re: Bloke pays BT with wooden cheque

Haha awesome! Cheers for that!