The Vent and Rant Thread

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by CRussel

@Rumpleteazer: Messing about and fine tuning is something I can well relate to!

I found a work around for a known bug in the app. But it didn't copy all the music, which was my fault. So tomorrow it'll be attempt number 4. It gives me a chance to rectify some things in my library on my laptop (missing album art and some other things). And I need to stay around to keep an eye on any problems arising during copying.

Then I have to remake my playlists, luckily I only got a few.

So no hard rock or heavy metal listening session for me tonight. I just want to listen to my music!

[Graham44]

Originally Posted by ApK

That's ok, I trust everybody else can see it. It's rather humorous to follow a complaint of a merchant dictating how customers can pay with a statement about how you dictate how your customers can pay. "All forms of payment except one" is also slightly amusing when the 'one' is the one used more widely than all the others combined*.

To be clear, I didn't mean to suggest that not accepting cash was good. The libertarian in me cringes at it.


ApK


*Source: My mind, but it feels accurate.

I can see where you are coming from now, but the difference is from my business point of view most, in fact I think I could probably say all of my customers, choose to pay either by cash or cheque without any input from me, card doesn't seem to be the go to payment from a customers point of view when dealing with tradesmen (from my experience). I would also still, respectively, argue there is a massive difference between what the shop was doing and what I do, that difference being I offer customers a choice of payment methods, the shop gave you no choice - card or nothing. We can at least both agree on not accepting cash = not good

Just an example to clarify the way I see the situation - You go into said shop, you hand over your card to pay it's refused for whatever reason, oh well your out of luck. One of my customers goes to pay me, realises they forgot to draw out some cash - that's ok you can write a cheque and if worse comes to worse and they can't find their cheque book I would even let them do a bank transfer, with my business they still have choices.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Graham44

I can see where you are coming from now, but the difference is from my business point of view most, in fact I think I could probably say all of my customers, choose to pay either by cash or cheque without any input from me, card doesn't seem to be the go to payment from a customers point of view when dealing with tradesmen (from my experience). I would also still, respectively, argue there is a massive difference between what the shop was doing and what I do, that difference being I offer customers a choice of payment methods, the shop gave you no choice - card or nothing. We can at least both agree on not accepting cash = not good

Locally, tradespeople are moving to eTransfers as the preferred method of payment. Oh, they'll take a cheque, and certain work is always paid in cash , but the most common scenario seems to be settling on eTransfers. Which is mildly annoying because it costs me $1.50 per transfer, but honestly that's a rounding error for most jobs.

[Graham44]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Locally, tradespeople are moving to eTransfers as the preferred method of payment. Oh, they'll take a cheque, and certain work is always paid in cash , but the most common scenario seems to be settling on eTransfers. Which is mildly annoying because it costs me $1.50 per transfer, but honestly that's a rounding error for most jobs.

It's interesting how spending patterns seem to differ so much around the world, cash from what I see is still used frequently here in the UK.

There used to be a tradesman that frequented the pub I used to use (when I drank many moons ago) that used to boast about how much cash he put in his backpocket, and I never understood why a tradesman would do that. I show everything I earn as I look at it in the way of say I hide £1000 from the tax man, I've 'saved' myself what £200? but I run the risk of being severely audited by HMRC if they get a whiff of any shenanigans and possibly being fined - just to save £200 pounds in every £1000.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by ApK

Is this true? I know that MC/Visa/Amex removed this restriction long ago, and with just about everyone doing it, I'd want to see one of these agreements. Admittedly, I've not looked in years.

Maybe everyone is doing it in the US. No one is doing it here.

[DNSB]

In Canada, none of the places where you make smaller purchases will accept cheques. Even the farmer's markets, crafts fairs, etc. will only accept payment card or cash. If you want to purchase a big ticket item such as a car, none of the local dealerships will accept a personal cheque, you need to have a certified cheque or a bank draft if you are not paying in cash or electronically. For my last vehicle purchase, I called the bank and explained that I need to increase my daily debit card limit to allow paying for my new vehicle and used it to pay. Sadly, I had to use chip and pin since for some strange reason, the dealership would not allow me to tap.

Cheques still have their uses but only for specialized cases. My spouse and I used a voided cheque a couple of years back to set up rent payment for an apartment for a nephew who graduated from university and got a job in the local area but did not have the ability to manage the upfront first/last month and damage deposit payment. After the three months we agreed on, he was able to take over the payments, repaid the amount we had spent and took us to dinner to say thank you. Sadly, no family drama was involved. The cheque used still had the first 2 digits of the year pre-printed with 19.

[Renate]

Having checks marks you as old.
I still have checks but I can barely remember the last time I used one.
Some national and state parks require camping fees at self-service stations.
When you've been traveling all day and discover that you need to pay $4 and don't have that many ones writing a check seems like a good idea.
Nowadays I think that you can just write your credit card info on the form.
I'd still prefer a check. OTOH, it used to take months to clear.

I hate cash, especially change.
Other people paying with cash is also a nuisance.
You're in a long line and somebody ahead of you has to pay 4.13, so they pull out a 5, then say, "I've got the 0.13 somewhere"...
Nowadays I'm all digital wallet.

[nana77]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

I found a work around for a known bug in the app. But it didn't copy all the music, which was my fault. So tomorrow it'll be attempt number 4.

In internet someone suggests to use the Google version of "Android Transfer FIle" in place of Apple's version, that might be less updated.

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by nana77

In internet someone suggests to use the Google version of "Android Transfer FIle" in place of Apple's version, that might be less updated.

I use a Windows laptop. The first and third time I used MediaMonkey to transfer the files. I use MM for managing my music collection and it should be able to sync files automatically. The second time I used Windows File Explorer, but then not all metadata was copied.

The mistake I made was that I deleted some files in File Explorer and didn't let MM update it's database afterwards, so it thought those files were still there and tried to copy them to my player. That, of course, didn't work and it stopped the file transfer all together since I wasn't around to tell it to skip the files.

So this afternoon, when our cleaner has done her thing (I don't want to be in the way) I'll start again.

And when everything is transferred I can put together my playlists again. I can remember making my own mixtapes as a teen. Making playlists is so much easier.

[Graham44]

Originally Posted by Renate

Having checks marks you as old.
You're in a long line and somebody ahead of you has to pay 4.13, so they pull out a 5, then say, "I've got the 0.13 somewhere"...
Nowadays I'm all digital wallet.

I've had the opposite to that, several times in a queue someones whipped out their phone to pay, tap, doesn't recognise, tap, doesn't recognise, tap, doesn't recognise, find wallet/ purse, pay by cash. To be honest waiting doesn't bother me I'm never in that much of rush. It might be mildly annoying but not the end of the world

[nana77]

Originally Posted by Graham44

I've had the opposite to that, several times in a queue someones whipped out their phone to pay, tap, doesn't recognise, tap, doesn't recognise, tap, doesn't recognise, find wallet/ purse, pay by cash. To be honest waiting doesn't bother me I'm never in that much of rush. It might be mildly annoying but not the end of the world

Two days ago on a local grocery store they'd changed one of three cash register with an automatic kind, there wasn't any in that chain.
As a thunderstorm yet broke something, the nearby cashier had to go and press a button every time a new buyer uses the machine.. The automatic cashier was put in so the employed doesn't has to call a colleague when in need.
She told me them doubled her pay for the mess (in a satire way); I had to reply that if as customer we pay the same price, and that's not just for the holidays (so to let the coworkers have it), it wouldn't be bad if the machine posts pics of her colleagues in vacations, on the beach taking the sun - LOL.

The top here was reached during the covid, when alongside the measures for containment, grocery stores started to add app to get discounts (after pricing having raised), an plus a lottery so while keeping the recepit some would had been drawn and won a large sum as a million or alike.
Meanwhile if there was 5 persons waiting the pay maintenance, if whitout apps that process would endure 12 minuts, the one minute of showing phone, showing app, taking barcodes, and so on... it would had raised the overall estimate time one would had stand close to others.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Graham44

I can see where you are coming from now, but the difference is from my business point of view most, in fact I think I could probably say all of my customers, choose to pay either by cash or cheque without any input from me, card doesn't seem to be the go to payment from a customers point of view when dealing with tradesmen (from my experience). I would also still, respectively, argue there is a massive difference between what the shop was doing and what I do, that difference being I offer customers a choice of payment methods, the shop gave you no choice - card or nothing. We can at least both agree on not accepting cash = not good

Just an example to clarify the way I see the situation - You go into said shop, you hand over your card to pay it's refused for whatever reason, oh well your out of luck. One of my customers goes to pay me, realises they forgot to draw out some cash - that's ok you can write a cheque and if worse comes to worse and they can't find their cheque book I would even let them do a bank transfer, with my business they still have choices.

For your example, personally, if the amount is over $80, I'm unlikely to have the cash on me. As far as a check, I don't carry checks anymore, and I don't have my routing number in my wallet.

And here, I think the majority of trades people (or at least the ones I do business with) do accept credit cards; they usually do prefer cash/checks.

I'm not sure what would happen if all my credit cards/phone were "declined" during a purchase, it hasn't happened. I did have one experience when the merchants "connection" went down, and they still took the credit card (this was relatively recent, and I think they still had one of those mechanical devices that slides and makes an imprint.)

[ApK]

Originally Posted by John F

I did have one experience when the merchants "connection" went down, and they still took the credit card (this was relatively recent, and I think they still had one of those mechanical devices that slides and makes an imprint.)

A food delivery guy showed up at my door a few months back with a mechanical imprinter and some NCR credit card slips. Felt like I was in a time warp.

I've occasionally run into businesses who were utterly unprepared for losing connectivity and had no backup plan. THAT is just wrong and infuriating, and no way to run a business of any size.

I was at an outdoor event recently with a lot of food carts and small independent vendor booths. The few vendors who didn't take physical cards all took various electronic payments, like Zelle, Venmo or Paypal, so it amounted to the same thing for just about anyone with a mobile device. Of course, they all took cash as well....

[Renate]

I worked at a library as a librarian and one day the computer system went down.
So we just grabbed a pad and wrote out the book loans by hand.
Of course later we had to enter all that stuff in.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by ApK

A food delivery guy showed up at my door a few months back with a mechanical imprinter and some NCR credit card slips. Felt like I was in a time warp.

Wouldn't work with half of the credit cards I have in my wallet right now -- they're no longer embossed with raised numbering.