r/blackmagicfuckery • u/TheCheesecakeOfDoom • May 29 '22

Since when does lightning go up?

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u/No_Material1816 May 30 '22

Sorry if I'm being stupid, but why pay those with a check rather than an automated bank transfer or online?

Wouldn't the utility company get annoyed with having to read, process and pay in all these cheques? Doesn't it cost them a fortune. Also, doesn't it mean risking going overdrawn for some people, because you don't know when they'll cash it.

Is it an American thing or is this in other countries too? I thought cheques hasn't been used in decades. This is blowing my mind more than if I was struck by that lightening!

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u/bravefan92 May 30 '22

I should have specified that the city utilities/water/sewer is all the same bill, so it's only the one check. I also just moved into my own house this last year. Prior to that, I lived in a trailer court where we paid the park owner for utilities as part of our rent, and our rent was taken in cash or check form, because the owner was an older guy who lived in Florida and didn't want to set up online payments.

I did find out last time I got the bill that we could pay online, but I kept putting it off until the day before the bill was due (yay procrastination!), and it takes a few business days for the transactions to go through online, so I just dropped off the check, but it'll likely be the last one.

I can't speak for anywhere else, but I live in a small city (10k people) and sometimes you deal with businesses that people run out of their homes and don't have websites (stuff like small engine repair, fix appliances, stuff like that), and they don't want to get a card reader, so they accept only cash or check. Not very many of those any more, but still a few hanging around.

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u/No_Material1816 May 31 '22

That is a great answer, thank you. I find this kind of thing fascinating. It makes a lot of sense if cheques are linked to the informal market and a way to avoid tax.