The penny customer

[BowserKoopa1]

Just read this on the internet and thought I would share it with those interested before they miss it.
A customer at a healthcare place comes in to pay a $25 bill that he doesn't believe he owes, and he asks if they accept cash payments. When they say yes, he dumps a whole bunch of pennies on the counter and demands that they count it. They call the cops on him, and now he is going to have to pay an even bigger fine.
I feel different about this story. First of all, pennies are definitely legal tender and he should not be arrested for something like this, unless of course he started to cause a scene, which it seemed like he did when he demanded they count out the pennies. I can tell you now, I sure as hell would not count them out. But, he did not deserve to be arrested.
On the other hand though, this guy was definitely being a smartass. Yes he was trying to prove a point, but in my opinion you just don't come in with a bunch of change and pay your bill that way, especially if its all in pennies. Being a cashier myself, I can tell you that no cashier would want to have to do this. No, not because we're being lazy or refusing payment, but because customers like this are "sucky customers" and are being assholes deliberately. Idiots do things like this. Normal people take their change to the bank and convert it into bills.
Thats my on this story.

[Marmalady]

When I worked in the council car parking dept., a taxi driver came in one day to pay a ticket he obviously didn't think he should have got - I was the lucky person on the counter that day. It wasn't all pennies but it was all in change - I'm talking about £45 here.
I knew he was doing it just to be awkward, so I said "Oooh, change! Thank you, we never have enough of that here!" and counted it out all enthusiastic as if I was delighted. Wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of having p***ed me off.

[fireheart]

Legal tender yes, but a business can refuse to accept it IIRC?

There is a legal requirement in Australia that we can only legally accept a certain amount of coins per transaction otherwise it ceases to become legal tender.

[gremcint]

in some areas that is illegal, apparently it's illegal to spend more than 26 cents in pennies here in canada.

[RedRoseSpiral]

I've heard a few different accounts on this one. Seems what a few places are reporting might be a bit of an exaggerations on how the man acted. Some have the man dumping the pennies on the counter, others have him setting them down in a less rude manner. Others have told he only asked for a receipt and not demanding they count them after dumping them. So really who knows. Also, as far as I remember, if they had refused payment it would mean they were invalidating the debt and would have no right to try to claim it.

[Canarr]

Depends on the law where the man lives, I'd say. In Germany, for instance, no business is required to accept more than 50 coins for any transaction, no matter the value of the coins. They are free to insist on a different payment method for the balance of the debt and will in no way forfeit any of it.

[siead_lietrathua]

just because it's legal tender doesn't mean a store has to accept it. businesses can choose what they accept as payment, be it cash only, credit only, or goat only.

[Mel]

in some areas that is illegal, apparently it's illegal to spend more than 26 cents in pennies here in canada.

What! Really? I've never heard that before. How interesting...lol

[BowserKoopa1]

Depends on the law where the man lives, I'd say. In Germany, for instance, no business is required to accept more than 50 coins for any transaction, no matter the value of the coins. They are free to insist on a different payment method for the balance of the debt and will in no way forfeit any of it.

Exactly, and that's the kind of law we need here in the states, because these idiots do this deliberately. And of course if we say anything or even look at them funny, guess who gets into trouble? The poor cashier who is made to suffer because some dumbfuck is too dam lazy to stop by the bank and convert it into bills, which they will do for free, and it only takes 1 minute. If we implement this law, people will quickly learn that they cannot pull this crap with us.
I'm also reading the comments from people who read the story and posted (not the story I posted on customerssuck.com) and almost every single person is backing him up, saying that he showed the big bad medical insurance company a thing or two. Ok, so does that mean these people are gonna do the same thing? Are we gonna start seeing more and more idiots come into places of business and do the same thing every time they disagree with a price or disagree with how much they were charged on their credit card? They are saying its not illegal to pay with all pennies as they are "legal tender" .
Yes they are legal tender, and I still say the guy should not have been arrested, unless of course he was causing a scene and maybe was getting violent. But what he was doing is totally unacceptable. And he's giving other sucky customers bad ideas on how to make our lives more miserable too, as if they don't have enough ways to do that already.

[iradney]

Ok guys, this discussion definitely belongs in Fratching. Take it there please.