Why do I keep getting bounce check fees!?!

[Jetfire]

I got the same problem with the gas and electric companies here. Except I'm kind of screwed. I have to pay on-line and pay the "convenience" fee. The offices are only opened Mon-Fri 9am-4/5:30pm....and I work Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm. And I don't really want to pay 44 cents each to mail something in town. Plus, I don't really trust them not to lose it.

My apartment complex, though, oy. The quit accepting personal checks some time ago, but they had a debit machine in the office. Or, you could get a Western Union Money Gram. Well, now they've done away with that. You can only pay online. And they charge you a "convenience" fee of $19.

"Convenience". This word you keep using. I do not think it means what you think if means.

Yuck. I haven't written a check in about 4 years. Rent is direct withdrawal, as is my insurance and loan payments. And all my bills I pay through my bank. (I could get e-bills sent to me but I prefer to receive the paper bills for my records). No fees for paying online either.

Sadly the place I'm moving to has Condo Fees, and they only want checks, so I need to order a new check book for them. I guess I can stand 12 checks a year. *ugh* at least until I get on the condo board and figure out ways to do that electronically too.

Up here, while our banks and utilities love to nickel and dime us, I don't think any of them have tried to do the electronic convenience fee. Probably because we shifted to e-commerce so quickly that by the time they realized they could have tried that, there would have been a riot that would put the current UBB riots to shame.

[Andara Bledin]

You can only pay online. And they charge you a "convenience" fee of $19.

"Convenience". This word you keep using. I do not think it means what you think if means.

Taking a page out of Ticketmaster's book, hm? >_<

My apartment complex tried to institute a fee for not signing a 6-month lease, with only 30 days notice. We went in with a printout of the relevant rental laws for the state and suggested quite strongly that such an increase, as it would be considered part of the rent, would require a minimum of 60 days notice. The lady was smart enough to submit it to her people's legal department, and they kicked it back to let them know that we were right, so they have to send out all-new notices and can't raise the rent for 60 days after that. By which point, we hope to be long gone.

^-.-^

[Pagan]

Nicely done. Best use of that quote by anyone on these forums, myself included, in some time. Bravo!

Why, thank you kindly sir. *curtsies*

[Gerrinson]

As for the OP, would it be possible to remind the 'gentleman' in question that, in the US, writing a check that you know will bounce is actually illegal and an arrestable offence, should the person/company to whom you report call the police. If fees won't push him into letting the check clear, then the threat of jail time might.