[poole bay]

what will you do when cheques are no longer in use, what will be the best way to collect

[AuRavelling79]

what will you do when cheques are no longer in use, what will be the best way to collect

On line. Already doing it for more and more custies now.

[Jack Wallace]

I dont think i will start worrying about that just yet.  :
It does not happen for another 8 years.

[poole bay]

gold what do you use online paypal or just your own bank set up  and jack iv had customers saying to me what im i going to do because there banks are not giving them new books when they run out

[Paul Coleman]

what will you do when cheques are no longer in use, what will be the best way to collect

I'm starting to gently nudge people into doing bank to bank transfers.
Some are really happy about it.  Some don't want to know.  No problem as cheque abolition isn't due until 2018.
I've built it in to increasing my prices at the moment.  It looks slightly better if you are increasing by £1 or £2 but at the same time, offer a way of saving 32p or 41p on postage.

[Paul Coleman]

gold what do you use online paypal or just your own bank set up  and jack iv had customers saying to me what im i going to do because there banks are not giving them new books when they run out

I give them my bank details.  I also give them a unique reference number (door number/housename + postcode).
Make sure your bank shows the reference.  Santander doesn't.  Co-op do.  Don't know about others.  Santander expect business owners to be psychic but that's because they are the biggest bunch of idiots I've ever dealt with in customer service - even worse than Vodafone.

[scud]

gold what do you use online paypal or just your own bank set up  and jack iv had customers saying to me what im i going to do because there banks are not giving them new books when they run out

I give them my bank details.  I also give them a unique reference number (door number/housename + postcode).
Make sure your bank shows the reference.  Santander doesn't.  Co-op do.  Don't know about others.  Santander expect business owners to be psychic but that's because they are the biggest bunch of idiots I've ever dealt with in customer service - even worse than Vodafone.
[/quote

Glad I am not the only one whois sick of Santander, used the last wet day to open an HSBC account, there machines even give you a photocopy of any cheques you pay in, and the staff in the branch are actually helpful to a fault.

[peter1983]

lol  8 year  may be 10 

[Steven Shoreditch]

 

[martinsadie]

cash is king 

[johnmeehan]

how long have you got to put cheque through bank before they the bank wont accept it ta john

[martinsadie]

6 months

[Paul Coleman]

In the end, if they refuse to pay via the bank, and want you to collect if they are not in when you do the windows, are you going to call back or drop them?

I think it would have to be a case by case basis really.  I won't collect though.  That would be a backward step.  Although more expensive for the customer, there is an option of postal orders.  If I am offering a way to pay that is currently free for both parties, I really think they should take it.  Even those who don't use the internet can still set up the bill payment with telephone banking.  The main problem would be with elderly people who may be unfamiliar with anything other than old fashioned banking.

[Steven Shoreditch]

 

[AuRavelling79]

>poole bay

I put my bank details on my "payment slip" and offer it as an option.

You know how it will go - the media will love counting the nation down to a deadline; banks will raise the cost of cheques markedly; more and more custies will accept credit transfer and a handful on each round will go "luddite" and you can make a case by case (as per Paul Coleman) decision.

Little old housebound ladies will be on hand to pay cash.

Perhaps we'll have to invest in a card handling machine?

[Londoner]

gold what do you use online paypal or just your own bank set up  and jack iv had customers saying to me what im i going to do because there banks are not giving them new books when they run out

I give them my bank details.  I also give them a unique reference number (door number/housename + postcode).
Make sure your bank shows the reference.  Santander doesn't.  Co-op do.  Don't know about others.  Santander expect business owners to be psychic but that's because they are the biggest bunch of idiots I've ever dealt with in customer service - even worse than Vodafone.

Second vote for Santander being the biggest bunch of idiots on the planet. You can't pay in cheques over the counter and have to post them off.

[Steven Shoreditch]

 

[bobby p]

i still use just a personal account,dont hav many cheques anyroad. but last week got a phone call from my bank,quizzing me , theyre sussing i might be a business paying in stuff. so ive opened a personal bank account with a different bank.

[Paul Coleman]

gold what do you use online paypal or just your own bank set up  and jack iv had customers saying to me what im i going to do because there banks are not giving them new books when they run out

I give them my bank details.  I also give them a unique reference number (door number/housename + postcode).
Make sure your bank shows the reference.  Santander doesn't.  Co-op do.  Don't know about others.  Santander expect business owners to be psychic but that's because they are the biggest bunch of idiots I've ever dealt with in customer service - even worse than Vodafone.

Second vote for Santander being the biggest bunch of idiots on the planet. You can't pay in cheques over the counter and have to post them off.

Not totally correct Vince.  No paying in over the counter (for cheques or cash) is correct.  This was the deal from day one and Santander (then Abbey) were the first and possibly the only bank to offer free business banking for life (excluding Co-op via FSB membership).
However, there is the option to pay in cash and cheques by ATM.  Presumably you have a debit/ATM card with the account?
Of course it's not much help if you live a long way from a branch.  I can walk to mine in 5 - 10 minutes and always deposit by ATM.
In fact the service was OK for me until they removed the BACS references.  It wasn't that they never supplied them.  It was their removal of them and the refusal to re-instate them that was the issue for me.  I was just starting to gear up my business to receive a lot more payments this way when changed it.  I had to scrap about 200 printed letters.  It could have been worse.  If I had already sent them and had loads of customers paying by BACS, I would have been in trouble not knowing who had paid in some cases.  I went to the very top to try to resolve this as someone gave me the email address of the chief executive's PA.  Still they would not budge.  I even asked them if I should pay my credit card using P Coleman as the reference instead of the 16 digit card number (sarcastically).
It is convenient for me to pay cash and cheques via ATM.  The BACS payments now go into a Co-op account.  Due to Santander's gross stupidity, I now need two business accounts to run one business.  Also, as BACS payments increase and cheques decline, they will be receving less money from my business.  If you multiply my little bit by perhaps 100,000 businesses that's a lot of money.  Well it is to me.  Apparently they can afford it though.
Indeed, if it was easier to deposit cash and cheques with the Co-op, I would probably close the Santander account completely.