B&Q Rejecting Cash?

[nightjar]

I am not convinced that a contract exists until all terms are agreed, including the method of payment. However, even taking what you say to be correct, I do not see that the seller has entered into a contract to accept cash or not to reject any particular form of cash. There are notices at the tills showing what credit and debit cards are accepted, which I am sure do constitute an offer to accept those as a form of payment, but I cannot recall any notices at B&Q stating that they will accept payment by cash.

Colin Bignell

[Mike Tomlinson]

In article , Andy Dingley writes

If you end up with one or two in your pocket anyway, the tunnel toll booths usually accept them.

[Doctor Drivel]

In London it is worse. You get to know by the colour and weight and then hand it back.

[manatbandq]

Where does the OP say it was handled insensitively? What if they had been forgeries?

MBQ

[Dave Liquorice]

The act of the cashier taking the proffered cash I would say is accepting that as a method of payment. If they don't accept cash, as policy, the cashier should not take the cash when proffered but say "Sorry, we don't take cash".

The tricky bit comes when the cashier inspects the cash and decides that it is forged and rejects it, as is their right. Who has to prove that the cash is, or is not, forged?

[Andy Hall]

He saw several other customers having the same happen to them, ergo this must have been done in public.

That is not acceptable. If there is a query about a credit card, validity of cash or anything else of this nature, that discussion should be in private.

Then they should quite reasonably have been rejected. However, the store was not able to demonstrate this and was refusing notes in front of other customers. That is the unacceptability.

[Dave Liquorice]

Just been to out local bank to pay in some cash. They checked every =A320 note, all passed I'm glad to say.

They had a forged one behind the counter. Even at a reasonable look it would pass. Things to watch for, on this particular one:

It had very slightly fuzzy printing, the scrolly "Bank of England" text at the top isn't raised, the feel of the paper isn't quite right, and it glows just a bit to much under UV.

It did have a (central) watermark, working hologram, the green & red "20" bottom left corner under UV.

[nightjar]

However, it is not cash in general that has been refused, but a particular form of cash, which the checkout operator cannot determine until after taking it to look at. A similar case would be if someone offered an out of date credit card. The checkout operator would not be able to see that before taking it from the customer, but it would not be an acceptable form of payment.

I do not believe that a contract exists until after the checkout operator has agreed that the method of payment offered is acceptable; a view echoed by one of the apparently well-informed regulars on a legal group, where I posed this question. In that case, the seller has no need to prove anything and can even reject money that can be demonstrated to be genuine. However, whatever the exact legal position on when the contract comes into existence, I do not see that the vendor is acting improperly by refusing to accept payment that is genuinely believed to be forged, even if it is not.

Colin Bignell

[Dave]

I hope you never get in the queue behind me then :-)

I am the worlds worst in digging my heels in :-)

And I love doing it!

Dave

[Andy Dingley]

Haven't been to B&Q in ages. But yesterday I noticed that First bus are now refusing £20s.

It's December - traditional season for passing forged notes.

[Dave Liquorice]

But where do most people get 20's from? Cash machines, I should think or is the cash pay packet still common? I rarely see a 50 to get change with 20's in...

[Howard Neil]

They print them themselves. :-(

[Owain]

I don't think that's unreasonable - if 20 people got on offering £20 notes for fares of less than £10 (which could easily happen during a journey) the driver would have to carry an additional £200 in tens to give change. That's a security risk especially as most buses are driver-only.

But B&Q stores are big enough to have a secure cash room and cash-counting machines, and even pneumatic tubes for removing surplus cash from tills throughout the day.

Owain

[John]

I suspect the fact that B&Q's parent company is Kingfisher is the source of a great many of that shop's problems. Last time I looked, B&Q shares were on the slide - 'pulling down' the Kingfisher Group as one report put it. I suspect it's Kingfisher that's pulled down B&Q - they used to be a great shop.

I was a regular customer at my local branch for many years, despite the fact it's 30 miles away. Rarely bother to make the journey there nowadays when I can order direct from Axminster or Screwfix.

Though even Screwfix are starting to lose their edge since they joined that group. Personally I think Kingfisher are living proof that the Monopolies Commission is a waste of space.

John

[Andy Dingley]

Obviously we should have two Monopolies Commissions, to encourage efficient competition between them.

[John]

You have to give credit where it's due, don't you? The change-for-£20 scam must be one of the greatest money-making ideas of history - for the banks anyway.

The banks issue nothing smaller than £20 notes via their machines, then charge shopkeepers for small change. It's staggering in its simplicity. They should get the Queen's Award for Industry for that one.

John

[John]

I used to wonder why we only had the one . I concluded that it was because - in this country - we'd just end up with twice the costs and half the performance.

More seriously - with 'choice' on many high streets now just a sad joke - I often wonder if the Monopolies Commission is hugely incompetent or as bent as a 9-bob not. I'm not sure which is worse.

John

[xscope]

David Brent says :- David: In fact, a postage stamp is legal tender. A bus driver would have to accept that as currency. Tim: Yeah, that'd happen. David: Well, if he doesn't, report him. Tim: Yeah, I'll report him while I'm walking home. Gareth: Get a taxi, if you've got enough stamps. Dawn: Or cash 'em in at the Post Office. David: Shouldn't have to. Shouldn't have to.

[manatbandq]

Rubbish! Otherwise how can you withdraw =A330 or =A350, which I do regularly.

MBQ

[Nick]

Rubbish! Otherwise how can you withdraw £30 or £50, which I do regularly.

MBQ

....and how would they stand by the "enter amounts in multiples of £5" if they didn't dispense £5 notes ??

Nick