Cheque handling

[einarp]

I do not like high administration (overhead) cost, and to me handling cheques is a waste of valuable time. We receive a number of cheques every day. However we won't force the customers into electronic payment; it's the customer's choice.

Since I come from a country that does not have cheques I wonder how you have set up the cheque handling procedures to be as efficent as possible?

Einar

[mumper]

Hi Einar,

What country do you come from?



John

[Whistle Ink]

For some reason I love cheques! I must be the only one I guess. Just something about them.

I will be offering oayment by PayPal but not everyones clued up on comuters, internet in generals so online payment would throw them of course.

Nothing is easier than writing a cheque (well apart from not writing one at all!!)

[mumper]

Yep....got to respect the cheque!

[Rob Holmes]

Well we started going to the bank once a week but that created problems of cheques bouncing etc and delays in finding out.

Most of our clients now pay electronically but the cheques now go into the bank on the same day.

If someone wants to pay for our hosting via cheque we are happy to invoice them annually only, I detest paper-chasing and monthly cheque taking and it's at that point (where a customer asks to pay monthly by cheque) that we decline the business.

If web design customers ask to pay via cheque we charge an extra fee for more than one cheque. This is because someone has to chase it, chase it some more, take time out, goto the bank, pay it in, get back etc etc and it can be very time consuming.

In addition (and very importantly) I read that there are laws changing ref cheques and someone will be able to cancel the cheque with their bank and receive a refund from your account almost indefinately. Hopefully someone on the forum knows a bit more about this last issue than me (because thats all I know ;) )

Rob

[SillyJokes]

I hate cheques too. The way I have found that is best to deal with them is to make it someone else's job.

Then every now and then we go and pay them in.

Incidentally, the way to confuse a bank clerk is to pay in postal orders - their brains nearly burst with the extra power demand.

[CJS Network]

you could use a bank that will receive cheques by post. I know that delays clearance but saves going to the branch. The Abbey Business account can be managed on line and receives cheques by post or at a branch or at a machine. It is free to run if you don't overdraw.