Things being made convenient, are taking up all of my time.

[Toto'sDad]

I had posted back a few months ago about our having some forgeries on our checking account. In trying to avoid using the US Mail which seemed to have been the culprit, I started paying as many of our obligations as possible with credit cards. So, far, after getting things squared away with the bank, Social Security, and some of the people who didn't receive payment it's all working pretty good save for one thing. The convenience comes at a price, every single one of the people I pay by credit card have switched me over to paperless billing even when I declined their offer. I already had a truck load of people who sent me special offers, now all of the people whom I'm dealing with by CC are sending me special offers.

It would seem to me, that anyone who can garner your telephone number or email address immediately starts sending you offers that will be convenient for you and make life better. The problem is, I'm like Mr. Scrooge, the only thing I wish to be is left alone. I would find it most convenient if they just wouldn't contact me at all. I'm keeping up with who I owe, and paying them, is that not enough? Must I constantly be badgered with offers of convenience. Another thing, I cannot come out ahead, saving fifty dollars if I have to spend five hundred dollars to earn my fifty!

 

[loco gringo]

Preach on, brother!

Surely you can get an app for that?

 

[Toto'sDad]

Preach on, brother!

Surely you can get an app for that?

I'm pretty sure I know what will happen if I get an ap for that, MORE CONVENIENCE!

 

[Peegoo]

The Dead Kennedys were right.

 

[kbold]

Welcome to the 21st century

 

[P Thought]

I don't care for so much convenience either. I kind of miss sitting down once a month writing checks and mailing them out

 

[sax4blues]

I don't care for so much convenience either. I kind of miss sitting down once a month writing checks and mailing them out

This was my system from 1982 when we got married. The bill went in the folder, amounts & due date written, then crossed off when mailed.

 

[jackinjax]

I feel your pain, TD. Mrs injax has always paid the bills, being in management and dealing with ledgers and finance; you know, that money stuff. I'll bet I haven't written two checks in 50+ years.
Last year we had a drive by mailbox thief steal a bill payment check, and used the account number to buy and pay for, apparently online, a $700 television from a Target store in a nearby town. We had to cancel that checking account and reopen a new one. I guess Target took the hit on the $700.
My daughter, a CPA, had been trying for a couple of years to talk Mrs injax into bill paying electronically online through our bank. Did I mention Mrs injax is maybe a bit set in her ways? After all the crap we went through over the stolen check she agreed to try it once. She did and now she pays all our bills electronically. Said she had no idea it was so easy.
Checks and cash are rapidly becoming obsolete. I've still got that $20 bill in my money clip that I've been carrying around for the last year or more. Next panhandler I see may get it.

 

[Knows3Chords]

Don't get me started on auto-pay or auto renewal. We don't write many checks anymore, but we still have that one night of the month where we sit down in front of the computer and pay our bills. That is all the convenience we need. Other people like to do things a little different, and I'm cool with that.

The last time we ordered new checks from our bank and credit union we were told that we couldn't just pick them up from the branch anymore. "For our convenience", they would deliver them right to our home. Well, let's just say the postal service in our area is suspect at best. Of course, even though the check companies stated they did send the checks, we never received them. We then had to re do our accounts at both places and go down to the post office to file a complaint. It was very inconvenient. When I tried a second time to get them delivered to our banks like they had done for decades, they insisted that they could not do it anymore. So we had to pay extra to have them delivered by Fedex. And as expected, Fedex made it into a real pain in the butt to finally get them delivered. The whole process was "convenient" for everybody, but us.

 

[Dan German]

You couldn’t get me to write a cheque if you tried.

 

[pixeljammer]

I had posted back a few months ago about our having some forgeries on our checking account. In trying to avoid using the US Mail which seemed to have been the culprit, I started paying as many of our obligations as possible with credit cards. So, far, after getting things squared away with the bank, Social Security, and some of the people who didn't receive payment it's all working pretty good save for one thing. The convenience comes at a price, every single one of the people I pay by credit card have switched me over to paperless billing even when I declined their offer. I already had a truck load of people who sent me special offers, now all of the people whom I'm dealing with by CC are sending me special offers.

It would seem to me, that anyone who can garner your telephone number or email address immediately starts sending you offers that will be convenient for you and make life better. The problem is, I'm like Mr. Scrooge, the only thing I wish to be is left alone. I would find it most convenient if they just wouldn't contact me at all. I'm keeping up with who I owe, and paying them, is that not enough? Must I constantly be badgered with offers of convenience. Another thing, I cannot come out ahead, saving fifty dollars if I have to spend five hundred dollars to earn my fifty!

I think you’re misinterpreting “convenient”. It means for them.

 

[Toto'sDad]

I think you’re misinterpreting “convenient”. It means for them.

Well okay then, that explains it!

 

[Toto'sDad]

Welcome to the 21st century

Haalllloooo!

 

[Toto'sDad]

I don't care for so much convenience either. I kind of miss sitting down once a month writing checks and mailing them out

I used to enjoy the morning newspaper, catching up on world events, and being done with that for the day. I used to have a phone to call someone on. I used to sit down, write out the checks for the bills, and feel confident that I could mail them out, and that the actual addressee would receive them. Now I feel as if I'm living in a movie about the three stooges, and I'm one of them!

 

[Toto'sDad]

I feel your pain, TD. Mrs injax has always paid the bills, being in management and dealing with ledgers and finance; you know, that money stuff. I'll bet I haven't written two checks in 50+ years.
Last year we had a drive by mailbox thief steal a bill payment check, and used the account number to buy and pay for, apparently online, a $700 television from a Target store in a nearby town. We had to cancel that checking account and reopen a new one. I guess Target took the hit on the $700.
My daughter, a CPA, had been trying for a couple of years to talk Mrs injax into bill paying electronically online through our bank. Did I mention Mrs injax is maybe a bit set in her ways? After all the crap we went through over the stolen check she agreed to try it once. She did and now she pays all our bills electronically. Said she had no idea it was so easy.
Checks and cash are rapidly becoming obsolete. I've still got that $20 bill in my money clip that I've been carrying around for the last year or more. Next panhandler I see may get it.

I've been handling the bills online myself, but my daughter and son both use a bill pay system. I think I'm going to seriously investigate and consider doing the same.

 

[Toto'sDad]

Don't get me started on auto-pay or auto renewal. We don't write many checks anymore, but we still have that one night of the month where we sit down in front of the computer and pay our bills. That is all the convenience we need. Other people like to do things a little different, and I'm cool with that.

The last time we ordered new checks from our bank and credit union we were told that we couldn't just pick them up from the branch anymore. "For our convenience", they would deliver them right to our home. Well, let's just say the postal service in our area is suspect at best. Of course, even though the check companies stated they did send the checks, we never received them. We then had to re do our accounts at both places and go down to the post office to file a complaint. It was very inconvenient. When I tried a second time to get them delivered to our banks like they had done for decades, they insisted that they could not do it anymore. So we had to pay extra to have them delivered by Fedex. And as expected, Fedex made it into a real pain in the butt to finally get them delivered. The whole process was "convenient" for everybody, but us.

It's really not very "convenient to have to change accounts and all that goes with it. I had to also file a police report. My guess is if they catch the thief, they will issue him a sever "warning" not to do it again.

 

[telleutelleme]

What you didn't get the no interest TDPRI offer?

My late wife was in charge of everything financial. I skipped merrily along for 48 years. Suddenly I had to do all that stuff. After a year I have everything set up on autopay. I also went from just getting massive loan offers for my business, which has been closed for 5 years to massive amounts of CC offers. These include the bank I switched to, to get easier online services.

 

[tery]

The sad part is that they hire people to dream up ways to take your money.

 

[Wrighty]

I had posted back a few months ago about our having some forgeries on our checking account. In trying to avoid using the US Mail which seemed to have been the culprit, I started paying as many of our obligations as possible with credit cards. So, far, after getting things squared away with the bank, Social Security, and some of the people who didn't receive payment it's all working pretty good save for one thing. The convenience comes at a price, every single one of the people I pay by credit card have switched me over to paperless billing even when I declined their offer. I already had a truck load of people who sent me special offers, now all of the people whom I'm dealing with by CC are sending me special offers.

It would seem to me, that anyone who can garner your telephone number or email address immediately starts sending you offers that will be convenient for you and make life better. The problem is, I'm like Mr. Scrooge, the only thing I wish to be is left alone. I would find it most convenient if they just wouldn't contact me at all. I'm keeping up with who I owe, and paying them, is that not enough? Must I constantly be badgered with offers of convenience. Another thing, I cannot come out ahead, saving fifty dollars if I have to spend five hundred dollars to earn my fifty!

Same here. Same thing happens when you order a one off purchase on line. To get past checkout you have to open an account. Once you do, bam! endless emails attempting to sell you something. Sent a cheque to a charity, just my modest lottery winnings that I thought might help. Cheque in an addressed envelope, nothing more. It can’t have been a coincidence that my inbox, within days, started to fill up with begging letters from the and other charities. When I want information about my own accounts from my bank I have to jump through security hops. Seemingly, a charity can get all they need to pester me from a cheque?

 

[buster poser]

Several hundred words on time wasters. I get it.