Do you still accept cheques?

[Spirits High]

As the title says "Do you still accept cheques"?

I know most major retailers no longer accept cheques. I still get alot of NRBF via cheque although more people are now paying via BACS.

A couple of my Hotels like to pay via cheque what do others do with their Hotel clients?

I've put a poll on the top so have a little vote ;)

[Shaun]

I still accept cheques. Very rarely do I get payment via cheque these days though

[Charlie Brown]

All of the time for me.

[Corabar Entertainment]

I still accept cheques. Very rarely do I get payment via cheque these days though

Snap... although I've had a few recently for some reason. :confused:

[deltic]

cheque's are alright by me.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

The can pay me by camel as long as i can cash it somewhere.

When banks stop accepting/issuing them then ill reconsider ;)

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Dont see a reason not to accept them?

[Jason]

For me, they are a bit of a pain due to banking location etc.
BUT I take them with a smile!

Many people pay via bank transfer, and some via PayPal (normally the booking fee)
I also get the odd couple that want to pay the booking fee in cash on our pre-booking meeting.

I can't see them being phased out for a while yet - I've certainly got no plans, but I do prefer bank-transfer if possible...

[Excalibur]

In all honesty, I can't see how banks are going to be able to phase out cheques. :confused: Some of my business customers have a bank account and a cheque book, and no plastic. I can't see them taking well to BACSing everything.

[DJWilson]

Dont see a reason not to accept them?


Second that!

[simonp]

Yup I accept cheques - most of my deposits arrive in the form of a cheque



When banks stop accepting/issuing them then ill reconsider

Then, and only then

[DazzyD]

Yup I accept cheques - most of my deposits arrive in the form of a cheque



Then, and only then

Same here for me.

[CRAZY K]

Yes, all NRBF tend to be--we still dont get much of a take up on BACS although next year will try to move that forwards with on line card payments--

[Charlie Brown]

Funny thread really. :lol:

Would ANYONE turn down a cheque? The idea is to make the whole experience 'stress free' for your clients. Why be awkward by picking specific payment methods? :shrug:

[Jiggles]

If it has my name on it, it has some nice numbers on it I dont see why not.

[yourdj]

Yep funnily enough got my first one for ages yesterday for NYE 2012 which was good. :)

Same cost as using paypal.

Yes and definitely phasing it out as they will be obsolete in a few years so I would be an idiot not too :D

[Charlie Brown]

Same cost as using paypal? :confused:

[Corabar Steve]

Yes and definitely phasing it out as they will be obsolete in a few years so I would be an idiot not too :D
Firstly, to only has one o in that context :P

Secondly, why would anyone stop accepting then until they are actually obsolete?

[Charlie Brown]

Who said 'no' on this poll?

[CRAZY K]

Funny thread really. :lol:

Would ANYONE turn down a cheque? The idea is to make the whole experience 'stress free' for your clients. Why be awkward by picking specific payment methods? :shrug:

Think again.

It becomes very stressed when the cheque gets delayed by by the fabulous Post Office and its a short notice booking and needs something like 7 to10 working days before its completely "cleared"

Banks dont do Saturdays and Sundays.:eek:

[yourdj]

Firstly, to only has one o in that context :P

Secondly, why would anyone stop accepting then until they are actually obsolete?

Good point. It also involves walking to the bank and being held up with all the old gits in the line (cant spell cue).

Bank transfer much better IMO as I am paperless anyway to :)

[Pe7e]

Good point. It also involves walking to the bank and being held up with all the old gits in the line (cant spell cue).

Bank transfer much better IMO as I am paperless anyway to :)

queue :p , Yes you are right, it would take me a round trip of 25 miles, a car park fee, a half mile walk and waste nearly 2 hours of my time, if I took one, cheques are a pain in the :Censored:

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I accept cheques. I get them most of the time for the NRBF and every now and then for the balance. A lot of people are paying by BACS now which is cool with me.

[Andy Goodtimes]

I get a lot of cheques mainly for the deposits, guess its because the signed bit of the contract has to be returned to me so its easy for them to pop a cheque in the envelope too. I do get some direct payments but still not as much as cheques, I offer the choice.

[Tom Lovick]

Again, i offer the choice. Most people pay by BACS, Cheque, or Paypal (with a 3% charge of course) :p :p

[Vectis]

Paypal (with a 3% charge of course) :p :p

Inexcusible :Naughty: - especially if you don't offer a surcharge-free method of paying by card. That won't do you many favours...

It's tricks like this that can turn clients off at the last moment; the same types of folks who on principle won't call a business that only publishes a mobile number, or an 087x number - folks like me.

[Tom Lovick]

Inexcusible :Naughty: - especially if you don't offer a surcharge-free method of paying by card. That won't do you many favours...

It's tricks like this that can turn clients off at the last moment; the same types of folks who on principle won't call a business that only publishes a mobile number, or an 087x number - folks like me.

Well I do offer payment by Credit card as well. I have just setup the paypal 'virtual terminal' which i can use if people want to send money via credit card.

:beer1: :beer1:

[Charlie Brown]

Well I do offer payment by Credit card as well. I have just setup the paypal 'virtual terminal' which i can use if people want to send money via credit card.

:beer1: :beer1:

I might give that a whirl.

Do they take a cut from the overall amount?

[Tom Lovick]

I might give that a whirl.

Do they take a cut from the overall amount?

I think they take a small cut but nothing like normal Paypal. (i.e. sending money with the paypal buttons etc)

[Vectis]

Last time I checked Virtual Terminal has a monthly charge, and I think it was like £29 or so.... is that still the case? (Or is there a free trial?)

The rates are then more like a typical merchant account.

[Charlie Brown]

Last time I checked Virtual Terminal has a monthly charge, and I think it was like £29 or so.... is that still the case? (Or is there a free trial?)

The rates are then more like a typical merchant account.

£10 a month Martin.

Not bad TBH.

I take a lot of payments over the phone but use PayPal via my site. - Probably shouldn't do that.

[Tom Lovick]

Last time I checked Virtual Terminal has a monthly charge, and I think it was like £29 or so.... is that still the case? (Or is there a free trial?)

The rates are then more like a typical merchant account.

woops, it's the Paypal web payments standard that i've got.

Was looking at the Virtual terminal but changed my mind. :muppet: :beer1: :daft:

You still have to pay a bit for it but its less than the standard. i.e. £3 on the average disco.

[Vectis]

its less than the standard. i.e. £3 on the average disco.

... putting the average disco at £80 - £100 :confused: :eek:

No wonder you ask for the 3%!


I didn't charge for clients using PayPal, and my 'typical' was somewhere around the £300 mark, so you were looking at £10 per gig. About 70% of my payments came this way, so therefore about 75 gigs a year = £750 in fees, minus the taxman's 20-ish% refund = £600 or a cost to me of about £5ish. Well worth it not to have to faff with cheques and banks especially as I live in the sticks.

[Tom Lovick]

... putting the average disco at £80 - £100 :confused: :eek:

No wonder you ask for the 3%!


I didn't charge for clients using PayPal, and my 'typical' was somewhere around the £300 mark, so you were looking at £10 per gig. About 70% of my payments came this way, so therefore about 75 gigs a year = £750 in fees, minus the taxman's 20-ish% refund = £600 or a cost to me of about £5ish. Well worth it not to have to faff with cheques and banks especially as I live in the sticks.

no average disco = £150-£200

[Charlie Brown]

... putting the average disco at £80 - £100 :confused: :eek:

No wonder you ask for the 3%!


:lol:

Paypal snapped £4.20 of me yesterday and that was just a deposit. :eek:

...Explains your early payment Martin. ;)

[yourdj]

So what is the best online option?

Sage pay is supposed to be good. i must have on average 8 gigs a month at £350-400.
how much are they taking off me and is it better to go to a monthly subscription or even better one I can take card payments?

Failing that just go to just bank transfer (free) but can offer more hassle for the client.
which accounts for about 30% of bookings at the moment anyway

[Vectis]

So what is the best online option?


Quantify "best" - cheapest? easiest to use? customer service?


One word of advice from me is to remember who your customers are. They are, by and large, "consumers". The vast majority of them rarely, if ever, book a mobile disco and the vast majority of them rarely, if ever, spend hundreds of pounds online - especially for services where there's no tangible.

Therefore, whatever you present them with must be comfortable and idiot proof.

Whilst we as business people throw large sums of money around quite frequently, and are used to interacting with SagePay and WorldPay and other such products, Joe Public isn't.

And that's why, despite being a tad on the expensive side, PayPal wins for me in C2B transactions.

[Charlie Brown]

Darren, how much do you pay for your card machine? (Out of interest)




One word of advice from me is to remember who your customers are. They are, by and large, "consumers". The vast majority of them rarely, if ever, book a mobile disco and the vast majority of them rarely, if ever, spend hundreds of pounds online - especially for services where there's no tangible.

Therefore, whatever you present them with must be comfortable and idiot proof.

Whilst we as business people throw large sums of money around quite frequently, and are used to interacting with SagePay and WorldPay and other such products, Joe Public isn't.


You're so bloody clever. That makes perfect sense.

[Jonathan Ford]

I accept cheques, but only 14 days prior to the event. I'd prefer not to, as others have said, it's a faff getting to the bank (I live ten miles from the branch, and work thirty miles from it). At the end of the day, it all spends.

Here's an interesting thought - I haven't had any post for over ten days now, and I would imagine many others are in a similar position. Hypothetically, you turn up to a gig this weekend, expecting cash, and the client says "I paid you by cheque - posted it Monday 29th Nov". What do you do?

[DeckstarDeluxe]

I accept cheques, but only 14 days prior to the event. I'd prefer not to, as others have said, it's a faff getting to the bank (I live ten miles from the branch, and work thirty miles from it). At the end of the day, it all spends.

Here's an interesting thought - I haven't had any post for over ten days now, and I would imagine many others are in a similar position. Hypothetically, you turn up to a gig this weekend, expecting cash, and the client says "I paid you by cheque - posted it Monday 29th Nov". What do you do?

Have it in your contract that the full balance is due 14 days before the event so this NEVER happens.

If that did happen I would explain that you havent receive it and that they should cancel it on following work day.

[soundtracker]

I accept cheques, but only 14 days prior to the event. I'd prefer not to, as others have said, it's a faff getting to the bank (I live ten miles from the branch, and work thirty miles from it). At the end of the day, it all spends.

Here's an interesting thought - I haven't had any post for over ten days now, and I would imagine many others are in a similar position. Hypothetically, you turn up to a gig this weekend, expecting cash, and the client says "I paid you by cheque - posted it Monday 29th Nov". What do you do?

increase 14 to 30 days....works for me!:)

[Gary (GDK)]

I've got a 2 choices off local branches, but usually use the City Centre one.

I accept cheques for booking fees, as well as schools corpaorate stuff. (Will only accept a business cheque on the day of performance.) Never had a problem with them clearing.

[soundtracker]

Never had a problem with them clearing.

You won't....until you do!