Hello all,
I agree that cheque payment is a valuable service for many people who do not have debit and credit cards. Many elderly people are cautious / wary of electronic payments and prefer to send a cheque. I also agree that the system is being abused by a minority of customers. This must be frustrating and perhaps instead of withdrawing the cheque payment facility, perhaps they could adopt a "three strikes and you're out" policy. This will sort out persistent offenders.
The shopping addiction theory is also very valid. I am an ITU nurse. Earlier this year, I was nursing a very sick patient who had attempted suicide. Their family found the patient on their settee, having consumed painkillers. Beside the patient was a letter from their credit card company, stating that "in line with their responsible lending policy", they had withdrawn the card facility and that the card may not be used for purchases and to return it to them immediately.
It subsequently came out that the patient, a middle aged gentleman, who was disabled and housebound, frequently bought goods from shopping channels using his debit and credit cards. He had only state benefits as income and had racked up immense debits at his bank and credit and store cards, catalogues etc... Depression fuelled a hoarding / shopping addiction, it was his way of communicating with people and made him feel valued and important as an individual. His family had no idea that he even felt so lonely and to their dismay, they had not been able to rescue him from these problems. I am absolutely certain that his is not the first case and neither will it be the last, though I wish it were.
This man never regained consciousness and died two days later.
I do not mean to upset or offend anybody but he was one of my patients whose story really touched me.
One positive outcome of this recession is that cards are not so readily being granted without proper, responsible credit checking. I truly hope that this checking continues and that shopping addicts may be saved from their own self-destructive behavior. It is a serious problem in today's society.
I cannot say that I entirely blame the individual companies for enabling his habit but i believe that the shopping on tv, the internet, catalogues do tempt vulnerable folk into buying for the sake of it. I am guilty of needless shopping on QVC and elsewhere and have plenty of impulse buys under my belt!
Anybody else agree about the "three strikes and you're out" idea?
On a ligter note, I have to say that I absolutely lurrrve farting! I have saved about 90.00 so far - in just one month! Makes me realise what a naughty girl I was until I joined my fellow flatulent chums on ST
Hope to hear your views,
Inge xx