Posted on 03/08/2007 8:05:12 AM PST by Abathar
CARTERVILLE, Illinois -- A southern Illinois man who's fed up with higher electric rates has come up with a way to show his displeasure while paying his bill.
Robert Hancock said his monthly power bill jumped nearly 200 percent -- to $526.62.
So he's going to send Ameren 52,662 pennies.
Hancock said he's worked things out with a local bank to get the coins and with the post office to mail the money.
It will cost about $50 extra for postage. But Hancock said that if he can cause Ameren a little inconvenience, it's worth it to him.
But it only costs about thirty cents for them to make a dollar (if people will use them) ...and pennies last a long time.
If the government agency rules permit cash payments, then payments may be made in currency and reasonable coinage, otherwise you pay as the rules and regulations of the agency require - and you do not get to dictate those rules.
Considering the metal value of pennies today they would be fools if they did. This guy just overpaid his power bill by a significant amount without even realizing it. I'll take pennies and nickels as payment any day. Heck I prefer it!
Thanks for pointing that out. A power company is most likely not a private company and unless they made it very clear that they will not take coinage as payment I would say they are obligated to do so. Anyone advocating otherwise is doing some wrong thinking.
Let us say for instance that my electric bill for Feb, 2007 was $96.29 cents. I go to their local office to pay it in person. By the "they are not obligated to take pennies" logic that would mean that I would have to hand over to them $97.00 and they would give me back 71 cents. That is ridiculous thinking. Now logically I could hand them 96 one (1) dollar bills, 2 dimes, a nickel and 4 pennies. Do you think they would accept that payment? Of course they would. Now, since they will accept 2 dimes, a nickel and 4 pennies from me I suggest that unless they published to each customer that they would not take coinage over a certain amount, they would be discriminating against this customer by not accepting his 56,000+ pennies.
If the customer had been wise, he would not have stirred up this controversy in the first place because it is not going to gain him a thing other than having a lot of people think he is some kind of NUT! His electric bill will not get smaller because of it. If the electric company is wise they will accept his payment in pennies and treat them as any other deposit at their bank and let the whole matter drop where it is at. Being complicit in giving a NUT publicity is not wise and not good policy on the part of the electric company.
Just because I am not buying into your statements does not indicate that I started reading in the middle of the post.
Why am I not buying into your logic? It is because you are wrong and don't have a clue as to what you are talking about. I know for a fact..get it?...A FACT! that you can't refuse payment of a debt by any legal tender in the State of Indiana without forfeiting the debt.
But Hancock said that if he can cause Ameren a little inconvenience, it's worth it to him."
Any "inconvenience" they feel will be tacked onto customers next bill.
see post #71 of this thread.
"The creditor decides in what form they will accept payments.."
How is my yearly car registration and plates remotely related to the extension of credit?
Why am I not buying into your logic? It is because you are wrong and don't have a clue as to what you are talking about. I know for a fact..get it?...A FACT! that you can't refuse payment of a debt by any legal tender in the State of Indiana without forfeiting the debt.
Go back to posts #69 & 70.
I have no plans on melting them now. When they stop making pennies and nickels or change their metal composition it will then be legal do as you please with them. In the mean time I will collect them. :)
Substitute DMV for creditor. They decide the terms in which they accept payments, you don't.
So, the government gets to refuse their own money? I don't see that as a good thing, really.
Keith we can play this go back and read post# so and so until the Sahara freezes over and I will still be convinced that on this subject you don't know what you are talking about. The End.
We're even then.
I concede..... :)
Another "Grand Plan" bites the dust..
W
"won't cause one bit of inconvience to the company."
No offense but you have no clue.
About 15 years ago a fellow sued the Virginia Secretary of State when the State revoked his "GOVT SUX" license plates.
During the trial it was revealed that he had tried to pay his Personal Property Tax bill in person with a bag of change. It was also revealed that the two gals in the Loudoun County Tax Office had personally complained to the Secretary of State about the license plates.
He won the case and was able to keep his plates.
I enjoy looking at this kind of thing from theory, not agitating employees or anything like that. Heck, most of them are secretary/clerical types who have worked there 40 years and stuff, real troopers and I bet it's a bad idea to tick them off.
Yeah, the bag of coins and the upset gals in the tax office are just a side show. I like the fight between the state trying to make a little extra revenue through the sale of vanity plates and the right to free speech. It's a clash going on in all fifty states. I understand there is an office in every state capitol that keeps track of what you cannot have on a vanity plate. I don't have vanity plates just for that reason, and I tell people that if you want to send a message using your vehicle as a bull horn - - buy a bumper sticker.
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