Are you one of the minority that doesnt use a banking system?

I rented a car today and was prompted to supply a credit card or debt card. When I told them I dont use banks the teller was somewhat shocked and had to have me retrieve a money order and refused my cash deposit.

Ive used just about every bank in America in the past, and have come to realise having a bank costs money.
In fact it cost more money than me cashing my checks and paying my bills at my local do it all gas station. When my last bank claimed my direct deposit was late and I bought a 60 dollar hambuger; I decided not to be a victim anymore.
And yet it seems I am an outcast and shunned with most buisness I try to do cash transactions with. are there any like minded people here on ATS?

reply to post by Foxy1


I do not currently have a bank account or active credit card account either. But I can explain why you were asked to get a money order and not cash for that deposit.

Cash is untraceable. This fact doesn't necessarily, however, imply that the rental company is evil, or even has an evil agenda. What it does imply is that they are cautious and have sound practices. A cash deposit cannot be tracked. IE a dishonest employee could record a "cash deposit" where there was none - and then use that record as a means to defraud. All it would take is an accomplice, a line item entry ( x dollars received in cash ) and a hope that the businesses daily cash bank deposit exceeded the amount of the fraudulent entry.

A money order creates a firm paper trail and prevents this potential fraud.

~Heff

reply to post by Hefficide


That is the way the system is setup I suppose. But it just seems to me that the system is trying to move away from tangible money into something else. but I guess its the whole progression of the mark of the beast haha.

I mean if they really wanted to they could simply write down the serial number off the 100 dollar bill I gave them. wouldnt that be easier? typing that number into a computer would be just as easy as typing a money order number in right?

reply to post by Hefficide

A money order creates a firm paper trail and prevents this potential fraud.

Or is it just a way to track our purchases, movements etc? I know it's more of a conspiratorial theory but this is what I think of when I see this.

I have tried to pay a lot of bills lately with cash and they usually have to refer to either a senior employee to sign off on it or just act confused as to how to process such a strange transaction.

Getting stranger by the day.

Peace

reply to post by jude11


My conspiratorial side agrees!

My experience in business, however, also informs me that employees will steal if a door is left open for them to do so. Even the seemingly good ones. One of my favorite business adages is "keeping honest folks honest". I took this to heart when, while working in Texas, corporate policy dictated that I prosecute everyone who stole from the company. An employee stole a compact disc and was caught. Something like ten bucks. I prosecuted - as my job demanded. What I did not know was that, in Texas, any and all workplace theft is a felony ( embezzlement ).

That employee received an eight year sentence - over a freaking CD.

After that? I started looking for every angle I could, to try and protect my employees from temptation and developed a skill for keeping the honest folks honest.

~Heff

reply to post by Foxy1


Writing down the serial number of the 100 dollar bill isn't going to help them if you wreck the car under a false name. If you want to rent a car you have to put up some kind of collatoral, I'm not talking about 40 dollars a day.

reply to post by Hefficide


I think you got used by the system and now that person is working for a For-Profit prison ...just as planned. That's so F&%^#( up.

I have a small shop and I control it by simply allowing my wife or myself to operate the till. Period.

I know it's not the same in a larger operation but that's how I can control my choices of using cash.

Peace

reply to post by litterbaux


its the companies job to verify that my identification is valid. i was prompted to show my drivers license and insurance...which i indeed did so. But the fact that I wasnt a member of a bank, prompted the agency to involve a 3rd party that i had to give a 52 cent service charge to.

If you don't regularly use banks for transactions then that is a red flag to them. They automatically figure you for a malcontent if you don't ordinarily use banks. They have a lot of rules and procedures and if you aren't used to them they will spend more time, paper and money informing you of those rules and they don't like costs when it comes to clients.

Plus what are you hiding about your past if you don't use banks? Not that you are a bad investment... wait isn't is supposed to be the other way around? Banks are a bad investment. They need you to play along with their paradigm though so they can make money off you.

Think about it. You freely give your money to a bank and they charge you for keeping it for you. You have to keep a minimum or you get penalized. They pay a pittance for interest until you try to borrow from them, then they charge you high percentage. They charge you to take your money out and charge you to move it around.

Unless you buy into all that you are not a good customer. So they "shun you."

I have a mortgage and a checking account, assuming I stay solvent for just a little while longer, I'll be down to just a checking account fairly soon. Haven't used credit cards for over 10 years now, but I do need the convenience of a checking account often enough where it's worth it. It's a local bank and doesn't have any fees, and I almost never use the paper checks anymore so it's quite possible I will only ever need the first 200 which were free. They don't even charge me for getting cashier's checks, which I do once a month for a specific reason. So overall, I managed to minimize but not eliminate

PS- Good straw poll OP! They (the Banks) aren't as necessary as many people probably assume they are

So far I have saved money not having a bank. I just think it is strange that more people do not think so. There are to many hidden fees with banks and I think it strange that having a bank is "normal" according to society.

Is it a matter of convienence? most banks charge 12 dollars a month just for you to have a bank. so called handling fees just so you can swipe a piece of plastic instead of dishing out cold cash. Just think of the millions of dollars people give globally everyday on the 2 dollar atm fee for not using their banks ATM.

I do not use banks and likely never will. I simply do not trust bankers.... all you would have to do is open a history book to see why.

Yes it is a form of control of course!

1st off they want to make it annoying not to use banks because the people that run the bigger corporations generally either are bankers or have family that is bankers. They want to increase their wealth.

2nd they want to know what you are up to. it is that simple in part. all of it is traceable if you use banks and credit cards.

3rd If all of your money is in the bank, they can freeze your account whenever they see fit. They could also false flag identity theft if they wanted to get really devious.


Don't worry though, cash will not die out. There will always be those who will only deal in cash, and there will always be those who want to get their hands on said cash. If they can't get it any other way they will take it in it's original paper form. They just want to make it as annoying as possible.

reply to post by Foxy1


I would tell you how I feel about banks but then the mods would have to scrub my post and issue me a warning or something.
I have been without a bank for quite a bit now, I think 2001.
If I need a credit card, I get a prepaid and eat the 5 dollars startup fee.
I imagine I have saved myself thousands of fees, and I have ultimate control of every single fiat that is mine.
Screw the banks, I can live fine without them, they cannot survive without us.
Starve those^#$%@ to death I say!

reply to post by Hefficide


That is down right disgusting. I can't believe he got that long. He should have had to take a class and pay a fine.

Does anyone not see a problem with this? Our prisons are slave labor, and they are giving people 8 years for a cd.

Of course, if you did not prosecute he still woulda been prosecuted.

I am still having problems coming to terms with this. Did I read this post right? Is there a typo?

Just think..if there were more of us nonbankers the system would have to change. There wouldnt be any more government bank bail outs or bubbles or rockefellers. The banks are using our laziness or convienence factor to make trillions of dollars. I refuse to let society prey on my laziness or convienence for profit! Just invest in a safe and hide it behind a pretty picture on the wall!

Originally posted by Foxy1
So far I have saved money not having a bank. I just think it is strange that more people do not think so. There are to many hidden fees with banks and I think it strange that having a bank is "normal" according to society.

Is it a matter of convienence? most banks charge 12 dollars a month just for you to have a bank. so called handling fees just so you can swipe a piece of plastic instead of dishing out cold cash. Just think of the millions of dollars people give globally everyday on the 2 dollar atm fee for not using their banks ATM.

edit on 12-12-2012 by Foxy1 because: (no reason given)

In my case it's actually interest-bearing checking account, no fees (not much interest to be sure but better than nothing). I have yet to ever use the ATM feature past my allotted number of freebies per month so I never get hit there and have yet to need to buy checks, maybe never will. If I can't afford something I don't buy it so no bouncy bouncy fees, which is a bank's best friend. And it is a worthwhile convenience in my case as I do have a small rental property business, which I am typically paid by check.

Viewed properly, banks are a tool. Not everyone needs a power circular saw, not everyone needs a bank. For those who have use for a bank's services, being smart about how you do use it is paramount, just like operating a powered circular saw.

reply to post by NarrowGate


No typo at all. Eight year sentence for a compact disc. I had just been transferred to Texas and was not aware of the state law about all employee theft being a felony - embezzlement - otherwise I would have instructed my LP people to hand it internally and terminated the employee.

Then again, on the other hand, in three years I only had that one case of caught or suspected employee theft. In retail that is practically unheard of. My inventories consistently supported the notion that internal theft was not present - as I routinely posted some of the lowest product loss rates in the company.

~Heff

Originally posted by HabiruThorstein

Originally posted by Foxy1
So far I have saved money not having a bank. I just think it is strange that more people do not think so. There are to many hidden fees with banks and I think it strange that having a bank is "normal" according to society.

Is it a matter of convienence? most banks charge 12 dollars a month just for you to have a bank. so called handling fees just so you can swipe a piece of plastic instead of dishing out cold cash. Just think of the millions of dollars people give globally everyday on the 2 dollar atm fee for not using their banks ATM.

edit on 12-12-2012 by Foxy1 because: (no reason given)

In my case it's actually interest-bearing checking account, no fees (not much interest to be sure but better than nothing). I have yet to ever use the ATM feature past my allotted number of freebies per month so I never get hit there and have yet to need to buy checks, maybe never will. If I can't afford something I don't buy it so no bouncy bouncy fees, which is a bank's best friend. And it is a worthwhile convenience in my case as I do have a small rental property business, which I am typically paid by check.

Viewed properly, banks are a tool. Not everyone needs a power circular saw, not everyone needs a bank. For those who have use for a bank's services, being smart about how you do use it is paramount, just like operating a powered circular saw.

While I do not necessarily agree or disagree I must say that I like that analogy.

They can both cost you an arm and a leg!!!

reply to post by Hefficide


8 years....

Did the judge have a straight face at the sentencing?

If I was the judge, I would have refused to sentence that man to what the law prescribed on the grounds that it is unconstitutional.
That mentality is probably part of the reason I will never be a man in a position of power.

8 years..... how did every last person in the building not say F this and just let him walk out....

I just can't see this happening. Not among intelligent beings with free will. My dog is smarter than that, I assure you.

No bank account for this gunshooter happy without it and that's the way it will stay!