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Why do poor people pay utility bills in person?

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No Lifer
I had to go to the power company to drop some keys off that I found and low and behold there is a line of people just to pay their bills. They were clearly all poor (I can tell these things). There is also the line to bleat and complain about disconnected power, but it's a separate line, so I know these people were paying their bills.

Is it really that much effort to write a check and put a $.42 stamp on? It's not like it's convenient where I was, since it's in the middle of the city and requires parking--which costs a minimum of $.25 for the parking meter anyway.
 
Originally posted by: Skoorb
They were clearly all poor (I can tell these things).
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:laugh:

Being in the middle of the city, they probably walked there from the bus/subway station. Remember, they're poor and probably can't afford cars.

 
mail takes a day or two. often times these people are overdue by months and are about to get their shit shut off.
 
I know what you mean. We used to be able to pay the electric bill at the bank(not one we banked at). So instead of just dropping it in the mail, my wife would want me to go out of my way and burn way more than 42 cents worth of gas, just to save a stamp. Once I pointed out that we were actually losing money by doing it in person, she switched tunes.
 
I guess that I think of it they probably don't have bank accounts because of that "credit system" for bank accounts for bounced checks and things, which make it hard for certain people to get checking accounts, so they live their life on cash, pure liquid!
 
Originally posted by: Skoorb
I had to go to the power company to drop some keys off that I found and low and behold there is a line of people just to pay their bills. They were clearly all poor (I can tell these things). There is also the line to bleat and complain about disconnected power, but it's a separate line, so I know these people were paying their bills.

Is it really that much effort to write a check and put a $.42 stamp on? It's not like it's convenient where I was, since it's in the middle of the city and requires parking--which costs a minimum of $.25 for the parking meter anyway.
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Many, many, many poor don't HAVE checking or savings accounts. Tens of millions of Americans don't.

 
I go and do it in person. It's approximately a mile away and right across the street from the bank. Easier to just go do it in person rather than keep mailing all these bills in.
 
Originally posted by: Skoorb
I guess that I think of it they probably don't have bank accounts because of that "credit system" for bank accounts for bounced checks and things, which make it hard for certain people to get checking accounts, so they live their life on cash, pure liquid!
Click to expand...

It's more of a cultural thing. They have never had an account, and are literally as scared and uncertain about banks as your grand-dad was about programming his VCR.

Plus, many SO live paycheck to paycheck that they have literally never had money left over to put in an account.

Moreover, have you ever been in poor urban areas? Not only aren't there any banks reasonably nearby, there are scarcely any ATM machines at all.

That's why all those usurious check cashing places thrive there.

You could Google all of this, maybe I will and be back.
 
Originally posted by: DEMO24
I go and do it in person. It's approximately a mile away and right across the street from the bank. Easier to just go do it in person rather than keep mailing all these bills in.
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SHUN THE POOR!!!!!

shunnnnnnn

shunnnnnnn!!!
 
Originally posted by: DEMO24
I go and do it in person. It's approximately a mile away and right across the street from the bank. Easier to just go do it in person rather than keep mailing all these bills in.
Click to expand...
Dayum, son, you can pay that online with your checking account for free, even if the recipient is not automatically in their system. I pay everything like that!
Moreover, have you ever been in poor urban areas? Not only aren't there any banks reasonably nearby, there are scarcely any ATM machines at all.
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I've heard that, I guess it's a kind of catch 22, no banks there because they'll get no service and since there aren't banks, poor don't think about using them.
 
Originally posted by: KeithTalent
Maybe they are paying with food stamps?

KT
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Only if they have some left over from all the steaks and alchol they been buying as they drove around in their "nice" car.
 
Poor people are poor because they can't (or refuse to) pay for their life, let alone on time. The people in line were probably on the verge of being shut off, not to mention they can't get checking accounts because they are poor (meaning probably already have written bad checks).
 
Maybe they don't have checking accounts because they owe back taxes or alimony or something so they get paid under the table in cash and never put it in a bank account for the government to seize.
 
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