Poll: Penny for your thought

[Merkavar]

So this guy got fined for paying a $25 bill with pennies. thats 2500 coins. How is it even legal to fine someone over paying a bill?

Do you think this is wrong or what?


http://www.digitalspy.com.au/odd/news/a323997/man-fined-for-paying-bill-with-2500-pennies.html

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20110606/od_yblog_upshot/penny-offense-man-fined-for-paying-fee-in-pennies

 

[Zac Smith]

I think in the UK it's legal up to certain amounts. For example, you can pay with pennies up to like £1, 2p up to £2 and so on, something like that, up to like £1 coins for say £25. Not saying they are the right amounts though.

That, and I can guess if people try to pay with that many pennies they are just trying to awkward/funny, not serious

 

[Not-here-anymore]

It's a stupid and petty statement to pay like that, IMO, but I can't see what he's done wrong legally speaking...

 

[Sethzard]

Stupid and both petty and ridiculous maybe, illegal, no.

 

[Merkavar]

to me any limit of paying with pennies etc would just devalue the currency wouldnt it?

like say people see pennies as only being worth .7 of a cent cause you cant use them all the time. then with the probably billions of pennies in circulation you just lost 30% of their value which could be millions of dollars. quick google says 200,035,318,672 pennies in circulation so a loss in value can turn into millions in devaluation.

 

[Blunderboy]

to me any limit of paying with pennies etc would just devalue the currency wouldnt it?

Not really. The only way I am aware of to devalue currency is to make more of it.

In terms of fining someone for paying with pennies, it's a little bit petty, but then so is paying in them in the first place.
After all, someone now has to take time out of their day to count them.

 

[Macgyvercas]

As far as I know, as long as you pay the amount you owe, it could be in any amount of any legal currency. So how was he fined over this? I have no fucking clue. It doesn't make sense, but then again, when was the last time my country ever did?

 

[Merkavar]

snip

i read it and it said that he throw the coins at them but also said that the coins just rolled off the counter cause coins are round. so he could have got fined for paying with pennies cause he caused a scene or because some of the 2500 coins rolled off the counter. i have had coins roll away before. i dont want to get fined for that.

2 sides to the story and the being fined for paying with penies makes a better topic.

 

[MassiveGeek]

It's silly, sure, but illegal? Fuck no.

He could've gone to the bank with the pennies though and swapped them for "proper" cash. -shrug-

 

[SilentCom]

I believe it is legal but very inconsiderate... and stupid.

 

[Jonluw]

I think you should be able to refuse payment in pennies or similar low-value coins.
I don't think it should be illegal to try to pay with them though.

 

[aba1]

doesnt this only further the argument that we should just get rid of pennys they are so pointless

 

[Catchy Slogan]

doesnt this only further the argument that we should just get rid of pennys they are so pointless

But then companies couldn't say things are under £100 when they're only £99.99.

 

[aba1]

doesnt this only further the argument that we should just get rid of pennys they are so pointless

But then companies couldn't say things are under £100 when they're only £99.99.

eug the reason they do that is because people are dumb and see that and go ohhh its only $90 thats not to bad when really its pritty much 100 then add tax

 

[Catchy Slogan]

doesnt this only further the argument that we should just get rid of pennys they are so pointless

But then companies couldn't say things are under £100 when they're only £99.99.

eug the reason they do that is because people are dumb and see that and go ohhh its only $90 thats not to bad when really its pritty much 100 then add tax

In the UK, we usually have the VAT (tax) included in the overall price.

 

[aba1]

doesnt this only further the argument that we should just get rid of pennys they are so pointless

But then companies couldn't say things are under £100 when they're only £99.99.

eug the reason they do that is because people are dumb and see that and go ohhh its only $90 thats not to bad when really its pritty much 100 then add tax

In the UK, we usually have the VAT (tax) included in the overall price.

I really wish they would do that here in Canada

 

[irtaco]

It's REALLY stupid, I mean REALLY fucking stupid, but it's legal. Gonna piss off everyone else, though.

 

[Broady Brio]

As far as I know, it's legal.

Though it's ridiculous that he gets fine for paying up. It's also ridiculous to pay it in pennies in the 1st place. It's a cycle of ridicule.

 

[Cazza]

Did he pay the fine in pennies?

It's stupid but shouldn't be illegal.