Best Buy no longer accepts paper currency

Man, best buy really sux.

I hate people that do this. Like buy a dvd with 1,700 pennies.

wow just another reason for me to never shop there again, and after hearing about this type of treatment i doubt i will be steping foot into a best buy unless completely neccissary

I was discussing with a friend that nationwide, we should all appear in Best Buy one day with $2 bills.

bousozoku said:

I was discussing with a friend that nationwide, we should all appear in Best Buy one day with $2 bills.

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i would support that in a heartbeat, i really feel bad for that guy, that Best Buy should be sued, its legit money, and they couldnt make up their minds, and did infeior work

Rather than using $2 bills, why not go in there with a sack full of the Sacajawea $1 gold coins?

And I agree with whomever suggested a lawsuit... normally I don't encourage hauling someone into court, but if I ended up in chains because some moron didn't understand the meaning of the phrase "legal tender", I'd definitely expect some compensation.

clayjohanson said:

Rather than using $2 bills, why not go in there with a sack full of the Sacajawea $1 gold coins?

And I agree with whomever suggested a lawsuit... normally I don't encourage hauling someone into court, but if I ended up in chains because some moron didn't understand the meaning of the phrase "legal tender", I'd definitely expect some compensation.

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Not only was it using legal tender but it was paying for a 'no charge because of our mistake' using legal tender. I don't like a lot of the storied lawsuits out there, but this sounds like he's got a good case against Best Buy.

Yeah, they had the right to refuse the currency, just as a grocery store could refuse your 3000 pennies, or a gas station can refuse your $100 at night. However, it goes without saying that they can't do this stuff...

someone with more recent knowledge than i could explain how "this note is legal tender for all debts" truly works. Something about the coinage act of 1965 or some damn thing. I researched it all up a few years ago, i dunno.

i'd sue for false imprisonment, defamation, PTSD, and anything else my lawyers could conjure up but that's just me...

For Baltimore County police, said spokesman Bill Toohey, "It's a sign that we're all a little nervous in the post-9/11 world."

Yet another example of those with authority using September 11th as an excuse to infringe upon the rights of honest American citizens. Rather timely considering that the Patriot Act is up for renewal.

Disgusting.

rainman::|:| said:

Yeah, they had the right to refuse the currency, just as a grocery store could refuse your 3000 pennies, or a gas station can refuse your $100 at night. However, it goes without saying that they can't do this stuff...

someone with more recent knowledge than i could explain how "this note is legal tender for all debts" truly works. Something about the coinage act of 1965 or some damn thing. I researched it all up a few years ago, i dunno.

i'd sue for false imprisonment, defamation, PTSD, and anything else my lawyers could conjure up but that's just me...

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Many places clearly post we do not accept bills over x dollars, and they wouldn't get in trouble for refusing pennies and suing you to collect the debt.

Refusing paper currency in a store that clearly accepts it for some of their transactions for such a small amount would get tossed by the judge if Best Buy tries to sue.

But I do know that shopping with cash these days actually takes longer than a credit card -- since they have to call the "manager" which always takes time -- when it's a largish amount.

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However, you can get a business in really deep crap if you give them $10k in cash and they don't require you to fill out the IRS tax form.

Get the receipt, walk out the door, and turn them into the IRS.

It's really a big mistake that can land people in jail for not requiring you to fill out that form.

clayjohanson said:

Rather than using $2 bills, why not go in there with a sack full of the Sacajawea $1 gold coins?

And I agree with whomever suggested a lawsuit... normally I don't encourage hauling someone into court, but if I ended up in chains because some moron didn't understand the meaning of the phrase "legal tender", I'd definitely expect some compensation.

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Since the man who was arrested was using $2 bills, it makes more of a consistent statement to use $2 in protest.

wow, what a load of waffle! best buy sucks; i have yet to have a "good" experience with them.
one moron even tried to convince me that i needed to buy a "special" (e.g., expensive) wireless router since i was sending the wireless signal from a PC to my mac. [insert sarcastic chuckle] at first i tried to nod and just ignore him, but he persisted. finally i told him "if i wanted to hear this BS i'd ask; i'm doing just fine shopping on my own, thank you."
he probably saw a blonde girl in the computer section and dollar signs sparkled in waves as i shopped quietly. i imagine i did look annoyed since i was pissed to be half-forced into shopping there (long story) so he must have thought he could spew his stream of verbal diarrhea at the "dumb blonde" HA!

sorry, lost my train of thought there...

best buy - [insert swearing]
i hope that guy sues the hell out of them; it's high time someone gives that place a kick in the arse.

rainman::|:| said:

Yeah, they had the right to refuse the currency, just as a grocery store could refuse your 3000 pennies, or a gas station can refuse your $100 at night. However, it goes without saying that they can't do this stuff

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Actually they didn't have the right to refuse. It's true that if you are purchasing something they can refuse you method of payment, however for debt payment anything goes. And thats just what it was, he had already recieved the service, he was just there to repay his debt when the episode happened. It says it right there on every bill "this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private"

RandomDeadHead said:

Actually they didn't have the right to refuse. It's true that if you are purchasing something they can refuse you method of payment, however for debt payment anything goes. And thats just what it was, he had already recieved the service, he was just there to repay his debt when the episode happened. It says it right there on every bill "this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private"

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Actually the judges have come down on the creditors side in this, loose pennies while legal tender can be refused. Because you are placing an unfair burden on the creditor.

Same with large amounts of cash, place an IRS burden on the creditor while placing them in a security bind for handling a large amounts of cash that they may not be able to handle.

Some creditors refuse ALL forms of cash -- if the cashier at the probation department clearly posts "NO CASH or CHECKS" -- you best not try pulling a "this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private" stunt by telling the judge at your probation revocation hearing that you no longer owe the money because they refused your money.

57 $2 bills is the normal method of payment for this guy, if it's all he had it's not an undue burden for the creditor, since most likely Best Buy would have gladly taken $1 or $5 bills for a $50-$100 purchase.

If was the sequential numbers of the crisp new bills that raised a counterfeit flag, since very few people rarely carry around any significant numbers of new bills.

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These days you win a "this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private" battle when you offer somebody $500 cash, refused, $500 check, refused, and get sued for much more.

Sort of like the treatment Ugly Duckling customers faced.

Of course if they say that you showed up banging on the doors with the payment when the doors were locked and the register closed both times, and they present a video to prove it... it would sort of create a problem for you.

Arresting the poor guy, then blaming it on 9/11. Did they seriously belive that he was a terrorist? Someone needs to chill...

Sun Baked said:

Actually the judges have come down on the creditors side in this, loose pennies while legal tender can be refused. Because you are placing an unfair burden on the creditor.

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Pennies iirc are special cased in the law.

Sun Baked said:

Same with large amounts of cash, place an IRS burden on the creditor while placing them in a security bind for handling a large amounts of cash that they may not be able to handle.

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The large bills can be explained away under exact change.

Sun Baked said:

Some creditors refuse ALL forms of cash -- if the cashier at the probation department clearly posts "NO CASH or CHECKS" -- you best not try pulling a "this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private" stunt by telling the judge at your probation revocation hearing that you no longer owe the money because they refused your money.

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No cash or checks? That only leaves credit cards and "put it on the cuff?"

In my mind refusing federally issued currency borders on sedition.

I think he was lucky they didn't shoot him.

Speaking of 9/11; I had a security guard at my building try to pull that whole "can't be too careful since 9/11" crap on me one day because I left my leather bag beside a chair while I ran into the restroom.

I had the bag full of books and whatnot so it was pretty heavy and I didnt want to try to hold it while taking a whiz, and certainly didnt want to put it down in the restroom, uugh. So I place it down, take a leak and then when I come out he starts berating me about how he should have called the fire department and bomb squad and the police. We had a few words back and forth, then I just walked off. He dosent work here any more.

Any way, next time you have a bad day or just want to get uppity with someone, blame it on 9/11.

Mr. Durden said:

Speaking of 9/11; I had a security guard at my building try to pull that whole "can't be too careful since 9/11" crap on me one day because I left my leather bag beside a chair while I ran into the restroom.

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If you had done that in the UK - there would have been no bag of books to return to. The building would have been evacuated and one controlled explosion later (if you're unlucky) - no more bag.
If you're on the underground and a bag is left unattended - same thing - whole station evacuated.
Sadly we're more experienced with terrorists.

Mr. Durden said:

Speaking of 9/11; I had a security guard at my building try to pull that whole "can't be too careful since 9/11" crap on me one day because I left my leather bag beside a chair while I ran into the restroom.

I had the bag full of books and whatnot so it was pretty heavy and I didnt want to try to hold it while taking a whiz, and certainly didnt want to put it down in the restroom, uugh. So I place it down, take a leak and then when I come out he starts berating me about how he should have called the fire department and bomb squad and the police. We had a few words back and forth, then I just walked off. He dosent work here any more.

Any way, next time you have a bad day or just want to get uppity with someone, blame it on 9/11.

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I briefly dated a woman who worked as a park ranger for the BLM. Things got a little weird when she started referring to the "increased security demands" of her job since 9/11.

She patrols open space looking for poachers, ravers, waste dumpers, that kind of thing. Her biggest duties had been to watch crazy people at Burning Man and to tell kids strung out on Ex to get off federal land. I replied with something like, "What does chasing junkies have to do with 9/11?" She took herself way too seriously.

Needless to say, the conversation deteriorated after that and there was no third date.

Chappers said:

If you're on the underground and a bag is left unattended - same thing - whole station evacuated.

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If London Underground can be bothered. The Sunday after 9/11, I was changing trains at Bank (under the Bank of England for those who don't know London) from the Northern to Central Lines. There was a wheelie case sitting on the Northern Line platform. It stayed there while the train pulled out, while I walked the length of the platform and there was no-one around. None of the 'information/help' call boxed were working to tell anyone so I went upstairs to tell the station staff that there was an unattended bag.

Imagine my astonishment when they told me not to worry about it, that it happens all the time and it was probably just a tourist who'd gone to buy a ticket?!?! I walked out of the station and got a bus to my destination since there was no way I was going back underground again. Obviously the Bank of England didn't blow up so it probably was a tourist's case but I couldn't believe how blasé they were about it!

Please remain on-topic. If you'd like these other posts to be split into their own thread, that's fine but they're not addressing the original topic.

Chappers said:

If you had done that in the UK - there would have been no bag of books to return to. The building would have been evacuated and one controlled explosion later (if you're unlucky) - no more bag.
If you're on the underground and a bag is left unattended - same thing - whole station evacuated.
Sadly we're more experienced with terrorists.

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Regardless, 9/11 has dropped from being a reason for heightened security, to a reason to act like a jerk or make bad decisions...

...(and to stay on topic) its an excuse to make bad decisions like arresting a guy for using legal tender money.

Well all in all we are moving closer and closer to a cashless society all the time.
I am going ot guess crieted cards or Debit cards (if you are to young to really have one yet this post is going to have little meaning) to those who have them I take it you pay plastic or check most of the time and wiht cash less and less. I know a lot of the time I find it just easier to pay with plastic. no change to deal with and a lot of the time is just faster. When I was a cashier I like dealing with checks and crieted cards over cash simple because it made my job easier. I can understand for larger cost buys to not use cash not only for making it easier but for making it safer. I know a furntature store that got to the point of refusing to accept cash for anything after they where rob twice (money is issured so not lost) and on the 2nd one one of the employees was killed. It for the safety of everyone that they stop having any cash on site.