You ever thought about doing this?

[allen]

Penny offense: Man fined for paying fee in pennies

No lucky pennies here: Police have charged Jason West, an aggrieved medical patient in Vernal, Utah, with disorderly conduct. His alleged crime? Attempting to pay a disputed medical bill of $25 entirely in pennies.

The story, reported in the Salt Lake City Deseret News, describes the "penny offense" this way: West, 38, did not believe he owed the medical clinic $25 but came in to pay the fee in person. He first asked the clinic staff if the facility accepted cash payments, and then dumped 2,500 pennies onto the counter and demanded that they be counted.

But West apparently hadn't counted on the clinic calling the police; the arresting officer contended that West's protest served "no legitimate purpose." The charge carries a fine that can go as high as $140--and there's no word as yet on what currency West will use to pay it.

This is too funny

 

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[Smee]

Did something similar the last time gas got to near $4/gallon:

I found a new source to dump some of my half dollars after coin roll hunting. I paid for all my gasoline purchases in half dollars. I mean, what else are you going to do with them, put them in the coinstar? Besides, the "little girls" needed to get some exercise and bulk up a bit. There's just no cardio working a cash register.

One person saw me do that, and they began purchasing some of my coin as well. It didn't make the price go down, but I knew there were several of us doing it when one of the girls asked why so many folks here were paying in quarters and half dollars. Then she complained about having to use several bank bags to keep the coins in . . . and how heavy they were.

Just don't use your left over Kennedy halves at Mc Donalds. One of their girls gave my halves back and told me they don't take foreign money at Mc Donalds.

 

[allen]

"Just don't use your left over Kennedy halves at Mc Donalds. One of their girls gave my halves back and told me they don't take foreign money at Mc Donalds"

OMG, that is too funny !!!

 

[aa battery]

"Just don't use your left over Kennedy halves at Mc Donalds. One of their girls gave my halves back and told me they don't take foreign money at Mc Donalds"

OMG, that is too funny !!!

wow !!

 

[spartacus53]

The problem is twofold and there is no easy answer. Yes, coins are considered legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, dues, etc... But there is no law requiring any private businesses, persons, or organizations to accept it as payment.

Just what we need more laws

And you thought the idea of a 50 cent piece being foreign was funny

Remember, your money is no good if a vendor won't accept it for payment

 

[Ray S S]

Last weekend I was making a purchase. The bill came to $8.20 and I gave the girl a $10.00
bill and then handed her a quarter to take the 20 cents out of so I could get 2 bills back. But
she had no idea what I was talking about and still gave me the dollar and 80 cents and put my
quarter on the cash register. She was so confused and flustered and thought I was trying to
cheat her. She was so confused that I just thanked her and left, leaving my quarter on her
cash register. When we were going out to the car, my wife was laughing about
it.
Ray

 

[allen]

I think it was funny that someone working the register
was so dumb that they didnt know a Kennedy half was
an American coin.
Thank God ive not ran into this problem, yet !

 

[thrillathahunt]

The problem is twofold and there is no easy answer. Yes, coins are considered legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, dues, etc... But there is no law requiring any private businesses, persons, or organizations to accept it as payment.

Just what we need more laws

And you thought the idea of a 50 cent piece being foreign was funny

Remember, your money is no good if a vendor won't accept it for payment

My friend Spart is right on this one!
Private businesses are free to specify which forms of legal tender payment they will accept. There is no Federal law mandating that a creditor accept as payment either currency or coins!

 

[Dano Sverige]

Well, then you have the lawyers arguing that "My client went personally to pay the aforementioned bill in perfectly legal tender...and his payment was refused! Case dismissed your honor?"

Seem to recall a similar case in the UK where the guy paid his £800 council tax in pennies...they had to take it.

 

[FarmerChick]

"Just don't use your left over Kennedy halves at Mc Donalds. One of their girls gave my halves back and told me they don't take foreign money at Mc Donalds"

OMG, that is too funny !!!

 

[FarmerChick]

would I do that--pay in pennies on something---NOPE
truly my time is more valuable than wasting it on revenge of some sort.
pony up the $25 or let it go to collections or whatever, not like $25 will kill ya...we all had to pay 'for things' we swore we didn't owe....who hasn't?

stinks but not worth the time wasted thinking and acting on revenge to me...

 

[Tony66]

in the late 80's/early 90's i was working the register at gas station. I had something similar happen to me. It wasn't unusual for me to take a large amount of change, as long as the customer stood and counted it with me I figured it all spends the same and it's just headed to the bank to be deposited anyway. Most people are pretty nice about it but this one guy was a regular, always had a complaint about something, always trying to get something for nothing. He puts about $8 (at least I think it was that amount, it's been a while) in his car, comes in and drops all loose change, mostly pennies on the counter and starts to leave. Before he got out the door I told him he was $3 (or whatever I said then) short (nope, I hadn't counted it yet, just made up a $ amount). He said I was lying cause I hadnt counted it, I said I counted it as well as he did and he's short. We went back and forth til I finally said well count it and shut my mouth by proving me wrong. The boss heard what was going on and came up to the register. This guy gets mad, pulls out his wallet, gives me a ten, I make change, he then grabs as much of the loose change as he can in one handful and stormed out. Yes, I scooped up the rest of the change, I think there were a few of bucks, enough to get me a pack of smokes and a soda (you could do that back them for a few bucks).

 

[thrillathahunt]

Well, then you have the lawyers arguing that "My client went personally to pay the aforementioned bill in perfectly legal tender...and his payment was refused! Case dismissed your honor?"

Seem to recall a similar case in the UK where the guy paid his £800 council tax in pennies...they had to take it.

There is an asterisk to this however. If you have entered into a contract to purchase something, and offer payment in legal tender cash or currency in any form and the seller denies acceptance, you can sue the seller for refusal of payment.

 

[teverly]

The problem is twofold and there is no easy answer. Yes, coins are considered legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, dues, etc... But there is no law requiring any private businesses, persons, or organizations to accept it as payment.

Just what we need more laws

And you thought the idea of a 50 cent piece being foreign was funny

Remember, your money is no good if a vendor won't accept it for payment

so your saying because a vendor chooses not to accept legal tender for payment it is no good?? even if it is federally produced and legal to use?? so following this if i owe them 140 dollars and try to pay in ten dollar bills and the say we only accept 20s they can refuse payment?? i say if it is legal tender then you should be able to spend it or they should specify what you should bring in cash...i assume since you put the laughing at the side you were kidding but seriously i think we should quit making a penny that cost 5 cents to make ...no wonder we are in debt!!

 

[spartacus53]

Well, then you have the lawyers arguing that "My client went personally to pay the aforementioned bill in perfectly legal tender...and his payment was refused! Case dismissed your honor?"

The problem is even if you win, you still have to pay court costs (about $37 & it varies), the attorney, and finally the billed you should have paid. It's fun to make a point, but not when it's costly

Here's my solution to the problem and it's a logical one, so follow the steps
1- legal tender is is good for debts, bills, etc.
2- Private companies need not accept legal tender.

Now here's where it gets good.

Since US currency is no longer based on precious metals, and purely on faith

Tell them you're willing to negotiate a trade at a later date, based on good faith

Problem solved

 

[ivan salis]

if the US govt makes it as money and in effect "forces" us to use ut as such -- then it should be legal to use as money FOR ALL DEBTS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE --are they saying cents ( wrongly called pennies by most folks) ARE NOT MONEY ? ARE NOT AMERICAN COINS MONEY ? -- IF AN AMERICAN MONEY DEBT IS OWED HOW IS ONE TO REPAY IT EXCEPT BY PAYMENT OF "LEGAL TENDER" US MONEY ?

IF THEY "GIVE" YOU AMERICAN COINS IN CHANGE AS MONEY WHEN SETTLING YOUR BILL -- SAY ITS $212.11 AND YOU PAY WITH $213 ONE DOLLAR BILLS --AND THEY GIVE YOU COINS FOR THE DIFFERANCE (THUS FORCING YOU TO ACCEPT THE COINS IN SETTLEMENT OF THE DIFFERANCE OWED VS WHAT YOU PAID IN ) - THEY ARE IN EFFECT SAYING --COINS ARE LEGAL TENDER WHEN WE GIVE THEM TO YOU AS "CHANGE" --AND BY THE SAME TOKEN , THEY SHOULD BE FORCED TO ACCEPT THEM FROM YOU AS "LEGAL TENDER" IN PAYMENT AS WELL.

 

[spartacus53]

AND BY THE SAME TOKEN , THEY SHOULD BE FORCED TO ACCEPT THEM FROM YOU AS "LEGAL TENDER" IN PAYMENT WELL.

Tokens, are another issue all together We have all kinds of tokens ranging from bus to Chuckie Cheese. The best part about tokens is that if someone wants to accept them for purchase, or debt, there is no law to prevent it

Next time I buy a Big Mac, I'll give them a handful of Chuckie Cheese tokens and see if they accept them :P

 

[Smee]

A "Vendor" must accept payment in the "coin of the realm" . . . ie, LEGAL TENDER which can be coin or paper. Remember, at one time there was a dislike for "scrip" (which is what some of the old timers viewed paper money as) that resulted in the addition of the words "Legal Tender for all debts Public and Private" being added to the U.S. paper currency.

On the other hand, the gooberment . . . they don't have to accept coins. It might require them to actually expend energy to lift them and use thought (GOD forbid!!) to count and discern if it is enough to cover the debt.

 

[thrillathahunt]

Let's put it this way. Say you wanted to buy a 2011 Corvette Callaway C17 with a super-charged 6.2 litre 606hp V8 for the retail price of $90,000.

You brought into the dealership 9,000,000 pennies (cents). They would have the right to refuse that payment.

 

[thrillathahunt]

However, it would get interesting if you took out a loan contract on the car to make monthly payments, and at the end of the month told them you wanted to pay off your loan.....in pennies.