'Cheques not accepted'

[Le Chat]

The above statement is written on each pump at my local petrol station. Does anyone know if is legal to refuse a cheque, preference being given to credit/debit cards?

[Electrochem]

It is not illegal. They do not have to accept cheques and/or debit and credit cards. They have pribably been caught out in the past.

[saxy_jag]

Yep - cheques are classed as credit, and businesses reserve the right to refuse credit. Tough, I know, but that's life.

[Ethel]

And no shop, petrol station or any other outlet is obliged to serve you.

[Pippa68]

Cheque books will soon be obsolete..mark my words ;o)

[Buenchico]

As Ethel say, any trader has the right to decide to accept or refuse trade for whatever reasons they decide. (There are a few exceptions, relating to such issues as racial discrimination).

The filling station is within their rights to charge 'customer number one' 1p per litre and accept his cheque. They can then charge 'customer number two' one million pounds per litre and refuse a cheque. 'Customer number three' can be turned away because the proprietor hates people with roman noses. 'Customer number four' can be offered a sale, at any price the retailer chooses, only upon the condition that the customer has to dance stark naked around the forecourt for 24 hours before being served.

If it's your fuel (or anything else offered for sale), you have every right to determine the conditions under which you're prepared to sell it to someone else.

Chris

[Loosehead]

The basic tennet of retail in Britain is that "the management reserve the right to refuse service" that means that for any non ism reason they can refuse to serve you. For example it's perfectly legal to put up a sign saying "no red jumpers" if they want or "no People over 5ft 8 on Tuesday before 3 oclock unless they are wearing a red jumper" . I congratulate them in banning that omnipresent pain in the proverbial cheques ggggrrrhhhh!

[Catso]

Surely, Buenchico, discriminating against 'roman' noses would be racial. Against big noses would be OK.