Outrageous! Are Aussies really being charged $55 just to pay with cash?

The digital market has taken over, and with it, new and innovative ways to pay. From digital payments to contactless payments, it feels like cash is becoming a thing of the past (for better or for worse).

And increasingly, people get charged a fee for opting to use cash.

A Sydney man was left stunned after discovering he would be charged a whopping $55 fee simply for wanting to pay for his vehicle in cash.


Peter, a local shopper, spotted the transaction fees listed at Sydney City MG car dealership, including a massive 1.1 per cent surcharge to pay a maximum of $5,000 in cash transactions.


Screenshot 2023-10-25 125948.png
A customer of a car dealership in Sydney was shocked to learn about the $55 surcharge for cash transactions. Credit: 2GB


Previously, customers opted to pay in cash to avoid transaction fees for big purchases.

'If you’re going to go in there with cash, you’re going to do a bargain, and you’re going to want a discount anyway for cash because it’s legal tender, there’s no fees,' Peter said in an interview.

'And then they slug you with that? It’s an insult in any transaction. [It’s] just so over the top and a bit ridiculous,’ he added.


The dealership later explained to a news source about the additional charge, saying it is a ‘handling fee’ to cover the internal cost of managing cash—like having two people count the cash and the transport to the bank—and it was ‘incorrectly labelled a surcharge’.

The General Manager of Sydney City MG, Ian Zammit, has revealed they are now absorbing the cost.

‘Our customers come first,’ he said. ‘If anyone has been charged the fee in the past, they will be refunded.’

Australians are now faced with the looming shift to a cashless society. By the end of 2022, cash transactions declined to 13 per cent of consumer payments—a contrast to 70 per cent in 2007.

Advocates warned that the shift could negatively impact people with less control over their money, like low-income households and elderly people.


Jason Bryce, from the advocacy group Cash Welcome, said: ‘Aussies are being charged to use our own money, and I have a lot of concerns over the precedent that this cash surcharge might set.’

The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) clarified that nothing in the Competition and Consumer Act or the Australian Consumer Law Act indicates that surcharges on cash payments are illegal.

‘But the Australian Consumer Law prohibits businesses from misleading consumers about prices,’ they continued.

The ACCC website states that businesses are not obligated to accept cash payments, and they may charge additional fees for debit or credit cards.

‘If there is no way for a consumer to pay without paying a surcharge, the business must include the minimum surcharge payable in the displayed price for its products,’ it said.


Key Takeaways
  • A Sydney car dealership was exposed for having a $55 surcharge for cash payments.
  • The surcharge was described as an 'insult' by a local shopper, going against the traditional
    avoidance of surcharges associated with cash payments.
  • The dealership explained this as a 'handling fee' for managing cash and committed to absorbing the cost in future.
  • The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission confirmed that adding a surcharge to a cash payment is legal, but businesses are prohibited from misleading consumers about prices.

What’s your take on this, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
 
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The digital market has taken over, and with it, new and innovative ways to pay. From digital payments to contactless payments, it feels like cash is becoming a thing of the past (for better or for worse).

And increasingly, people get charged a fee for opting to use cash.

A Sydney man was left stunned after discovering he would be charged a whopping $55 fee simply for wanting to pay for his vehicle in cash.


Peter, a local shopper, spotted the transaction fees listed at Sydney City MG car dealership, including a massive 1.1 per cent surcharge to pay a maximum of $5,000 in cash transactions.


View attachment 33023
A customer of a car dealership in Sydney was shocked to learn about the $55 surcharge for cash transactions. Credit: 2GB


Previously, customers opted to pay in cash to avoid transaction fees for big purchases.

'If you’re going to go in there with cash, you’re going to do a bargain, and you’re going to want a discount anyway for cash because it’s legal tender, there’s no fees,' Peter said in an interview.

'And then they slug you with that? It’s an insult in any transaction. [It’s] just so over the top and a bit ridiculous,’ he added.


The dealership later explained to a news source about the additional charge, saying it is a ‘handling fee’ to cover the internal cost of managing cash—like having two people count the cash and the transport to the bank—and it was ‘incorrectly labelled a surcharge’.

The General Manager of Sydney City MG, Ian Zammit, has revealed they are now absorbing the cost.

‘Our customers come first,’ he said. ‘If anyone has been charged the fee in the past, they will be refunded.’

Australians are now faced with the looming shift to a cashless society. By the end of 2022, cash transactions declined to 13 per cent of consumer payments—a contrast to 70 per cent in 2007.

Advocates warned that the shift could negatively impact people with less control over their money, like low-income households and elderly people.


Jason Bryce, from the advocacy group Cash Welcome, said: ‘Aussies are being charged to use our own money, and I have a lot of concerns over the precedent that this cash surcharge might set.’

The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) clarified that nothing in the Competition and Consumer Act or the Australian Consumer Law Act indicates that surcharges on cash payments are illegal.

‘But the Australian Consumer Law prohibits businesses from misleading consumers about prices,’ they continued.

The ACCC website states that businesses are not obligated to accept cash payments, and they may charge additional fees for debit or credit cards.

‘If there is no way for a consumer to pay without paying a surcharge, the business must include the minimum surcharge payable in the displayed price for its products,’ it said.


Key Takeaways

  • A Sydney car dealership was exposed for having a $55 surcharge for cash payments.
  • The surcharge was described as an 'insult' by a local shopper, going against the traditional
    avoidance of surcharges associated with cash payments.
  • The dealership explained this as a 'handling fee' for managing cash and committed to absorbing the cost in future.
  • The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission confirmed that adding a surcharge to a cash payment is legal, but businesses are prohibited from misleading consumers about prices.

What’s your take on this, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
paying cash for anything like buying a car does the dealership out of their commission from a hire purchase company
 
The digital market has taken over, and with it, new and innovative ways to pay. From digital payments to contactless payments, it feels like cash is becoming a thing of the past (for better or for worse).

And increasingly, people get charged a fee for opting to use cash.

A Sydney man was left stunned after discovering he would be charged a whopping $55 fee simply for wanting to pay for his vehicle in cash.


Peter, a local shopper, spotted the transaction fees listed at Sydney City MG car dealership, including a massive 1.1 per cent surcharge to pay a maximum of $5,000 in cash transactions.


View attachment 33023
A customer of a car dealership in Sydney was shocked to learn about the $55 surcharge for cash transactions. Credit: 2GB


Previously, customers opted to pay in cash to avoid transaction fees for big purchases.

'If you’re going to go in there with cash, you’re going to do a bargain, and you’re going to want a discount anyway for cash because it’s legal tender, there’s no fees,' Peter said in an interview.

'And then they slug you with that? It’s an insult in any transaction. [It’s] just so over the top and a bit ridiculous,’ he added.


The dealership later explained to a news source about the additional charge, saying it is a ‘handling fee’ to cover the internal cost of managing cash—like having two people count the cash and the transport to the bank—and it was ‘incorrectly labelled a surcharge’.

The General Manager of Sydney City MG, Ian Zammit, has revealed they are now absorbing the cost.

‘Our customers come first,’ he said. ‘If anyone has been charged the fee in the past, they will be refunded.’

Australians are now faced with the looming shift to a cashless society. By the end of 2022, cash transactions declined to 13 per cent of consumer payments—a contrast to 70 per cent in 2007.

Advocates warned that the shift could negatively impact people with less control over their money, like low-income households and elderly people.


Jason Bryce, from the advocacy group Cash Welcome, said: ‘Aussies are being charged to use our own money, and I have a lot of concerns over the precedent that this cash surcharge might set.’

The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) clarified that nothing in the Competition and Consumer Act or the Australian Consumer Law Act indicates that surcharges on cash payments are illegal.

‘But the Australian Consumer Law prohibits businesses from misleading consumers about prices,’ they continued.

The ACCC website states that businesses are not obligated to accept cash payments, and they may charge additional fees for debit or credit cards.

‘If there is no way for a consumer to pay without paying a surcharge, the business must include the minimum surcharge payable in the displayed price for its products,’ it said.


Key Takeaways

  • A Sydney car dealership was exposed for having a $55 surcharge for cash payments.
  • The surcharge was described as an 'insult' by a local shopper, going against the traditional
    avoidance of surcharges associated with cash payments.
  • The dealership explained this as a 'handling fee' for managing cash and committed to absorbing the cost in future.
  • The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission confirmed that adding a surcharge to a cash payment is legal, but businesses are prohibited from misleading consumers about prices.

What’s your take on this, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
If I saw that sign, I would walk out there and then. Plenty of other cars to be bought elsewhere
 
The digital market has taken over, and with it, new and innovative ways to pay. From digital payments to contactless payments, it feels like cash is becoming a thing of the past (for better or for worse).

And increasingly, people get charged a fee for opting to use cash.

A Sydney man was left stunned after discovering he would be charged a whopping $55 fee simply for wanting to pay for his vehicle in cash.


Peter, a local shopper, spotted the transaction fees listed at Sydney City MG car dealership, including a massive 1.1 per cent surcharge to pay a maximum of $5,000 in cash transactions.


View attachment 33023
A customer of a car dealership in Sydney was shocked to learn about the $55 surcharge for cash transactions. Credit: 2GB


Previously, customers opted to pay in cash to avoid transaction fees for big purchases.

'If you’re going to go in there with cash, you’re going to do a bargain, and you’re going to want a discount anyway for cash because it’s legal tender, there’s no fees,' Peter said in an interview.

'And then they slug you with that? It’s an insult in any transaction. [It’s] just so over the top and a bit ridiculous,’ he added.


The dealership later explained to a news source about the additional charge, saying it is a ‘handling fee’ to cover the internal cost of managing cash—like having two people count the cash and the transport to the bank—and it was ‘incorrectly labelled a surcharge’.

The General Manager of Sydney City MG, Ian Zammit, has revealed they are now absorbing the cost.

‘Our customers come first,’ he said. ‘If anyone has been charged the fee in the past, they will be refunded.’

Australians are now faced with the looming shift to a cashless society. By the end of 2022, cash transactions declined to 13 per cent of consumer payments—a contrast to 70 per cent in 2007.

Advocates warned that the shift could negatively impact people with less control over their money, like low-income households and elderly people.


Jason Bryce, from the advocacy group Cash Welcome, said: ‘Aussies are being charged to use our own money, and I have a lot of concerns over the precedent that this cash surcharge might set.’

The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) clarified that nothing in the Competition and Consumer Act or the Australian Consumer Law Act indicates that surcharges on cash payments are illegal.

‘But the Australian Consumer Law prohibits businesses from misleading consumers about prices,’ they continued.

The ACCC website states that businesses are not obligated to accept cash payments, and they may charge additional fees for debit or credit cards.

‘If there is no way for a consumer to pay without paying a surcharge, the business must include the minimum surcharge payable in the displayed price for its products,’ it said.


Key Takeaways

  • A Sydney car dealership was exposed for having a $55 surcharge for cash payments.
  • The surcharge was described as an 'insult' by a local shopper, going against the traditional
    avoidance of surcharges associated with cash payments.
  • The dealership explained this as a 'handling fee' for managing cash and committed to absorbing the cost in future.
  • The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission confirmed that adding a surcharge to a cash payment is legal, but businesses are prohibited from misleading consumers about prices.

What’s your take on this, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Does that mean that we can get a tax break because what we get paid from any source is worth at least 1.1% less now and the government sanctions it?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rob44
I agree with others. If you won't take cash, Lexus will.
You will also find exorbitant charges for paying by card or made to wait a couple of extra days for bank cheque to clear...it just goes on and on.
The human factor is being removed from everything.
 
The digital market has taken over, and with it, new and innovative ways to pay. From digital payments to contactless payments, it feels like cash is becoming a thing of the past (for better or for worse).

And increasingly, people get charged a fee for opting to use cash.

A Sydney man was left stunned after discovering he would be charged a whopping $55 fee simply for wanting to pay for his vehicle in cash.


Peter, a local shopper, spotted the transaction fees listed at Sydney City MG car dealership, including a massive 1.1 per cent surcharge to pay a maximum of $5,000 in cash transactions.


View attachment 33023
A customer of a car dealership in Sydney was shocked to learn about the $55 surcharge for cash transactions. Credit: 2GB


Previously, customers opted to pay in cash to avoid transaction fees for big purchases.

'If you’re going to go in there with cash, you’re going to do a bargain, and you’re going to want a discount anyway for cash because it’s legal tender, there’s no fees,' Peter said in an interview.

'And then they slug you with that? It’s an insult in any transaction. [It’s] just so over the top and a bit ridiculous,’ he added.


The dealership later explained to a news source about the additional charge, saying it is a ‘handling fee’ to cover the internal cost of managing cash—like having two people count the cash and the transport to the bank—and it was ‘incorrectly labelled a surcharge’.

The General Manager of Sydney City MG, Ian Zammit, has revealed they are now absorbing the cost.

‘Our customers come first,’ he said. ‘If anyone has been charged the fee in the past, they will be refunded.’

Australians are now faced with the looming shift to a cashless society. By the end of 2022, cash transactions declined to 13 per cent of consumer payments—a contrast to 70 per cent in 2007.

Advocates warned that the shift could negatively impact people with less control over their money, like low-income households and elderly people.


Jason Bryce, from the advocacy group Cash Welcome, said: ‘Aussies are being charged to use our own money, and I have a lot of concerns over the precedent that this cash surcharge might set.’

The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) clarified that nothing in the Competition and Consumer Act or the Australian Consumer Law Act indicates that surcharges on cash payments are illegal.

‘But the Australian Consumer Law prohibits businesses from misleading consumers about prices,’ they continued.

The ACCC website states that businesses are not obligated to accept cash payments, and they may charge additional fees for debit or credit cards.

‘If there is no way for a consumer to pay without paying a surcharge, the business must include the minimum surcharge payable in the displayed price for its products,’ it said.


Key Takeaways

  • A Sydney car dealership was exposed for having a $55 surcharge for cash payments.
  • The surcharge was described as an 'insult' by a local shopper, going against the traditional
    avoidance of surcharges associated with cash payments.
  • The dealership explained this as a 'handling fee' for managing cash and committed to absorbing the cost in future.
  • The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission confirmed that adding a surcharge to a cash payment is legal, but businesses are prohibited from misleading consumers about prices.

What’s your take on this, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
THAT SHIT SHOULD BE FREAKING FR$GG$NG F@CK$NG IL-BLOODY-LEGAL! WHAT A DAMN RIPOFF!! CALL THE GODDAMN COPS ON THE B@ST@RDS! (sorry 'bout the language but if i came across one of these @$$wipes doing this they would cop a $h#tload for it and i'd tell them where to shove their product/s unless they took the fee off!).
It is more than an insult. It is downright disgusting CASH IS STILL LEGAL TENDER - SO SHOULD NOT INCUR A SURCHARGE OR FEE.
 
The digital market has taken over, and with it, new and innovative ways to pay. From digital payments to contactless payments, it feels like cash is becoming a thing of the past (for better or for worse).

And increasingly, people get charged a fee for opting to use cash.

A Sydney man was left stunned after discovering he would be charged a whopping $55 fee simply for wanting to pay for his vehicle in cash.


Peter, a local shopper, spotted the transaction fees listed at Sydney City MG car dealership, including a massive 1.1 per cent surcharge to pay a maximum of $5,000 in cash transactions.


View attachment 33023
A customer of a car dealership in Sydney was shocked to learn about the $55 surcharge for cash transactions. Credit: 2GB


Previously, customers opted to pay in cash to avoid transaction fees for big purchases.

'If you’re going to go in there with cash, you’re going to do a bargain, and you’re going to want a discount anyway for cash because it’s legal tender, there’s no fees,' Peter said in an interview.

'And then they slug you with that? It’s an insult in any transaction. [It’s] just so over the top and a bit ridiculous,’ he added.


The dealership later explained to a news source about the additional charge, saying it is a ‘handling fee’ to cover the internal cost of managing cash—like having two people count the cash and the transport to the bank—and it was ‘incorrectly labelled a surcharge’.

The General Manager of Sydney City MG, Ian Zammit, has revealed they are now absorbing the cost.

‘Our customers come first,’ he said. ‘If anyone has been charged the fee in the past, they will be refunded.’

Australians are now faced with the looming shift to a cashless society. By the end of 2022, cash transactions declined to 13 per cent of consumer payments—a contrast to 70 per cent in 2007.

Advocates warned that the shift could negatively impact people with less control over their money, like low-income households and elderly people.


Jason Bryce, from the advocacy group Cash Welcome, said: ‘Aussies are being charged to use our own money, and I have a lot of concerns over the precedent that this cash surcharge might set.’

The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) clarified that nothing in the Competition and Consumer Act or the Australian Consumer Law Act indicates that surcharges on cash payments are illegal.

‘But the Australian Consumer Law prohibits businesses from misleading consumers about prices,’ they continued.

The ACCC website states that businesses are not obligated to accept cash payments, and they may charge additional fees for debit or credit cards.

‘If there is no way for a consumer to pay without paying a surcharge, the business must include the minimum surcharge payable in the displayed price for its products,’ it said.


Key Takeaways

  • A Sydney car dealership was exposed for having a $55 surcharge for cash payments.
  • The surcharge was described as an 'insult' by a local shopper, going against the traditional
    avoidance of surcharges associated with cash payments.
  • The dealership explained this as a 'handling fee' for managing cash and committed to absorbing the cost in future.
  • The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission confirmed that adding a surcharge to a cash payment is legal, but businesses are prohibited from misleading consumers about prices.

What’s your take on this, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
My local greengrocer charges a 1.25% surcharge for paying with my Visa Debit card! I find it a nuisance to have to withdraw cash just to buy my fruit.
 
The digital market has taken over, and with it, new and innovative ways to pay. From digital payments to contactless payments, it feels like cash is becoming a thing of the past (for better or for worse).

And increasingly, people get charged a fee for opting to use cash.

A Sydney man was left stunned after discovering he would be charged a whopping $55 fee simply for wanting to pay for his vehicle in cash.


Peter, a local shopper, spotted the transaction fees listed at Sydney City MG car dealership, including a massive 1.1 per cent surcharge to pay a maximum of $5,000 in cash transactions.


View attachment 33023
A customer of a car dealership in Sydney was shocked to learn about the $55 surcharge for cash transactions. Credit: 2GB


Previously, customers opted to pay in cash to avoid transaction fees for big purchases.

'If you’re going to go in there with cash, you’re going to do a bargain, and you’re going to want a discount anyway for cash because it’s legal tender, there’s no fees,' Peter said in an interview.

'And then they slug you with that? It’s an insult in any transaction. [It’s] just so over the top and a bit ridiculous,’ he added.


The dealership later explained to a news source about the additional charge, saying it is a ‘handling fee’ to cover the internal cost of managing cash—like having two people count the cash and the transport to the bank—and it was ‘incorrectly labelled a surcharge’.

The General Manager of Sydney City MG, Ian Zammit, has revealed they are now absorbing the cost.

‘Our customers come first,’ he said. ‘If anyone has been charged the fee in the past, they will be refunded.’

Australians are now faced with the looming shift to a cashless society. By the end of 2022, cash transactions declined to 13 per cent of consumer payments—a contrast to 70 per cent in 2007.

Advocates warned that the shift could negatively impact people with less control over their money, like low-income households and elderly people.


Jason Bryce, from the advocacy group Cash Welcome, said: ‘Aussies are being charged to use our own money, and I have a lot of concerns over the precedent that this cash surcharge might set.’

The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) clarified that nothing in the Competition and Consumer Act or the Australian Consumer Law Act indicates that surcharges on cash payments are illegal.

‘But the Australian Consumer Law prohibits businesses from misleading consumers about prices,’ they continued.

The ACCC website states that businesses are not obligated to accept cash payments, and they may charge additional fees for debit or credit cards.

‘If there is no way for a consumer to pay without paying a surcharge, the business must include the minimum surcharge payable in the displayed price for its products,’ it said.


Key Takeaways

  • A Sydney car dealership was exposed for having a $55 surcharge for cash payments.
  • The surcharge was described as an 'insult' by a local shopper, going against the traditional
    avoidance of surcharges associated with cash payments.
  • The dealership explained this as a 'handling fee' for managing cash and committed to absorbing the cost in future.
  • The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission confirmed that adding a surcharge to a cash payment is legal, but businesses are prohibited from misleading consumers about prices.

What’s your take on this, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Total rip off! It's getting so you cannot buy anything without being slugged a fee.
.shoukd be a government inquiry into these rorts. Why is the customer being charged to pay? Whether in cash or by credit/debit card. This nonsense needs to be outlawed
 
THAT SHIT SHOULD BE FREAKING FR$GG$NG F@CK$NG IL-BLOODY-LEGAL! WHAT A DAMN RIPOFF!! CALL THE GODDAMN COPS ON THE B@ST@RDS! (sorry 'bout the language but if i came across one of these @$$wipes doing this they would cop a $h#tload for it and i'd tell them where to shove their product/s unless they took the fee off!).
It is more than an insult. It is downright disgusting CASH IS STILL LEGAL TENDER - SO SHOULD NOT INCUR A SURCHARGE OR FEE.
You said it - something like this is so anger inducing that you do want to spit! Stick up for yourselves & refuse to use their product/service. Let your feet do the talking.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gollywog
The digital market has taken over, and with it, new and innovative ways to pay. From digital payments to contactless payments, it feels like cash is becoming a thing of the past (for better or for worse).

And increasingly, people get charged a fee for opting to use cash.

A Sydney man was left stunned after discovering he would be charged a whopping $55 fee simply for wanting to pay for his vehicle in cash.


Peter, a local shopper, spotted the transaction fees listed at Sydney City MG car dealership, including a massive 1.1 per cent surcharge to pay a maximum of $5,000 in cash transactions.


View attachment 33023
A customer of a car dealership in Sydney was shocked to learn about the $55 surcharge for cash transactions. Credit: 2GB


Previously, customers opted to pay in cash to avoid transaction fees for big purchases.

'If you’re going to go in there with cash, you’re going to do a bargain, and you’re going to want a discount anyway for cash because it’s legal tender, there’s no fees,' Peter said in an interview.

'And then they slug you with that? It’s an insult in any transaction. [It’s] just so over the top and a bit ridiculous,’ he added.


The dealership later explained to a news source about the additional charge, saying it is a ‘handling fee’ to cover the internal cost of managing cash—like having two people count the cash and the transport to the bank—and it was ‘incorrectly labelled a surcharge’.

The General Manager of Sydney City MG, Ian Zammit, has revealed they are now absorbing the cost.

‘Our customers come first,’ he said. ‘If anyone has been charged the fee in the past, they will be refunded.’

Australians are now faced with the looming shift to a cashless society. By the end of 2022, cash transactions declined to 13 per cent of consumer payments—a contrast to 70 per cent in 2007.

Advocates warned that the shift could negatively impact people with less control over their money, like low-income households and elderly people.


Jason Bryce, from the advocacy group Cash Welcome, said: ‘Aussies are being charged to use our own money, and I have a lot of concerns over the precedent that this cash surcharge might set.’

The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) clarified that nothing in the Competition and Consumer Act or the Australian Consumer Law Act indicates that surcharges on cash payments are illegal.

‘But the Australian Consumer Law prohibits businesses from misleading consumers about prices,’ they continued.

The ACCC website states that businesses are not obligated to accept cash payments, and they may charge additional fees for debit or credit cards.

‘If there is no way for a consumer to pay without paying a surcharge, the business must include the minimum surcharge payable in the displayed price for its products,’ it said.


Key Takeaways

  • A Sydney car dealership was exposed for having a $55 surcharge for cash payments.
  • The surcharge was described as an 'insult' by a local shopper, going against the traditional
    avoidance of surcharges associated with cash payments.
  • The dealership explained this as a 'handling fee' for managing cash and committed to absorbing the cost in future.
  • The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission confirmed that adding a surcharge to a cash payment is legal, but businesses are prohibited from misleading consumers about prices.

What’s your take on this, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Bloody marvellous.... surcharge for cash, surcharge for credit card... who the f'n hell are you expected to pay?
 
  • Like
Reactions: gollywog
I'd have told him to stick his surcharge where the Sun don't shine, I'm taking my business elsewhere !
MG - Overpriced CRAP car, anyway !!!
Have you owned one? We love our MG and so do other residents in this village.
 
THAT SHIT SHOULD BE FREAKING FR$GG$NG F@CK$NG IL-BLOODY-LEGAL! WHAT A DAMN RIPOFF!! CALL THE GODDAMN COPS ON THE B@ST@RDS! (sorry 'bout the language but if i came across one of these @$$wipes doing this they would cop a $h#tload for it and i'd tell them where to shove their product/s unless they took the fee off!).
It is more than an insult. It is downright disgusting CASH IS STILL LEGAL TENDER - SO SHOULD NOT INCUR A SURCHARGE OR FEE.
I'm with you Tygie, well said!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: IAN3005
The digital market has taken over, and with it, new and innovative ways to pay. From digital payments to contactless payments, it feels like cash is becoming a thing of the past (for better or for worse).

And increasingly, people get charged a fee for opting to use cash.

A Sydney man was left stunned after discovering he would be charged a whopping $55 fee simply for wanting to pay for his vehicle in cash.


Peter, a local shopper, spotted the transaction fees listed at Sydney City MG car dealership, including a massive 1.1 per cent surcharge to pay a maximum of $5,000 in cash transactions.


View attachment 33023
A customer of a car dealership in Sydney was shocked to learn about the $55 surcharge for cash transactions. Credit: 2GB


Previously, customers opted to pay in cash to avoid transaction fees for big purchases.

'If you’re going to go in there with cash, you’re going to do a bargain, and you’re going to want a discount anyway for cash because it’s legal tender, there’s no fees,' Peter said in an interview.

'And then they slug you with that? It’s an insult in any transaction. [It’s] just so over the top and a bit ridiculous,’ he added.


The dealership later explained to a news source about the additional charge, saying it is a ‘handling fee’ to cover the internal cost of managing cash—like having two people count the cash and the transport to the bank—and it was ‘incorrectly labelled a surcharge’.

The General Manager of Sydney City MG, Ian Zammit, has revealed they are now absorbing the cost.

‘Our customers come first,’ he said. ‘If anyone has been charged the fee in the past, they will be refunded.’

Australians are now faced with the looming shift to a cashless society. By the end of 2022, cash transactions declined to 13 per cent of consumer payments—a contrast to 70 per cent in 2007.

Advocates warned that the shift could negatively impact people with less control over their money, like low-income households and elderly people.


Jason Bryce, from the advocacy group Cash Welcome, said: ‘Aussies are being charged to use our own money, and I have a lot of concerns over the precedent that this cash surcharge might set.’

The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) clarified that nothing in the Competition and Consumer Act or the Australian Consumer Law Act indicates that surcharges on cash payments are illegal.

‘But the Australian Consumer Law prohibits businesses from misleading consumers about prices,’ they continued.

The ACCC website states that businesses are not obligated to accept cash payments, and they may charge additional fees for debit or credit cards.

‘If there is no way for a consumer to pay without paying a surcharge, the business must include the minimum surcharge payable in the displayed price for its products,’ it said.


Key Takeaways

  • A Sydney car dealership was exposed for having a $55 surcharge for cash payments.
  • The surcharge was described as an 'insult' by a local shopper, going against the traditional
    avoidance of surcharges associated with cash payments.
  • The dealership explained this as a 'handling fee' for managing cash and committed to absorbing the cost in future.
  • The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission confirmed that adding a surcharge to a cash payment is legal, but businesses are prohibited from misleading consumers about prices.

What’s your take on this, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Any business Not accepting Cash or charging extra for doing so will not get my business at anytime but if it happen when I am in store they would certainly get a bloody big earful
 
  • Like
Reactions: IAN3005
The digital market has taken over, and with it, new and innovative ways to pay. From digital payments to contactless payments, it feels like cash is becoming a thing of the past (for better or for worse).

And increasingly, people get charged a fee for opting to use cash.

A Sydney man was left stunned after discovering he would be charged a whopping $55 fee simply for wanting to pay for his vehicle in cash.


Peter, a local shopper, spotted the transaction fees listed at Sydney City MG car dealership, including a massive 1.1 per cent surcharge to pay a maximum of $5,000 in cash transactions.


View attachment 33023
A customer of a car dealership in Sydney was shocked to learn about the $55 surcharge for cash transactions. Credit: 2GB


Previously, customers opted to pay in cash to avoid transaction fees for big purchases.

'If you’re going to go in there with cash, you’re going to do a bargain, and you’re going to want a discount anyway for cash because it’s legal tender, there’s no fees,' Peter said in an interview.

'And then they slug you with that? It’s an insult in any transaction. [It’s] just so over the top and a bit ridiculous,’ he added.


The dealership later explained to a news source about the additional charge, saying it is a ‘handling fee’ to cover the internal cost of managing cash—like having two people count the cash and the transport to the bank—and it was ‘incorrectly labelled a surcharge’.

The General Manager of Sydney City MG, Ian Zammit, has revealed they are now absorbing the cost.

‘Our customers come first,’ he said. ‘If anyone has been charged the fee in the past, they will be refunded.’

Australians are now faced with the looming shift to a cashless society. By the end of 2022, cash transactions declined to 13 per cent of consumer payments—a contrast to 70 per cent in 2007.

Advocates warned that the shift could negatively impact people with less control over their money, like low-income households and elderly people.


Jason Bryce, from the advocacy group Cash Welcome, said: ‘Aussies are being charged to use our own money, and I have a lot of concerns over the precedent that this cash surcharge might set.’

The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) clarified that nothing in the Competition and Consumer Act or the Australian Consumer Law Act indicates that surcharges on cash payments are illegal.

‘But the Australian Consumer Law prohibits businesses from misleading consumers about prices,’ they continued.

The ACCC website states that businesses are not obligated to accept cash payments, and they may charge additional fees for debit or credit cards.

‘If there is no way for a consumer to pay without paying a surcharge, the business must include the minimum surcharge payable in the displayed price for its products,’ it said.


Key Takeaways

  • A Sydney car dealership was exposed for having a $55 surcharge for cash payments.
  • The surcharge was described as an 'insult' by a local shopper, going against the traditional
    avoidance of surcharges associated with cash payments.
  • The dealership explained this as a 'handling fee' for managing cash and committed to absorbing the cost in future.
  • The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission confirmed that adding a surcharge to a cash payment is legal, but businesses are prohibited from misleading consumers about prices.

What’s your take on this, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Like I sadi mnay times before the Banks have been allowed to roam free and do what they like with their customers while our beloved useless Treasurer is looking on like Nero who was watching Rome burn to the ground and playing his arp/fiddle.
Banks have become criminals, they charge you to dpeosit money into the bank, they chage you when you are using your credit card, they charge you hundreds of dollar to arrange a loan even when they will cahrge you like wounded bulls when you get the loan, AND THEN THEY STILL CHARGE YOU WHEN THEY ARE USING YOUR MONEY TO LEND SOME OF IT BACK TO YOU. THEY GIVE A VERY SMALL % IN INTERESTS FOR YOUR MONEY AND THEY CHARGE YOU TWO OR THREE TIMES MORE IN % IF YOU WANT TO GET A LOAN FROM THEM.
 
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Like I sadi mnay times before the Banks have been allowed to roam free and do what they like with their customers while our beloved useless Treasurer is looking on like Nero who was watching Rome burn to the ground and playing his arp/fiddle.
Banks have become criminals, they charge you to dpeosit money into the bank, they chage you when you are using your credit card, they charge you hundreds of dollar to arrange a loan even when they will cahrge you like wounded bulls when you get the loan, AND THEN THEY STILL CHARGE YOU WHEN THEY ARE USING YOUR MONEY TO LEND SOME OF IT BACK TO YOU. THEY GIVE A VERY SMALL % IN INTERESTS FOR YOUR MONEY AND THEY CHARGE YOU TWO OR THREE TIMES MORE IN % IF YOU WANT TO GET A LOAN FROM THEM.
Never paid interest in my life.... not even on my mortgage
 
Never paid interest in my life.... not even on my mortgage
Well, are you or have you been a banker.? Banker usually gets looked after very well if they want money for something. How do I know this.? Well a friend of mine used to be a banker and he told me so. But customers will always be charged for hefty interests.
On the other end of the equation, some big nobs on major companies gets loan for free as well.
 
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