High usage of bank draft and postal orders

Hi,
I had to pay some bills recently (was buying a house) and I am slightly annoyed that many people (e.g. EA, Solicitor, Broker) still want to get a bank draft, cheque or postal order instead of getting the money transfered into a bank account.
I think it is very strange (is not to say stupid) as it costs time (you need to go to the bank or post) and money (e.g. 1.90 per bank draft plus stamp) to pay the folks.
Is this still very common here and people are just used to it or why does it seem so strange to just transfer the money - which would be easy and cheap (given there is internet banking). Although of course you can't transfer more than EUR 5000 a day(!) with an AIB internet banking, which is strange enough as well.

Mods: not sure if the forum is the right one as I am just looking for some general explanation, please move if there is a better one.

Paper trail. No other reason.

newirishman said:

Although of course you can't transfer more than EUR 5000 a day(!) with an AIB internet banking, which is strange enough as well.

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Perhaps if you contacted them they could come to some arrangement to up this for you if necessary? Also - in case it helps - PTSB have a €3K per day limit but you can actually do €6K per day if you do €3K online and €3K via telephone banking. Maybe AIB are the same?

Nope, I tried that with AIB and it will refuse the second transfer.

Because no single agency (outside of the Banks themselves) are pushing people for an economic reason to switch away from paper, we will continue to be the laughing stock of Europe with our quaint 19th century approach to payment services.

If at all possible I use electronic payments, but if you go into a garage for example, they look at you with wide eyed amazement if you suggest anything other than a bank draft - yet the e-payment would get to their account far faster than a draft would - it is just habit and lack of interest in thinking outside the box. Maybe it's because the sales person can't see the money going into the business's bank acc at point of sale - but how does it work elsewhere in Europe? Do the sales guys check the money is in the account before you go and drive off the forecourt, or do people just pick up the car following day?

marksa said:

we will continue to be the laughing stock of Europe with our quaint 19th century approach to payment services.

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A slight exaggeration surely? I can't imagine the Swedes and the Czechs being too bothered about our banking procedures, less still finding them a source of comedy material?

It is basically down to the fact that people resist change. I know of one medium sized retail store that does not accept plastic at all. It is 100% cash. I asked why and the owner told me he is paranoid about chargebacks etc.

I still reckon with solicitors and accountants they still want a verifiable paper trail to have on file.

More and more businesses, especially retailers are begining to refuse cheques. Having said that, IPSO announced a couple of weeks back that the volume of cheques issued in Ireland last year actually rose

Have to say however, if I were a business, I'd be rather more careful about giving about my bank details to get a payment in given the amount of efforts being made by fraudsters these days to get peoples bank details. Perhaps some businesses think getting a cheque is a less riskier option?

I work in an estate agents and we accept bank transfers. Many of our clients pay that way. It's only the account number and sort code which they need (if they're in Ireland), both of which are on each cheque we issue anyway.