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| The American Paper Trail |
| 01.06.04 (7:49 am) |
You might think that the title of today’s blog entry refers to some National Park or other historic trail, but it does not. Americans love paper, especially when it’s money or checks (which represent money and should thus be considered similar). I, for one, prefer virtual money and paper. Just a statement from my bank that I pull up on my computer that tells me how much I still have (or not have, for that matter) will do just fine. I’m a plastic girl, and no, I don’t mean that I own fake body parts…
Although gradually it becomes easier to do financial stuff via the internet, we cannot, for example, pay our rent automatically. Not being able to pay things from behind the screen, OK, but why can we not simply tell the bank to put the money for the rent into the account where it needs to go. Now, we have to give the leasing agency a check every month, before or on the first and we sometimes forget. Not because we don’t want to pay, but because we are not always there around the first of the month. It drives me nuts.
Same thing with my health insurance. You have to send them a check with your premium every month, but you don’t know if and when they will receive it. With the rent at least we can physically drop it off and know they got it. Health insurance checks get send by mail. Who knows how long it takes before it gets there? And since you do want to be covered at all times, you have to balance it out. Send your check early enough in order to make sure it gets there in time but not too early so they draw the money out of your account halfway through the previous month. I know you can change the date on the check because they can only cash it on or after the date it was made out on, but still…
I vote for virtual. Not only does it save time, money and a lot of headaches, I think it is safe to say that it’s also good for the environment, which is something that the current administration has not yet really got a grip on. They seem to choose for the good old American paper trail and not just in cases like the ones that I mentioned above.
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posted by: newbie
post date: 01.06.04 (11:17 pm)
Everything might be bigger on that side of the ocean, but some things are just taken better care of on this side. Rabo internet bankieren is great!
posted by: newbie
post date: 01.07.04 (4:07 am)
I agree with Erik on this one, I think. "automatische incasso" shouldn't be too difficult a system to implement in the US, should it?
posted by: anouk
post date: 01.07.04 (10:36 am)
I am glad that it is not just me...
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