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Dan Lanciani

In article , (Ed Pawlowski) writes:
|
| "Dan Lanciani" ddl@danlan.*com wrote in message
| the fact. To date the only ones I've found playing these EFT games are
| the
| banks themselves, some utilities, and an insurance company.
|
| How about some supermarkets, loan/finance companies, and businesses, large
| and small. It is becoming very popular and is readily available. Expect to
| see a lot of it soon.

I may have been unclear. It isn't a matter of using the process; it's
a matter of using it _without authorization_. Under the rules as last
I saw them (unfortunately the rules are secret and available only to
members of NACHA) payees must have permission to convert a check into
an ACH (EFT) debit. That permission can be implicit in the sense that
the payee can deliver or post a notice saying that if you provide a check
it will be converted; however, for billed accounts like credit cards and
utilities there must be an opt-out mechanism. (For in-person transactions
you can opt-out but then they don't have to accept your check.) So
far it is only the banks themselves, some utilities, and an insurance
company that I've seen break the rules by either ignoring my explicit
opt-out or converting without any prior notice.

Massachusetts also has some additional protection in Title XXII
chapter 167B Section 7 prohibiting people from conditioning the
sale of goods or services on payment by EFT. (Which is not to
say that they can't demand cash.) Your state might have something
similar.

Dan Lanciani
ddl@danlan.*com