obscure coin law let a shop refuse service

[davidc4430]

An obscure coin law let a shop refuse service to an Adelaide mum. Here are others you may not know

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-04/obscure-coin-laws-that-made-a-petrol-station-refuse-service/1...

[llbis-0]

"Ah, so ....  a Chinese family ...."

***giggle

[ecar3483]

It's as bad as the bank... They have a coin counting machine and it's forever jamming - "overfilled"...

It's not like I took a vast fortune in... about $70, but in no time at all the "Call the operator" sign lit up.

I don't understand... do they want my money or not? ha ha...

🙂

[chameleon54]

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@imastawka wrote:

OTR is a brand belonging to Exxon/Mobil

But let's face it....there's usually Indians behind the counter.

Where aren't they behind the counter these days at fast food joints?

Takes some hunting down to find a Subway in Melbourne that doesn't have them.

Intergalactic translator is on the fritz.

They don't understand me, I don't understand them   

But I found one, run by Aussies,  and they get my business.

Racist?:  Don't care.  Come at me.   

I've heard they need to run a business for 3 years to qualify for citizenship

or something like that.

Doesn't even matter if they run it badly.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

(presses  'post'  tentatively)

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Comin right at ya stawks.........and didnt press "post" tentatively..........

OTR service stations are owned by Peregrine Corporation, which is further owned by the S.A. family headed by Fred Shahin. I dont believe it was ever owned by Exxon or Mobil. Fred Shahin started OTR himself. From memory it was to diversify his business interests which originally revolved around the Smokemart brand.

While I have some reservations about our out of control immigration policies, the Shahin family show how it can be succesful.. Fred has built succesful businesses and has recently invested heavily in " The Bend " car racing facility at Tailem Bend S.A. This is one of the biggest contributions to local S.A sport ever made by a private person / company and personally I think it is a great gesture.

Last weekend " the Bend " played host to a huge Scout Jamborree, with Scouts coming from right around Australia to camp at the site. It has also hosted pedal prixs ( kids 24 hour recumbent bike races ) and I believe it hosted a solar challenge, so its not just about revving cars.

Spoiler

And it looks like Fred Shahin is my new neighbor. Hes just built a flash house next to one of my leased farms.

Spoiler

Better drop in one day and borrow a cup of sugar......

[not_for_sale2025]

What I don't get is why the servo wouldn't accept the coins. It's money and he 

blew a sale. That's bad business and dumb. I hope his employer had a stern

word with him.

[chameleon54]

It does seem a bit silly doesnt it. I use the self serve checkouts at Woolies to get rid of my small change. You can buy stuff and just feed all of your 5c & 10c pieces into the coin slot of the machine. Works a treat and no one complains.. 

[imastawka]

Fair enough Chameleon.

I did google OTR and somehow came up with Exxon/Mobil.

Googling again gave me the same results as you this time.  

[wide-world-of-stamps]

The really silly part is that, according to the law, they don't have to accept 20 x 50c pieces, but if the customer had tendered 100 x 5c pieces for a $5 purchase they would have been obliged to accept it.

[springyzone]

I knew about the law. Not every detail as to amounts etc but I thought it was common knowledge, not obscure.

I do believe it is a valid & necessary law. It's probably not one that would have to be invoked very often but it is there to stop someone turning up at the checkout with a big bag of 5c coins to pay a big bill.

When I was working, I used to (for many years) be in charge of the staff Tattslotto syndicate. It cost $1 a week but a lot of people paid every few weeks & often with notes but also some of it in loose change, which I'd take, no worries. But that left me by mid year with a big cash bag of 50c and 20c pieces-after I had picked it over for $1 & $2 coins.

The Tattslotto agency was always pretty good but I never tried to pay for eg a $150 multi week entry with all 50c coins. I'd do notes with maybe $5 worth of the 50c coins or $2 of the 20c coins. They always welcomed a little bit of change.

But if i had tried to pay off $150 in coins, I am sure I would not have been so popular and at least the law means they could refuse.

[davidc4430]

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@springyzone wrote:

I knew about the law. Not every detail as to amounts etc but I thought it was common knowledge, not obscure.

I do believe it is a valid & necessary law. It's probably not one that would have to be invoked very often but it is there to stop someone turning up at the checkout with a big bag of 5c coins to pay a big bill.

When I was working, I used to (for many years) be in charge of the staff Tattslotto syndicate. It cost $1 a week but a lot of people paid every few weeks & often with notes but also some of it in loose change, which I'd take, no worries. But that left me by mid year with a big cash bag of 50c and 20c pieces-after I had picked it over for $1 & $2 coins.

The Tattslotto agency was always pretty good but I never tried to pay for eg a $150 multi week entry with all 50c coins. I'd do notes with maybe $5 worth of the 50c coins or $2 of the 20c coins. They always welcomed a little bit of change.

But if i had tried to pay off $150 in coins, I am sure I would not have been so popular and at least the law means they could refuse.

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maybe it needs a rethink as what you could buy for $10 when it was introduced is a lot different today. is there anything under $10 these days, i know when i do my shopping and see whats in my cart and the total on the cash register (also needs a new name) i nearly faint.

i was just at my local IGA and post office this morning and i see the not so well to do walking out with their cigarettes and think, how do you afford those?

i'm ever grateful i never took the bait to drink or smoke.

[imastawka]

Seeing you took this off topic..............

I just noticed yesterday that a carton of smokes costs around $300     Ya What??!!

That's like a week's worth for an ordinary smoker, not a heavy one.

I gave up New Year's 2007 and a carton cost $75 then. 

And that price was killin' me.