convience fee
You must live in Coeur d Alene
Funny.
The companies want you to eithr send the checks to their corporate offices where they are staffed to deal with the payments, or they want you to pay electronically, which costs them less in human processing time.
They see it as an inconvenience to deal with people wandering in off the streets. They have to have someone there shuffle the payments, and probably send the payments to the corporate location for processing anyway.
Don't forget that if you send it to the central location or pay electronically it will hit their bank account more quickly, and start earning them interest sooner. These fees are basically punitive, encouraging you to pay in the way that makes them the most money.
I am a computer nerd that works with a bunch of accountants. It amazes me how much time and effort is put into making sure that the cash stays in the accounts that earn the most interest. You should see how Home Depot accepts and makes payments. It blows my mind.
