Getting screwed at the gas pump - not just the cost of gas..

[docellis]

I thought it was cheaper to the merchant for the consumer to use a debit card...why would they charge a fee?

[wart57]

I thought it was cheaper to the merchant for the consumer to use a debit card...why would they charge a fee?

Because the screw you at the gas pump!

[jimedmondsfan]

Banks charge the gas station anywhere from 2-4% when you use the card, the gas station just passed on 1/2 of that fee to you. They should have a sign that says there is a fee for it though...that sucks.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

I always check my reciepts and haven't even been hit w/ a fee like that.

Got a question for you wart, how bad is the housing market out there? My wifes sister lives in a suburb of Phoenix and she said there are forclosures everywhere. She said a house that cost over 200k a couple years ago is being sold by a bank for 109k. Is it that bad out there?

My wifes cousin bought a house out here for $440,000, she is the middle of a short sale, the offer the bank accepted was $220,000 the house depreceated $220,000 in 2 years. It is just terrible here. Houses went from $200 grand up to $400 grad and back down to $200 grand in the span of about 4 years. On my block alone there are 4 houses for sale, all are in forclosure, in my entire subdivsion I would guess at least 25 to 30% of the homes are in foreclosure.

Where do you live?

I'm thinking about moving. Seriously, I just haven't found a place that has attracted me yet.

[cardinalkarp]

I always check my reciepts and haven't even been hit w/ a fee like that.

Got a question for you wart, how bad is the housing market out there? My wifes sister lives in a suburb of Phoenix and she said there are forclosures everywhere. She said a house that cost over 200k a couple years ago is being sold by a bank for 109k. Is it that bad out there?

My wifes cousin bought a house out here for $440,000, she is the middle of a short sale, the offer the bank accepted was $220,000 the house depreceated $220,000 in 2 years. It is just terrible here. Houses went from $200 grand up to $400 grad and back down to $200 grand in the span of about 4 years. On my block alone there are 4 houses for sale, all are in forclosure, in my entire subdivsion I would guess at least 25 to 30% of the homes are in foreclosure.

Where do you live?

I'm thinking about moving. Seriously, I just haven't found a place that has attracted me yet.

He's in Arizona.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

He's in Arizona.

Is it all of Arizona or just the Phoenix region? Do you know?

[cardinalkarp]

He's in Arizona.

Is it all of Arizona or just the Phoenix region? Do you know?

I'm not sure exactly where he's at but my post was referring to a suburb of Phoenix.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Any tips on where you would move to if you were moving?

[cardinalkarp]

Any tips on where you would move to if you were moving?

I got no clue. My wife wants to move back to Minneapolis in a couple years so that's probably where my next destination will be.

[cardsfansince82]

Las Vegas is probably the worst. Of the people that could hang on to their houses, I know a ton who are paying a mortgage that is $100K or more higher than the market value right now. It would be a pretty good place to be a buyer, though.

Re: the debit cards, I think I've ranted about those before wart. It must be a thing only out west. Lots of gas stations and fast food type places try to pull that garbage here. I find it hard to believe they incur much, if any, extra costs to perform those transactions. But they make a lot of free money every month from people that either don't notice or don't care. Me, I won't go into any of those places if I don't have cash. I wonder if the extra money they make is enough to make up for lost business from people like me. I suspect it is.