# Settleing a big bill with small change

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settleing-a-big-bill-with-small-change/696009>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 20, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settleing-a-big-bill-with-small-change/696009 "2014-08-20T16:25:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settleing-a-big-bill-with-small-change/696009/1 "2014-08-20T16:25:43Z")

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Another thread asked what the limits were on this, and the conversation centered around individuals trying to pay big bills with nickels and dimes. Here is a story where it went the other way :

> [@](#):
>
> An insurance company begrudgingly paid a $21,000 (£12,000) court settlement by dropping it off in buckets full of loose change.
> 
> Adriana’s Insurance Services, based in Rancho Cucamonga, California, settled a dispute with Andres Carrasco in June.
> 
> The 76-year-old Los Angeles claims an Adriana employee assaulted him during an argument over why the company had cancelled his car insurance.

[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11018456/Insurance-company-pays-21000-settlement-with-buckets-of-loose-change.html](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11018456/Insurance-company-pays-21000-settlement-with-buckets-of-loose-change.html)

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**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settleing-a-big-bill-with-small-change/696009/2 "2014-08-20T17:20:17Z")

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[Earlier thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=730444), although I’m not sure why this thread is in GQ.

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**Author:** ![sbunny8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@sbunny8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sbunny8)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settleing-a-big-bill-with-small-change/696009/3 "2014-08-20T17:21:10Z")

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I wonder, how would they verify that the buckets contain the correct amount of money? I mean, why can’t the recipient just count the money himself and say “hey you shortchanged me” and then isn’t the burden of proof on the payer to say he’s wrong?

When you’re standing at a counter and you hand over a pill of bills, the recipient can count the bills and if the count is off then they can call attention to this fact while both parties are standing there. Seems to me maybe the reasonable way to handle this, if someone ever tries to pay you a debt with buckets of coins, is to smile and say “Hey, no problem! Now please count it out for me while I stand here and watch.”

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**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settleing-a-big-bill-with-small-change/696009/4 "2014-08-20T17:47:52Z")

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**Moderator Action**

> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> [Earlier thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=730444), although I’m not sure why this thread is in GQ.

Since there is already an existing thread on this topic, I am going to close this one.