Bridal Shower Order - Check Bounced

[momoftwins]

Hey guys! I did a bridal shower at the beginning of the month and submitted it on the 17th. I had the order shipped to my house so that I could sort it all, etc for the host who is a friend of mine. Well one of the ladies at the bridal shower ordered for the bride and herself and her total order was $72. Well I got a notice from my bank the week before Easter stating that this persons check bounced and they of course charged me $7 for it. I called the number on her check and didn't get any answer. This was on Good Friday. Well the day before Easter (April 15th) she called me and said oh I moved to KC and forgot I wrote you a check out of that bank account and we closed it. I will send you a check in the mail today for $79 (I told her she owes me that other $7). It is now the 28th and I still have not received her check. I have called her twice (the 2nd time being today - Thursday) since she called me and said the check was in the mail and left her voice messages and have not heard back from her. I have her order (even the part for the bride). I am really tempted to call her again tomorrow and say if I don't receive payment by X date that I will send it all back to the home office. I have told the host that I have her products and am not giving them to her or the bride until they are paid for and the host totally agreed with me.

What would you do?? Thanks in advance!

 

[monica_sweetconsultant]

i think you are doing the right thing. its not our job to pay for the persons order. give her a certain date and if the checks not there send the stuff back!!

 

[reesefamily5]

Good thing you had it shipped to your house. I agree with Monica, leave her message that if your don't hear from hear by a certain date you will be sending the items back.
I'm not sure how it is in other states but I know in Wisconsin if someone bounces a check you only have 30 days to take the actions needed to get your money back. (This is if they customer already has the product).

I had a check bounce once and these are the steps my director told me to take. You will have to check if these pertain to your state.
After the phone call send a letter and demand payment with 5 business days, send the letter certified mail (So you have proof of the letter) and add the $25 service fee (to cover your costs if this goes to court).
If no response file it with the D/A office (This must be done within 1 month of when the check is written.)

Some people may not go through the hassle but money is money. I don't think it cost anything to file it with the D/A. And like I said the law could be different for each state.

I do have a copy of the letter that I sent the person if anyone wants it just in case, since you do have to act fast. Remember this is if the person already has the product so you know if it ever happens to you.

 

[ChefNic]

It definitely stinks!!
I had a check bounce for $470+ she had her products...
It was the host's check, she got most of the orders outside the show, and the people wrote the checks to her... she was in a different state than me.
It was a HUGE mess... she stopped taking my phone calls... never returned any calls...
her show was the end of April,... it was the end of JUNE before I got the money!
I called HO they suggested I send a certified letter, saying if I don't get payment by such-n-such a date, I would have to contact authorities...

The day before the such-n-such a date... I got the check with a letter, saying she had been mugged, was in the hospital, developed pnuemonia while in the hospital, and had told her son to send me a check, and he told her he had... She basically thought I was taking another $470+ from her! I NEVER GOT THE CHECK and think her son took her money!
She said THE DAY she got home from the hospital was the day she got the certified letter!
I had 5 bookings from her show! Two of which were her daughters, and one was her - she booked herself...
Needless to say, I wasn't wanting to do the shows...and haven't heard from any of them...
And the cherry on top... a few days after the show, she called to say I left my Utility knife there... I had the case, she had the knife... Each time I went to her city (about 2 hours away-my mom lives there ) I would call and ask to meet up to get the knife( since she didn't want to mail it) - either she wasn't home, or she was on her way out, or SOMETHING... I never got my knife back and had to order another one!

This lady called ME to book a show, she had been a guest at a show I had done about 3 years prior... she wanted coffee, and she booked a show! I WAS thrilled! She said her previous consultant whom she had worked with several times before must have quit PC...(maybe she did the same thing to that consultant, and that consultant didn't want to deal with her anymore...)

Can you tell it all still makes my blood boil!???!
My fault for allowing the checks to be made out to her...
But I learned a huge lesson! DEPOSIT THE CHECKS RIGHT AWAY... AND HAVE THEM WRITTEN TO YOU>>> then you don't have so much money that you are out ... luckily we had the money to cover it... but I wasn't about to pay for all those people's PC orders!

Sorry to vent...
This is a rare thing to have a check bounce and not get your money right away... I find for the most part people are honest...But they need to know... even though we develop a relationship with our hosts(especially) and guests, we are still a business, and they need to treat us like that when it comes to money. If they bounce a check at - Sears for example, Sears isn't going to wait 2 months for their payment! They will be contacting authorities sooner!

 

[soonerchef]

I have one of those rare check bounce stories...it's been 3 months and I still haven't received payment. This order was for 2 mini serving spatulas and she called me to place an order out of the blue, she had seen my info on my van. The best part is I came to find out she is on the PTA board at my son's elementary school and she is totally avoiding me. I have actually duck around a corner to hide from me at the school! The only time she has contacted me is to tell me that she had the money and her husband took it out of her wallet, now...nothing.

Like you, I am stumped and don't know what to do...but, in my case she has the product!

 

[DebbieSAChef]

How horrible!It's scary to read these horror stories about fraudulent, rude hosts who don't pay up. And in worst case scenarios they have the products. I have never had this happen.
I would definitely do the letter thing with certified mail, and I would also drop a personal letter asking for the products back so I could return them.
I know it's not going to always work but I think it's something that needs to be done. These people should be ashamed of themselves. It would be very embarassing for them to have to be contacted by the authorities or the DA's office because of a small PC order.
But sometimes people need a wake up call from someone they can't easily scam, like the police.
If you see this lady at your son's school and she is part of the PTA I think you should get them involved as well. Let them know what type of person this is. You could save another mother the trouble of being scammed as well. Who knows how many Mary Kay, or Avon, or other direct sales mothers they have scammed as well. If you make it public, she is sure to pay up. Post a sign at the PTA meetings bulletin board on bright yellow paper that has her name on it and the money she owes you. Tell her that she has the products so she needs to pay. I don't know if this is a reasonable thing to do but I would probably do it. EVen setting up a payment plan for some people might work out. Some people might not be able to afford it and are too embarrassed to tell you (even though they shouldn't be ordering without money) so a payment plan might help them save face.
And then there are those who want something for nothing.
Debbie

 

[AJPratt]

hI mOMOFtWINS: Do you or she have paypal? She could do an electronic transfer of funds.

 

[momoftwins]

Thanks for all the responses ladies. YEs I do have paypal and have thought about that but of course I have only paid for things via paypal I have never received money through it so don't know how it works. I thought about a letter but then since she supposedly moved I wouldn't have her correct address. I will call her cell phone (the number she called me from) and tell her if I DO NOT have payment by Wednesday I will send it all back to the home office.

Thanks again so much for all the responses!

 

[jrstephens]

i work for an attorney in alabama. if she does not make it good. call your local district attorney's office. They can tell you the proper steps for your state. once it is turned over to them, it doe snot cost you a thing. all cos are added to the amount they have to pay the da's office. don't let anyone get away with bouncing a check on you - that's why so many people do it, b/c they don't have to pay the consequences.

 

[sailortena]

If this helps, cash checks before depositing the money into your business account. I take the checks to my main bank that I do my personal business with, then take the cash to where my business account. (I don't use the same bank so I keep everything totally separate.)

For myself, I find this the best thing to do because I don't know some of these guests from adam and I don't want to have to risk things going wrong.

 

[valleygirl2]

If a check would bounce have they ever take the money out of your personal account?

 

[momoftwins]

I just wanted to say what happened with this situation. I called the gal again for a 3rd time and said if I do not have the money by Monday I am sending everything back to PC. Well I left that message on a Friday and the wedding was the next day so I knew she would be here in town. Well she called me Saturday and I was at a funeral so I called her back when I got home. I got her voice mail and left another message - she called me back around 330pm and stated she would stop by my house and pay me before the wedding reception which was at 6pm - I said I might run to Babies R Us but would call her if I did. I didn't go so didn't call her and she said she would just tape something to my door anyway if I was gone. Well of course she did not come and so Sunday I called her again at 230pm and stated that she didn't come by yesterday and to call me. So this was Sunday May 7th and I have never heard back from her (even as of today I have not heard anything from her). On Thursday May 11th I called PC and told them I needed to send these products back as the customer never paid me (well said she did but then her check bounced and she has never paid me again) so they sent UPS here on Friday the 12th for the products. Now I am just waiting for them to credit my debit card.

Thanks for all the responses ladies.

 

[CarlyK]

Oh my gosh! That woman is absolutely... I cannot even think of the words. That's really terrible. I'm glad though that you are going to be able to get the money back.
Are you going to leave another message letting her know that the items were sent back? I would.

 

[cmdtrgd]

Oh my gosh! That woman is absolutely... I cannot even think of the words. That's really terrible. I'm glad though that you are going to be able to get the money back.
Are you going to leave another message letting her know that the items were sent back? I would.

I can think of the words, I just can't type them here.

Did your bank charge you for the bounced check? If they did, I would talk to them about charging the excustomer instead of you. You should not have to pay for that!!!

 

[valleygirl2]

In our state we can take the check to the district justice. They then notify the party that the check was turned in for collection. You can add bank fees, which here is usually $20.00 (some businesses charge $35.). I had a customer do this to me 2 months ago. I called her twice. The last time i just emailed and said I was taking it to the district justice, needless to say I had my money the next day. Then it also gets put in the newspaper under the county news items. In the paper it is listed as insufficient funds. I hope this helps.
Teresa

 

[CarlyK]

I can think of the words, I just can't type them here.

LOL, there were so many, I didn't think that one would fit!

In our state we can take the check to the district justice. They then notify the party that the check was turned in for collection. You can add bank fees, which here is usually $20.00 (some businesses charge $35.). I had a customer do this to me 2 months ago. I called her twice. The last time i just emailed and said I was taking it to the district justice, needless to say I had my money the next day. Then it also gets put in the newspaper under the county news items. In the paper it is listed as insufficient funds. I hope this helps.

Oooh, that is a super nifty idea! I know that I'm a daily reader of the Police Report & Jail Report looking for people that live in the apartment complex and other people I sort of "know."

 

[momoftwins]

My bank only charged me a $7 returned item fee. It is not worth the hassle to even deal with trying to have my bank charge that to her and not me. Besides, I don't even know what her current address is since she has moved.

I did not call her and tell her that I sent the product back. When I left one of the last messages for her on that Friday I stated in that message that if I did not have payment by Monday it was going back to PC. So since she called me back then the next day but still did not get payment to me I followed through with my threat so to speak and turned the products back into PC. She has not even tried to contact me since talking to her on that Saturday so I am not worrying about it. My director said to not contact her again either and just send the products back. If by some chance the customer calls me (I am guessing it will have to be a cold day in you know where) I will tell her I sent the products back since I did not have payment from her in a timely matter and if she would like to order the products again that she could through my website (or I would just submit it as an individual order) and pay with a credit card and also pay direct shipping.

That is interesting to know about the district justice though. I have 8 month old twins so it is really hard for me to get anywhere like that though and just easier to eat the $7.

 

[momoftwins]

If a check would bounce have they ever take the money out of your personal account?

In this particular case I had deposited her $72 check into my PC account. Since her check bounced my bank then took away that $72 plus an additional $7 returned item fee from my PC account. So I am out the $7. Of course then when the show was submitted PC took the whole show amount from my debit card (PC account) so now I am out that money she paid me until PC credits my debit card. Hope that makes sense.

 

[AJPratt]

The girl is probably just really embarrassed. I know its no excuse. You should sign her up as a recruit--obviously she needs the money.