Should I Have Let My Customer Know She Was Short on Her Cheque?

[mistym]

I have an issue that has been irking me for a couple of days....

I had a customer who was emailed her grand total - $76.95. She told me "no problem, I will pass the cheque to the host". Great! I go over and grab the cheque only to find out her cheque is for $75.00. So, she is short $1.95 on her cheque. Obviously I am not going to hold her order for this small amount but I did want to point out politely that she was short. So, I sent her a quick emailing letting her know that her cheque was just under the grand total amount and that she could pass on the $1.95 too me when I bring her the products....

Here is her response:

Im sure u can cover it till i recieve the product..If their is any problem just dont put my order in...


I responded to her that, as stated, I have put the order through and that I wanted to make sure she was aware so all our records match should there be any further questions.

My thinking is that if every customer was to short me by two bucks then I would be broke!! Do you think I should have left it and just paid the $2.00 or let her know?

Thanks

Misty

 

[DebbieJ]

I would have done the same.

$2 is still $2!

 

[speedychef]

I think you did okay. I wouldn't stress over it, but I wouldn't mind her knowing. You're right, and if you just let it slide, maybe next time she'll tell a friend and they will BOTH short you $2 and next time they'll tell 2 friends and they'll tell 2 friends...and then you'll be BROKE!

 

[GourmetGirl]

It's good to have let her known, what if next time she shorted you $5 or $10 or spread the word... it could soon snowball into something that nobody could handle as a small business owner. Also, would Target or Amazon put through your order or let you walk out of the store if you were short $2, nope, you would have to wait to purchase everything when you had the money, so she needs to look at you like a real business owner!

 

[DebbieSAChef]

ridiculous peopleSome people are just so inconsiderate and down right rude. I mean how can she possibly think this is ok. If she were at a grocery store or department store and was short $2.00, would she tell her the cashier to cover it until a week later???
That's so crazy! I would have definitely told her that I would put the order in and would cover the cost until I delivered the products but would be sure to collect before getting those orders to her.
Maybe you could just "forget" a $2 item when you deliver just in case! LOL

I have had some goofy customers come my way too, so just know that it takes all kinds to make this world go round!

This attachment should give you all some laughs!!

Debbie

 

[gilliandanielle]

Sometimes I keep my mouth shut, and sometimes I don't- it really depends on who it is and how well I know them.

I did once have a lady who wrote her check $10 under! It was an outside order so I called her and let her know that I would need the $10 next time she saw the host but that I would put the order through anyway. Luckily I didn't have to chase her down and the host gave me the check. I didn't notice until the teller told me, but she post dated the check for Feb 15th (It was written on JAN 15TH). I shutup and held the check for a month because I didn't want to call her AGAIN, but beware that these things can happen!

 

[DebbieSAChef]

What????

Sometimes I keep my mouth shut, and sometimes I don't- it really depends on who it is and how well I know them.

I did once have a lady who wrote her check $10 under! It was an outside order so I called her and let her know that I would need the $10 next time she saw the host but that I would put the order through anyway. Luckily I didn't have to chase her down and the host gave me the check. I didn't notice until the teller told me, but she post dated the check for Feb 15th (It was written on JAN 15TH). I shutup and held the check for a month because I didn't want to call her AGAIN, but beware that these things can happen!

A postdated check for a month later??? WOW that's pretty bad. Maybe it was just a mistake? I would definitely have said something. I mean it's one thing for it to be only $10 but that's not the point. We run businesses and some people just don't take us seriously.
Has she ever ordered from you again? I am just curious! You must have been in a really good mood!! LOL Not now with your preggo hormones!! LOL

Just teasing Gillian! But that is pretty shocking that someone would do that. Not that I haven't had my fair share of bad customers and rude hosts!

Debbie

 

[speedychef]

Too funny, Debbie! I think I might have met one or two of them!

 

[gilliandanielle]

I can forgive a check written $10 short or a check written with the wrong month, but it was awefully coincidental that she did both these things, and both in her favor... she hasn't ordered from me again and I have had another show with that host even. From what I heard from the ladies that were actually at the show (they were all from the same office) that she is the cheapest person on the planet!

 

[SillyChef]

Misty.

I think you did fine. I think though that I would have called her rather than emailing her. Since she could just say, "oh I am sure you can cover it" A lot of "ladies" don't have the gull to say that to your face. So maybe that might curve the urge to be rude. Also, I wouldn't let it happen too often. Like the others said it could get a little out of hand.

HTH

 

[DebbieSAChef]

Cheapest person

I can forgive a check written $10 short or a check written with the wrong month, but it was awefully coincidental that she did both these things, and both in her favor... she hasn't ordered from me again and I have had another show with that host even. From what I heard from the ladies that were actually at the show (they were all from the same office) that she is the cheapest person on the planet!

LOL
I am sure she is pretty cheap. Glad you haven't had to deal with her again.

It's funny but I feel like displaying a sign at my shows that reads:

ATTENTION ALL GUESTS:
IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD THE PRODUCTS OR DO NOT WISH TO PURCHASE ANYTHING, PLEASE DO NOT FEEL OBLIGATED TO BUY ANYTHING. YES YOU HAVE TO PAY TAX AND SHIPPING IS ONLY $4.00 EVEN IF YOU ORDER A $2 PRODUCT!

I DO NOT ACCEPT FOOD STAMPS, POST DATED CHECKS, PESOS, PENNIES, AND I DO NOT BARTER! IF YOU WANT FREE STUFF, HAVE A SHOW! THANK YOU AND HAVE A GREAT DAY!

I'M BEING SILLY AND DELIRIOUS!! I AM VERY TIRED!! BUT MY HUSBAND DOESN'T GET HOME UNTIL ALMOST MIDNIGHT TONIGHT FROM WORK. AND THE KIDS ARE UP!!

DEBBIE

 

[gilliandanielle]

I'll take two copies of that sign Debbie! I want this added to the bottom though:

ALSO, IF YOU KNOW THAT YOUR CREDIT CARD IS GOING TO BE DECLINED FOR WHATEVER REASON PLEASE PAY WITH ANOTHER METHOD AS TO NOT HOLD UP THE ENTIRE SHOW WITH SOMETHING YOU COULD HAVE PREVENTED.

Thanks- you can throw them in the mail when you're done! LMAO!

 

[rennea]

I bet if we all go together on the signs we'll get a deal I will also take two!

 

[GourmetGirl]

I'm with ya on that one! Can we add a line that says "Credit Cards must not expire for at least 1 month after the show day." I hate when I had a customer tell me "Oh I forgot that I had placed an order and I cancelled my card." And they take a week to tell me this as they are out of town... arg... but thank goodness for siblings that will cover for their mistake

 

[rennea]

My favorite is when they argue that there is nothing wrong with there card!! Or that there is money in there bank, don't know why that check bounced!! It must be your fault.

 

[gilliandanielle]

I just had that "bounced check" story on Friday! She told me she must have been in line behind me at the bank! Yeah...maybe... but you wrote the check 10 days ago!

 

[amcclanaghan]

Usually for that size order to be $2 short I would have mentioned it but not pressed it, pretty much like you did.

I DO have a host who I underquoted her husband her total by $7.00 (ugh), as soon as I got home and verified I let her know... she hasn't said one thing about it. She's a consultant for another business and held and open house where I spent 3x as much as her total. She still didn't mention the $7 she owes me. Then she said I won the Open House Mystery Host, and I get to deduct $21 from my order (or order up $21)... So I might not get my $7, but I did get to take 3x that amount off my order so I'm okay with that. I retotaled my receipt, put the email where she said I could take off $21 and her PC receipts in an envelope and told her if I did my math wrong to take it out of the $7 she owe me

Sometimes we kill'em with kindness and get a little reward.

 

[Rebeccascabinet]

I would just tell her that this is your business and all your records need to match up, yes, being $2 short will mess up your records.

 

[dannyzmom]

I'll take two copies of that sign Debbie! I want this added to the bottom though:

ALSO, IF YOU KNOW THAT YOUR CREDIT CARD IS GOING TO BE DECLINED FOR WHATEVER REASON PLEASE PAY WITH ANOTHER METHOD AS TO NOT HOLD UP THE ENTIRE SHOW WITH SOMETHING YOU COULD HAVE PREVENTED.

Thanks- you can throw them in the mail when you're done! LMAO!

Oh yeah - this is the BEST one. I had one last month when I called her about the card she said "Yeah, I kinda knew that would happen but I had to place an order so I wouldn't look cheap...can you just cancel it?" So I had to explain to her that cancelling her order would change the host's benefits level so I would have to then call the host and tell her she was getting $25 less in free product because you cancelled your order...that's REALLY gonna make you look cheap. You sure you don't have another card to put the order on?
She coughed up another card...but what do you wanna bet she returned her entire order once it arrived?!

 

[GeorgiaPeach]

While I know that there are guests (and hosts) always looking for a way to shave a little off their total, my first thought when I say the amount of the check was that MAYBE she forgot the total you gave her and thought she was rounding the check up.

I've had ladies from church do that alot (they make up alot of my personal outside orders). I'll call them and give them the total and at church they hand be a check for an even amount and say I forgot what you said so I rounded it up.

Could be she thought she was rounding it up and was just off in what she thought the dollar amount was.

You were right to let her know. My biggest, most consistent discreptancy is $.28 on outside orders! NO ONE remembers to add their shipping BEFORE calculating the tax!! There is usually one on every show. I just eat that unless more than one person did it and then I mention it to the host when closing the show. The host almost always says to just add it to her total.

 

[pamperedlinda]

Oh yeah - this is the BEST one. I had one last month when I called her about the card she said "Yeah, I kinda knew that would happen but I had to place an order so I wouldn't look cheap...can you just cancel it?" So I had to explain to her that cancelling her order would change the host's benefits level so I would have to then call the host and tell her she was getting $25 less in free product because you cancelled your order...that's REALLY gonna make you look cheap. You sure you don't have another card to put the order on?
She coughed up another card...but what do you wanna bet she returned her entire order once it arrived?!

Wow, that's some nerve! I would have come up with some sort of lie rather than told that truth .....it made her look even more cheap!! Some people.

I guess I've been fortunate so far. I've only had one bounced check ad I had a 'feeling' about it when I accepted it. At least I had that show shipped to me - she wouldn't return my calls so I just returned her order to PC.

I did have problems for a while with debit cards though. I kept getting a few of them declined and had to have HO run them again. They were thankfully orders from friends of mine and I KNOW that these people had the money. One of them I had PC run 4 times.....called my girlfriend and told her about it....well, she workd for the bank and was working on a project with the CC dept so she called them to find out what the deal was with her card....the bank didn't have any record that PC was trying to run her card! I called PC and told them what the bank said and they said it was a prob at her bank not with PC (huh?).....I wound up covering her order and she sent me a check....I'm just grateful that this hapened with a good friend - can you imagine if it had been a guest? Geez...it was a $500 order too (her host order) This was about a year ago and I remember a lot of people in my cluster talking about debit card problems - I think it was an issue at HO as it hasn't happened anymore after that.

 

[Kathytnt]

I have a guest from my sister's show that's order was under $25 and her credit card as declined. She has already booked a show for this month and she is a possible recruit prospect too. I have the card decline thing - It's usually that a card got lost or stolen and had to be cancelled but it's still so uncomfortable

 

[GeorgiaPeach]

A few years ago I had trouble with PC running debit cards. There was a certain bank in the Kentucky/Ohio area that consistently kicked out debit cards when PC ran them. It was something between the two (HO and bank) that just didn't "click". When a card would decline, I'd call HO, and they'd say "Oh, it's a debit card", they'd run it again and it'd go through.

 

[jrstephens]

I will coer it if it is VERY small and for someone who is a good host or guest and I know it was an oversight.

I would not do it too often though. And mine has usually been less than a dollar.

 

[chefann]

You were right to let her know. My biggest, most consistent discreptancy is $.28 on outside orders! NO ONE remembers to add their shipping BEFORE calculating the tax!! There is usually one on every show. I just eat that unless more than one person did it and then I mention it to the host when closing the show. The host almost always says to just add it to her total.

That's why I type up my own OOF with the extra 24 cents (6% tax here in MI) already added to the shipping. So that line says $4.24. It has saved me oodles of work and money!

 

[Auburn]

I have only done 4 shows so far but have run into an issue with every one.

So far I have had a guest order the wrong thing (easy to fix), An item missing from an order (still waiting for HO to get back to me, Day 4), A cheque for the wrong amount and a Credit card being declined.

I figure that at this rate I will have all major issue procedures down pat LOL.

Tara

 

[pamperedgirl3]

I have only done 4 shows so far but have run into an issue with every one.

So far I have had a guest order the wrong thing (easy to fix), An item missing from an order (still waiting for HO to get back to me, Day 4), A cheque for the wrong amount and a Credit card being declined.

I figure that at this rate I will have all major issue procedures down pat LOL.

Tara

Did you do an online product adjustment for the missing item? When something is missing from my shows, I do a product adjustment online & it has a spot on there to choose if an item is missing & where you want it mailed.

 

[amy07]

so how do you guys handle the guests that combine their orders to save on the $4 shipping, and then INSIST that they EACH have their own receipt? And if there is a simple solution, please excuse my ignorance - I'm a sleep deprived, patience tested, PMS'ing mom today!

 

[jenniferknapp]

so how do you guys handle the guests that combine their orders to save on the $4 shipping, and then INSIST that they EACH have their own receipt? And if there is a simple solution, please excuse my ignorance - I'm a sleep deprived, patience tested, PMS'ing mom today!

I usually just say that the person who's name it goes in gets the receipt. And they will have to separate the orders themselves... As for warranty purposes, if they are worrying about $4 shipping, the most likely bought one item, and not an expensive one (which means not a huge warranty) ...so I just don't worry about it. If they were to insist on a receipt for themselves, I would give them a copy of the receipt with their friends name on it!

 

[pamperedlinda]

so how do you guys handle the guests that combine their orders to save on the $4 shipping, and then INSIST that they EACH have their own receipt? And if there is a simple solution, please excuse my ignorance - I'm a sleep deprived, patience tested, PMS'ing mom today!

I tell them that I don't mind that they combine their orders however the receipt can be issued in ONLY one name - which would they like to use?

 

[gilliandanielle]

I would tell them that if the want their own reciepts then they need to pay thier own shipping... simple as that.

I love how people treat you like you are pocketing their shipping!! No.. the shipping money pays for shipping!!

 

[jenniferknapp]

I only came across the issue once, at my last show! One lady made a fuss about it, and then the others caught on... "how is shipping 25% of my order"... so her and her friend decided to combine... So I just sort of looked away ignored them while they did their thing! And then I mentioned that the host gets free shipping on her order, and they were like "OH, so we are paying for her...." Ugh!

 

[Auburn]

Did you do an online product adjustment for the missing item? When something is missing from my shows, I do a product adjustment online & it has a spot on there to choose if an item is missing & where you want it mailed.

Will HO be annoyed if I leave a message and then after 4 days of hearing back nothing, place an online product adjustment? I told the guest I would get back to her and I hate taking this long.....

 

[kmschroll2001]

I would have asked for the money too. The only time I don't is if I screwed up calculating the tax or shipping. But in that case you are only talking about a few cents.

 

[reba515]

the way I see it is if I OVERCHARGED them they would expect me to pay them back. Even if it's a matter of just a few cents I will call them and ask , Do you want a refund or shall I put it in the donation (RUFTH)
So Yes I always will let them know if I am shorted..no matter who is at fault.

 

[ivykeep]

Geez...it was a $500 order too (her host order) This was about a year ago and I remember a lot of people in my cluster talking about debit card problems - I think it was an issue at HO as it hasn't happened anymore after that.

Actually because it was a $500 order might have been the problem -- lots of debit cards have artificial limits to protect the customer from getting their bank account wiped out. I had an issue when I was paying for my wedding with this (my card was declined for the final reception payment, even though there was about 10,000 more in the account than they were trying to charge). The bank wasn't showing any attempts in their system because it was declining before it got to the account level since it was over the limit. Customer service at the bank ultimately had to put a special code on my account to pre-approve the charge and then the reception got it through). Standard limit amounts are between $300-500 per transaction, although I understand that has recently been increased to $1000 on some accounts.

 

[gilliandanielle]

So true Reba...

 

[pamperedlinda]

Actually because it was a $500 order might have been the problem -- lots of debit cards have artificial limits to protect the customer from getting their bank account wiped out. I had an issue when I was paying for my wedding with this (my card was declined for the final reception payment, even though there was about 10,000 more in the account than they were trying to charge). The bank wasn't showing any attempts in their system because it was declining before it got to the account level since it was over the limit. Customer service at the bank ultimately had to put a special code on my account to pre-approve the charge and then the reception got it through). Standard limit amounts are between $300-500 per transaction, although I understand that has recently been increased to $1000 on some accounts.

That's good to know.....

 

[mommyhugz1978]

I am glad to see that I am not alone in this problem. I had a show in Feb where a guest ordered $36.00 worth of stuff and her husband acording to her would not let her spend more than $30.00 so they wrote me a check for excatly $30.00 not one penny over, I was a bit upset .... and didnt' say anything then a month ago the same guest at ordered at her Daughter inlaws show again... and the messuare all cups are $22.00 +4.00 would be $26.00 I got $21.00 and a note saying Iforgot what you told me, so I called her and told her that she shorted me $6.00 ... she was like OH.... and never paid me back!! I told my Dh and he was livid.. he goes your not running a free show anymore.. and if she wants to order from you again she has to pay you the $6.00 that she owes you pure and simple. At that same show a month ago I had a guest go well my Friend that is a Pampered Chef consulatnt that I am a flight attendant with.. combines orders so one person only pays shipping, I told her well that is the way he runs his business and I run my business.. it's $4.00 shipping and for warrenty purposes you have to have the recipit and I am not combing orders. Late my Director told me that it's acutally HO policy and the next time that it happens to let them knwo that it's company policy.. I dont' know if it truly is but it sounds good.