WAHM Forums

Hi Everyone,


I have a HUGE question for everyone.. For those of you who don't know me I have always posted in the Romance folder.. LOL I didn't even know this folder was here until my director told me.. smileys/smiley1.gif


But anyway, I have been in the party plan business now for about 2 years with 3 different companies and never had a bad check.. However in the past month I have gotten 2.. and it makes me nervous because I don't know if I am going to get paid for it.


My ?? is


1. What do you (Personally) do when youget a bad check?


2. Have you ever looked into getting a Credit card machine that has the check thing on it too so you can find out the day of the party if the check is good?


3. If you do have a CC machine with the Check thing then How much did it cost you.. How would you go about getting it set up. Etc?


Feel free to PM me but I think this is a question that A LOT Of us would like to know..


Thanks, Michelle

Michelle -


I've had my business with Southern Living at Home for 4 years and in that time I've had 3 bounced checks. I think that's pretty darn good! Considering how many checks I take in every month. (probably close to 80--100) I'm not sure about the Credit Card machine you're talking about. I can accept credit cards as payment. (SLAH pays for that) and I do encourage CC payment as it is so easy!


However, Here's whatI do as a rule --- I try to deposit the checks before I actually "Submit" my order online with SLAH. Can you do that? But... when it did happen, I contacted the customer 1st. One offered a credit card number immediately! The other one took a little longer. So I informed the hostess and I asked the hostess of that show to hold the customer's merchandise until I received another check. (I did get the check eventually and everything was fine)


But My plan always is to have the hostess keep the merchandise until I resolve the matter. If worse came to worst, I could always pick up the merchandise.


Thankfully most of our customers are friends of our hostesses so I think a "bounced check" issue is very rare.


I know it's frustrating, but hopefully you've experienced it for the last time!


Susan Scarborough Smith / Star Director

Michelle,


Getting a machine that takes the checks does not ensure that the check will not bounce. All it does is verify that the routing and account number are for a an active checking account that does not have a bad listing with whichever bad check bureau. Also you can also call the bank number listed on the check and do a merchant verification which is suppose to do the same thing that the machine does if not better. Don't spend more money because of a couple of bad checks.


Also, if the bank that the checks are written on are local you can just take the check to that bank and cash it. And you don't have to worry about because now you have the cash in had. Most banks will cash their own banks checks for free, some do charge. But it is well worth it for your piece of mind.


You could also have a policy that you waita certain amount of time to make sure the check is cleared before processing or delivering the order.


Good Luck,

Thanks so much ladies that is VERY good advise.. I guess it just shocked me that 2 years all of a sudden I got a bad check.. kind of scary a little know what I'm saying.. I am sure it is just an over look of the customers however I have yet been able to get ahold of one of them her number seems to be disconnected.. Thanks again for the sound advice.. smileys/smiley1.gif

Oh LOL.. I just noticed that at one time I posted under Lovepetrafashions (which is now closed smileys/smiley19.gif) and this time under my new one which is Spiceup your life.. but both are me.. Michelle.. (smile) Just wanted to let everyone know that.. God bless..