hot check from craft fair customer

[seaturtle]

Unfortunately, on one of my previous craft fairs, I received a hot check. It's not so much the money I worry about, it's more the disappointment as a result of trusting people. The fair was at a local church!
Has anyone ever gotten hot checks and taken any measures? Or do most people not accept checks? I am curious to see what you do.

 

[Bigmoose]

I have taken about 30 credit cards and another 30 checks and so far all have been fine. Knock on wood. I have read that getting a phone # on either is a good idea because most of the time they just misfigured how much money they had left and are quick to make it right with you.

Bruce

 

[seaturtle]

Thanks, Bruce. Sounds encouraging. I tried contacting the person by phone but they have not picked up yet. Hopefully, we'll work it out.

 

[Tabitha]

Most hot checks are just simple mistakes & not devious plans.

You can submit the check a second time for collection. I would phone the bank where the check is drawn & have them check tyhe balance on the persona account daily untill there is enough to cover it & then cash it in person.

 

[Sunkawakan]

You can submit the check a second time for collection. I would phone the bank where the check is drawn & have them check tyhe balance on the persona account daily untill there is enough to cover it & then cash it in person.

Will they do that? I would think they would be reluctant, for security reasons, to give the balance of an account not owned by you out. I know I'd be really angry if my bank gave my balance to someone other than me. It would certainally be the end of our banking relationship. [off topic] I'm kindof a freak about identity fraud so every now and again I have a different friend call my bank and ask for "private" information - if they don't give it out AND if I don't recieve a phone call from the bank I'll be on the phone to the manager in a heart beat. If they do give it (only happened once) I immediately changed banks and politely, in writing, advised the bank manager to why.

On the flip side, I don't take checks at craft shows, but do offer paypal payment and therefore can take credit cards as welll. I simply give them my paypal address and tell them that I'll either ship or deliver it for free within 24 hours once I recieve the notice from paypal. Its a bit more of a hassel, but I'm not out anything if it doesn't clear. I've probably lost a sale or two but in my mind its worth the security and not having to deal with following up.

 

[SilverMaple]

I've not had a problem-- one check bounced, but a phone call to the customer set that to rights-- they were so apologetic they drove 20 miles to pay me in cash instead, even when I insisted that wasn't necessary.

I've considered not accepting checks, but I'd lose a lot of sales. There are a ton of older folks at craft sales in this part of the country, most of which don't carry a credit card on them, and have never heard of paypal. They would just buy elsewhere if I didn't take a check. Many others will NOT do anything with paypal for various reasons.

Other soapers have no trouble not accepting checks. It depends on who is buying in your area.

 

[rubato456]

i took 4 checks at my recent and first craft show. no problems at all. most were from older folk. i have worked collections at my day job and i can tell you that banks used to give out available balances to merchants trying to collect, but not any more. you are lucky if they will acknowledge if the customer even has an account at the bank...but that is about it. good luck

 

[agriffin]

Most hot checks are just simple mistakes & not devious plans.

You can submit the check a second time for collection. I would phone the bank where the check is drawn & have them check tyhe balance on the persona account daily untill there is enough to cover it & then cash it in person.

I used to sell Avon and would do this with checks. If the check is written from a Wells Fargo account, take it to Wells Fargo in person and try to cash it. They will tell you right then and there if the check will cash. If it doesn't, take the check and return in a couple of days. They don't give you specific info...they will just either cash it, or say sorry there aren't funds to cover it. Some I just had to keep trying and eventually as long as it was a funds issue and not a totally bogus check it would clear eventually. Kind of a pain, but I only got one every couple of months that would not clear.

 

[SilverMaple]

i took 4 checks at my recent and first craft show. no problems at all. most were from older folk. i have worked collections at my day job and i can tell you that banks used to give out available balances to merchants trying to collect, but not any more. you are lucky if they will acknowledge if the customer even has an account at the bank...but that is about it. good luck

Same here. I talked to a friend that works in banking at dinner tonight. She said they are no longer allowed to give out any sort of customer information. So just keep trying to cash it.

 

[seaturtle]

I'd like to try to cash it again, however, the first time when I tried, they charged me $10. This will add up quickly.

 

[carebear]

they won't give you the balance but they will tell you whether or not there is money in the account to cover the check. used to be able to get the info with a phone call, tho now you may have to go to their bank in person and present the check.

YOU got charged for trying to cash the check? That sounds backward.

 

[SilverMaple]

Wait... they charged YOU? That shouldn't happen. You should not be charged for trying to cash a check.

 

[Sunkawakan]

I'd like to try to cash it again, however, the first time when I tried, they charged me $10. This will add up quickly.

Did you run it through YOUR bank, or did you take it to their bank and try to cash it. If you ran it through your bank I can understand (sort of) but if you take it to their bank... that doesn't sound right and I would talk to their manager.

 

[seaturtle]

Yes. You better believe it. Here in Charlotte, NC, banks charge you $ 10 for a returned check!!! They say it is for their efforts to try to cash it. I did go to my bank, though, and told them how ridiculous this is. They were nice enough to waive the fee this one time. Then I went to the person's bank to try to cash the check again, but they said there was still no money on the account. The bank told me I could keep coming back to check if there was money, then they could cash it.

 

[dagmar88]

:? what a ridiculous situation!
Over here it is not as easy (anymore) to get a creditcard, and most people like to hold the cash they earned in their hands when buying something.
Cheques are highly unusual and I'm not sure they're even used anymore.

At bigger stores like clothes shops, supermarkets, or anything at the local mall, we expect to be able to pay with our pin cards. At markets and craftmarkets we all carry cash. Just saying I'm very glad I won't have to go through so much hassle to get my own money...

 

[Tabitha]

They will not give you the balance, but if you have a check made out to you, that is YOIR money & they will tell you if you can or can not collect YOUR money on that given day.

 

[carillon]

I absolutely do not take checks. I've worked at a bank and in retail and I've seen first hand how badly people get ripped off when they accept checks. Sure, for some people it's an innocent mistake, and those people always try to do right by you and re-pay you for it. Then there are others who deliberately right a check when they KNOW their account is closed or they don't have anywhere close to enough money for the check to be good. I've seen checks bounce for less than a dollar that were written out for a pack of crackers!

There are money machines all over town--people can drive to one and get money if they need it. It won't be long before paper checks are a thing of the past anyway, so people better get used to electronic banking or paying cash for everything--including craft shows.

It would be best at this point to write the person a letter requesting immediate cash reimbursement for the check that was returned due to insufficient funds (or whatever reason it was). Send it via certified mail and include a copy of the check.

If there was a way to get in touch with you (website, business card, etc.) an honest person would have contacted you to correct the situation. The fact that this person hasn't means either they don't know how to reach you, or they're hoping to get away with it.

 

[seaturtle]

I am considering not taking checks anymore, however, I know I would loose out on many sales. By experience I can say that about half of the sales are with checks (I am not equipped for taking credit cards and don't intend to either).

You are right, carillon, it would be the right thing to do to write a certified letter to the person requesting immediate payment. But I don't think she would respond since she has not returned my (polite) phone call and I would be wasting more money on her. It is a pity to have to deal with this.

 

[SilverMaple]

Carillon, you're right about those things, but if you're like me and live an area where checks are still widely used, cash machines are few and far between, and the older population is a large percentage of purchasers, you lose a lot of sales if they aren't accepted.

 

[agriffin]

Carillon, you're right about those things, but if you're like me and live an area where checks are still widely used, cash machines are few and far between, and the older population is a large percentage of purchasers, you lose a lot of sales if they aren't accepted.

Same with where I live...Lot's of older folks that still write checks. I only take them if they are local and if their address on their check matches their DL. I know it can still be bad....but I get as much info as I can.