Just wondering what artists do when you get a bounced check for your art work after a fair & you've left the city... beside calling the individual & asking them to give you a money order or credit card number to pay for the art work ...if they pick up the phone. Do you still take checks from folks you don't know?
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We took a large check in Florida that bounced big time. Fortunately D had taken down her drivers license and her Florida address. In most states you must have a Drivers license to prosecute. The check was written on a bank from another state and had her address in that state. We did a little dance with her saying she was sending us a money order and then us not receiving it. Finally when D let her know that we had all the information and we would procecute the next Monday we got the money order the next day. D also reminded her that it is a federal crime (over a certain amount) to pass bad checks over state lines. This one involved 3 states. The pupose of the story is ----Get all the information that you can get. Also set a deadline for payment. Don't threaten but be firm.
One thing that is easy to over look,,,when your busy pulling in the money .....but I learned the hard way--as usual....
is double check that the actual " numerable amount" , and " number written" match up.
Even if it's off by a penny , you can't pursue payment ....at least not in MI.
A lady had written a pretty big check to me, when I first started out , and I didn't notice the numbers didn't match up........one said like blah blah & 53 cents,,,,,,the written part ,,,,said blah blah 55 cents.....something like that ....anyways, normally , this could have been taken up by the police in our town,,,,you fill out a paper,,,they go knock on the door ......but the numbers HAVE to match up .
(Plus the check number in the corner of the check must match up with the number along the bottom....)
I know these seem like Obvious things,,,,but when your busy ,it can be easy to overlook.
Now, I double check,,,all the numbers,,,and take ID info.
I've had 2 bad checks in 10 years... both in the beginning.......most my sales are by credit now. life is easier.
though I always feel a little apprehensive when I take a check of any amount.....glad I don't see them much !
(in my head , I'm thinking ....ok,,,,this MIGHT be a gift .....oh well,,,it's THEIR karma..,,,not mine......,funny all the thoughts that pass quickly ,in one transaction...)
Probably depends on buyers intention as to getting money back. In 30+ years most of which I had no charge card machine, I got 2 bad checks. One was made good, took a few months but they just had cash flow problems. The other a very nice older couple, went through Mainsail and used up all their checks. They had probably already moved but still had the checks and ID. No one ever saw them again. They had very good taste by the way.
From years of owning a completely different business - Passing bad checks is not a case for small claims court, it is a criminal offense as long as it is payment for goods or services, not payment on an account. If the person gave you a check and took the art it is a criminal offense. Here is what we did for bad checks (which we got much more frequently in the a/c business) Send a quick email, after a week if no results, send a nice letter, if no results, send a letter with some sort of signature receipt stating if not paid you will involve the police. You have more rights with a bad check than you do with a bad credit card.
The mechanic for a friend of mine took a bad check for some extensive auto repairs. This was a few years back, so the laws are probably better now. The check bounced, and he could never find the customer, or the car. If he could find the car, he would have been able to have it towed and hold it until the bill was paid, under a mechanic's lien. He would check right after what he figured were the possible paydays for the customer and the check was never good. Finally one of the bank managers told him the account was active but never had sufficient funds. The mechanic asked him if a hundred dollars more would be enough to clear the check if he put it himself (the mechanic). The manager laughed and said it would, and there was nothing illegal about depositing cash into someone else's account (nowadays, I don't know). So the mechanic makes a deposit to the guy's account, there are now sufficient funds, and immediately makes the check good :-) This was after several months of trying to get the check paid. The best part was the deadbeat had the cojones to call the mechanic and yell at him for causing all sorts of check to bounce on him...awwwww ;-)
I hired a collection agency to recover about $1000 in 2 bad checks from the same person, written at the same show. It's been two years, they can't get anything out of her.
I got couple bounced checks in FL. I don't know if you can do this in every state but I made a police report and the cops went to the client's house and got the money :) They have a form that you just fill for checks without funds.
I think I've only had 2 checks I couldn't collect on in all my years.
One was from a woman at a show in a town that I did 3 shows a year. I called her and she said to redeposit the check. It bounced again. I called the bank the check was drawn on and they said there's no money in the account. She opened the account so she could get checks and she's bouncing them all over the place. In essence, lot's a luck!
So here's what I did. I scanned the check and enlarged it. Complete with the "Non sufficient funds" stamp across the face. When I did the next show in that town I posted that check with a sign "Deborah XXXXX (but I used her name) passes bad checks!"
I had customers who knew her come into my booth. "She's gonna be MAD" one said. So I told her to tell her I'm here. "She can give me my money and take the sign."
A Sheriff came by and stopped to read it. He told me I could post that sign in my booth for one year from the date of the check. It's not libelous as it's truthful. And there was a warrant out for her.
And other customers who gave me checks all told me they're good!
But today I rarely get checks. Maybe one per show, as debit cards are the preferred way of paying.
Replies
We took a large check in Florida that bounced big time. Fortunately D had taken down her drivers license and her Florida address. In most states you must have a Drivers license to prosecute. The check was written on a bank from another state and had her address in that state. We did a little dance with her saying she was sending us a money order and then us not receiving it. Finally when D let her know that we had all the information and we would procecute the next Monday we got the money order the next day. D also reminded her that it is a federal crime (over a certain amount) to pass bad checks over state lines. This one involved 3 states. The pupose of the story is ----Get all the information that you can get. Also set a deadline for payment. Don't threaten but be firm.
One thing that is easy to over look,,,when your busy pulling in the money .....but I learned the hard way--as usual....
is double check that the actual " numerable amount" , and " number written" match up.
Even if it's off by a penny , you can't pursue payment ....at least not in MI.
A lady had written a pretty big check to me, when I first started out , and I didn't notice the numbers didn't match up........one said like blah blah & 53 cents,,,,,,the written part ,,,,said blah blah 55 cents.....something like that ....anyways, normally , this could have been taken up by the police in our town,,,,you fill out a paper,,,they go knock on the door ......but the numbers HAVE to match up .
(Plus the check number in the corner of the check must match up with the number along the bottom....)
I know these seem like Obvious things,,,,but when your busy ,it can be easy to overlook.
Now, I double check,,,all the numbers,,,and take ID info.
I've had 2 bad checks in 10 years... both in the beginning.......most my sales are by credit now. life is easier.
though I always feel a little apprehensive when I take a check of any amount.....glad I don't see them much !
(in my head , I'm thinking ....ok,,,,this MIGHT be a gift .....oh well,,,it's THEIR karma..,,,not mine......,funny all the thoughts that pass quickly ,in one transaction...)
Hopefully it wasn't for too much.
Probably depends on buyers intention as to getting money back. In 30+ years most of which I had no charge card machine, I got 2 bad checks. One was made good, took a few months but they just had cash flow problems. The other a very nice older couple, went through Mainsail and used up all their checks. They had probably already moved but still had the checks and ID. No one ever saw them again. They had very good taste by the way.
I think I've only had 2 checks I couldn't collect on in all my years.
One was from a woman at a show in a town that I did 3 shows a year. I called her and she said to redeposit the check. It bounced again. I called the bank the check was drawn on and they said there's no money in the account. She opened the account so she could get checks and she's bouncing them all over the place. In essence, lot's a luck!
So here's what I did. I scanned the check and enlarged it. Complete with the "Non sufficient funds" stamp across the face. When I did the next show in that town I posted that check with a sign "Deborah XXXXX (but I used her name) passes bad checks!"
I had customers who knew her come into my booth. "She's gonna be MAD" one said. So I told her to tell her I'm here. "She can give me my money and take the sign."
A Sheriff came by and stopped to read it. He told me I could post that sign in my booth for one year from the date of the check. It's not libelous as it's truthful. And there was a warrant out for her.
And other customers who gave me checks all told me they're good!
But today I rarely get checks. Maybe one per show, as debit cards are the preferred way of paying.
No.
Last I heard she was in jail for passing bad checks.
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