Handling Declined Credit Cards: Tips for Catalog Parties During Difficult Times

[Jenni]

I had a catalog party close over the phone Tuesday evening. Since host had a death in family and was leaving to go out of town Wed am. Two of the orders have declined credit cards. I have no contact info other then email. I emailed both and have gotten no response. What do I do??? I don't want to bother host while she is dealing with a death in her family... She asked what to do with the outside order forms(that have contact info cuz I asked her to have them fill that in) I said I would get them from her when she gets back. Not a wise choice next time I will get phone numbers over the phone with the orders. I was just trying to make our phone call short and easy and let her get back to packing!
Any advice??

 

[JAE]

I would just wait until you get ahold of the host. Do not pay for the show with your own money unless you have it shipped to you.

You could call and tell her the problem. She should be able to give you phone numbers quickly. She may not be home, and you can tell her you need to contact them. Tell her in the message that she can contact you at her convenience, but you won't be able to send the show in until you get new credit card information. Also mention that she may just pay for those orders if she wants the show sent in quickly.

 

[pcchefjane]

I always ask my Hosts to give me complete contact info just in case "I have a question". With just someone's name, it will be pretty hard to trace. You might try http://www.anywho.com to see if you can find the name there to give you a hint of the phone number. I also use http://www.411.com. You can still wait to close the Show until Oct 15th unless you are wanting it to count towards "In the Bag" points.

 

[Jenni]

I just sent her an email... which goes to her cell. I just feel like this is the last thing she wants to hear or deal with. I told her if she happens to have contact phone numbers with her to please email them to me. If not we will handle it when she returns. We will see i guess...
I just hate that everyone is waiting so long to get their stuff.

 

[3RingChef]

Hi there,I am sorry to hear about the difficult situation your host is going through. It can be challenging to handle orders that have declined credit cards, especially without direct contact information. In this case, I would suggest reaching out to the host and explaining the situation. Let her know that you understand she is dealing with a loss and that you don't want to add to her stress. Ask if she can provide any alternative contact information for the customers who have declined credit cards, such as a phone number or another email address. If she is unable to provide any, you could try reaching out to the customers through social media if you have their names. If all else fails, you may need to cancel those orders and apologize to the customers for the inconvenience.In the future, it would be best to gather contact information and payment details during the catalog party itself. This way, you can avoid any potential issues and ensure a smoother ordering process for both yourself and your customers. I hope everything works out and please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with.Best of luck,