This is long, sorry in advance, but I need some sound advice!
Last Monday (last day of the month) I was closing a $900 show for a host whose party I did on Saturday. During host coaching and even after the show, I told my host that I wanted to close Monday and any outside orders she received I would take a credit/debit card for payment. I made this perfectly clear several times. We closed over the phone at 9pm Monday evening. As I was getting ready to enter her payment to submit, she proceeds to tell me that her husband had a bad experience giving a card over the phone and can she mail me the checks. There were 4 outside orders, totalling $260, my past host paid $100 cash to the host.
I was leery of giving the ok about sending the checks in the mail, but considering a few factors, it was the last day of the month, we were expecting a collosal storm for the next few days so I didn't know when I'd be able to get to her to actually get the $, and I really wanted the commision for this paycheck, I said ok.
She said she was mailing them on Tues so I expected them by Wed or Thurs at the latest. When Thurs came and I didn't get the money so I called her. She was very nanchalant and said that yes, she did mail them on Tues. I then told her that I would call her on Sat if I didn't get them and we'd figure something out. Of course, it didn't come on Sat so I called her again. I wanted to pick up a check on Sunday for orders and she says "I mailed them on Tuesday, you should be getting it soon" and was very unwilling to speak with me about the situation. I told her I was sorry if she felt I was bothering her about it, but this wasn't a small order that I was now covering and if I didn't get the money soon it was going to create a hardship on my family. I then asked her how long she expected me to wait until I called her about this again and she said if it didn't come by the middle of this week to call her again. I gave her instructions to NOT hand out those items to her guests that I am waiting on payment from until this is resolved. The shipment is coming to her house on Wed and I told her if I didn't have the money before then, I would be by her house on Thurs evening to pick up the items.
I have been in this business almost 8 years. I KNOW I should not have sent in that show w/o payment. Please don't state the obvious to me. Had it not been for these other circumstances, I would have had the money (storm coming in, needed the commision, etc) I didn't send the show to my house either because I honestly don't have time to sort through that large of an order and then get with her again to deliver the products.
I am trying to go about this as diplomatically as possible, but I really want to say to her "Hey! If you were missing $260 from your paycheck I'm sure you'd beat down everyone's door until you got your money so don't act like this is no big deal!"...I really am at my wits end here.
What else can/should I do? I'm getting ready to call the outside orders to let them know what's going on and see if they will re issue me payment, aside from that, do I have no recourse? Am I going to have to eat this if I never get the money? Should I file a theft report?
This has certainly taught me that I will NEVER again take a payment through the mail, even if I am counting on an incentive or need the commission payment. I hate that I can't trust people but I guess that's the way it is now.
Last Monday (last day of the month) I was closing a $900 show for a host whose party I did on Saturday. During host coaching and even after the show, I told my host that I wanted to close Monday and any outside orders she received I would take a credit/debit card for payment. I made this perfectly clear several times. We closed over the phone at 9pm Monday evening. As I was getting ready to enter her payment to submit, she proceeds to tell me that her husband had a bad experience giving a card over the phone and can she mail me the checks. There were 4 outside orders, totalling $260, my past host paid $100 cash to the host.
I was leery of giving the ok about sending the checks in the mail, but considering a few factors, it was the last day of the month, we were expecting a collosal storm for the next few days so I didn't know when I'd be able to get to her to actually get the $, and I really wanted the commision for this paycheck, I said ok.
She said she was mailing them on Tues so I expected them by Wed or Thurs at the latest. When Thurs came and I didn't get the money so I called her. She was very nanchalant and said that yes, she did mail them on Tues. I then told her that I would call her on Sat if I didn't get them and we'd figure something out. Of course, it didn't come on Sat so I called her again. I wanted to pick up a check on Sunday for orders and she says "I mailed them on Tuesday, you should be getting it soon" and was very unwilling to speak with me about the situation. I told her I was sorry if she felt I was bothering her about it, but this wasn't a small order that I was now covering and if I didn't get the money soon it was going to create a hardship on my family. I then asked her how long she expected me to wait until I called her about this again and she said if it didn't come by the middle of this week to call her again. I gave her instructions to NOT hand out those items to her guests that I am waiting on payment from until this is resolved. The shipment is coming to her house on Wed and I told her if I didn't have the money before then, I would be by her house on Thurs evening to pick up the items.
I have been in this business almost 8 years. I KNOW I should not have sent in that show w/o payment. Please don't state the obvious to me. Had it not been for these other circumstances, I would have had the money (storm coming in, needed the commision, etc) I didn't send the show to my house either because I honestly don't have time to sort through that large of an order and then get with her again to deliver the products.
I am trying to go about this as diplomatically as possible, but I really want to say to her "Hey! If you were missing $260 from your paycheck I'm sure you'd beat down everyone's door until you got your money so don't act like this is no big deal!"...I really am at my wits end here.
What else can/should I do? I'm getting ready to call the outside orders to let them know what's going on and see if they will re issue me payment, aside from that, do I have no recourse? Am I going to have to eat this if I never get the money? Should I file a theft report?
This has certainly taught me that I will NEVER again take a payment through the mail, even if I am counting on an incentive or need the commission payment. I hate that I can't trust people but I guess that's the way it is now.