Help With Hostess Who Hasn't Paid

[ChefColleen]

Hi everyone,

I could use some advice. I have a hostess from May who had 8 or so outside orders (no phone numbers on them - I think they work with her). We had to close her show on the 30th to get in the HWC orders. The checks were "in the mail." I made a huge mistake because I believed her and the show was shipped to her. Guess what, it is almost 3 months later and I still have no money - I am out $225. OK, yes I am an idiot and I have learned a very important lesson about closing shows where the checks haven't all cleared the bank already. But, what do I do. I have had 4 appointments with her to get the check and she has cancelled or no showed on all of them. She has "sent" the checks 3 times and each time they have been lost in the mail. She doesn't call me back when she is supposed to. I have thought about calling her work to talk to her boss and then trying to locate the outside order customers. Frankly, I don't know if they even have their products! It is considered a civil matter and I live in a big city so I don't think the police can get involved. It isn't a big enough amount of money to take her to small claims court. If anyone has any suggestions I would LOVE to hear them. I was hoping that home office had some procedures in place to help with this sort of thing, but they don't.

Thanks for anything you have! And please learn from my mistake! If you must submit a show where the checks have not cleared the bank, have it shipped to you!

Colleen Boehm
Director
Sussex, WI

 

[Jennie4PC]

I dont think I would call her boss but I would probably show up at her place of work and say Hi I am here to get the money you owe me from your show. Good Luck

 

[DebbieSAChef]

Send a letterI think you should have a letter written up from you that is certified and asking for your money or the return of the products NIB of course.

After you do that and she has had at least a few days after receiving the letter, you should then go to her home, and her place of work to ask for your money but not too often. Personally I would consider it harrassment to go overboard and go to her place of work or home more than once a week.

I know she deserves it for being a liar and a theif but she still has those rights. But definitely pursue it until you get your money and if you have to go to small claims court. Include that in your letter and maybe she will not want to deal with missing work and going to court, so she might pay up.

We all make mistakes, so don't beat yourself up about it, just try to make it right so you can feel better about the whole situation.

Debbie

 

[ChefBeckyD]

In the letter - I would let her know that if you aren't paid by xxx time - you will be forced to take legal measures and settle the issue in Small Claims Court. (she probably doesn't know that it isn't enough - so bluff!)At this point - I would consider her a thief!

 

[jenniferp417]

And I don't see that Wisconsin has a minimum to bring a suit in small claims court. So really you COULD.

 

[finley1991]

Yes this most certainly is a civil matter and you can absolutely file a police report. She is technically in posession of stolen goods. She didn't pay for them as she said she would so it does fall into that category. I would send her a letter saying that you've tried repeatedly, listing the dates of the calls and appointments, and that she has 10 days to resolve the issue via MONEY ORDER or CASHIERS CHECK. Do not take a personal check from her as it could bounce or she could stop payment on it. Tell her that on the 10th day, if you have not received any communication from her, you will be filing a police report for posession of stolen goods. That should work.

Just curious, what did your upline suggest you do regardin this matter?

 

[chefann]

I would send her a letter saying that you've tried repeatedly, listing the dates of the calls and appointments, and that she has 10 days to resolve the issue via MONEY ORDER or CASHIERS CHECK.

And though it will cost you a couple bucks ($2.65, on top of the postage), send the letter registered, so you know she gets it.

 

[Jules711]

Also, SHE needs to not send you the check or send it certified (if she does, open WHILE in front of the PO Delivery Person since it may NOT include actual payment!).I do have things shipped to me if there is any doubt OR tell them that you can just take their credit card number for the remaining balance. Then if they receive any checks made out to you, you'll sign them back over.

 

[whiteyteresa]

While things are still fresh in your mind

write EVERYTHING down

this way if you have to go to court or if she says you have been harrassing her, you can show what and how you did things. I go to OLLIEs and buy those telephone messages books for .99 and write everything down, I do this all the time because sometimes I will forget what I told one host and think it was another host. I have many of these books. I have in the past use little notebooks for each months but that got to be too much and now I use the message books - just thought that I would share

Also, just for the future, let any of your host know that if they don't pay in full that the products will be shipped to you and then delievered when everything is paid in full

~

 

[StacieB]

I am having this same problem as well. Mine is only $35 but still that is money I am out. I made the mistake of sending the item directly to the customer since I was going on vacation and I was going to be at conference. The lady wanted the item for her daughters wedding. Called her three times, all three times she said the money was in the mail. I even sent her the receipt with a message to send payment promptly. So frusterating.

Sorry to hijack!!

 

[Nanisu]

Tell her that if you don't recieve the money--in the form of a money order or cashier's check, by ________ (date) you will be contacting all the guests personally to get payment from them. I've had to do this a couple of times. Once I got the $$ from the host, the other times I got the $$ from the guests.

 

[MomToEli]

If you suspect the guests work with her, call the switchboard and ask for them by name. If it's 8 people, make 8 different phone calls. Once I reached them I would tell them simply that you have not received their payments and can they please verify that they received their products and check their records to see if their funds have cleared their bank account. Be very careful to say nothing about your host beyond she hasn't forwarded their payments to you.

If these people say they have given her checks made out to you, or if you don't get ahold of them, assume she is holding checks with you as the payee. Be sure to point that out in the letter. You absolutely CAN sue her in small claims court. Odds are she will be a no show since she isn't going to be able to defend NOT paying you. You show up, you get a judgement issued and walk it right over to the clerk's office and be sure it is filed. They will notify her. You will be able to include court costs and interest can start to accumulate. You also can request a garnishment at that point, which I would do in a second. The clerks office has forms you fill out which are really self explanatory. She will have a problem borrowing money, and in some instances getting a job until it is taken care of.

That's what I'd do.