soI Know I Was Stupid, but Now What Do I Do....

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Discussion Overview

This thread revolves around a participant's experience with a catalog show where they faced challenges in collecting payments from customers after placing an order on their behalf. The participant expresses frustration and seeks advice on how to handle the situation, leading to various suggestions and shared experiences from others in the community.

Discussion Character

  • Anecdotal
  • Opinion-based
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant, identifying as a consultant, describes a situation where they placed an order for a catalog show but did not receive payment from the hostess or customers, leading to financial loss.
  • Another participant suggests that the consultant should have the customers cancel their checks and send money orders instead, emphasizing the importance of securing payments upfront in the future.
  • Several users mention the idea of having the show shipped to the consultant's address to retain control over the products until payment is received.
  • One participant shares their experience of never putting in money for someone else's order, highlighting the risks involved in such arrangements.
  • Another participant advises contacting the guests to explain the situation and encourage them to issue new checks if the originals are lost in the mail.
  • Some participants discuss the potential for legal action if the hostess cashed the checks without forwarding the payments.
  • One user provides information about the cost of sending a certified letter as a means of communication with the hostess.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Views differ on the best approach to handle the situation, with no clear consensus emerging on a single solution. Participants offer various strategies based on their personal experiences.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects the challenges faced by consultants in managing customer payments and the importance of establishing clear payment methods in future transactions.

Who May Find This Useful

Consultants who have experienced similar payment collection issues or those looking for insights on handling customer transactions in catalog shows may find this discussion relevant.

pcsharon1
pcsharon1
Gold Member
Messages
1,541
Okay, so I did a dumb thing. I had a customer at a show in early September that was really excited about the cookware but couldn't outright buy it. I told her she could have show and she wanted to but couldn't pull it together by the end of the month. I suggested a catalog show, which she was excited about. So around September 20 I started calling her to close the show, telling her I was leaving town on the 27th and needed to close her show before I left. She kept having me call her back the next day and was like "well, I hadn't planned on closing until the end of the month and you are rushing me" So I go ahead and leave town and call her every other day while I am gone, leaving messages and never getting a response. I finally get her when I get home - October 14th and she says she is waiting on one more order because she hasn't been able to reach one person, the person she booked from. I said, I'll call her. So I called, got that order - which was $100 by the way - call her back and get her other orders - which only totalled $125. So it was a $200 catalog show that I practically busted my butt for. The past hostess paid by credit card but everyone else was paying by check. This woman lives 50 miles away and I was closing her show on Oct 15 - it had to go in that day. She says I have everything right here and it's ready to go in the mail.

So, I - like the idiot I apparently am - tell her to mail me the checks, I will have them by Friday, Oct 17th at the latest and I went ahead and sent in her order, putting $209 on my debit card. Well, you guessed it - she has her stuff and I still don't have payment.

What do I do? I have started contacting the customers individually, there were only three and the hostess herself, but the hostess swears that she has mailed me money twice now and won't talk to me anymore. I'm at a loss. Anyone with a suggestion?
 
Get everyone to cancel the checks they wrote (cover any fees), then ask them to get money orders and individual mail you the payment for their order. Let the host know to do the same (by email if she's not taking your calls). Give her a deadline and let her know that you will have to pursue other channels if you cannot come to an agreement with her.

In the future...do not take checks!!! Have the host pay you with debit/credit card for anyone who paid by check or cash and her order. Then you can submit right away. If she balks tell her that you can accept a MO. That should save you ALOT of headache!!
 
Well, luckily it wasn't a $1000 show. Still $200 is a big enough amount and for sure you learned your lesson.

If there is a next time, and you're under a deadline crunch there is a few things you can do.

1. If you put the money out for everyone, have the order shipped In c/o to your address. This way if you do not get paid, then you can return everything.
2. Accept only credit card as form of payment, or explain that they will be able to only receive the next month's special.
3. I personally, never, ever put in money for someone else's order, let alone show. One, because I work hard for my money and I deserve better. Secondly, if they are that concerned about 60% off cookware then she would have closed her show sooner.

I wish you the best as you rectify the situation. Its a valuable lesson learned, and a costly one, which hopefully comes out positive.

You could also send her a certified letter with signature. Sometimes it isn't much but gets them moving a little more.

GOOD LUCK!
 
Call HO and explain the situation in case she calls in.Did she say who the checks were written out to?I find it fishy that she claims to have mailed you other peoples' checks twice...
 
If you are waiting for money, simply have the show shipped to you - people will want their things, and you can hold them for ransom! Once you have payment, you will deliver.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #6
I thought the same credit card could only be used for two orders at most. The hostess says she mailed me the checks. Then she told me last week that she would mail me checks but she had to wait until Thursday to mail them because she didn't have the money - that was fishy to me because if I never cashed her check to begin with, there should be money. Then one of the customers told me that she had paid last week and had been told by the hostess it was mailed to me on Thursday.

As for keeping the items until I am paid - they already have them. They have had them for two weeks now. And she isn't answering emails either. How much will it cost for me to mail a certified letter, does anyone know?
 
I only put the card number in 1 time under the host's name in the amount of the charges.

Her total may be $50, but the amount due is $348. I pt $348 in as the amount instead of her $50. One card, one charge.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #8
Ah, sneaky, sneaky! I like it. Thanks for the heads up on that one.
 
Can you call each guest and say that you haven't received payment. That the host says she mailed them but you haven't gotten them. Maybe they are "lost in the mail" or something, but either way...they know you haven't cashed them. So they should be willing to write you a new check and they can even cancel the old one if they are worried you would cash a second one (if it should ever surface).
 
  • Thread starter
  • #10
The one guest I have spoken with informed me that she was told by the hostess that the checks had been mailed and I just needed to be patient and wait! I was like.........you have your stuff......you've had it for two weeks.

You know if this were the other way around and I had cashed their checks three weeks ago and they didn't have their stuff yet I would never hear the end of it.
 
Were the checks actually cashed? Who did the guests make them out to? Can you ask the guests for copies of their cancelled checks? That would prove who they were written to and could provide clues as to who cashed them (if you got copies of the backs, too). If the host cashed them herself then you can take her to court for theft.
 
pcsharon1 said:
The one guest I have spoken with informed me that she was told by the hostess that the checks had been mailed and I just needed to be patient and wait! I was like.........you have your stuff......you've had it for two weeks.

You know if this were the other way around and I had cashed their checks three weeks ago and they didn't have their stuff yet I would never hear the end of it.
Click to expand...

I would call them all again. Tell them that you don't mean to be a bother, but two weeks have come and gone and you still haven't received the checks. You aren't accusing the host of anything, for all you know they got "lost in the mail" or something. Either way, you need to be paid. You footed the bill on good faith that you would be reimbursed. They have their products, and it's only right that you get their payment. You haven't cashed them, they can double check with their bank. You were helping out your host by submitting the show before getting the checks. Now a lot of time has gone by and you are getting concerned. They need to send you a new check, and if the other checks arrive, you will tear them up or they can cancel the original ones.
 
Good words Amanda! Very diplomatic.
 
Chef Kearns said:
I only put the card number in 1 time under the host's name in the amount of the charges.

Her total may be $50, but the amount due is $348. I pt $348 in as the amount instead of her $50. One card, one charge.
Click to expand...

Wow, that's a great idea!
Why haven't I thought of that???? LOL
 
It wouldn't let me reply with quote. A certified letter is around $5. I usually costs about $3 something for the certified part and about $1.50 or so for the return receipt to come back to you in the mail with the signature. They could have gone up since the last one I did, but I wouldn't think by much.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #16
Re: So I know I was stupid, but now what do I do....UPDATE:grumpy:Okay, just to catch everyone up - the hostess finally mailed me the checks for two of her customers. The postmark on the letter was November 5th and it contained checks that were dated for September and she swore had already been mailed and were lost by the postoffice! But anyway..........

The third customer I spoke with today, was very happy to talk to me and told me how much she loved our products and couldn't wait for another show and she asked for my address to send me a money order. She told me she had tried to pay the hostess and had been told that the money had to be given directly to me.

As for the hostess, she told me - in an all caps, nasty email - that she had better things to do than steal my money and that if I would just check my mail, which I refused to do according to her, I would see that all of the money was there - this email was sent the morning of November 5th and the envelope with the first two payments was postmarked the evening of November 5th, so it was an untrueth from the beginning. She also told me she was going to meet me and return the products to me rather than pay for them because she simply wanted "all of this to be done". However, now I can't get her to answer any of my contacts as to when and where to meet.

At least I have gotten most of my money back and it is only the hostess who is refusing to pay me at this point. I did call PC home office and let them know what was going on in the unlikely event that she call them herself. I wasn't asking them for any help, simply to make note on the show of what was going on, which they did.

I'm wondering is she would respond better if I simply called home office and had them send FedEx to pick up her stuff. I am thinking since it is coming from home office maybe she will go ahead and give it to them and then I can just have that money credited back to me. Any thoughts?
 
I would do the certified letter. Don't ask HO to pick up the products b/c she'll probably just claim that she didn't receive the call tag. As long as the guests that you have spoken with are happy and it's only the host that isn't, it's on her head. :)
 
pcsharon1 said:
Okay, so I did a dumb thing. I had a customer at a show in early September that was really excited about the cookware but couldn't outright buy it. I told her she could have show and she wanted to but couldn't pull it together by the end of the month. I suggested a catalog show, which she was excited about. So around September 20 I started calling her to close the show, telling her I was leaving town on the 27th and needed to close her show before I left. She kept having me call her back the next day and was like "well, I hadn't planned on closing until the end of the month and you are rushing me" So I go ahead and leave town and call her every other day while I am gone, leaving messages and never getting a response. I finally get her when I get home - October 14th and she says she is waiting on one more order because she hasn't been able to reach one person, the person she booked from. I said, I'll call her. So I called, got that order - which was $100 by the way - call her back and get her other orders - which only totalled $125. So it was a $200 catalog show that I practically busted my butt for. The past hostess paid by credit card but everyone else was paying by check. This woman lives 50 miles away and I was closing her show on Oct 15 - it had to go in that day. She says I have everything right here and it's ready to go in the mail.

So, I - like the idiot I apparently am - tell her to mail me the checks, I will have them by Friday, Oct 17th at the latest and I went ahead and sent in her order, putting $209 on my debit card. Well, you guessed it - she has her stuff and I still don't have payment.

What do I do? I have started contacting the customers individually, there were only three and the hostess herself, but the hostess swears that she has mailed me money twice now and won't talk to me anymore. I'm at a loss. Anyone with a suggestion?
Click to expand...

OK you are not an idiot !!! U were simply trying to be nice and helpful and you so got taken advantage of !!!!:( Don't let her allow u to feel like this is all your fault. The fault that you have is "being to nice" !!! :blushing:If that is a fault !! Now days people are so RUDE and untrustworthy ... Not everyone.. but please .. why can't people own up to what is asked of them, esp in business... U know what really grips me is that people can't buy something at walmart and send the check weeks later... payment is due at the time of service.. so I feel in our business when we are trying to help someone out 7/10 we are being taken for.. Their are few who are Truthful and come through...

I am so sorry that this has happened to you, and I sincerely hope that it all pans out.. I think that your idea to have home office send a pick up is a Great Idea !!! Call her bluff and let her stew in it for a min.. Then see what happens..

Let us know :)
 
pcsharon1 said:
I thought the same credit card could only be used for two orders at most. The hostess says she mailed me the checks. Then she told me last week that she would mail me checks but she had to wait until Thursday to mail them because she didn't have the money - that was fishy to me because if I never cashed her check to begin with, there should be money. Then one of the customers told me that she had paid last week and had been told by the hostess it was mailed to me on Thursday.

As for keeping the items until I am paid - they already have them. They have had them for two weeks now. And she isn't answering emails either. How much will it cost for me to mail a certified letter, does anyone know?
Click to expand...

i had a show where the host wanted to put everything on her american express (for the points) and everyone just wrote their checks to her. so the american express was charged for 6 separate orders. i had no problems. i dont know if that was wrong. but the show has long since shipped & i have 6 happy customers ;)
 
after reading this I think I have decided to just have all orders just shipped to me. then i can package everything up for each customer, and can add a friendly little thank you note with maybe the next months hostess flyer in it. So far none of my shows are far away, well except one 1500 miles away, but it's my best friend in another state. It will take a little extra work on my part, but then I will know for sure that everything came correct. Then I can deliever everything to the hosts!
 
candiejayne said:
after reading this I think I have decided to just have all orders just shipped to me. then i can package everything up for each customer, and can add a friendly little thank you note with maybe the next months hostess flyer in it. So far none of my shows are far away, well except one 1500 miles away, but it's my best friend in another state. It will take a little extra work on my part, but then I will know for sure that everything came correct. Then I can deliever everything to the hosts!
Click to expand...

This is what I already do for my Shows. I have not had any "really big ones" that are all the Host's so I just have it sent to me. That way, I can put in nice handmade thank you notes to each customer and they feel very special! I sometimes add "outside orders" that I get just to me onto a Show to boost it up to the next level. Course now that I am working on Disney, I WILL have bigger and bigger shows, so this may not be an easy option eventually!
 
I haven't had my first show close yet for PC, but in the past I was with another DA company and saw problems with shipping to the host. I think I'll give it a try, especially since my first few shows are family and friends who live within 25 miles of me!
 
  • Thread starter
  • #23
No, no, no - one of the things I love about PC is that I don't have to deliver. I don't know all of my customers personally and I don't see them regularly like their host does. And that is part of what the host gets such great benefits for. I have done over 200 shows and I have had so few problems with people getting their products from the hosts ( maybe only 3-4 times in all those shows) that I would never switch to having it shipped to me. I only do 2-5 shows a month right now, but if I wanted to do more, say 2-3 a week then I would definitely not want to be delivering that.

But, from now on if I have any doubt about a payment or the payment has not reached me when I want to submit the show, I will have it delivered to me just to protect my money.

Even with having gotten money from all of the guests finally, still not having over $60 from the hostess completely wiped out my commission from her $200 catalog show and then some. I still haven't given up though - I'm so angry :mad:about her basically accusing me of having her money and just trying to get more from her while she was lying about having sent it in the first place, that I am not letting this go until I just can't stand it anymore.
 
pcsharon1 said:
No, no, no - one of the things I love about PC is that I don't have to deliver. I don't know all of my customers personally and I don't see them regularly like their host does. And that is part of what the host gets such great benefits for. I have done over 200 shows and I have had so few problems with people getting their products from the hosts ( maybe only 3-4 times in all those shows) that I would never switch to having it shipped to me. I only do 2-5 shows a month right now, but if I wanted to do more, say 2-3 a week then I would definitely not want to be delivering that.

But, from now on if I have any doubt about a payment or the payment has not reached me when I want to submit the show, I will have it delivered to me just to protect my money.

Even with having gotten money from all of the guests finally, still not having over $60 from the hostess completely wiped out my commission from her $200 catalog show and then some. I still haven't given up though - I'm so angry :mad:about her basically accusing me of having her money and just trying to get more from her while she was lying about having sent it in the first place, that I am not letting this go until I just can't stand it anymore.
Click to expand...

I agree with you on the delivery stuff! I haven't read the whole thread but read the first issue.

I close all my shows over the phone with my hosts. I coach them after their show to have all checks wrote out to them or to get debit or cc numbers from their guests. Then I get one large payment from them over the phone by debit card or credit card. I have done over 130 shows this way with no issues. I have had a few who don't have any cards who have given me blank checks the night of their show.

With catalog shows, I do it all over the phone also the same way. The host just pays me for anyone who didn't give a card number.
 
I wouldn't want to deliever it to all the customers, just one delievery to the host and he/she can then take over...
 
hi all.I am a new consultant and feel like I have sooo much to learn! I guess my delivery methods will depend on each party? I think if the host did the invites, then she knows the people fairly well? I am thinking of going with Andreas way.I did a show for my small family, and each paid their own way.Some had to be shipped out state because they were visiting, so I got the experience of that.I have done all of my tests read my material, feels like a hundred times! Tonight, I get to watch a show from a pro! I am so excited because I want to jump right in, but I have a issue with "my comfort zones" right now..I think tonight will be a HUGE advantage for me.Thanks for having such a great forum to help the newbies:)
 
wadesgirl said:
I agree with you on the delivery stuff! I haven't read the whole thread but read the first issue.

I close all my shows over the phone with my hosts. I coach them after their show to have all checks wrote out to them or to get debit or cc numbers from their guests. Then I get one large payment from them over the phone by debit card or credit card. I have done over 130 shows this way with no issues. I have had a few who don't have any cards who have given me blank checks the night of their show.

With catalog shows, I do it all over the phone also the same way. The host just pays me for anyone who didn't give a card number.
Click to expand...

I do it this way too. Always have, and always will!

If I had to do deliveries to all of my customers for all of my shows - I would be on the road every day of the week! Plus, my customer base is all over West Michigan, and I drive 45 min to an hour for many of my shows - then to have to turn around and deliver to 15 guests who ordered at the shows? I don't think so!

I am in this business so that I DON'T have to go to work every day - not to make even more work for myself! The Pampered Chef has the products delivered to the host for a very good reason - to make the job simpler for the consultant. If prospective recruits see you doing all of the deliveries, you can be sure that is going to turn most of them off!
 
I just read the update. 1. I hope you copied the envelope and the checks before you cashed them and keep them with a copy of the e-mail.2. Call HO and tell them the update and what the host wants. Make the HOST call HO to return her products and get her money back.What nerve that lady has!
 
janetupnorth said:
I just read the update.

1. I hope you copied the envelope and the checks before you cashed them and keep them with a copy of the e-mail.

2. Call HO and tell them the update and what the host wants. Make the HOST call HO to return her products and get her money back.

What nerve that lady has!
Click to expand...


But that way, couldn't HO refund the money to her when she never really paid for it in the first place? I have had HO issue a refund directly to the customer even when it came through my debit card, and I would imagine they would do it the same way here when the host is supposedly unhappy with the consultant.
 
Andrea, this might seem logical, but wait until you have a show that comes with 15 boxes (I know you are new, this might not have happened yet, but it will). HO is great about making sure it is all correct. I just mail the hostess the official receipts (I guess you could include specials too). Just a thought...
 

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What does "So I Know I Was Stupid, but Now What Do I Do?" mean in the context of direct sales?

This phrase often refers to a moment of realization where someone acknowledges past mistakes or missteps in their direct sales journey, such as poor sales tactics or ineffective marketing strategies. It signifies a turning point where they are ready to learn and improve their approach.

How can I learn from my past mistakes in direct sales?

To learn from past mistakes, reflect on what went wrong and identify specific areas for improvement. Consider seeking feedback from peers or mentors, attending training sessions, and studying successful sales techniques. Journaling your experiences can also help clarify your thoughts and strategies moving forward.

What steps should I take to rebuild my confidence in direct sales?

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Are there resources available to help me improve my direct sales skills?

Yes, there are numerous resources available, including online courses, webinars, books, and local workshops focused on direct sales techniques. Many companies, including Pampered Chef, offer training materials and support for their consultants to enhance their skills and knowledge.

How can I effectively communicate my new approach to my customers?

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