| Sign in: |
| Members log in here with your user name and password to access the your admin page and other special features. |
|
|
|
|
|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Returned Check Rate Going Up?
Sam Santilli, Photographer, Photo Editor
 |
Philippi | WV | USA | Posted: 9:57 AM on 01.28.11 |
->> If you are doing T&I (Team & Individual) business, have you noticed an increase in returned checks?
We use a check recovery company to handle our returned checks. We get an e-mail that lets us know when a customer bounces a check, then when the funds are "consolidated", which means collected and placed in our account. I have not compared our reports from last year, but it looks like we are getting more checks not clearing than last year.
Just wondering how things were going on returned checks in other parts of the country. |
|
Dave Breen, Photographer
 |
Somerset | PA | USA | Posted: 10:46 AM on 01.28.11 |
->> My orders are down a bit, but so are bad checks. It's unusual for me to have more than two checks a year bounce, and in most cases, I collect them on my own.
Sam -- how fast do you deliver orders? Do you know if checks have cleared before delivery, and are you able to pull those kids' photos? |
|
Butch Miller, Photographer
|
Lock Haven | PA | USA | Posted: 10:54 AM on 01.28.11 |
->> I haven't seen any increase in bad checks ... but then I've only had 3 in the past seven years, though I take in nearly 1,000 checks annually ...
It wouldn't surprise me that with the current economy in some areas to see a rise though. |
|
Eric Canha, Photographer
|
Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 11:14 AM on 01.28.11 |
->> Sam I've had one bounced check this month. That's from 4 league's T&I dates (the weather is KILLING me) and nothing bouncing from the December shoots.
Sales are a few (very few) points higher right now.... We've had to move many dates into next month becuase of the weather. I'll have a better idea of sales at the end of Feb. but I'm expecting things to be flat or slightly better. |
|
John Tucker, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
Cordova | TN | USA | Posted: 11:15 AM on 01.28.11 |
->> Sam,
This season, I had the least number I have had in years (only 3) and I used Facebook to find the people and they ALL paid with 48 hours. I take in a LOT of checks doing T&I and had averaged about 10 a year being marked NSF. |
|
Frank Lauri, Photographer
|
Larksville | PA | USA | Posted: 11:19 AM on 01.28.11 |
| ->> I'm pretty close to Butch's area and handle approximately the same number of checks. I had three last year. One had to go to court (at the magistrate level), one was settled by the individual and I have one pending now waiting for a court date with the magistrate. On this last one, I had to have a constable serve the notice letter that I sent with a signature required and they refused it 3 times. When the constable called me to inform me he was successful in delivering the letter, he said the house the people lived in was well over $300K. So go figure. This is one area I have zero tolerance for....especially since I bend over backwards to accommodate the offenders. |
|
Eric Canha, Photographer
|
Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 12:08 PM on 01.28.11 |
->> Frank I have to ask.....Is it really worth all that to run down a bounced T&I check? 90% of my checks are under $50. If they bounce we hold the package pending payment of the check & fees. I've got $135 in bounced checks from last year. Not enough to make it worth more than trying to call them and dropping a note in the mail.
We will cross-reference them to this year's teams and let the league/parent know that if they want the child photographed THIS year that they have to take care of the old check and that THIS YEAR'S session is cash only.
So far it has worked for us. |
|
Sam Santilli, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
Philippi | WV | USA | Posted: 2:20 PM on 01.28.11 |
->> Dave, our turn around is 2 weeks. That is why we use the service we do. I do not even see the paper check, just an e-mail giving me the info, and when the money is electronically yanked out of the offender's checking account. I get my original $ amount, and the company offering the service gets the fees...which are less than what the bank would be charging the bouncers.
It must be our area, we get 2-3 bad checks a month. Frank, I used to do what you do now, but now I get my money and do not have to deal with the hassles.
Eric, the only issue I would have with confronting the parent the next season/year, is the confrontation in front of the other parents during the T&I session. I would not have time to stop shooting to talk to them. I am sure you are doing this in a very professional manner, but I would not want to be put in your shoes having to explain all of that to a dead beat.
BTW, I had an e-mail asking if we "hold" checks until a certain date. The answer is NO! In most states, if you accept a check that you are told will not clear the bank on the day it is handed to you, you as the accepting party, have no legal recourse to collect on that worthless check, since you knew it was bad to start with. I also told the e-mailer to pony up the $25 and join. |
|
Eric Canha, Photographer
|
Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 3:03 PM on 01.28.11 |
->> Sam I agree I am not looking to embarrass anyone or to have a pissing match at the tables the day of the shoot. They are warned in advance of the shoot date that they have an outstanding debt.
There is no confrontation, I'll take the kid's photo and after the fact send the un-deposited check back to the customer and cancel the order. I'm not going to embarrass a kid for what their parent does.
I think it's happen once in 3 years where things went beyond letting them know that they had an outstanding check to take care of. 99.99% of the time they make good on the check.
E |
|
Michael Fischer, Photographer
|
Spencer | Ia | USA | Posted: 4:08 PM on 01.28.11 |
->> Eric, from a dollars and cents (or is it sense?) standpoint, does it make sense to sue? Probably not for $50, but there is the principal of the thing and my wife, who acts as CFO, believes that not going after those who write bad checks encourages others to do the same ( I keep asking her if she knows the secret handshake for these bad check writers who must have a secret society... she ISN'T AMUSED).
I was in court last year over a $500 debt and we won. I got paid - and the guy sneered. The reality is I used a lawyer because if I go to court, I don't plan on losing... even if it cost me $500 - which it basically did.
If you're going to write me bad paper, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure it goes on your credit report. That's what got me the $500, the guy settled after the trial but before the judgement was handed down because he didn't want it on his kid's credit report.
Sometimes it's about more than just the money. |
|
Frank Lauri, Photographer
|
Larksville | PA | USA | Posted: 5:56 PM on 01.28.11 |
->> Eric...actually it isn't worth it. But like I mentioned, I went out of my way with these two individuals, agreed to drop the packages off at their house - get paid and off I go. When I arrived at the specified time....they conveniently aren't home. Yes...I'm old school....hard headed and sometimes I get frustrated with some of the BS because I play by the rules and when things like this happen and it makes me swing for the fence.
Michael...+1 on that....sometimes it is about more than just money. |
|
Jim Pierce, Photographer
|
Waltham | MA | USA | Posted: 4:28 PM on 01.30.11 |
->> I have actually seen my returned check rate go way down as well as cash payments go up. Not sure why but that is what I am seeing the past 3 months based on well over a couple 1000 orders of 4 leagues T&I as well as one tourney.
Not sure what your banks do but mine, a credit union, will deposit the check and if it bounces they try and deposit it the next day and day after. It usually goes through the second time if not the third. I do get hit with a $10 fee, was $3.00 until a couple months ago, but only one time.
Not worth any effort to even write a letter never mind court.
Jim |
|
Mike Janes, Photographer
|
Attica | NY | USA | Posted: 4:59 PM on 01.30.11 |
| ->> Over 4 years of doing T&I I've only had 3 total, last season was none. Think two of them paid up, including paying the bank fee for it bouncing, and the other never heard from again. Last year there was a drastic increase in cash payments, sure some are paying that way to avoid bouncing a check - though overall I noticed that people were buying more. The soccer league we had 100 less kids and still made the same amount, there was a slight increase in price but it really seemed like the larger print package increased overall. |
|
Thomas E. Witte, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
Cincinnati | OH | USA | Posted: 6:55 PM on 01.30.11 |
| ->> Copy the letter from the bank, make a bunch of copies to send to the rest of the team and put a note on it saying "can anyone cover this payment for so-and-so so I can ship them their pictures?". |
|
Shane Psaltis, Photographer
|
Aquebogue | NY | USA | Posted: 9:20 AM on 02.01.11 |
->> Sam,
What company do you use for check recovery???
Thanks
Shane |
|
Sam Santilli, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
Philippi | WV | USA | Posted: 3:14 PM on 02.01.11 |
->> Bounce Back....they are the ones with the little green frog
5166 College Corner Pike
Oxford, OH 45056
Phone: (800) 736-5123 |
|
Return to --> Message Board Main Index
|