Posted: 2/4/2005 8:05:00 PM EDT
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Several months back I set up the site to offer a 2% discount for those paying with certified funds. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Same check out process, select paying with certified funds, and submit the order. Print the order page, send it along with the check. Done. Simple. I thank those who followed the process, and they received their goods soon after I received the funds. Unfortunately it became a logistic nightmare, which I can no longer afford to keep track of. Common issues that finally got the best of me. A customer would order the item(s), but print the last page without clicking the submit button. Without clicking the submit button, I’m not notified there was an order, and I sell out of those goods before the check arrives. I also receive print outs of the item listing pages, with items circled and a check – same problem. Receivers and Firearms – I’m continually amazed at the number of checks received for FFL items, from people who DO NOT understand that I must ship to an FFL, and not to them – even if its just a receiver. Amazingly, I received more than a few checks in envelopes, with no mention of anything. Sometimes, I could match up a name and address with an order. Other times I would have to wait for a customer to contact me looking for their order. Certified Funds – about 20% of the checks I received were certified finds most were personal checks. Backorders- (remember I don’t cash checks/charge cards until items ship) I have a big stack of envelopes for backorders people ordered with checks. We all know in the AR world, backorder can mean 2 days or several months. I was running into customers who sent certified funds getting upset because I have had their money for weeks and they have not received their order. The majority, who sent personal checks, would contact me asking why I haven’t cashed their checks because they want to balance their check book. The other side of the coin, is when I cash the check several weeks later, it comes back NSF. How long does it take to mail a check? I assumed a week was enough time to mail a check. I receive checks from a week after the order was placed, to a month after at times. As was stated on the order page, after 1 week without funds, the order is deleted and put back into inventory. Shop Services – clearly states prices are + actual return shipping. 9 out of 10 checks received for shop services only include $4 for return shipping. Sorry, but until I can think of a better way I will no longer accept checks. |