[MR] Non-paid reservations ... Re: Paying by Check

[Barbara]

Hi there.  A couple items from this thread got my attention, and I'd like to
clarify.

a) Bad check lists.  Thanks to your quarterly reports, your regional
exchequers have visibility to those bounced checks that have not been
resolved within the quarter - because you get to list those on the report as
money someone owes you. Similarly, the kingdom and society exchequers have
visibility to those who bounced checks and those checks that we had to write
off because the attempts to resolve them were without success.  We monitor
the patterns. In Atlantia, we tend deal with this in one-on-one cases, more
discretely than distributing a list.   As an exchequer, I suggest you review
the rules in the local exchequer's handbook. There is a whole section on bad
checks and dealing with "bad check lists."  We link to it from our web site
at http://exchequer.atlantia.sca.org/policies.html 

b) electronic payments.  As others have mentioned, Paypal presents some
challenges to managing accounts in accordance to our financial control
policies - the details of which I could dig out from history, but don't
remember immediately.  But the bottom line is that we can't use Paypal.
Last I looked, we CAN use Ansteorran Credit Card Electronic Payment System
(ACCEPS); it is the system that has been used for Gulf Wars.  There are
additional fees involved, each transaction (e.g., each reservation) has
additional fees, and there are some time lags involved.  To make it
worthwhile for the event staff, it really needs to be a BIG event. In
Atlantia, we just haven't used it yet, though I'm sure we will eventually.
(There have been some kingdom bids where I was bid as reservationist, and I
thought we might inaugurate it's use here.  But it didn't happen.) We CAN
use this system: if you group wants to, then please start coordinating with
your regional and kingdom exchequer far in advance.

c) and THANKS to the person pointing out the semantics of "should" v.
"shall."  We exchequer types will discuss this, I bet.  It's probably
allowing some lee-way that (for example) if the deposits are not done until
15 days, it is usually not an issue.  But it does make it clear that the
days of "hold all the checks and deposit them a month after the event" are
long gone and NOT acceptable.

Hope this helps!
Anne of Carthew
(emergency k. exchequer)

-----Original Message-----
From: atlantia-bounces at atlantia.sca.org
[mailto:atlantia-bounces at atlantia.sca.org] On Behalf Of Michael Beedy
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 5:02 PM
To: atlantia at atlantia.sca.org
Subject: Re: [MR] Non-paid reservations ... Re: Paying by Check

As a Baronial Exchequer for nearly two years, I can say that fortunately
there have only been 3 bad checks in the 2 years.  Unfortunately, two of
them are still outstanding from Crown Tourney in May!  
 
Perhaps the solution to this problem might be as simple as a "black list"
for bad checks, until they are paid.  A list of those individuals with
outstanding NSF checks throughout the kingdom can be created and provided to
autocrats/reservationists so they know who not to accept a check from until
the prior obligation has been paid.  
 
This might seem harsh but I imagine it would be effective.  I certainly dont
want to embarrass anyone, but when efforts have been made to collect the
returned check with no avail, and then you see that person at an event five
months later, it kinda makes you wonder.
 
Just a thought.
YIS
Lord Sebastien de Vymont
Baronial Exchequer
Barony of Nottinghill Coill