[mxg]

Looks like another lesson learned the hardway!

Maybe I should have waited a while longer before posting this one but I need to get it off my chest even if I am still seething.

In this morning's post I have received a cheque back marked 'PAYMENT STOPPED'. This is a cheque we received from a "customer".

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but my suspicions were obviously raised when they rang and said they needed their key back straight away because they were moving premises and needed to return it to their landlord. Not a problem I said if you pay me what you owe me first. Not a huge amount but still a 3 figure sum. Cheque was lodged straightaway - 2 weeks ago today. Said they didn't know exactly where they were moving to but would be in touch.

Their website still shows their old address. The phone line is still active but is going to an answering machine.

Advice, recommendations or even a little bit of sympathy gratefully received.

I will never know what would have happened if I insisted on cash rather than cheque but that doesn't stop me kicking myself.

I will br pursuing this but not yet quite sure how.

Mick

[Phoenix]

Try the small claims court system, I think you can register via this link:
www.moneyclaim.gov.uk

Good Luck, will cost you about £30 but you claim this back as part of you claim

Regards

Graham

[*Chris Browne]

  ive been there, and im still chasing them a year and a half later, ......never been heard of since, as graham said money claim online, do it like yesterday, although it wasnt any good for me( cause theve just disapeared) iits your only chance of getting anything back now.
shifting sideways a bit, i had a lovely letter from the post office saying"I regret to inform you that a theft took place of mail due delivery to you" then it goes on about how hard they are trying to track down my post(got some shoved throughour letterbox today in a plastic bag ...cheques thank the lord!) now im having to ring round all my clients to see whos sent out there cheques recently...oh hum

chris

[garyj]

If it was/is a limited company you may be able to get the home addresses of the directors from Company House in Cardiff, this used to be free but they now charge a couple of quid. When you have their home address write to them giving 7 days to pay before you issue court proceedings. It might be enough to frighten them into paying up without the drawn out rigmarol of a court battle.
Do it NOW, if they are going into receivership you might never get paid.

Bad luck by the way, it happens to all of us at some point.

[Lesley J]

I also had my mail stolen last week from our office, post office left it on the stairs on a saturday, I did not arrive until 10.30 am that day, Post office said they were not liable as my office door was shut.all clients that may have posted us cheques have been contacted, but have asked us to pay bank charges for cancelling the orignal payment and re-issuing a new cheque, we now collect the mail daily. our office has a communal front entrance and we are not always aware that the mail has been left on the stairs. Post office not willing to bring mail up 1 flight of stairs to deliver to 4 offices, Lesley javascript:replaceText(' ', document.postmodify.message);
Huh