If I’m wrong about this, please tell me. I’d love your comments. This is about Ethics, Integrity and getting paid in case you are wondering where I’m headed with this. If you have a small business, you need to know about things like this if you have not already “been there - done that.”
I was contacted by a computer consultant about coming to me for internet marketing consulting. I explained my fees and that my payment policy was Pay Pal in advance or a check at the time of service. Well, he showed up for the session and mentioned that he was on staff with St. Thomas More Catholic Church - Chapel Hill NC which he is according to their staff page. This had not come up in previous conversations. He also informed me that they pay promptly and I had nothing to worry about. O.K., it’s a church. He’s on the the staff. No problem, right? WRONG!
It is now, July 2nd, 2007. I provided the services Monday, May 21st, 2007. I still have not been paid and they are ignoring much of my communication at this point. My last verbal conversation with anyone was a VERY IRATE financial services person at the church last Friday, June 29th, 2007.
The conversation went something like this… “Peggy,on our staff, was on the phone with the lady from the church. The lady said…Check # ____ and for $_____ was mailed on June 4th, 2007. Peggy, we don’t have it. IRATE church representative, well, you’ll have to pay a $35 stop payment fee for us to issue another one. Peggy, please hold.”
“I then got on the phone with the lady who REFUSED in a VERY NON-CHURCH tone of voice to issue another check because they did their part… they mailed it. It didn’t matter to her that the check was lost, had not cleared the bank and that I had not received it. Their hands were clean because they put a .41 stamp on an envelope and mailed me something that I have yet to receive…. She clearly stated that it was not her fault and another check would not be cut unless I paid a $35 stop payment fee for a check that was obviously lost in the mail that I have NEVER had in my possession.”
Here are some DIRECT quotes from an e-mail that I received today July 2nd, 2007 about this matter…
In reference to it being lost and them not taking any blame: “There are some issues that either you, the UPS store or the Postal Service need to work out.”
In reference to me paying the $35 STOP payment fee for a check that I have never had in my possession: “I have checked with the office of Business Services of the Diocese of Raleigh, and this is the recommended practice.”
There conclusion and thoughts on this post: “You rendered a service in good faith; we mailed payment in good faith. Unfortunate as it is, the system failed somewhere and we are stuck in this senseless exchange. I hope common sense prevails.” Readers… What does your common sense tell you here?
What’s your thoughts on this? Have you had similar experiences? Should I forgive the church for not getting my check to me? Should I pay the $35 stop payment fee? Who is at fault here? What about ethics and integrity? Am I out of line or is St. Thomas More Catholic Church - Chapel Hill NC out of line? At this point, do you think that I will ever get paid? Readers, please help me here.
Tags: Ethics by David - 8 Comments »
I still think that I’d rather deal with online SPAM than to eat canned SPAM. Have you ever tried eating that stuff? Oops… I changed the subject of this post, but I couldn’t resist. I don’t even know what’s in canned SPAM. It’s scary to even think about it. Have a GREAT weekend!