This is a tough question

[turbomangt]

Our newly found Chicagland PT/GT Cruiser Club is growing, but we are also learning during the growth process. Last summer we signed up two new members (husband and wife) they paid their dues, and attended many of our meetings and events. They seem to be nice folks in love with their PT like all of us. We ordered custom jackets with our logo on the back and took orders from those that wanted them. Both of these people ordered a jacket. When we got them in, they said they would pay up at the next meeting. Jackets were $72.50 each the bill came to $145 for both. WE HAVE NOT SEEN OR HEARD FROM THEM SINCE. I know what you are going to say, why give out the jackets before taking in the cash.? I guess we are all basically trusting people, and we trusted them to pay. I do the books for the club, now if we don't collect, it will cost the members which is not fair. These poeple won't return my phone call, and I have spent endless hours trying to contact them. Needless to say this won't happen again, but now I feel stupid. If we had 100 members it would be easier to absorb, but we don't have that kind of money floating around. Not sure what anyone can comment on about this, other than we handled it wrong from the ground up.

[PianT]

Live and learn, forget them, they don't deserve the jackets now anyway.

You could donate the jackets to a cruiser event for charity, it could be raffled off. (CTF4 will do it).

You could hold an auction at your club for them.

You could hang on to them for the next members.

You could sell tickets with the jackets as prizes within your club.

[KingKole02]

Gary,
Do you sell 50/50 tickets at the meetings. You could get these and try to make up the profit for the club that way. Its a subtle way of having the members pay for it without durectly telling them.

Do you need the money now, or can the collections wait? Why is the money important right now?

There has to be some way of making up the money.

Of course you could always setup a fake charity service, tell people you are collecting money for the local childerns hospital or something. You may to go hell but at least you won't come up short with the cash. [:I]

Do you have younger memebers? You could get some in bikinis and run a car wash sometime. I always like hot women in bikinis washing my car. Is theres somewhere you can do it indoors because of the wheater right now.

I would try to reconize thier PT out in public somenight and wait to have a little talk with them. Preferablely with a baseball bat in hand and glooves on.

Sorry to hear about this happening to such a nice person like yourself. I hope these members are just on vacation in the SW FL area so I can get the money and send it to you or some parts off there cruiser for ranson/profit, or when they get back if they are on vacation they will pay for the jackets.

[turbomangt]

PIANT, WE DON;T HAVE THE JACKETS, THEY DO. IF WE HAD THEM IT WOULD NOT BE AS BAD.

[IRPT]

Well, a few of options, bite the bullet on it, take them to small claims court or keep harassing them (send them e-mail, call them at work, call them at home, send them snail mail, etc.)

[RD CHILI]

Do you know where they live? [}]

[2sb]

Consider it a paid for lesson and write the loss in the club books. $145 shouldn't bankrupt a growing club. Worrying or being mad just cost more... out of your peace of mind.

Who said life was fair?

[sakigt]

Do you have any pics of their car? Geth the tag number, go to the DMV and pay a few bucks to get their address...then send them the bill...

[cook]

If you already spent hours and hours on this,give it up-for now.I imagine you have a lot of personal info from their application.Mo one likes to get burnt-but its worse to let it fester at you.Who knows-maybe they will still come thru[:I]

the big grin says don't hold your breath