Notice from Morris Everett, Jr---Anyone else get one?

[Monster_A_GoGo]

Yesterday, I went to my mail collection place (where I have packages sent). I rarely look in my tiny, little mailbox there as I only have parcels (not letters) sent there. However, inside the mail box was a letter from The Last Moving Picture Company, postmarked July 22. It was from Morris Everett, Jr.
Apparently there was an accounting issue within the company that they could not figure out for the longest time. According to the letter, after switching to some new payment system, purchases were being made via credit card and were authorized for payment...but the actual charging never happened and the funds never moved over. The letter further goes on asking that we check our records to see if we were, in fact, charged or not. If not, he wants us to call and make payment.

While I have no problem paying for purchases I made and owe on, the photocopy of the statement for the posters with the receipt is dated a little more than 2 years ago (June 2019) and the last 4 numbers of the credit card shown that I used I have no clue about. Why is that? Because over the last couple of years it seems that every credit card company I have has been sending me replacement cards for one reason or another. With each replacement card, there is a new account number. The one I used is not one I currently have. I have no idea which card it was from.

As you may or may not know, I am in the process of moving---and my house is in complete disarray. I am not in the habit of keeping credit card and other billing statements for more than a year. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) we had a pandemic last year AND I developed health issues---so my crap to shred has built up. In the moving process, I've just been throwing things in piles to deal with later (i.e. shredding) and I've spent hours today looking for a statement with those same last 4 numbers for the time frame shown on the invoice. I DID bid on/receive those posters...but I have NO MEMORY of thinking "Hmm, I was never charged for them." The total bill was $685---which, to me, is a LOT of money. That isn't an amount I'd easily forget about or overlook.

So now I am digging, digging, digging, looking for a statement which may or may not still exist to prove I did or did not pay for some posters. How utterly frustrating.

Did anyone else get a notice like this? I don't what I am saying here... I guess I am just venting? ARGH! What a pain in the butt!

[Charlie]

I wouldn’t panic Monster. My opinion, as a business owner myself, is Morris should eat that. It was his responsibility to ensure payment was going through and if it took two years to find it well he ain’t running a very good business.

Now morally it make make you all warms and fuzzy to settle up but on principal alone - Morris should call you up in the phone himself and get down on his knees to apologize for screwing up and express understanding that it may be placing a burden on you to now pay, etc… but that it would be a big favor to keep his operation going, etc…

It’s not your job to make sure someone’s business is operating correctly. Extreme ownership!

I didn’t get a letter… May be a scam too.

[Monster_A_GoGo]

Thanks, Charlie. I think you are right to a degree...I just would feel so much better if I could find proof that I did or did not pay for the posters.  Yes---if I didn't, I would feel so guilty. And, no, I don't think it is a scam, as he does include copies of the invoice and "receipt"...and I DID indeed buy the posters in question. I'll keep an eye out for the statements (I've found just about every statement for everything else BUT one with those last four numbers), but I won't spend my time on it specifically. Too much else to do now.

Thanks for the response.

CHEERS!

[MoviePosterBid.com]

if I forgot to collect my dough  , and it's only my fault  , and it's been 2 years  ........ then it should be 

[eatbrie]

It's their problem, not yours.  Move on.

T

[Monster_A_GoGo]

Rich and Thierry,

Thanks for the feedback. I'll consider it...but I really hate to feel like I'm ripping anyone off. But I'm NOT sweating for now.

[eatbrie]

Honestly, we’re not talking about a huge amount of money here, nothing that’s going to break a business.  It’s their fault if they didn’t catch it on time.  They can eat it.  You shouldn’t feel guilty in the slightest.

T

[BwanaDik]

Receipts and invoice are valid for some years.  Two problems here:

- They only contacted you 2 years after which is a long time and somehow underlines their 'amateurship' in the matter; but they did their reconciliation and  you got a communication with a receipt and a request. They did what had to be done (although a call and earlier communication would have been better);

- The other one is that money not coming into their account doesn't mean that money was not debited in yours, it is highly possible that money was deducted on your side but never arrived to their account (due to a system error mostly) and therefore at their bank, under "pending transaction".   This is why they are asking you to confirm if you got any movement on your side.    Usually, if a payment fails, merchant are informed right away from their partner bank.  Don't get doudle charged

If you have checked and can't find the card info for four digits given, just reply the same and ask the seller to provide:
- Proof of payment's instruction for payment
- Details of payment instructionto verify (card, name, address, etc.) to confirm it is well you
- Proof of delivery of the items to confirm items were shipped
- Copy of their merchant terms.

[Monster_A_GoGo]

Here is a funny (??) conclusion (Hopefully) to this story. I sort of gave up looking for a billing statement for a credit card ending 1673. I didn't have time to worry about it.
Because I am getting ready to move, I've sent stuff off to eMovie and am selling stuff on eBay, etc. To keep all of that separate from my regular account, I decided to revive a bank account of mine that has been dormant for some time. Today, I stopped by a branch, because I needed to get a new ATM card as the old one in my wallet had almost all of the numbers rubbed off. When the bank clerk read (from the computer--not from the actual card) the numbers on the ATM card, the last four were 1673. NO WAY! I NEVER use my ATM card to pay for online purchases---just for groceries, gas, and other expenditures like that. I asked the clerk to please go back and check the June 2019 statement and see if there were any transactions totally more than $600. Sure enough, there was a charge for $685 from the Last Moving Picture Company. I HAD paid my bill. Hooray!

I got a print out and will send it to them. Hopefully that will clear off any suspicion of debt owed them from MY end.

I know it was no big deal...I'm just glad to know that I did not "steal" anything (intentionally or not).

CHEERS!

[eatbrie]

So they are thieves?  Good to know.  Not that I even know who they are, but I for sure will avoid them now.

T

[Monster_A_GoGo]

I don't think they are thieves, at least not purposly. I do think there was bona-fide trouble with their system and some people did get "free" posters. But it is rather unethical (I think) to try and hunt people down--after 2 years--to try and get them to pay for their mistake,  and approaching people (like myself) to possibly pay a second time.

[eatbrie]

And you don't call that thieves?

I do.

T

[MoviePosterBid.com]

They are not thieves Thierry. What they are is disorganized.

[Monster_A_GoGo]

They are not thieves Thierry. What they are is disorganized.

Exactly!

[BwanaDik]

So you were indeed debited but money never arrived into their account due to system error presumably.  That money therefore is at the seller's bank as pending transaction.  Banks usually verify their surplus at the end of the day and month, that is transaction not reverted to their client bank account... and because banks are banks, they won't do anything unless the concerned party write to them (thus the need to always follow-up payments).  Seller bank usually ask for ARN number to trace the payment which can only be provided the buyer's bank. 

But you are good now.    Up to you to let him know or not you have paid. He may ask you to facilitate tracing the payment...