This is almost too petty to even worry about, but the principle of the matter really chaps my butt. Here's the story. We have been giving away puppies, and found that people are much more willing to take one if they have to buy it...nobody wants one for free :confused: This couple came out 2 weeks ago, and got a puppy. We told them up front we didn't want any money, just wanted them to have a good home. The woman, on her own free will, writes us a check for $20, and post dates it for 1 week. It is a business check from their little knick knack shop. I took it in a couple of days ago and cashed it. I get the check back today...along with a notice of a $25 service charge because a stop payment was put on the check :mad: So I call the business number on the check...the number is not in service. Further digging revealed that this place was no longer in business...and hadn't been for at least 3 months. So I dug around and found their home number...it was disconnected. We had their cell phone number still on our caller ID...disconnected. I am just appalled....we told her we didn't really want any money for the dog, she offered it anyway, and basically I have ended up paying $25 to get rid of it. What the heck is wrong with people???
It makes me think that if she did something like this for something so petty, then there is a good chance she is also doing it on much bigger ticket items. I don't expect to get my money back, but would like something to be done about this.

call the authorities.. never know, maybe they are doing this in a different state as well, and that would get the FBI involved. i hear they are really good at tracking people down.

Travis,
In Maryland, the State's Attorneys office will prosecute them for free. Matter of fact, that is my wife's job. Call your local police and they should be able to tell you who to call locally.

Ah, they have violated federal mail fraud by giving you that check that they could foresee would have to be mailed by the bank as part of their scheme to defraud you of the puppy (even though you didn't want the money anyway).

Yikes, bad idea to open yourself up to 20 years in the federal prison for something that you were offering for free anyway! And those sentencing guidelines are a real killer... something like 96% of people facing federal charges cop a plea because the sentencing is so harsh!

Sorry... just finished law school exams... needed to brain dump. Now time for a few days of relaxation... graemlins/boring.gif

Poor dog . . . would hate to live with someone like that if I were the puppy.

Travis - go talk to your bank, I'd have real problem with them charging you because the person issuing the check put a stop payment on it. It had to cost the couple $10 - $15 just to stop payment on the check. So I'm not reading scam into all this.

I'm thinking they left and got into an argument about the woman giving you a check when you didn't want anything for the pup and the husband insisted on the stop payment not knowing it would cost you any money. I doubt there is a profitable scam going on here, they didn't get anything out of it (the pup was free). My guess is they may have been forced to close up shop and move or something because of money or other problems and you just got caught in the middle.

This is all speculation but I can't see anyone making money here other than your bank and that burns my butt... You are their customer and they are taking advantage of you for something out of your control!!

My Buddy would say turn the check over to the authorities and let what may happen, happen!!

And talk to your Bank about the charges b/c you didn't do anything and if that doesn't get results change Banks AND tell them in no uncertain terms why you are leaving!!

You, trying to do a good thing with the pup's, gets burned and now everybody and their brother wants ta stick it to you!! I just love it...

pdq67

And then they probably sold the Puppy...

probably a scam of some sort- they issued a post dated check drawn from an account that had been closed that was in the name of a business that no longer existed- and all means of contacting them have been severed.
i just can't see how they stand to make any money off the deal- unless they just like burning people like that, which makes it all the more wrong. they should be locked up forever because you can bet the $20 check to you wasn't the only one they've issued, and most definitely not the biggest one.
how, exactly, do you go about putting a stop payment on a check drawn from an account that no longer exists? that is the most confusing part of the whole deal..

Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished. My wife has been trying to tell me that for years and I'm starting to believe it.
I think I would call the bank and insist they remove the fee from your account. I've had customers bounce checks before and the fee is usually about $5. But no one has ever written me a check from a closed account. The bank should waive the fee.

I called these peoples bank...that account isn't closed. But the business that the account is open under IS closed. These peoples bank said I could put it up for collection thru them ($10 fee :rolleyes: ), and it would go into effect in 6 months (that is how long a stop payment lasts on an open account).
I was thinking this was a scam of some sort too. Not that they are going around buying $20 puppies and burning the owners, but it makes me think that they post dated it one week because they had a bunch of other stuff to buy, and was planning on skipping town. I would bet they bought a lot of other stuff too.
I'll be talking to my bank tomorrow morning, and to the district attorney (thats who I was told I need to talk to). It seems our DA is VERY big on nailing bogus check writers, and prosecutes to the full extent of the law.
It may be over-reacting, but it is just too wierd that all methods of contact have been severed. They are probably 1000 miles from here right now.

Well - let's just hope the puppy does doodie in their car.

No, your not being anal on this one, imho..

I only got burnt once and that was by some shady Plumbers that my Father-in-Law recommended.

Got an estimate and was good to go, did the work and got the bill for more then twice what the estimate was AND it was from a Shyster Plumber THAT even I knew better to get mixed up with. Seems the Dudes worked for him but never told me!!!

Went to Court, but just before, talked to my F-I-L's lawyer and told him what happened and he said go to Court and take the settlement for whatever he recommended which was for 2/3rd's.

The Lawyer asked why I got hooked by them AND I said my F-I-L recommended them b/c they did him fine AND even he didn't know about the other person being involved.

Lawyer saw I was trying to do what was right so he agreed to handle it AND boy the Plumbers got MAD when it was all over b/c it didn't go their way...... AND the greedy SOB's still made money off me!!!!

Heck, I told the Lawyer if I woulda known all that was going to happen, I woulda done the plumbing job myself!! AND I did estimate all the needed stuff before hand and I showed him my estimate sheet...

pdq67

Get a load of this. We was away from the house this evening (sons 12th b-bay), and when we get home the puppy is in our yard. I sure wish I was here when they came by...then again, after losing the tranny in my car today, its probably best I wasn't here.
I found out today too that these peoples bank charges $20 to stop payment on a check. So rather than just leave well enough alone, they had to screw with me even further. They paid $20 one way or the other, and the puppy is back, so I guess that makes me feel just a wee bit better.

I guess they couldn't find a buyer for the Puppy.

I suspect it was hindering their escape to a non-extraditing country tongue.gif

Well, good to hear the pup is ok. You should keep it tongue.gif

Yeah Travis, maybe you should name the puppy "boomerang"......LOL!

I'd name him "Banker".

How about "LC", for Latex Check... ;) Glad your puppy is ok...At least you have a good story to tell at your next party... :D Mike

It gets even better. The wife was checking out the puppy further...the puppy has been fixed, groomed, nails trimmed, and probably got her shots too. Very confusing. Makes me curious what happened. I don't guess I can't be too upset...I'll gladly pay $25 for all they had done.

Travis that supports what I was saying about it being something other than a scam. There are dumb crooks out there but the motive to scam is a positive cash flow. I never could see how that couple could profit from what went down.

Originally posted by travis:
It gets even better. The wife was checking out the puppy further...the puppy has been fixed, groomed, nails trimmed, and probably got her shots too. Very confusing. Makes me curious what happened. I don't guess I can't be too upset...I'll gladly pay $25 for all they had done. Seems like you've gotten' caught-up in that hit new "Reality TV" craze,
'Overhaulin' for Dogs... :D

I'd be lookin' for cameras in that van across the street...

ps: your gonna have to pay taxes on all those freebies ;)

ps: your gonna have to pay taxes on all those freebies ;) That figures. This is the 1st sort of good thing that has happened in the last 2 months...I knew somebody was going to screw with it ;)