General Etiquette > Life...in general

So here's a random question...(long)

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BabyMama:
In July, some friends of mine got married. For their gift, some other friends and I pooled resources and bought the happy couple a bunch of gift certificates for things they could do around their new hometown. I was in charge of collecting the money and buying the certificates. I started about six weeks before the wedding. The place in question was one of the first places I purchased from. I had to call them several times before I reached a live person who was able to help me (once I called when they were out of the office) but it's a small operation so I figured that was just the cost of doing business with a small company.

The vendor eventually returned my calls and e-mail, and told me that I could pay over the phone. I gave him my number and then gave it no more thought.

As the wedding approached, I realized that I hadn't received the gift certificate. I checked my banking info and saw that I also hadn't been charged. I called and e-mailed the vendor and apologized for not noticing earlier, and asked if I could try paying again and have the certificate mailed out ASAP. He said sure, that he probably still had my card information, and said he'd drop the certificate in the mail. (It should have arrived about a week before the wedding.)

The week of the wedding, I still had nothing. I contacted him again. (Yes, at this point I probably should have given up, but his services were really neat and the other gift contributors really, really wanted to give it for the gift.) He apologized again. I offered to stop by the address on their Web site to pick it up--he hemmed and hawed and said that was their home office. Instead, he offered to drop the certificate off in person to make sure we actually got it on time. DH and I were traveling to the wedding site the day before the wedding (my family is from there, and we'd be staying at my sister's house), so I said that was fine, gave him the time we'd be at the house, and also gave him the address to my mother's house because she'd be there all day. He said that should be fine.

We got to my sister's house, and I hadn't gotten a call, nor had he dropped by my mom's. I tried calling him twice with no response. We waited around all night--I was beginning to get antsy, since I wanted to close up the gift so it was ready for the wedding the next day.

Next morning, he sends me an e-mail apologizing, saying he had been in another part of the state and had gotten home later than he expected, and that he would drop it off at my sister's house ASAP, and that we could work out payment later. (I didn't see the e-mail until after he had stopped by, so wasn't expecting him at that time.) About 10 minutes after the e-mail was sent, he did stop by--he ran up to the door, stuck the certificate in the mail slot, and left. He didn't knock to see if anyone was home--granted, it was 7 a.m. but if he had paused, he would have seen DH open the door to see who it was, and we could have paid him in cash. We had watched him drop the certificate off through the window!

Wedding was fine, happy couple loved their gifts. My only issue is, of course, that we still haven't actually paid for one of them! I called a couple days later and gave him my card number again. Assume things are fine.

Two weeks later, he calls me and says he couldn't get my card to go through. While on the phone, I give him my card number FOUR times, he runs it, and it doesn't go through any of the times (problem on his end, not mine!) We tried a different card, same results. I was at a doctor's appointment and so I finally told him that I'd send him a check.

I sent him a check using the address on their Web site, and e-mailed him the day I sent it to let him know it was expected. Yesterday the envelope I sent the check in ended up returned in my mailbox, with "Doesn't Live Here" written on it. Have not heard a word from the vendor since the time he tried to run my card all those times.

How much more am I responsible for?? Obviously I WANT to pay him. I've tried many, many times. And I definitely don't want my friends to be turned away when they show up to redeem their gift certificate because it's not "paid for"! It's a small amount ($20), if that matters. What the heck else can I do?? Are my friends within their rights to redeem their gift, even though it's not paid for, since it's in their possession and "legal tender", so to speak? Help!

bah12:
Have you been able to contact him by phone since the check was returned?

I think that I'd just give the $20 to the wedding couple at this point and explain that there was some issue with paying for the gift certificate...so, if the certificate doesn't work for whatever reason, they have the cash and if it does then they have an extra $20.

Also, how is the gift card redeemed?  If there isn't a physical address you can go to and pay, then I'm assuming this is some sort of online service right?  And if it is, do they have a paypal account you could try using?

BabyMama:
There's a good idea--if worst comes to worst, I'll just hand them $20.

I've tried calling with no answer, and my e-mail has gone unanswered too. The service is a tour company--the certificate is for a tour. You can buy tour tickets online, but you have to buy them for a specific date, which is why I had to go the gift certificate/not paying online route, and it's through a booking service, not like Paypal. Soo frustrating. If they had just had a random "Buy Certificates" box, it would have been so much easier...!

Sophia:
For future reference, in my family when we have trouble buying a gift certificate we stop trying.  Then we gift a note that says something, "I tried to buy a gift certificate from XYZ so you could do/get ABC.  But I could not get one.  So, I have attached some "green" certificates for you use."

For example, I talked dad into buying mom gift certificates to the closest manicure place so that she can get several pedicures.  Mom has trouble bending down that far so she frequently asks Dad or me when I visit to trim her toenails.  We both hate to do it.  But, dad had previously grumbled about the cost.  Dad tried to buy a gift certificate, but they were a small shop and were confused by the request.  Dad did the green certificate thing and mom has been very happy. 

NyaChan:
I think the cash option is a good idea.  I was on the receiving end of this problem.  For my graduation a close friend of the family gave me a "gift certificate" for a flying lesson at our local air field - very cool right?  Unfortunately, I never got to redeem the certificate for the lesson.  The friends had made it on their computer as the business didn't have actual gift certificates and just had a number on it which I was to call to set up my lesson which presumably had been paid for.  They never picked up the phone, and since one of the family friends was diagnosed with cancer which was eventually fatal, I wasn't about to bother them with it.  The way this whole thing with the tour has gone down so far makes me wonder how legitimate this gift certificate will be and how easily they'll be able to redeem it, so cash may be the best bet.

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