Lost In The Mail!

[TeachCurious]

I received a statement from Scholastic saying that I owed over $100! I always send my payments after I order the books, so I looked back in my own checkbook (I always order books, too!) and sure enough, the check hadn't cleared. So, apparently, it has gotten lost in the mail! Has this ever happened to anyone? The order was from a couple of months ago, and I have NO idea who ordered what! (Ugh! I give the kids their forms back when the books come in) So...now what? I don't want to get stuck paying this on my own, so how do I let the parents know what happened without looking like an idiot? And what if not every parent that ordered offers to write a new check? It would cost them $$ to stop payment. I'm at a loss....what should I do?

 

[teachnkids]

Scholastic

I have had a similar story only my checks were returned to me. I sent them back not once, but twice and they were returned over and over again!!! Of course I returned them to parents and said oh well. Six months later I get a call that I owed all this money. Oh, and I had called to try to clarify and was told I owed no money when I kept getting checks back. I still have a problem and can only do mail orders--no phone or online ordering. They are not my favorite people!

 

[TeachtoScrap]

A friend of mine

is going through this now. She received a notice over the summer in regards to an order. The problem is now that school has started up again many of her kids from last year are at a new school (our district opened another new one and we lost kids to it). She can't even remember who ordered. She is so mad.

I think she has about decided to pay the bill so it doesn't go on her credit (if they report it) and so she can order from them again.

Sorry you are going through this! One more thing to add to your already full plate. In the mean time enjoy your holiday break!

 

[teachnkids]

Forgot to add

That I always make copies of checks or receipts for cash when I do orders.

 

[4thgrtchr]

I "ALWAYS" make my parents pay by check for their child's order. No check, no order. I have accepted checks from grandparents, aunts, and uncles, but no cash for this very reason. Then after I receive my book order, I make a photo copy of all the checks, plus the bill from Scholastic. (I can get several checks on one page), before sending it in. I hang on to it until I find out that my balance is zero, by checking on Scholastic's website. That way if they say they didn't receive my $$, I know which parents to check with the see if their checks have cleared, and if not they will reissue another one for me to send. I learned this trick from a veteran teacher who found yourself in your situation and spending big bucks out of her own pocket to clear it up, and this is the procedure she followed with every book order after that.

 

[de'anna]

Used to copy checks

I used to make copies of all the parents' checks before I mailed in the payments. Then I didn't have any trouble with them for over a year so I stopped. Of course now I owe them $162!!! Gonna have to ask parents to send in their info. How embarrassing! Is there another book club? I'd love to find one. I think Scholastic's gotten too big for their own good!

 

[azfarkas]

Me too!

The same thing happened to me-only scholastic didn't tell me, they contacted my central office so it was this big deal at central office! How embarassing! I woud love to find another book club also...because of the mess I have given up on Scholastic.

 

[TeachtoScrap]

Troll

or something like that is another book club. I am not sure if they are still around but years ago a friend of mine ordered from there.

She actually got better deals with her bonus points than with Scholastic. At that time Scholastic wouldn't let you order Teacher Resources with bonus points and they did.

Worth looking into... now I am worried! I just sent another one off the other day. Maybe a call to the BBB wouldn't be a bet idea.

 

[stlcardinals]

I believe Scholastic is the only book club available. They have bought out all of the other clubs. The bought out Troll and Trumpet. It is a shame. I have not been pleased with Scholastic for the past few years. I have gotten terrible customer service (rude actually) and too many wrong orders. I once got a teachers order from Texas delivered to me at my school in Indiana. It had my name on the outside of the box but all of her information on the inside. Had I been dishonest I could have accessed all of her bonus points. I had her account number. When I called them and told them what had happened I asked them if they wanted this teachers information so they could contact her and tell her what had happened. They told me NO. She would call when her order didn't arrive I couldn't believe it!

 

[AD]

Oh no! I would contact the parents. Explain to them that you sent the checks but they weren't received by Scholastic. If I were a parent, I'd rather have you contact me than pay for the order yourself. It looks as if this is your only option aside from paying the balance yourself (I wouldn't do that).

It's funny that you should post this...I just received a letter from Scholastic TODAY stating that I received XX amount of money. I called immediately because there was obviously a mistake. Thank goodness I figured out what the mistake was and it was corrected, because I did not owe that amount of money.

I'm going to do what others suggested to-make copies of checks and orders, etc...

Good luck!

 

[Tigger]

Scholastic

has made me FURIOUS today! I couldn't access my online account over the weekend so I called customer service today to see why. I owed them an amount of 22.50 -- which I had just sent for my last month's order. Then the lady told me I had an outstanding balance of 16.50 since 2003!!!!!! I have ordered from each year since then! The lady was really rude -- SHe said that 4 letters, which I had not received, had been sent and they had turned it over to collections!

Now, I couldn't tell you who was in my class 4 years ago, what the order was, or anything of that nature! Why have I been allowed to order since then? I always do over the phone or online!

According to the hateful lady, I can only do prepaid orders. I am going to send in this last order, cash in my bonus points, and NEVER order from them again! I'm also going to write a letter of complaint to them.

Ugh!

Tigger

 

[TeachCurious]

Wow!

Thanks for all of the advice! I will begin copying all of the checks from now on. I spoke with my kiddos, and had saved a copy of the entire order, so we were able to figure out who had ordered books that month. I called Scholastic, and she told me to wait another couple of weeks or so in case the order turns up. This is so frustrating!!!!

 

[sunnie]

similar issue

I have had numerous problems with Scholastic as well. I also can only order by mail because I refuse to pay an outstanding balance. Last year I was unable to order online, so I called them. They stated that I owed a little over $200 from an order 4 years prior. I have no record of it and don't even know who ordered. The students are not even in my school anymore. Often I don't order, so I don't know if checks clear or not.

Since they have merged with Trumpet and Troll my orders are never correct and always arrive late. I often recieve messages that my packing slip was lost. Almost every month something is on back order for one of the students too.

It is so frustrating! Good luck dealing with your situation.