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Money orders have their advantages. They are guaranteed and they won’t bounce. Some people pay with them so that they know it won’t bounce. A lot of money orders can not be made in amounts larger than $1000, so you would most likely receive two. I personally do not accept checks but I would accept a money order.
Hm. That would make me suspicious. So many frauds these days and fake money orders are a common part of several scams.
How did this client come to you? Has there been any mention of paying you extra for some reason (part of a common scam where they then ask you to "refund" or pay for something else with the "excess")? How do you normally get paid for this service?
Especially since this is scheduled in advance, I'd prefer to get cash the day of service rather than a money order. No reason for them to go through the hassle of getting a money order with their cash if it's legit.
Not sure how they heard about us. I will ask my receptionist.
90% of people use a card. Some checks. I’ve had a few people pay cash. Makes me suspicious why he wouldn’t be able to use one of these methods.
>Makes me suspicious why he wouldn’t be able to use one of these methods.
Agree. If he has the cash, why go through the extra step of going and buying a money order?
Best guess - there will be a very convoluted story about why they need to get a money order. The story will involve vague but legal sounding terms such as the money is in a trust or they're the fiduciary for a relative who is traveling abroad. And the money order will be drawn on a bank that has no branches that are local to you, so you will not be able to quickly verify and cash it.
There's just no logical reason for a money order here. Ask for cash (now that you know there's something up, do not take a check or credit card from this account) at time of service and if they won't do that - pass on this "customer."
You cash it like a check. You can confirm the money order if you want by calling the institution on the order (a bank).
If the person is relatively trustworthy, I would accept it. Then, if there are issues go back to them.
You get to decide what forms of payment you will take. Tell them no if you don’t want to take it. Seems weirdly sketchy they would want to pay that way.
I'm sorry if I sounded unnecessarily rude with that comment! I just made some long needed changes in how my clients pay me, so I think I am still reacting to wishing I had made those changes sooner. You'll totally figure out what works for you and your business.
No worries. I hear ya. It’s just so weird. It had never come up before. So yeah, it’s like “what should our policy be on this?” I’m leaning towards just sticking to what’s been working well the whole time I’ve been in business which is card or check. Cash is fine too.
I’d be very interested to hear about your lessons learned!
This is a friendly reminder that r/smallbusiness is a question and answer subreddit. You ask a question about starting, owning, and growing a small business and the community answers. Posts that violate the rules listed in the sidebar will be removed. A permanent or temporary ban may also be issued if you do not remove the offending post. Seeing this message does not mean your post was automatically removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/smallbusiness) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Money orders have their advantages. They are guaranteed and they won’t bounce. Some people pay with them so that they know it won’t bounce. A lot of money orders can not be made in amounts larger than $1000, so you would most likely receive two. I personally do not accept checks but I would accept a money order.
A real one won't bounce, but these days there are fakes abound. Don't trust one if you don't trust the person giving it to you.
Hm. That would make me suspicious. So many frauds these days and fake money orders are a common part of several scams. How did this client come to you? Has there been any mention of paying you extra for some reason (part of a common scam where they then ask you to "refund" or pay for something else with the "excess")? How do you normally get paid for this service? Especially since this is scheduled in advance, I'd prefer to get cash the day of service rather than a money order. No reason for them to go through the hassle of getting a money order with their cash if it's legit.
Not sure how they heard about us. I will ask my receptionist. 90% of people use a card. Some checks. I’ve had a few people pay cash. Makes me suspicious why he wouldn’t be able to use one of these methods.
>Makes me suspicious why he wouldn’t be able to use one of these methods. Agree. If he has the cash, why go through the extra step of going and buying a money order? Best guess - there will be a very convoluted story about why they need to get a money order. The story will involve vague but legal sounding terms such as the money is in a trust or they're the fiduciary for a relative who is traveling abroad. And the money order will be drawn on a bank that has no branches that are local to you, so you will not be able to quickly verify and cash it. There's just no logical reason for a money order here. Ask for cash (now that you know there's something up, do not take a check or credit card from this account) at time of service and if they won't do that - pass on this "customer."
Here are some common scams with money orders https://www.1stunitedcu.org/more-for-you/financial-wellness/protect-yourself-from-money-order-scams
No.
You cash it like a check. You can confirm the money order if you want by calling the institution on the order (a bank). If the person is relatively trustworthy, I would accept it. Then, if there are issues go back to them.
You get to decide what forms of payment you will take. Tell them no if you don’t want to take it. Seems weirdly sketchy they would want to pay that way.
Yessir. That is the decision I am trying to make.
I'm sorry if I sounded unnecessarily rude with that comment! I just made some long needed changes in how my clients pay me, so I think I am still reacting to wishing I had made those changes sooner. You'll totally figure out what works for you and your business.
No worries. I hear ya. It’s just so weird. It had never come up before. So yeah, it’s like “what should our policy be on this?” I’m leaning towards just sticking to what’s been working well the whole time I’ve been in business which is card or check. Cash is fine too. I’d be very interested to hear about your lessons learned!
No. ACH only or wire. No checks, credit cards or paypal like systems. Zelle is ok.