[Dixielandjazz] Getting Stiffed

[Stephen G Barbone]

Larry asked what to do when a venue doesn't pay you. His was an  
Assisted Living Venue.

I  had that experience with an Assisted Living Facility early last  
year. Here's how it went:

1) Performed and left an invoice with the Activities Director

2) After 30 days, sent a statement to the Activities Director

3) After 15 more days, called the Activities Director (she was on  
maternity leave)

So I called the executive director of the facility. Switchboard would  
not put me through, but would take message and promised a call back. I  
left message.

All through the above, there was no response from facility to me so I  
mailed a statement to the Executive Director, and called again leaving  
message that I would pursue legal remedy if i did not hear from them.  
- Again, no response.

I looked up the parent company of this venue on line and lo and  
behold, there was a procedure to use when you were having a dispute  
with one of their local facilities. I followed that procedure and also  
wrote a letter to the Chairman of the Board about my problem, sending  
supporting information.

I got my check in 10 days with a letter of apology from the Chairman.

Failing that, I would have taken them to small claims court. In PA,  
all you need is your invoices and statement that you performed a  
service and did not get paid. When you win, the defendant has to pay  
court costs. This is an easy procedure and the court clerk will help  
you through the process.

BUT, in my experience, the easiest way to get a problem resolved with  
a company, is to write the Chairman of the Board and make your case.  
It has always worked for me.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone