Certifichecks Program
The Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors elected to redeem CertifiChecks submitted to the chamber by chamber member-businesses. The board very much wants the original purpose of the CertifiChecks to continue; they want them to be used to spur local spending.
Therefore, we are asking area residents who may be holding CertifiChecks to go out and spend them at chamber-member businesses throughout the Petoskey region.
As members of the chamber, we hope that you will once again accept the CertifiChecks at full value, provided they have not expired. Please check the date of issue on the check. If it was issued prior to Feb 26, 2008, it is no loger valid. The chamber is only able to assume the risk on current checks and not those that have expired.
If the date on the check is Feb. 26, 2008 to the present, then accept it as full value for the customer's purchase. Then, instead of sending the check to your bank as you would have done in the past, simply submit the check to:
Accounts Payable
Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce
401 E Mitchell St
Petoskey, MI 49770
Make sure you provide us with the name of your business, the name of the individual submitting the redemption order, and the complete address of your business. The value of the check will be returned within ten business days. For your convenience, the chamber has created a redemption form that you can use when submitting checks.
It is important that you not send the CertifiCheck to your bank as it will be returned. A handy Instruction card is attached to post near your cash register or to share with cashiers. We have also provided a sign you can post within your business to let your customers know that you once again accept CertifiChecks.
The money being used to reimburse members for the CertifiChecks will come from the chamber's reserve funds. The board wants chamber members to understand that the decision to reimburse members came with a great deal of research and deliberation. We are not able to determine how many un-redeemed checks still linger in the community, but the board wants to make sure we do the "right thing" on behalf of our members and the public in general. The money to cover these checks was never in the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce account; the money was instead with CertifiChecks, Inc in Dayton, Ohio. The chamber has had this program since 2001 and it was never a source of profit for the chamber, in fact the chamber incurred costs to run it. However the board always supported the program as a way to encourage local spending. In 2008, we sold more than $65,000 worth of checks.
The Board of Directors and staff for the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce greatly appreciate your patience and understanding during this difficult time. We were forced into an unfortunate situation, but after careful deliberation we know we are doing the right thing for our members no matter the cost of the organization.
If you have any questions, please call the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce office at (231) 347-4150, M-F 8 am to 5 pm and Sat 10 am to 4 pm.
