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First, a question:

Are they money-orders, or are they checks directly from "American Entertainment"? If they are money-orders, just filled out by "American Entertainment, then you can ignore this.

If they are indeed checks directly from "American Entertainment" make sure you wait 2 or 3 weeks before you decide that it has cleared your bank. If learned the hard way (and maybe Jason and Howard can back me up on this). What happens is the bank issues you the money in good faith. Then they send the canceled check to the issuing bank, and that bank sends them the money to cover it.

What has happened in the past is your bank will issue you the money, and it looks like the check cleared perfectly. Then the bank sends off the check, and the issuing bank tells your bank that there isn't money to cover it, and it bounces. Then your bank takes the money back and charges YOU for bouncing the check. It is then up to you to collect the money. So don't spend that money until at least 2 weeks go by. And don't assume that the instant you see the money in your account, that you have the money.

I would suggest adding the lines "Any bounced checks will be subject to a 20% charge." along the bottom of your refund request. Then make a copy of it.

Mine was a check - not a money order.

If at all possible, take it to the bank upon which it is written, not your own bank. You can cash it there with your ID, and they can confirm immediately whether there are funds to satisfy the check.

To those few who have received refund checks, can you tell us which bank they are from. I think Howard's suggestion is a good one and upon seeing it I am curious as to whether it is a major bank and if so if it is here where I live.

When I got my refund "check" (it was a money order) way back in December, it came from The Bank of the West, which sounded really fake to me. The money order even had a buffalo on it. I was really worried it would never clear, but it did.

Money orders are the best, as are cashier's checks. In these cases, the bank has already guaranteed the funds behind it, so you shouldn't have any concerns at all about depositing them in your accounts.

The only time I would be concerned is if the refund checks were drawn on American Entertainment's account--that's when you look at the bank name and try to find the same branch in your area. For a long time, the original company used Bank of America.

ducksqueak wrote:When I got my refund "check" (it was a money order) way back in December, it came from The Bank of the West, which sounded really fake to me. The money order even had a buffalo on it. I was really worried it would never clear, but it did.

Just an FYI.... Bank of the West is a legitimate banking institution out here in California....but I totally understand why you were skeptical about the money order from AU....we should be skeptical about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING from them