Certified Mail

Can you believe the USPS has lost certified mail?

Lost in the mail

It might sound like a cliche, but it is the truth. A number of the refund checks we mailed to those who entered the Rock Spring Farm essay contest have not been delivered.

If you are one of the unfortunate ones who has not received your check, you will. We had hoped when we published the post that by May 1 we would have written and mailed the reissued checks. We have not received the checks for the second account. Our target date is now June 1. We hope by then the remaining checks will have been written, mailed, received and cashed!

Randy and I would appreciate your patience and your prayers.

Carolyn

I posted the following on the RSF Facebook page April 8, 2016, in response to those who have been less than kind to us about the undelivered checks. 

The bank has offered a suggestion that Randy and I have decided to implement. Before I detail the plan, I want to advise that I will block ANYONE who attacks this plan or who posts another negative comment.

This plan will not cost anyone the stop payment fee. The hundred or so people who are waiting for the return of their entry fees will receive their refunds sent by certified mail. We will absorb the postage, so implementing the plan will not cost you anything.

JUST TO BE CLEAR: The plan the bank has suggested will ensure that each person who has yet to receive his or her refund will receive $200 without incurring a stop payment fee or additional postage.

As an aside: two checks cleared the bank today. We wrote one of the checks January 10 and the other February 22. As the postmaster assured me, the checks will arrive; no guarantee when.

Are you with me?

Do you understand you WILL receive your $200?

Randy and I will reissue the outstanding refund checks, but they will be issued from a different checking account.

We will close the current Rock Spring Farm checking account April 15, 2016, and transfer the money to the new checking account.

We will wait a week to close/open/transfer the funds to be sure that if you deposited your refunds today will not be charged a returned check fee. Once we close the current account, any checks drawn against the current account will be returned because the account will be closed.

YOUR BANK OR CREDIT UNION, most likely, will assess your account a fee. If you do not submit the RSF check for cash or deposit, you will not be charged that fee. We WILL NOT be responsible for any returned check fees!!!

The point is: IF YOU HAVE YOUR CHECK AND HAVE NOT DEPOSITED IT, DO NOT! WE WILL ISSUE YOU ANOTHER CHECK DRAWN ON A DIFFERENT BANK ACCOUNT.

You should receive the reissued check about May 1. It will be sent via the USPS and you will need to sign for it.

We WILL NOT PAY a stop payment fee for any reason for any check drawn on the new checking account.

If you have a different address, SEND your new address to us at the RSF e-mail account: rockspringfarmvirginia@gmail.com.

JUST TO BE CLEAR:
1. You will receive your $200 entry fee from a different checking account;
2. You will not have to pay a stop payment fee;
3. At our expense, we will send your refund via certified mail;
4. You will need to sign for the envelope;
5. You will receive your check about May 1;
6. DO NOT deposit the waylaid check;
7. If you deposit the check that has been missing, our bank will return it to your bank;
8. Your bank, most likely, will charge you a return check fee;
9. We will not be responsible for YOUR return check fee;
10. We will not be responsible for any stop payment fee for checks drawn on the new checking account;
11. We will block anyone who posts a negative comment about anything, including this plan; and
12. If you have a new address, send it to us via the RSF e-mail address; do not send it to us via this site or a PM.

Rock Spring Farm is for sale. Price: BELOW MARKET VALUE!

Rock Spring Farm is for sale. This magnificent property is located on Virginia's Middle Peninsula about 10 miles north of Tappahannock in Essex County. The price is $615,000, which is below market value. If you are interested in buying the farm, please call Randy at 804-241-5200 or send an e-mail to rockspringfarmvirginia@gmail.com, At some point, if a buyer does not come forth, we will list the farm with a real estate firm for a much greater price.

3,500 square feet, four bedrooms, three full bathrooms, two 1/2 baths

Beautiful sunroom overlooks the farm

View from the south

Kitchen

Master Bedroom

Dining Room

Sunroom

Enjoy grilled food year-round!!

900-square-foot, two bedroom, upscale cottage is rented and generates a nice monthly income!

1,400-square-foot workshop has HVAC!

5-stall barn with a loft

20 acres of hardwood trees

Visit our FaceBook page to see more photos of this stunning property!

https://www.facebook.com/virginiahorsefarm/photos_stream?tab=photos_albums

Keep in mind that the cottage is rented to a retired police officer who recently completed paramedic training. He works for a firm that provides security detail for high-profile clients. He travels extensively and pays his rent on time. He would like to live on the farm for a long, long time.

Previous posts of interest:

http://www.rockspringfarm.org/2015/03/the-structures.html

http://www.rockspringfarm.org/2015/10/cottage-generates-rental-income.html

http://www.rockspringfarm.org/2015/09/rockspring-farm-three-hundred-years-of.html

http://www.rockspringfarm.org/2015/03/the-history-of-rock-spring-farm.html

http://www.rockspringfarm.org/2015/03/an-abundance-of-wildlife-lives-at-rock.html

http://www.rockspringfarm.org/2015/08/listening-to-crickets-this-gorgeous.html

Rock Spring Farm is for sale!

We learned a television station in New England announced our contest this morning. As much as we appreciate the publicity, unfortunately, it is about two months too late!

We canceled the contest the end of November because we did not receive enough entries. However, Rock Spring Farm is for sale! Please let us know if you are interested in buying it.

The price for contestants and visitors to this page is $615,000, if you enter into a contract with us before we list the farm with a real estate agent. We will do that once we finish purging the clutter! The market value for the farm is a lot more that the tax assessment, so you would acquire equity AND a beautiful farm!

Since we canceled the contest, Randy and I are writing refund checks as quickly as we can; we want you to receive your money as soon as possible.

We are writing refund checks in chronological order. We just mailed checks for most of the essays we received October 3. The rest of the October 3 refunds will go out Tuesday.

A couple of you have said you have not received the checks we mailed several weeks ago. For whatever reason, the mail is incredibly slow. Your check still may be en route to you. Part of the backlog can be attributed to the Christmas rush; since we are two weeks into January that no longer seems to be a viable excuse. We used your envelopes, so the addresses should be correct!

Our bank charges a $35 stop payment fee. If we need to issue another check, we will deduct the stop-payment fee from the second check.

Keep in mind MANY essays arrived without SASEs and/or entry forms. We truly appreciate the trustee's conscientiousness and attention to detail, or we would have no record of your entries. We will process those entries last -- after we refund the fees for essays we received in early November.

Please be patient. Refunding the entry fees is complicated due to cross-checking, verification, and the sheer number of essays we received; it is not a process we feel comfortable handing over to someone else. Several people have offered to help, and we appreciate their graciousness.

Keep in mind that the people who entered the contest in April and May waited eight months for their refunds. Those who entered in October and November will wait less than four months.