Gift Certificates
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Through February 28, 2010, WBBA member inns welcomed your "CertifiChecks".
CertifiChecks, which administered gift certificate programs for thousands of non-profit associations, chambers of commerce and other tourism groups around the country, announced its Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing on February 26, 2009.
The Wisconsin Bed & Breakfast Association (WBBA), like many other non-profits, was stunned. WBBA had contracted with CertifiChecks to handle their gift certificate transactions, which included having CertifiChecks accept payment from gift certificate purchasers, to then reimbursing the B&B owners when the certificates were redeemed.
For one year, member inns of the Wisconsin Bed & Breakfast Association dipped into their own pockets to honor the worthless "CertifiChecks".
WBBA wants guests to know it is not the Wisconsin Bed & Breakfast Association or innkeepers that collected the money, it was CertifiChecks. Our sincere thank you to the innkeepers who warmly welcomed the guests who presented the worthless "CertifiChecks", and to the guests who appreciated our hospitality under these circumstances. This was a difficult situation for certificate holders, innkeepers, and WBBA.
July 2011: The final report (195 pages, listing over 1200 claimnants) for CertifiChecks' bankruptcy has been released and the petitioners whose claims were approved were paid 10 cents on the dollar.
WBBA now administers its own Gift Certificate program.
