My girlfriend sold some jewelry to this place back in 2012. She received a check for $200, but misplaced it before she could deposit it into her account. We were going through our files late last year, and found the check. My girlfriend tried to deposit it, but it was returned unpaid since the account it was drawn on had already been closed. I figured it was probably a lost cause, but I decided to drop a line to the business on Yelp to see if they would be willing to help.
The initial response I got from "Diamond Jim" (the business owner, James K.) was prompt and promising. He asked for a copy of the check, and promised to look at their books from 2012 to straighten the matter out. I was surprised and pleased, and already writing a positive review of the business in my head. Unfortunately, things went downhill after that.
After an initial back-and-forth making sure he had received the check images, the owner promised to contact me again after the new year. However, by March, I hadn't heard back. I sent a message asking about the status, and he immediately answered that someone must have fraudulently cashed our check back in 2012 and that their bank had "contacted the authorities". This doesn't add up, as the check never left our possession, and was never endorsed until 2016.
This whole experience has left us confused. I think I understand the reluctance to make payment years after the fact, even though they did rightfully owe the money. But why even respond to my message initially if you were just going to give us the runaround in the end? The real lesson is to run to the bank with any checks you may receive from this business -- they'll only pretend to help if you happen to have any issues.