Credit Department

The R. E. Michel Company gladly extends open account privileges to all qualified applicants, according to, and in support of, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The ECOA prohibits creditors from discriminating against credit applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin,sex, marital status, age (provided that the applicant has the capacity to enter into a binding contract), because all or part of the applicant's income derives from any public assistance program or because the applicant has, in good faith, exercised any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act. The federal agency that administers compliance with these laws is the Federal Trade Commission, Division of Credit Practices, 6th St and Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20580.

The R.E. Michel Company promotes the use of major credit cards at the point of sale, at the same fair price as cash or open account transactions.

It is preferred that the card be presented at the counter. Ask either your sales rep. or a branch manager for details on the simple convenient procedure for telephone orders. Credit cards can also be used on our online odering system.

Credit Card companies do not allow the use of their cards for payment of an existing open account balance.

Payment is due on the 10th of the month following the date of invoice, or Net 10th Prox. Statements are issued at the end of each month, and mailed on the first business day of the following month. Payment is due based on the invoice, whether or not a statement is received. Balances unpaid at the end of each month may be assessed a Service/Finance or a Delinquency Charge, calculated at the rate of 1.5% (18% APR), or the maximum rate allowed by state law, whichever is smaller.

Each statement contains the name and phone number of the credit person assigned to your account. If, for any reason at all, payment cannot be made when due, it is highly recommended that you call this person. Prompt and effective communication is the key to our ability to work with you to resolve any problems.

If the problem is simply a missing invoice, each statement also contains a number to call to request a copy. It is highly recommended that you register with our Online Invoice Search System, for the fastest most convenient way to get a copy of an invoice. Scanned copies of signed tickets are generally available within two weeks of the date of the invoice, entirely dependent upon the timeliness of the billing branch location. Computer data for each invoice is available from this system within seconds of the transaction..

As a wholesale distributor, it is our responsibility under the law to collect sales and use taxes on behalf of the various tax jurisdictions in which we do business. These state and local governments understand that certain of our customers may be exempt from paying sales and use taxes, or that they may be allowed to pay these taxes directly to the appropriate jurisdiction. For us to refrain from billing and collecting appropriate taxes, we must have on file a valid exemption certificate for the specific purchase or type of purchase, depending on circumstances. We ask, in advance, for your cooperation in helping us comply with state or local laws.

If you have a valid blanket-type sales and use tax exemption, or you are allowed by your state or local government to pay these taxes directly to them, you will have been given a certificate specifically worded for that purpose. Please send a copy of that certificate to us immediately, to avoid any billing problems. If you do work for an organization that is tax exempt, and if that exemption can be passed on to you for that transaction, you must have a valid exemption certificate, also specifically worded for that purpose. Please provide that certificate to us at the time you place the order.

In any circumstance in which we do not include tax on an invoice, and then determine that we do not have a valid certificate, we will retroactively bill the appropriate sales or use tax.

Note: A License To Collect Sales Tax is not the same thing as a tax exemption. Any valid certificate will contain words like or similar to "exemption", "exempt", for re-sale", pay directly to" or "non-taxable". If you have any questions concerning your taxable status, please contact your state or local taxing authority.