Vermilion Advantage has decided to discontinue their Chamber Dollars program.
In a statement issued by Vermilion Advantage President and CEO Vicki Haugen, it was announced that no additional Chamber Dollar checks will be issued after the 15th. Checks that are already issued will still be redeemable for one year from the issue date.
Though the Chamber Dollars were pre-paid checks, there have been problems with third-party check approval companies denying the checks at point of purchase. The release also noted some issues of fraud since many retailers do not require the actual taking of the check.
Chamber Dollars were launched in 2002 as a end-of-the-year holiday program to encourage local shopping. More than $2.5 million in checks have been used since then.
Haugen states in the release that after the first of the year, Vermilion Advantage will start working on another “shop local” project with local retailers.
