International Exlibris Congress 2020

ARRANGEMENTS FOR REFUNDS

1. MONIES PAID TO THE HOTEL - This money has now been recovered in full. For months the "non-refundable" meeting hall deposit of £4,500 seemed at risk of being lost. The cost would have had to have come out of congress fees, but fortunately all is well. So all money received for accommodation and meals can be returned to participants. The only deductions will be in respect of bank fees incurred when making repayment (and of course any fees deducted when money was sent to the congress).

2. CONGRESS FEES - These were intended to cover (a) the Saturday dinner, (b) the Wednesday drinks reception, (c) hire of meeting and exhibition halls, and of audio-visual and exhibition equipment, (d) expenses of speakers giving talks, (e) congress book and gifts, (f) publicity, printing, administration and organisation expenses, and (g) a sum of £10 per person, to establish a fund to assist meeting the costs of running FISAE in future years. There has been no expenditure in respect of items (a), (b), (c) and (d). Re item (e) we shall still issue the congress book and gifts to every full participant and the sum of £30 per full participant will be set aside for this purpose. The FISAE funding, item (g), will be deducted from congress fees as always planned. In the absence of any congress income, the costs of preparing and closing down this event must be met from congress fees, but for a number of reasons the total final cost is unlikely to be known until 2021. In order to avoid further delay in making refunds, an allowance of £15 per person will be deducted to meet these costs. The organisers hope most sincerely that this will prove to be an over-allowance. The total of these deductions is £55 for each full participant and £25 for each accompanying spouse or friend. Monies sent in respect of accompanying children will be refunded in full.

3. IF YOU PAID ONLY A DEPOSIT - There were some people who paid only a deposit of £25 but then either wrote to cancel or they caused particular trouble to the organisers by not replying when asked to confirm their booking and send payment. The original terms were that this deposit would be refundable only in event of clear cases of ill-health. The organisers do not accept that the change of location of the event from Cambridge to London gave valid grounds for cancellation. The consequence is that in most cases the £25 deposit will not be refunded but will be allocated to FISAE (£10 per person) with the residue towards congress expenses. Write to the organisers if you consider that your case deserves different treatment. Send an email if you wish to purchase the congress book and accompanying items at favourable terms.

4. MEMBERS OF THE BOOKPLATE SOCIETY - Your subs for 2019 and 2020 already entitles you to the congress book, so the sum charged under 2(e) above is reduced to £10.

5. METHODS OF REPAYMENT - The organisers are faced with a time-consuming and difficult task of making repayments. Where monies were received by bank transfer, the advices of receipt do not show all information needed for making repayments. This means that EVERY PARTICIPANT must supply repayment instructions, giving details of the account to which repayment is to be made. In some cases, payment by PayPal may be more efficient. The organisers have not found it possible to make repayments directly from the congress bank account with HSBC Bank plc, and there have been obstacles to making grouped refunds.

Belgium and countries in the Euro zone: - Repayments to all participants from these contries have been made in Euros from the bank account of the FISAE president in Belgium. Euro area countries are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.
United States: - Repayments to all participants from the USA have been made in dollars from the bank checking account or the dollar PayPal account of The Bookplate Society.
United Kingdom: - Repayments have been make to all UK participants.
China and Turkey: - A single group payment to one account has proved impossible. We therefore still await completed claim forms so that individual repayments may be made. If you have not received a claim form, write to us to ask for this.
Hong Kong: - In most cases, we plan a single group payment to one account.
Other countries: - Repayments through Transferwise or by PayPal have been completed to all participants from the rest of the world.

6. PAYMENT ELSEWHERE ? - If you have a UK bank account, or if you have any international purchases to make, in the UK or elsewhere, or to The Bookplate Society, we may be able to send payment according to your instructions.

7. EXCHANGE RATES AND FEES ON RECEIPT - Efforts are being be made to send funds in the best way possible, but please understand that rates of exchange applied by banks and fees charged on receipt of transfers are outside the control of the congress organisers.

8. NEXT STEP - Every participant has been contacted by email and asked to complete a form. If you have not yet sent this form back, please now do so quickly.
Write to us if you have not received this.

9. PURCHASE OF ITEMS IN EXHIBITION - This form also asks for your best offers to purchase any of the items in the online exhibition. Sale of such items will help to cover the costs of preparing this congress. The cost of items purchased, plus postage, will be deducted from your repayment.

10. TIMING OF REPAYMENTS - Individual repayments started on 24 September 2020. These repayments are very time-consuming. We have had, in some cases, to exchange numerous emails before transfers were achieved. No repayment can be made until a claim form and bank account details are received from the beneficiary.

11. EVENTUAL SURPLUS AND ACCOUNTS - Your organisers do not accept to be left with a loss. Assuming that there is found, in 2021, to be a small surplus this will (as originally announced) be paid 50/50 to Cancer Research UK and towards funding an online database of British bookplates. It remains the intention, at the time of closing the congress bank account, for financial statements to be published online.

12. AUCTION - It is our hope to organise in 2021 the international auction that had been planned for 14 August 2020. Details will be circulated when more is known. We remain interested in offers of exlibris material that is of high quality, value and international appeal.

Anthony Pincott
Most recently updated on 3 March 2021