Google Check Payments Held? Or Checks Lost?

What is happening with your check?

[farfar]

Google says AdSense payments by check should be received by its affiliates in the US in 1-2 weeks. The USPS website says first class mail speed is 1-3 days anywhere in the US. This made me wonder why the discrepancy.
I know of a most recent Google AdSense check with a printed date of 2/27/2006 and with "postmark" on the envelope (probably via Google's Pitney Bowes or similar machine) dated 2/27/2006, and the check was sent from Buffalo, NY. We have no way of knowing when the check was actually released to the USPS and "mailed" since there are no USPS marks on the envelope.

Why would this check not arrive at its destination in the US until 3/9/2006? This is 11 days total.

We just received a check from another merchant in California via the USPS and it was dated 3/6/2006. This is 3 days.

If Google is "cutting checks" and then holding and not mailing them, then several things come to mind:
1. Why would they do this? They couldn't be having cash flow troubles.

2. Google has told their affiliates the checks are cut on 2/27. This would be a "fiction" if they hold the check.

3. The proper accounting treatment for "checks held" is to record this as a liability on their balance sheet. I just looked at their Balance Sheet in their latest 10-Q and I don't see any such liability recorded. That leads me to believe they have recorded these checks held as a reduction of cash assets(which it is not).

Now I guess this check could have been lost for a week. I know the USPS gets a lot of flack for slow/lost mail, but I never have troubles with first-class mail.

What is your experience receiving AdSense checks in the US?

[jomaxx]

I got my check a week ago, also mailed from Buffalo, so IMO all those accusations and insinuations are over nothing.

[europeforvisitors]

When I was receiving checks from Google, they always arrived promptly. Electronic deposit is quicker still. Why don't you use it? You'll save yourself a lot of paranoia.

[LifeinAsia]

If the meter says 2/27/2006 it has to be delivered to the Post Office by the last pickup time on 2/27/2006. Otherwise, the Post Office is not supposed to accept it for sending. They may sometimes let it slide 1 day.

[kokaroach]

I'm in Canada and I got my G check about a week ago, from Buffalo NY with the same postmark and dates as the OP outlined.

As for their accounting procedures, they must have that under control or else some of their bigger investors would have already called them on it.

EFV, I'll keep being paid by check until I get at least one for more than $10,000 - DAGNABBIT! Nearly did it last year. I was $380 short one month. ;-)

[LifeinAsia]

EFV, I'll keep being paid by check until I get at least one for more than $10,000

Just curious- why do you want to throw away the interest you would earn by getting the money earlier with EFT?