"I sent him a payment of 27.00 over 5 weeks ago, and haven't heard from him since."

Brandi, you've asked for advice, so here goes!

Has HE heard from YOU in the last 5 weeks? That's my first suggestion: contact him and ask him if there's a problem. Mail does get lost. Perhaps he never received your check. That sounds likely, since apparently your check hasn't been deposited. Perhaps he sent the chips you bought and you never received them. In either case, contacting him to ask him seems to be a pretty reasonable thing to do.

If you've done that and he hasn't replied within a reasonable amount of time, I'd follow up with another e-mail letting him know that unless you hear from him within X days (whatever you believe is fair), you will file a formal complaint with CCGTCC.

If you still don't hear from him, send a letter to the CCGTCC Claims Director, Jim Reilly, detailing how you got in touch with the dealer, when, what you ordered, when you sent your check, and each contact that has occurred since then. Print out your e-mails and send them along with your summary letter. Give Jim your CCGTCC membership number and, if you know it, the dealer's membership number as well.

Jim will conduct an investigation and will report to the Board with a recommendation for action, if appropriate.

Jim was appointed Claims Director by the Board last year, and he does a fair and thorough job with every complaint submitted to him.

Good luck!

Michael