Crystal Stump (owner and CEO of ABC Consulting and former Virginia ABC Special Agent from the Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority) has published another video. Open your business records, because SOMETHING definitely needs your attention.
Pour yourself a drink; you’re going to need it!
Before I get into the heart of this video….if you are a Virginia ABC licensee, walk over to your posted Virginia ABC license (remember that it is a requirement that it be posted) and check the expiration date! If you don’t have your license posted and an agent pops by to do a spot inspection, this is a $500 fine. You’ll find the expiration date in the small print in the bottom, right-hand corner.
In January of this year (2022), the ABC Authority launched a new licensing system and called the Virginia ABC Licensing (VAL) system. Unfortunately, this system has gotten off to a rocky start and isn’t automatically sending out bill notices or renewal notices. THIS is a real problem as you won’t get notified if you license is expired, BUT you will be responsible for the fine!
One of the services that we offer for our clients is handling their license renewals for them. We understand in your hurry, busy business, mail gets lost, not opened, or accidentally thrown away. Perhaps your mailing address has changed, from your original ABC license application. As part of our consulting services, we keep your mailing address up-to-date and renew your license for you. In fact, we make your mailing address our address with the ABC Authority, so nothing is lost-in-the-mail, making sure all your ABC Authority mail is tended to before there are any late fees, fines or past-due compliance issues. We’ll reach out to our customers, notifying them that the license has been renewed, collect payment and then reach out, again, ensuring that the new license is posted. This could save a civil penalty for not having an up-to-date license posted at your business.
In January of this year, when VAL was put into place, we stopped getting notified of license renewal dates (so did our clients). Half the year has passed and we’re still not getting license-renewal bills. We DO have a system in place that notifies us that someone is due for renewal, so this problem won’t slip through the cracks. If you aren’t one of our clients and you are counting on the ABC Authority to notify you of when your renewal is due, you’re likely in trouble! Lucky you if your license isn’t up for renewal, yet, but you need to make a note and make sure you do the contacting and the paying and are not dependent on the ABC Authority for that notification. It’s possible that some of the ABC Authority bills were emailed, but this also poses problems: SPAM filters or people changing email addresses.
The bottom line of this particular video is that we want to make sure that you are paying attention. Walk over to your ABC license and make a note of the date. Put it on your calendar as a repeating event. You’re welcome! You are not allowed to sell alcohol with an expired license and the penalties for that are a lot more than the $500 penalty for not posting your ABC license!
One of our consulting clients said his aunt had received a bill from the ABC Authority for a license bill, because he had been living at the aunt’s home when they were going through their application. It had nothing to do with the business or the business address. It is a question of mine of why the ABC Authority used an old personal address from a several-year-ago application. I am not here to explain why mistakes happen, but the bottom line is that when you use us as your ABC consulting service, nothing falls through the cracks, nothing gets lost, and nothing gets forgotten. Compliance happens seamlessly, behind the scenes. We can help with licensing and renewals, here. And we can help your employees get up-to-date seller/server online training (only $29.95, here).
I hope you find these videos educational, informative and interesting. We are continually updating our YouTube channel with new regulations, types of license types and the ins and outs of staying compliant. Please subscribe! If you DO find this video educational and informative, please give us a Thumbs Up! This channel is perfect for future and current ABC licensees. Each week, we publish a new video discussing different license types, compliance, regulations and trainings available for your business. Being compliant will save you money – which is the whole purpose of this consulting business – to keep you compliant, save you money and educate you about the ABC regulations in the state of Virginia. I do have other videos about how to apply for a license, what else ABC Consulting can do if you use us to put together your application (if you use us, it takes us about 45 days to get our clients licensed, with a 30-day objection period). Forty-five days gives us plenty of time to make sure that your business qualifies and that you are applying for the correct license. If you aren’t in the state of Virginia, we can help with Federal licenses. If you only need a one-day license for your wedding or non-profit event, we can help you get licensed for that, too. Thanks for watching; Cheers! 800-785-0161
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