I have a question and I hope someone has had to deal with this before; one our clients recently passed away. He had a reseller account; I am aware some of his clients known he passed away because that is how we found out. Unfortunately we're unable to track down the executor of the estate (is that even common in the US?) and for now have left the account open. We were able to track down an obituary, but I am a little hesitant to contact close relatives; besides, I'm sure they don't need more things on their plate.

The account is open and that's not the problem (we are *not* looking to collect invoices or anything), but it seems that (some or most of) his clients are not tech savvy (i.e. I don't think they'll know what to do when their domain expires and we don't have any records).

So have you dealt with this before? What did you do? We have not contacted clients as we don't have his client list; though a few clients have found us (he might not have hidden the fact that he was a reseller; the personal service touch was his niche).

Thoughts?

We did not have the exact same situation, it would be hard for domain names but i do not think it is hard for hosting accounts;

I would get a list of domains hosted under his account;
get the whois admin emails from the domain list
and send them and email with the things to do list;

If the whois does not help, I would visit each web site and get the contact details or send sales@domain because this is the email they set up most; Or you can even login to their control panel and see the emails in use and add them to your email list;

Good luck, and i think this is very kind of you do care for your client's clients;

Unfortunately our company has dealt with similar circumstances in the past. It's always a terrible day at the office when such news is received. In most cases however the executor of the estate is the first to notify us and then proper action is then taken.

First and foremost I would suggest leaving the account open for the time being as a gesture of goodwill to his loyal customers. This isn't really going to hurt you and it can only reflect well upon your company.

Second, as always, it may be a good idea to consult with your solicitor for guidance. In some cases what may be the ethical thing to do is not always the correct legal direction to proceed. (SUCKS!)

Third, for legal reasons and the immediate time being I would make every effort to not divulge any specific information related to his passing or his account to any of his customers that may contact you. Just say that you have received their email and will look into the situation.

Fourth, if you are in the capacity to contact a relative then I would suggest attempting to make contact. If offering services with a personal touch was his niche then I can only assume he most likely has relatives surviving him that would be compassionate enough to point you in the correct direction of the estate executor. Often times you may see that another family member will take over the business, turn it over to you or even dissolve the business.

If the situation worsens and you are unable to get in touch with any individual that can assist you further then it may be time to consider the best way to handle his customer base directly. Let's hope it doesn't get to that point however.

Second, as always, it may be a good idea to consult with your solicitor for guidance. In some cases what may be the ethical to do is not always the correctly legal direction to proceed. (SUCKS!)


Yes, exactly; the account has been left open for the past month now. We haven't been able to track down the executor for the estate. Any idea if Florida has a public record of those?



Third, for legal reasons and the immediate time being I would make every effort to not divulge any specific information related to his passing or his account to any of his customers that may contact you.


We don't, we have strict policy to never contact a resellers clients, but some of his clients do know and contacted us directly.



Fourth, if you are in the capacity to contact a relative then I would suggest attempting to make contact.


Yes, we do have their names, but no addresses, etc. The family name is relatively common; most likely we'll have to send a letter to the last known address.



If the situation worsens and you are unable to get in touch with any individual that can assist you further then it may be time to consider the best way to handle his customer base directly. Let's hope it doesn't get to that point however.

Agreed.

Yes, exactly; the account has been left open for the past month now. We haven't been able to track down the executor for the estate. Any idea if Florida has a public record of those?
Not familiar with Florida law, sorry. I would think however that if you were able to find the obituary you would have a general geographic area pinpointed and could contact the district/county court house for assistance and information.

Not familiar with Florida law, sorry. I would think however that if you were able to find the obituary you would have a general geographic area pinpointed and could contact the district/county court house for assistance and information.

Yeah, we have that info; I guess I'll go call the county tomorrow.

Anyone from Florida here?

A month after death it may not have hit probate and public records even if there is an executor for the estate.

Probate is often skipped where there are little or no assets.

The entire process moves slower than a tired snail.

Just my opinion, two weeks after a furneral most people start to resume a normal life so contacting the nearest living would not be a major uncourtesy.

Just my opinion, two weeks after a furneral most people start to resume a normal life so contacting the nearest living would not be a major uncourtesy.

I agree with that. It is likely that they know nothing about this business, how to run it etc. and the best solution for all involved will probably be to buy your reseller's business or customer accounts.

I agree with that. It is likely that they know nothing about this business, how to run it etc. and the best solution for all involved will probably be to buy your reseller's business or customer accounts.

I agree with that

I agree with that. It is likely that they know nothing about this business, how to run it etc. and the best solution for all involved will probably be to buy your reseller's business or customer accounts.

Yes, very true; I'll figure it out :)

WOW...I never had to deal with a client's death but I did have to deal with family death and business in limbo. In my personal experience, I would not want anyone to contact me to tell me to pay off a bill my deceased relative left behind and especially if I did not know how to run it!!! I would be all confused mixed with grief. It is not a good idea to contact the family. You should contact a mutual party such as a lawyer or estate care taker

In my personal experience, I would not want anyone to contact me to tell me to pay off a bill my deceased relative left behind and especially if I did not know how to run it!!!

As was clearly stated we don't intend to collect on any outstanding bills; this isn't about billing. :rolleyes:

sry fr adding that in :S I wanted to make the point of going to a mutual party and not directly to the family especially in time of grief.

sry fr adding that in :S I wanted to make the point of going to a mutual party and not directly to the family especially in time of grief.

Right, np, that's why we're trying to find the executor of the estate.

I would make every effort to contact the legal representative of the deceased (executor, lawyer, next of kin) and try to get it dealt with. If there is no resolution after a few months, then proceed with caution in whatever manner you do.

In my personal experience, I would not want anyone to contact me to tell me to pay off a bill my deceased relative left behind and especially if I did not know how to run it!!!

From experience I can tell you that this is not true, but it depends on how the contact is made.

If you contact a family member demanding a payment you are less likely to receive a timely response... if one at all. In contrast, if you are able to establish contact with a family member and bring them up to speed on the situation (the deceased customers are in limbo, etc) you will see that almost all are willing to cooperate in one fashion or another.

From experience I can tell you that this is not true, but it depends on how the contact is made.

If you contact a family member demanding a payment you are less likely to receive a timely response... if one at all. In contrast, if you are able to establish contact with a family member and bring them up to speed on the situation (the deceased customers are in limbo, etc) you will see that almost all are willing to cooperate in one fashion or another.

Yes, exactly.
Let us know how this resolves itself