kind. Less fees that the swipey one thats hooked to the phone line. Hell we only use it once a week anyways.
Im going to have to start taking credit cards to accomodate some customers, any insight on what or who to use vs. what or whom to avoid? THANKS IN ADVANCE
kind. Less fees that the swipey one thats hooked to the phone line. Hell we only use it once a week anyways.
My doctor gave me six months to live, but when I couldn't pay the bill he gave me six months more.
Walter Matthau
Run the credit card first then do the work your techs can call it in.If they pay buy a credit card I was told that you would lose 5% of sale I don't no if this is true or not.
you will pay some sort of fee, 2-5% probably, for every transaction. so just figure how many customers will use a cc, and up your prices accordingly.
when i first started with the co. i'm with, they wouldn't take cc. now we do and i would say it's 50-50, cc and check. people like the bennies the cc companies give them. i charge everything i can for the cash rebate on mine.
...have to use a machine or can you hand write and call in for approval?
We just write it down & call it in.You will need full name, account number,valid thru date & type of card.
and the three digit code on the back.
[Edited by billva on 02-08-2005 at 06:43 AM]
We don't do that & it works for us.
I'll be interested in how this thread comes out. Our contract is up with our machine svc and Im not overly impressed for $1300 a yr for our usage of it and yes a percentage a sales off of it. Obviusly with bigger HVAC operations it becomes more vital.
"The Bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten"
Our lease on the sliders is up in March, so I started shopping. The fees are too ourageous, regardless of whether the card is slid, called in or punched in w/zip code. We use the Nextel phones, so I met w/a Nextel rep. and discovered that the Nextel system (small slider that attaches to phone w/infrared printer) will save us thousands of dollars. No batching either. All processing is done directly online. We are a small company, but since we started offering ccards, more that half of our customers use them. So we will see...
...batching?
Daily sales need to be sent to the merchant service who uses the term "batch" for summary of all transactions on each machine for that day. If machine is not batched on the same day as the transaction, there are penalty fees. With Nextel, each transaction is done in "real time" so no summary is needed.
...gotcha
You guys need to step smartly into the technical age. My gosh.
A laptop, hooked to the net wirelessly, via a data card in the PMCIAA slot, to your web site, to your paypal account, boom ditty bang, your done.
Dow I did good just logging on.
I guess once again not knowing all that *%$## you mentioned is why I pay monthly dollars out for my ignorance.
"The Bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten"
I use what the banks call touch tone processing. No monthly fees, no equipment to lease or buy, no monthly minimums. I only pay the merchant fee for actual transactions. It was set up for seasonal businesses. You have to swipe the card with a little machine with the carbon receipts. It cost me like $15. You then call an 800 number follow the steps and the transaction is complete. Have them sign the sales slip, give them a copy, and you get a copy. Touch tone processing is only for small merchants. If you accept credit cards 100 times a day they will make you buy the machine that hooks to a phone line. I have had it for about three years and it works great for me. I probably process about 15 transactions per month.
We started accepting credit cards about a year ago. I did this kicking and screaming but it has worked out well. One of our vendors referred us to the following company:
US Netcom Data Corp
They have a web site (www.usnetcomdata.com) and toll free # 800-825-1391. I called that number and they sent out a local rep who installed the swipe machine for us. In my opinion, the fees aren't very high....1.78% - 2.95% depending on swiped or not swiped.
I must admit that the ability to accept credit cards has greatly reduced our uncollectables. You are not allowed to charge customers more for a credit card, however as some suggested above, you may increase your overall rates and then give a cash discount.
Oh, and we just accept MC and Visa with no problems. I found that the others (Amex and Discover) were just too much of a hassle to deal with.
Hope that helps :-)