Card Payments …which way to go?

[trotter]

Hi all 😀

We have decided that we MAY have to move into this century and start taking credit & debit card payments in house, over the ‘phone & possibly online.

We have been approached by Qixpay and have a meeting set up for tommorow, if anyone has any comments regarding Qixpay they would be most gratefuly received.

Any other advice is also MOST welcome {e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} per transaction etc also how do you guys manage with a terminal if you are “Out of signal” is it a problem that occurs very often?

MANY THANKS in eager anticipation 😉

[Martin]

Re: Card Payments …which way to go?

trotter wrote:Any other advice is also MOST welcome {e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} per transaction etc also how do you guys manage with a terminal if you are “Out of signal” is it a problem that occurs very often?

There’s a number of threads on Credit Card Terminals and GPRS devices so a quick search will reveal more on the subject.

However, referring directly to the subject of “out of signal” I must say that it can be quite a pain in the bum. As, like many mobile phone networks, a fair few ‘duff signal areas’ are commonplace throughout the UK and cause the same grief when using GPRS terminals.

Merchant service providers do tend to supply mobile units with their basic choice of network provider. So it’s best to ask which one they go for, bearing in mind that they can be set on any and all networks so if you have a favourite ask them to set up a Sim card for that network. For example, mine came set on o2 and o2 in my area is the pits, I sent it back and they have reconfigured it to Vodafone, no problem for me now…! 🙂

Having said that, even in my patch Vodafone has a few no signal areas of which I’m fully aware of and take cheques off customers instead of wrestling to get a GPRS signal, no problem either way I reckon. 😉

[steve1]

Re: Card Payments …which way to go?

hi
i have been taking card payments for about 18 months now by using a mobile terminal. its much easier than thking cheques , also you can take a payment over the phone (customer not present,) its been very good, if i am out of a area and i cannot get a signel, i can take card details and manually input the card number , later on,when i have a phone signal.but i must say 99{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of the time i have always got a phone signal(it tells you on the display) of the card machine i looked in to all the card machine providers and found CARDSAVE TO BE THE CHEAPEST,
i hope this helps you, i now do not accept cheques. only card payments or cash.

steve

[trotter]

Re: Card Payments …which way to go?

Thanks both Martin & Steve, I will do a search again and a bit more swatting! It is interesting that you mention cardsave Steve ……I am awaiting a call from there sales team whilst Qixpay are due in tommorow.

I am sure we will wonder how we managed without the card facility once we start using it!

Thanks again

[Martin]

Re: Card Payments …which way to go?

trotter wrote:I am sure we will wonder how we managed without the card facility once we start using it!

You’ll find that 95{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of your customers are well up for paying you in this way anyway. Only the ‘old duffers’ these days stand there with the chequebook open, everyone else is shuffling through their credit card pile ready to pay up front.

As far as merchant services are concerned, well it’s open season these days with many jostling to find a new subscriber with the biggest potential turnover. And the more transactions you make each day the cheaper each transaction will cost you. A one man band will struggle though to get anywhere near a decent percentage rate and therefore forced by default to ramp up his labour charges to offset that additional expense incurred. But only by the smallest of margins overall as the convenience and potential income guarantee from each and every transaction is worth the commitment.

[steve1]

Re: Card Payments …which way to go?

hi
again
its worth taking card payments , also you get the payment quicker than waiting for a cheque to clear,also you do not nave to find a bank and wait to pay in your cheques, my card payment machine has been a godsend over the last 18months ive had it, i would not be with out it,i found cardsave to be excellent
thanks
steve

[fo3oz]

Re: Card Payments …which way to go?

I go through my local bank, who just provide me with a “first data” login
http://www.firstdata.com/en_us/home
Designed mainly to get CC numbers and details over the phone for businesses shipping parts, but works fine if you have internet access on the road and can do it all onsite.

I thought about getting a mobile terminal, but that’s just extra fees and equipment rental, and to be honest, most people still get their cheque book out here (businesses, landlords and whatever still like paying by cheque for some reason), Real estate agents pay me by direct bank transfer after I’ve sent the invoice after, and the non business private home owners normally have the cash on hand if I let them know before hand the cost.

It’s really only the non business private home owners that I rock up to that I can fix on the spot and it’s over $150 that want to pay be credit card, so only about 3-4 jobs a week for me, not worth a terminal, so I stick with first data and my laptop and modem as I mainly get cheques still and cash payments.

[Martin]

Re: Card Payments …which way to go?

fo3oz wrote:as I mainly get cheques still and cash payments.

I’ve been to New Zealand and saw how they are still stuck in the 20th century. Never been to Oz but I guess, from what you tell us here, the same applies does it? A sort of…. the front door key is under the mat, let yourself in, let me know how much I owe you and I’ll drop a cheque through your mailbox next time I’m passing. 😈

[fo3oz]

Re: Card Payments …which way to go?

Martin wrote:

fo3oz wrote:
as I mainly get cheques still and cash payments.

I’ve been to New Zealand and saw how they are still stuck in the 20th century. Never been to Oz but I guess, from what you tell us here, the same applies does it? A sort of…. the front door key is under the mat, let yourself in, let me know how much I owe you and I’ll drop a cheque through your mailbox next time I’m passing. 😈

Pretty much, yes. At least for the customers I get and the type of work I do.
It’s either that, or dealing with manufacturers (ie warranty work) that make me jump through hoops, make me wait months for payment, and try play a little game where they try to charge me more (for parts I’m changing under warranty) than they are paying me for the job.

Ie changed a few dead split system a/cs over, they claim they never received the old units, so billing me $3k for the new units.

Or another manufacturer charging me $600 for a PCB and only reimbursing $400 for it. (With that manufacturer I have to buy everything up front, even for warranty stuff, and they reimburse me when they approved warranty)

I like dealing with the old basic customers in comparison.

[Author]

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