Decided To Not Accept Credit Cards, What About Visa Cheques?

Winchester

I was very seriously considering accepting credit cards because I've had more than one customer in the past month ask me.

I was also considering Paypal.

Until I read the posts here about chargebacks and disputes.

What abotu Visa Cheques? I know I can get them with my Visa, would this be something to bring up to a customer who wants to pay with Visa? Are these still succeptable to disputes and chargebacks?

I would expect them to be safe but has anyone had experience with them?

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Ryan

smadax

Huge amounts of fraud going on with Paypal, I've recieved an email supposidly from Paypal, but when you click the link and add your account and password, it's a scam and that information is recorded to access your account and empty your funds. Always double check by going directly to the paypal website to verify.

Visa cheques... depends on your working relationship with your bank. We've had limited fund withdrawals and holds put on these checks because the bank can't contact Visa to verify the funds, it has to be processed.

Clients like the low interest rates, but we won't accept them anymore.

Ed the Roofer

There is some sort of wording on a form that you can have the customer sign at the time if credit card payment, that acknowledges that the fee is correct and thay the charges are authorized and fair.

The most common charge back, from what I have been told, is when you don't get a signature from them in person, as in an over the phone transaction, but the swiped ones, not only are safer and more authoritive, but also about 1/2% less of a fee.

Ed

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ChainsawCharlie

I've been dealing with PayPal for nearly nine years now. Been involved in three disputes. One I initiated. I won all three. The disputes were ebay related. I have hundreds of credit payments received, and never a problem.

ChainsawCharlie

And PayPal is the only way I accept credit cards.

AtlRemodeling

Winchester,

To the best of my knowledge a client can not issue a chargeback on a Visa check. Since they are writing a check with signature, etc it operates just as if they wrote a check from their bank account. They could claim check was fraudulent/forged but they put their butt on the line trying something like that.

Your bank may want to hold funds for X number of days since they can not verify funds as smadax stated. I have had numerous clients over the last 5-6 years use Visa checks and never had a problem.

HomeSealed

I don't think I'd be in business if I didn't accept credit cards. I would say a solid 50% of our business is paid by credit card. We have the customer sign an authorization form for the full amount as part of the contract, and we've never had issues with charge-backs or anything else.

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DetailHandyman

Charlie,

I'm thinking about offering PayPal for my customers. I understand how the PP works, I use it for Ebay.

But how do you deal with the customers on this?
Have them send the PP and you verify first? Sit them down at the computer and watch them log-in?

What's your normal procedure if the customer wants to use PP?

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Grumpy

If you do good work you probably won't have disputes from your customers. If you CYA and have your customers sign documentation when processing the card, especially having your lawyer come up with a clause negating their right to dispute which I have seen before, then you will win all disputes.

Someone once told me they had all their funds deposited into one account, and daily would transfer the funds to another account. If there was ever a dispute the merchant account company wouldn't have any funds to draw against except possible future funds. THis would prevent against possibly bouncing checks or something if the credit card company withdrew funds to cover a dispute and you wrote a check thinking the funds were there.

I've had one dispute in the 5 years I have been accepting cards with my company, and the 3 years before I started my company. That dispute was actually valid and an error on the credit card company who double charged the customer. Oops, he got his money back and we actually got more work from him a year or so later.

Stone Mountain

In 4 seasons, I've had only one chargeback on our Visa. For 2%, it's hugely convenient. No running around to pick up cheques, no running to the bank. Take the # by phone. deposit it electronically.
Easy.
I pay 1.65% by the way.

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ChainsawCharlie

I email the invoice and send a request through Paypal. I don't worry about verified with my customers. Even the new ones. I trust them. As far as ebay is concerned, I will only accept from verified.

Pesonally....I prefer to avoid credit cards when at all possible. But if that's how they want to pay, I oblige. It's not a trust issue for me. it's a 3% issue. It adds up.

ChainsawCharlie

And I'm only dealing with one or two transactions a month. If I get to the point where demand warrants, I will get one of the mobile/portable/wireless/cellular type scanners I can take with me and swipe cards on the spot.

threaderman

Credit card transactions for me last year alone were at least 10 or 15 grand.I'm happy to provide the service,and I've never bein burned,knock-on-wood.You have to go with whatever is best for your business.

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Ed the Roofer

What do those units cost?

Or, do they comp you the equipment?

Ed

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ChainsawCharlie

Wide range of prices. Don't really remember if there were any freebies. Seemed like 90% used at&t's cell system (gprs?). I think there was a monthly fee involved, plus transaction fee. But since I could actually swipe the card, it was the best rate.

Overall, I think pricewise, it was right in line with the average merch service.

I had a few links, but lost them. One of these days I'll get around to researching them again, and will post my results.

I remeber an app out there too that you could use on a touch screen smart phone.

the one I remeber most...A card swipe machine that actually had memory. If you were out of cell range, it would store the info till you got to a land line to plug in. Or you could just use it that way without activating the cell service. I think the unit was around $500 though.

ChainsawCharlie

brain flash and a quick search...

nurit 8020 in case the link gets boot for ad violation. Price seem to be all over the place, so shop around.

http://www.merchantequip.com/process...ls/nurit-8020/

http://www.verifone.com/

DetailHandyman

Thanks, Charlie.

I'll give that a try.

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HomeSealed

Be careful about getting a swiping unit. A lot of them try to lock you into a long term lease on the unit and then it becomes obsolete before the lease is even up...I learned the hard way. I'd recommend using your own bank's services, or if your accounting system offers one. I use quickbook's merch service and it works seamlessly.

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Carport King

I would think that by not accepting credit cards is like cutting off half your sales. Wow we do about 47% of our sales with cc.

We do most of ours when the job is sold and when completed.

Never thought of paypal?

Oh well will check it out!

CNC

anyone see the IPHONE APP, for excepting credit cards, it will accept or deny on the spot, and it is way easy to use, and at 50 dollars, its a steal, it has got great reviews! perfect for service calls