Paying by credit card

[Masood]

I ask you how many times on small jobs have you been knocked. If you keep getting trouble in collecting money maybe its for you. As far as 3 am callouts are concerned a customers card or cheque book might not be produced, collect later. Please do the sums with these cash machines

I appreciate your concern, and I do intend to do the sums very very carefully, as well as looking into how long I'd be tied in to a contract, or if it's one of the machines that you buy outright, then how much I'd be paying for data usage, repairs & maintenance, etc.

I haven't actually been knocked as yet (touch wood), but have often needed to send reminders and wait quite some time for payment, when people have in fact asked when I've finished the job "Do you take cards?" If I did, I'd have been paid there and then. There has to be some value attached to not having to send reminder emails chasing payment, not to mention the reduced likelihood of being knocked..

 

[SimonG]

Cash flow would be a benefit for me. I can do two or three bathroom jobs on the trot, each being 6, 7 or 8 days long. My banks only open Mon - Fri 9.30 to 16.30. Sometimes it can be a couple of weeks before I can hit the bank. Missed a few boiler repairs because I don't take cards. As long as the numbers add up I'll definitely be sorting one out.

 

[nicro3]

As your business grows you might well find a machine is the right thing for you. The thing to do is imho is to work out the cost of the machine against the cost of your time collecting monies going to bank etc.

 

[Roger Welton]

I'm with simon gets funds into account quicker, I have definatley been asked more over the last year if I take cards or not.

 

[Guest123]

My contract term is for 1 year or annually. There are no data charges. The sim for the mobile card machine is on O2, but the machine allows free roaming on other networks if a signal is weak. There is a quarterly charge and a small charge per transaction. This is offset against your sales, you include it in the price of each job or (I hate this one) have a 2.5% surcharge for paying by card as many shops do, but I would never do. Immediately after a customer inserts their card and keys their PIN, a credit check is sent to Streamline and you know there and then if they have enough funds to pay you and the payment is made. The machine then prints a receipt with your company name and both you and your customer get a copy each. The whole process takes about 2 minutes.

OR USE THIS METHOD, YOU CHOOSE...
Ask for payment by invoice, go back another time sometimes after several reminders to collect payment. Remember if you're on say £30 an hour as your rate, you're losing this having to chase money when you should be earning it on another job.

A card machine soon pays for itself and eliminates credit problems, chasing payments and cash flow problems. It also looks very professional when a customer sees the machine that you have.

 

[SimonG]

I also think it gives the customer confidence in your business as well, they pay for their groceries by card, fuel by card, it's all part of their daily lives. But that's just me.

 

[SimonG]

A slight adjustment at the estimating stage on the old ohp and it's not costing a penny. That's the way I'll be looking at it.

 

[nicro3]

Whats the cost per q/ter

 

[Guest123]

Whats the cost per q/ter

That's the discount I'm getting from them and will hear back this week. I'll let you know full rates then.

Anyone interested in a mobile credit/debit card machine to take card payments from your customers, PM me and I'll forward your contact details to CardSave to secure our block discount.

 

[DarrenThomas]

Personally I would never expect someone to do a job in my home home then expect them to accept payment by card. There again thats my opinion.

I wouldn't pay on a card if it was a smaller job like the two I've had done recently (rad install and a room skimmed).

However I don't have 3-4k laying around to get a new boiler installed and 5 new rads. I don't even have it in a bank account. Had I not been able to pay on a card then we simply wouldn't be getting it done.

I asked RBS to give us another 5k on our mortgage (we owe £177k on a £245k house) and they said they would be absolutly delighted... as soon as I paid £200 for a new valuation and £300 product fee and then 5.5% interest.

I went to Barclaycard online and in under 10 minutes had a 0% for 23 months Balance Transfer card winging it's way to my door.

Some will no doubt argue that we shouldn't get it done until we have the money in our hands.

 

[TBServices]

I wouldn't pay on a card if it was a smaller job like the two I've had done recently (rad install and a room skimmed).

However I don't have 3-4k laying around to get a new boiler installed and 5 new rads. I don't even have it in a bank account. Had I not been able to pay on a card then we simply wouldn't be getting it done.

I asked RBS to give us another 5k on our mortgage (we owe £177k on a £245k house) and they said they would be absolutly delighted... as soon as I paid £200 for a new valuation and £300 product fee and then 5.5% interest.

I went to Barclaycard online and in under 10 minutes had a 0% for 23 months Balance Transfer card winging it's way to my door.

Some will no doubt argue that we shouldn't get it done until we have the money in our hands.

I wouldn't care where the money is coming from as long as I got paid. And if you can pay for a new bathroom over 2 years interest free, why not?

 

[Guest123]

Card Save will be contacting all forum members that PM'd me their details. It's a 01476 number or some unusual looking code like that so you'll know when you get the call!

 

[Masood]

Card Save will be contacting all forum members that PM'd me their details. It's a 01476 number or some unusual looking code like that so you'll know when you get the call!

Thanks for setting this up, mate, looking forward to his call..

 

[Mike Jackson]

If I can get card payments sorted I'll stop taking cheques. They are a complete pain in the backside. I have to take an hour out of the day to pay them in and pay £1.50 to park. When it's only a small amount it costs me more to nbank it that the cheque is worth. At the moment I'm encouraging people to pay by BT but cards would be a lot easier.

 

[theanalyst]

Sounds good this. I think I'm going to go this route as it give a much more professional front being able to accept cards..
To those concerned about chargebacks. If you only let customers pay by debit card then your good to go. No chargebacks with debit card payments. Once it's made it's made in my experience.
As for accepting credit cards. I think it's worth it in this day and age, as long as you think the customer is ok and have done a god job, I cant see a problem.
How much does it cost a quarter?

 

[REDSAW]

If I can get card payments sorted I'll stop taking cheques. They are a complete pain in the backside. I have to take an hour out of the day to pay them in and pay £1.50 to park. When it's only a small amount it costs me more to nbank it that the cheque is worth. At the moment I'm encouraging people to pay by BT but cards would be a lot easier.

eh?
dont you have a secretary?

 

[Mike Jackson]

My wife works as well so it's as much trouble for her to get down there as me.

 

[Rodolphe]

I am in the process of setting up with Payleven, a smartphone/app system. No rental, no contract, just 2.75% per transaction.

 

[Mike Jackson]

I've got the Cardsave rep coming to see me tomorrow. Sounds like a good deal.


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[hunterseye]

This is a great debate. Personally i rarely ever carry cash around with me as i always use card for payment. My honest opinion is though (for what its worth), if any proffesional came to my house to carry out work for what ever reason, produced a card terminal, i would see it as making my life a whole lot easier. It would (for me anyway) offer a wow factor. I hate having to trug out to the cash point, and have to worry if my card is being cloned as i attempt to cover up the keypad.

 

[Plum Bob 66]

Hi System 3

Just signed up with cardsave and I know it going to save me a whole lot of Hassel and the rates a re very reasonable.
Thanks for the link Colin.

Bob

 

[aquad]

Speaking of convenience. I wonder, How many customers would care to go to the trouble of wiring the funds? I have considered suggesting this, because I do not have a card machine. But so far I have not proposed it, again because I think it might be asking too much.

 

[Guest123]

Well done guys for getting your Cardsave terminals. Makes life so much easier and it offers convenience for your customers.

 

[Plum Bob 66]

Well done guys for getting yr Cardsave terminals. Makes life so much easier and it offers convenience for your customers.

You can be our cardsave Guru :yinyang:

 

[Mike Jackson]

I'm sitting in the cafe waiting for the Cardsave rep now. He's due at 2.30


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[SimonG]

Haven't heard anything yet. But been in areas with poor phone signal.

 

[Guest123]

Haven't heard anything yet. But been in areas with poor phone signal.

So have I mate, there are a lot of mountains up here in Scotland too! A software update today from them has boosted my GPRS signal to work in most problem areas.

Cardsave have offered me £50 in High Street shopping vouchers for every new customer that I put their way and gets signed up. As I said earlier in this thread, I'm not interested in doing this for ANY gain apart from helping out other forum members. I am to be contacted again by their management with details of a block discount for forum members and they are also very interested in becoming forum sponsors. So I suggest that everyone who is successful in signing up with Cardsave, gets the £50 voucher instead of me. I'll have them contact the ones who have signed to do so.

 

[Guest123]

Haven't heard anything yet. But been in areas with poor phone signal.

I'll get the Regional Manager to contact you, probably best by email so you can arrange a time to speak with them.

Just checked Simon, you didn't send me your moby number only your email addy, so can you PM me it and I'll get them to phone you.

 

[Destroyer2813]

Spoke to my rep Tuesday seems pretty good deal just gotta decide if to try it or not, my customer reasearch so far seems like most are receptive to.the idea

 

[Mike Jackson]

I've signed up for 12 months with them. Apparently Colin is on his way to becoming a millionaire with the bonus from all these sign ups.


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[Guest123]

I've signed up for 12 months with them. Apparently Colin is on his way to becoming a millionaire with the bonus from all these sign ups.


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No way mate, read my post above. A shopping voucher will be winging your way.

 

[vern]

So have I mate, there are a lot of mountains up here in Scotland too! A software update today from them has boosted my GPRS signal to work in most problem areas.

Cardsave have offered me £50 in High Street shopping vouchers for every new customer that I put their way and gets signed up. As I said earlier in this thread, I'm not interested in doing this for ANY gain apart from helping out other forum members. I am to be contacted again by their management with details of a block discount for forum members and they are also very interested in becoming forum sponsors. So I suggest that everyone who is successful in signing up with Cardsave, gets the £50 voucher instead of me. I'll have them contact the ones who have signed to do so.

Very noble fella nice one, may look into this myself......

 

[Guest123]

Very noble fella nice one, may look into this myself......

PM me your mobile number, full name and email address and I'll get the rep in your area to contact you. I've secured a block discount for forum members.

 

[vern]

PM me your mobile number, full name and email address and I'll get the rep in your area to contact you.

May do Colin....... One thing that put us off in the past was as we are a LTD company we obviously have a business bank account, we were told we needed a separate holding account the funds / payments went into, it had to stay here for a set period then got transferred into our business account, can you shed any light? Or is it one for the rep?

 

[Guest123]

May do Colin....... One thing that put us off in the past was as we are a LTD company we obviously have a business bank account, we were told we needed a separate holding account the funds / payments went into, it had to stay here for a set period then got transferred into our business account, can you shed any light? Or is it one for the rep?

I'm a Limited Company and all card payments are paid directly into my Limited Company bank account without the need for having any other separate account. Anyone who is a signature in the company can sign up. You will get duplicate receipts with your company name and address on every transaction at the point of sale as well for your records.