Credit Card Users

[Dr.Chipster]

I am contemplating using Propay Credit Card Service to give customers another option in paying for services and was wondering if it would be worthwhile to do so. If you would like to share, what percentage of your sales are paid by credit card? Have you all seen an increase in credit card sales in this current economy?

[mrchip]

in 23 yrs of business have never used credit card option..cash or check has been no problem..and have never had a bum check..

[patriotwsr]

I use the merchant services from my own bank. It is dial pay with the knuckle buster card swipe. The call and all only takes a minute or so and it is deposited into my business acct. You should have this option available to your customers. Make it easy for them to give you money.

[ghost rider]

Coming up on 18 years in the business and have never taken a credit card, so my % is a big fat 0. I lost one cust. many years ago that insisted on paying by credit card, never happened again. Never saw the need to take them.
But maybe us old guys need to take a step towards the future????????????

[Brent Deines]

In my windshield repair service business I resisted for years, but when I finally bit the bullet and started accepting credit cards I saw an immediate 10% +/- increase in my overall sales. Could be just coincidence, but I was never willing to cut that service to find out. I know I never carry checks and rarely carry much cash, so those who don't accept credit cards generally don't get my business.

Currently about 90% of Delta Kits customers use credit cards to pay for their purchases. I would like to think that most would still buy from us if we did not accept them, but for us it's all about trying to give the customer what they want, and we find that many people, and businesses, use credit cards for the rewards points, extended warranties, and the security, they provide.

I suppose it depends a lot on your business model, but maybe it would be a good idea to conduct a survey with your customers to see if they would prefer to pay by credit card or not. You could also include anyone you lose in the survey to see if accepting credit cards would have made a difference.

I'm not familiar with Propay. We use Intuit's credit card merchant services because of the way it integrates with QuickBooks, but Costco has a less expensive plan as do a number of other companies. Just be sure you compare apples to apples as there are sometimes hidden charges.

Don't get me wrong, there is an expense associated with accepting credit cards, and if you are happy with your income and growth without accepting them, more power to ya. I have no dog in the fight here, just relaying my personal experience.

[Nomad]

I've been looking at taking cc for a while and ran across the paypal thing on ebay. I think they take cc and it would be interesting to find out if you could take your laptop out and log on to paypal so the customer could pay directly with his cc. Anyone know if this would work?

Now that I think of it it is probably way too much trouble to do this but I still don't know for sure.

[freightshaker]

For Pete's sake, stay away from Paypal.

I had a little web business a few years ago that was making me a few bucks. All of the sudden (like Paypal loves to do), they limited my account, saying they need more information from me. Took forever to get my account opened back up, and by that time, my reputation in that market was ruined.

My wife started a small fleabay store trying to sell a few things. Just as she got some money built up in the account, they limited her account. Took forever to get it back up, and by that time she had so many negatives that she gave up.

Now that's 2 out of 2 in my house. And I know of PLENTY of other people this has happened to.

Try that Paypalsucks website to see more horror stories.

Some people say that paypal is fine, but they are either using it to buy something, or they are selling and just have't had the axe to drop YET. It will. I've heard of big players having their accounts limited out of the blue.

I read a statistic somewhere that, at any given time, X number of paypal accounts were limited (can't remember the exact number). When compared to the number of actual "active" paypal accounts, it was staggering. They have a VERY itchy trigger finger. Withdrawing money from your paypal account on a weekend constitutes "potential fraud" to them and can get your account limited.

Try one of the more reputable merchant account services. I'm not trying to be a blow-hard know-it-all. Just trying to help.

[CV Windshield Repair]

I have a fixed location, a two bay shop and have taken credit cards for repairs for several years. I would have to say that 30 percent or more pay with a credit card. It seems like Brent said that a lot of people put everything on a credit card these days.

[Dr.Chipster]

Thanks you to everyone who has replied on this topic. Propay is not the only service that I am looking at. I am also going to ask my local bank on how and if I can run credit cards. I have done a little research on propay though and I like that they have an 800 number that you can call for a quick approval on a charge. They also have some type of swipe device that you can swipe the card and then when you get home you can upload the data to propay to get paid. One thing I don't like is that they won't deposit the funds in your account unless you pay them a service charge to do so. I believe propay gives you a debit card with your funds loaded in a propay banking account.

[LGM]

Hey Dr. - if you anticipate doing a fair amount of CC business, you should look into a wireless CC terminal. I just got one and I love it. It works just like the regular machines at any retail store except it uses a wireless network to talk to the host. They do cost more than a fixed machine but, I love mine.

Also, check Sam's Club and Costo for service, you can't beat their prices.