Card Machine - nightmare!!!

[soir]

My Girlfriend recently started up a travel agency - been trading now for about 6 months, have all licenses etc.. However major credit card company have been promising her a card machine for the past 6 months. Calls them every week or so to chase and gets the usual bul 'will send you a merchant number within 3 days, then machine will arrive 3-5 days later.

same bull now for the past 6 months - which has probably cost her in excess of £50k. She will only really book for family & friends as she is wary of advertising whilst not offering this service (lots of potentia clients are waiting to book with her, but wish to do it via company credit cards etc..)

She called on monday and the chap she spoke to her gave a little tip ' every time you phone up, your request goes to the back of the queue' you will definitely receive merchant number by Thursday this week. (so do not chase us again)

Friday, still no sign of a number (6mths down the line) Is there anything she/we can do to speed this thing up? (apart from go elsewhere)

[liszt]

Write to the Managing Director stating what you want, what response you've had, and what he proposes to do about it.

Edited for paw seplling

>> Edited by liszt on Friday 8th April 15:45

[cptsideways]

Try another supplier or bank

[vixpy1]

I went with barclays and it came 5 days after the initial request.

[john_p]

Why are you persisting with these people?

Try whichever companies (HSBC/Barclays/Streamline/etc) you haven't already.

If the business case is sound enough they will all fall over themeselves to give you the service.

[soir]

Morning All.

Many thanks for the replies. When initially researching this, we were told by most companies they they would not do it. Because apparently 'Travel' is a high risk business (especially because deposits are held on the cards for months).

The only one that said they would do it is Barclaycard - they said 'Yes' back in October/September - still waiting!!! (every time we call, they just get pi**ed off with us??!!)

[miniman]

Will they issue a merchant ID? If so, you could use something like WorldPay instead - as well as integration with your website, you can process one-off payments through the browser.

[soir]

Hi Miniman

Still waiting for the merchant number (promised it us back in October!!!) every week they just say the same 'will be within you within 3 days!!!?!

[soir]

HELP PLEASE!!!!!


Card company have finally got back to us. Goalposts have now changed - they have given us two options before issuing a merchant number:
1) 60 day payment terms (cannot afford to do this)
2) Pay for IIC? extra insurance (ontop of our bonding/licenses etc..) for the credit card co. which will be 1.8% on each transaction - however we told them approx 500k will be via credit card, so they want £7.5k up front (this is on top of the 1.5?% for each transaction to the credit company, plus £150 per month for the rental on the card machine)

Can ANYONE help please??? my g/f is really close to calling it quits & throwing in the towel (been trading since october, doing well and prepared a year before this..)

WHY DO THEY MAKE THINGS SO DIFFICULT, BARCLAYCARD HAVE ALREADY LOST A FEW THOUSAND FROM US ALREADY BY NOT ISSUING THE CARD MACHINE MONTHS AGO?

[nekrum]

We use HSBC and were recommended to my by an associate who used them after a recommendation. There have never had any problems and their rates are very very good.

[simpo two]

Alliance & Leicester here. I don't get a very competitive rate but it works well - money appears in my account quickly and they take the commission by DD. They even brought someone round to hand over the chip and pin jobbie - even though all my stuff is 'buyer not present'!