Changing cc'd processors when you have a wire service POS

Flowerchatter03

Flowerchatter03

Co-Owner and Floral Composer
Oct 14, 2007
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Cross Lanes
www.crosslanesfloral.com
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Now that we finally have our Dove POS paid for, we are considering allowing other cc processors to provide us with a quote. However, I have read here in the past about others having problems getting the passwords from TF/FTD.

Has anyone ever accomplished this or did you need to go with a new POS such as floristware?

I don't have any specific companies I am interested in, I just want to know what we are up against in the event that we find a company that we like and has great rates.

Thanks!!
 
I have been told repeatedly that TF will not let another processor into the system to process CC..The reason being is that if they give the passwords up to you, you can now drop them and have access to the full program that you just lease...they keep the passwords and prevent you from having access to the system should you choose to drop them...
 
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You can however use a cc machine separate...you can either collect all the billing info and put it under house account, let the customer go and then run the cc numbers and put the payment in as a check and use the auth # as the check number..this requires you to use a pen and paper and write down the info and then run it later and info can get lost if you get busy..I have found it to be a PITA, it makes me feel like I am not in control and then you have all these scraps of paper with cc info on them that you have to shred or risk getting fined if someone sees them or finds out you have them...

Or ou can get the credit card info first and punch that in the machine, take all the other info and put it all in and at time of sale put the auth in as a check and skip the house accounts, if you get busy and have people on hold, this gets very stressful...to me anyway and I don't stress easily...
 
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That is what I was afraid of. We have no plans to cause us more work. It may be that we will need to continue TF for the time being.

Of course, all processors will tell you that they can integrate but they have no idea how the whole wire service POS works.
 
The other thing you can do and what I am in the process of doing is to change pos software...you are paying TF 110.00 a month to use dove pos, floristware is about 100 a month to use, you do have to set it all up and put in your cutomer list, but you can use any cc processor...you are paying tf 100.00 a month for your website if you have one, strider sites are running about that a month and 250 for the start up template, but you will save that in TF fees in a few months...not sure if he has a special running right now...I wrestled with myself for 7 months with the fact that I just got done paying for my system and that I wanted to get use out of it...I still have my hardware, that is what I paid for, the software I am just renting to use like anyone elses...so I paid on average 300 extra dollars a month to Tf to use the stuff that I could get elsewhere...for 7 months that is 2100 dollars to second guess myself...a year of that silliness is 2400 dollars...you would be better to spend the few dollars on labor to set the new software and website up than give it to TF to steal your customers and use that money to market against you...not telling you what to do, just giving you the same epiphany I had when I actually sat down and disected my thoughts and hangups...You will come to your own conclusion on what you need to do for your company. I just hope I have given you some insight as to another way of thinking it through. Good luck in your decision..
 
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Lori, you make some really good points. We do not have a TF website, we have a strider site and have had it for some time. We will mull everything over and decide what to do about all this. We are (still) in the process of leaving Bloomnet which should almost be concluded (I hope).
 
I have the Dove POS from TF, but no longer a member of the wire service. I have had a bank and another cc processor contact them and they will not allow any other processor to use the system. So I am using Intuit Merchant Services and the reason I chose it, you do it all online, The only thing...when I enter it into my POS so I can print my card message for the order, I can't enter it as a CC. Definitely a PITA.
 
The wire services will not VOLUNTARILY offer to match the credit card processing fees of other companies..........but they will if you push them for it. The reason I know this is that when my former employer found out that she could get CC processing fees greatly reduced from what she was paying FTD Cashflo......The field rep said that IF SHE HAD ASKED........they would have matched the rate.
 
First off in my opinion is that TF credit card rate is the lowest you can get.
As far as getting them to match another rate its kind of like a trick answer. Because Telefloras credit card processing is a flat rate. So the only way you can get a real quote from another company is to ask them to provide you with a flat rate.

See each credit card is different some visa mastercards have miles and charge a different rate. There is a difference in swiped versus keyed in. So there is a ton of different ways to process a credit card and get charged for different rates based upon the type of the card.

Even if a merchant says let me see your credit card statement they will not see difference in breakdowns for the different card types, Swiped or Keyed In. They will only see How many Visa Mastercards Discover and American Express.

So my challenge to any of you is to find a company that will offer a flat rate for processing all cards + transaction fee. If you can't do that then you can't compare apples to apples!!

Current Teleflora Processing rates
2.59% for All Cards

Transaction Fee
.55 for American Express
.33 For Mastercard Visa
.30 For Discover Card

Remember most orders are keyed in unles you have a ton of walkin traffic and you can physically swipe the card there is no better rate.

PERIOD!!!!

BUT I WOULD LOVE TO BE PROVEN WRONG PRETTY PLEASE!!!!!
 
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Yes, Eric the CC rate with TF is the lowest a florist can get, I've been to a crack the code class on cc rates and processing. The processing fee however is the highest rate when the avg rate in the industry. So they make up it up there and if you compare it overall it pretty much equals the same amount. You are right in that I don;t think you can ever compare apples to apples.
This industry has been completely unregulated by some good ole boys who meet and decide among themselves what the rates and fees are and how they can hide all the extra charges that we as business owners don't know how to read our statement. TF and Intuit hide the interchange fees, and that is what it should be based upon.

If one beats your rate they will make it up in fees or other things like qualified vs non-qualified, debit card (they are higher than cc), hidden fees (AVS), and skimming.

You can check these websites for asistance:
loweryourfees.com
unfaircreditcardfees.com

I don't think you will ever be able to compare apples to apples. But


A good article to refer to is from INC magazine written by Jennifer Gill (April 1, 2007)
 
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