Client owes us money, but is suffering a severe cash flow.
However, he has offered to pay using one of many credit cards, but we gave up our credit card machine some while back as not many clients used this to pay our bills and the yearly cost was making it uneconomical to offer this method of payment
Is there any solution to getting paid without a PDQ machine?
(PS. I have already told client we will accept a "Credit Card" cheque, but he says none of the credit cards he has allows him to issue these cheques)
Thanks
Replies (8)
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Do either of you have PayPal?
There would be associated Paypal costs, but if you just wanted to get paid as an end to it, it might work.
Or
Paypal was my first thought as well, but he could also use his credit card to draw cash and pay you in good old fashioned readies.
Paypal
We have a Paypal account for this type of situation, and use it maybe once a year. We just add on the %age that Paypal charge us to the "invoice" that you create to request the cash in Paypal.
Quick & Dirty
Credit card processing fees generally fall in the 2-4% range. Why not "chat up" a friendly local retailer or restaurant, explain the problem and offer him reimbursement of his merchant fees to take the card payment through his books? At least you'll get 96 - 98% of what you're owed!
Last time I did this, I got a florist to do it ... I always wondered how they explained the receipt of over a grand to their book-keeper!
If the client is that broke, I would say do whatever you're going to do quickly as if he cannot pay the credit card company, this door may be blocked soon.
Quick but certainly Dirty
Hansa,
You will find that this type of action is probably specifically forbidden in the florist's merchant terms for accepting credit cards. They are not allowed to process payments for third parties to reduce fraud. Our terms indicate that merchant facilities will be withdrawn if we are found to be doing this.
Over the top maybe but it might result in problems for the acceptor.
Chris
Who are we trying to help?
Christopher_knight is probably right, but I believe the condition is to try & prevent 'aggregating' (people who accept cc's on behalf of multiple high risk businesses eg on-line [***] sites and the like), not fraud - at least in face to face transactions. (The rate merchants are charged rockets to 5 - 6 - 7% plus for "iffy" businesses and so this clause is primarily to protect revenue).
However: -
1. This would be a one off (therefore an allegation of 'aggregating' doesn't come into it)
2. The OP is NOT high risk (in the sense he is a normal business and the services ordered have been provided.
3. The transaction would be "face to face" which means a charge back claim is near impossible.
4. My advice is to the OP not the merchant (flower shop or whatever), as it is the OP we are trying to assist. It is up to the merchant to gauge the risk - it is he, not the OP who has signed a contract (the risk is in any case minimal in my view).
I therefore stand by my suggestion even though, yes, there may well be a technical breach of conditions.
What business is the client in?
I once had a garage client go skint on me and he "paid" us with cars off his lot which we sold on.
Maybe there is something he can do for your business (before he goes [***] up) to offset what he owes you...
Try Nochex
Set up an account online for paying credit cards. Nochex charges only about £20 pcm if my memory serves correctly. I don't think there is a minimum contract length either, so you could just pay for one month accept the payment, pay it into your bank account and close the nochex account.
Good luck!