USPS-aargh.

Stumper

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Colorado
I got a call from the local Post Office to tender a bid. I went by and met with the mainenance guy (who is a customer). So just as I'm about done writing up the bid he asked, "You do take credit cards don't you?"
"Er.. No, I used to but I dropped it".
Maintenance guy "I'm sorry I've wasted your time-We are only allowed to pay by credit card now."

Undoubtably this helps the USPS track expenses but....Good grief. They handle loads of cash every day. They have drawers filled with stamps. They issue money orders---and they cannot pay an invoice by any means other than credit card.
 
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  • #4
Sure Paypal could work...but that involves internet- so ...NO.
Yes I have local business friends who take cards....but then the card invoice would show payment to the wrong business entity.That would really foul up their accounting.
They are screwed.
 
This is a little off topic but I was trying to ship my gear back from New Orleans and the FedX office at the airport would not accept cash. Checks were fine, but not cash.
 
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Chip, Well it is legal tender for all debts-which means it is legal to offer it but no one has to accept the worthless unbacked paper.:roll:
 
What is involved in accepting credit cards? Also Stumper I did a govt. job (Army Corps of Engineers) and they paid me with a check written on a credit card account.
 
1000 dollar machine and a percentage of your charge. i lose 1-2 jobs a year cause i dont accept them. im ok with that
 
I went to a local bank to pay my school [property] tax. I paid partly with a check and partly with cash. They told me next year they could not take any cash. Something about tracking. Tracking what? Stamp the bill paid!!!!!!!
 
I expect the Postal Service has little say in the check/cash/credit card drama. The FS has been steadily restricted in how we can pay bills, and the check writing is just about completely gone. GAO does not like all those little people out there with the authority to write checks to people who just might be their brother-in-law or boyfriend or something. There have been some instances of fraud that were pretty ugly.
 
GAO doesn't seem to have problems with the big people spending our tax dollars fraudently.:D
 
Wow, this is wierd. I've been getting lots of offers from people lately who want to barter. I do this as much as I can because it's not taxable. But who ever heard of a gov't that refuses to pay people with the money it issues?
 
If anyone here uses quickbooks for thier accounting, QB offers a merchant service. Its who I use. I dont take that many and dont really offer it, but its there. I know I pay more than I take in, but many people these days are using cc soley and then write 1 check at the end of the month.

As for the govt agencies, it speeds up the payment process as most take 60-90 days to pay otherwise. Back in the supply biz days, I had a sale to Ok State. That guy said he could do CC or if I didnt want to go that route it could take 60+ days to get paid. I took the plastic.
 
Yup, I don't mind paying 1 or 2 percent in order to get paid the same day. The fee is just another cost of doing business and its included in my rate from the start.
 
Oh, and I didn't have to purchase a $1000 machine to process transaction. Its all done over the interweb. :|:
 
Pay-to-play... one of my worst pet peeves.
I opted to play the game by having a credit record, credit cards, a mortgage, etc. & got royally screwed. Not because I lack discipline, but because the entire system is set up to wring our money out of us.
Secretary of State is another entity that will not take cash. Checks, yes.
If you want the option to accept credit card payments, you pay a minimum of 1.5%
Grrrrrrrrrr.
 
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  • #23
The 3% (standard rate for low volume card processors) is a small issue to me-I never was bothered by THAT. But the ongoing lease purchase agreemant totaling thousands of dollars for a $400 machine coupled with a minimum fee for each month of service(in this case a farmers euphemism for screwing) regardless of whether any transaction took place.......ity was costing me money to work for people who couldn't afford to have the work done. Everybody but the CC companies and the whoremonger Processing service was getting "serviced".
 
Ask him to come by your bank. Your business account. They swipe the card, he enters his pin or code & you have your money. It's called an electronic funds transfer. Good luck.
 
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