[Jewelry making - Article 00068] - Re: [Orchid] Collecting credit card info

[Bev Ludlow]

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    I had to reply to this one. I have a wireless terminal, but there
    are shows where I do not have wireless access. Luckily, my machine
    has a store-forward feature, so I still receive the swiped rate. 

    To illustrate the need for collecting at least a phone number, I'll
    tell of my latest show. Over the weekend I had 23 customers using
    credit cards, and on only one did I forget to get a phone number.
    Guess which card didn't go through? 

    I got the name of the customer's card provider from my credit card
    merchant carrier, and called them to see if I could get this sale to
    process. They told me (all 3 times that I have called!) that his
    card is good, and don't understand why it failed to process. They
    can't give me any personal information about the fellow, and even
    though I have a signed receipt, sending a FAX to them would not be
    good enough to process. I told the bank what he bought, the amount of
    sale, and they have called him to ask that he call me. To date, I
    have not heard from him. I guess he liked the pendant enough to keep,
    but doesn't feel the need to pay for it. 

    I know I could file a police report, but since I only know his name,
    not any personal contact information, and the place where the theft
    (credit card fraud?) occurred is a 4-hour drive away, this would not
    be cost effective. I have also heard that most counties don't even
    follow up on these kinds of reports (or bad check, either). 

    There's lots of customer protection about their not being
    responsible for fraudulent purchases, but woe be to the merchant who
    is the victim of a fraudulent sale. Get that phone number, at least,
    unless your card sale can be processed at the time of sale. I have
    rarely had anyone decline to give me a phone number. I tell them it
    is an "insurance policy" that nothing is going to go haywire with my
    credit card machine; that if I have it, I most likely won't need it. 

Bev Ludlow
Renaissance Jewelry
http://www.wirewrapjeweler.com
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