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Started By
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Looking for Windows-compatible credit card reader
Posted on 9/24/24 at 9:49 am
Posted on 9/24/24 at 9:49 am
Background:
We have a customer who does reservations, they use an outside vendor for handling the reservation transactions (just a web-based front-end the users log into). The setup the POS company has them on is a touch-screen Windows machine with a magnetic card scanner. For some insane reason, the POS company has not moved them to a contactless scanner.
The customer is now wanting to add merchandise and the POS company is pushing back (they are grudgingly doing it). The customer now wants to set up a mobile store with a touchscreen Windows laptop and a card swipe with the contactless option. The POS company has punted it back to us (IT) to figure out since they don't want to do merchandise anyway (how merchandise is different from reservations at the cardscanner level is beyond me though).
All I seem to find are all-in-one type systems which require an account with some company (Shopify, for example) instead of just a simple piece of hardware which can scan cards into a Windows-based system and connects to it via Bluetooth (or, at worst, USB).
I have absolutely zero experience in this part of the IT realm. Anyone out there with some experience who could lead me in the right direction?
We have a customer who does reservations, they use an outside vendor for handling the reservation transactions (just a web-based front-end the users log into). The setup the POS company has them on is a touch-screen Windows machine with a magnetic card scanner. For some insane reason, the POS company has not moved them to a contactless scanner.
The customer is now wanting to add merchandise and the POS company is pushing back (they are grudgingly doing it). The customer now wants to set up a mobile store with a touchscreen Windows laptop and a card swipe with the contactless option. The POS company has punted it back to us (IT) to figure out since they don't want to do merchandise anyway (how merchandise is different from reservations at the cardscanner level is beyond me though).
All I seem to find are all-in-one type systems which require an account with some company (Shopify, for example) instead of just a simple piece of hardware which can scan cards into a Windows-based system and connects to it via Bluetooth (or, at worst, USB).
I have absolutely zero experience in this part of the IT realm. Anyone out there with some experience who could lead me in the right direction?
4
Posted on 9/24/24 at 12:02 pm to Bard
Change POS companies. Not offering chip and PIN at the very least increases the transaction fee the customer is charged due to increased fraud risk. This has been a thing for well over a decade. The thought of a processor amassing so much track data unnecessarily in 2024 is shuddering.
Not helpful, I know. Fleet? Issued me a usb chip and pin USB reader 20 years ago for my PC, which I never used, once, so I know they exist.
Not helpful, I know. Fleet? Issued me a usb chip and pin USB reader 20 years ago for my PC, which I never used, once, so I know they exist.
Posted on 9/25/24 at 7:16 am to LemmyLives
quote:
Change POS companies. Not offering chip and PIN at the very least increases the transaction fee the customer is charged due to increased fraud risk. This has been a thing for well over a decade. The thought of a processor amassing so much track data unnecessarily in 2024 is shuddering.
Thanks for the response.
Why they've remained with this company is a mystery, but they haven't asked the thoughts of our office nor (that I know of) the thoughts from their frontline people.
I ended up getting a copy of the contract and found where it's the POS company's responsibility to make sure readers with smart chips work with their system. I've passed along to customer's management the page, section, sub-section and specific wording which pertains to the POS company's responsibilities regarding hardware compatibility (as well as got confirmation from the contract person who oversaw the contract that this is indeed their contractual responsibility, nor ours).
We'll see what happens.
Posted on 9/25/24 at 8:25 am to Bard
Why does it need windows? I'm curious why not switch to something like a clover machine. My wife sells these.
Posted on 9/25/24 at 12:36 pm to Bard
Would a Square terminal work?
I have seen the Square readers used on phones and tablets but it looks like the terminal would run on Windows.
I have seen the Square readers used on phones and tablets but it looks like the terminal would run on Windows.
Posted on 9/25/24 at 1:07 pm to LEASTBAY
quote:
Why does it need windows? I'm curious why not switch to something like a clover machine. My wife sells these.
Because we're not supporting anything not on our domain and the only user devices we allow on our domain are Windows-based. Clover should work with a Windows device, but whether it will work with the POS company or not is something for the POS company to determine.
Footnote: after stirring all this up I get sent a couple of PDFs on which systems (both wired and wireless) the POS company is now recommending.
This post was edited on 9/25/24 at 1:08 pm
Posted on 9/26/24 at 12:48 pm to Bard
I've been in the space for 20 years. Several.options...easy
Posted on 9/27/24 at 8:56 am to Bard
quote:
Bard
I can help you. How can we speak
Posted on 9/27/24 at 9:19 am to ChatGPT of LA
quote:
I can help you. How can we speak
Much appreciated, but I was able to find a path forward after shaking multiple trees.
It basically comes down to:
POS company uses TSYS to process credit cards
Customer must use a different one (they have no choice)
This means transactions go: POS company->TSYS->customer's processor->client's monetary authority (which mandates the processor)->client.
POS company is trying to leverage this into a new contract for them being the company's "merchant of record" even though they already are, at least by the most common definition of the phrase. No idea what their version means although my gut says it would at least mean our client would be contractually bound to buy all their POS equipment through the POS company, likely at a nice mark-up (I know the computers they were pushing were each much more than the ones we provided).
The solution is to buy their recommended POS terminal then test the three TSYS downloads since the POS company won't even advise which the client should use. To me, that's something they are bound by contract to do, but it's at the point where forcing them comes from the executive level of our client and the exec responsible for that is willing to go to the mat to defend the POS company at all costs.
To add another fun wrinkle, the contract with the POS company is coming up for renewal but it's pretty much guaranteed it will be renewed due to the aforementioned exec.
Posted on 9/27/24 at 12:53 pm to Bard
Im contractes w TSYS. And several others.
Your description is close to what happens...TSY is considered the platform/network.
What happens is the build the gateway directly into software, many only w 1 platform. Thats because of the cost being cheaper because the platform supplied the coding.
Others code their software to accept a gateway that utilized several platforms, giving the merchant choices.
I can help whenever needed. I cut my teeth in management years ago, concentrating heavily in the POS market, before it was cool, lol
Your description is close to what happens...TSY is considered the platform/network.
What happens is the build the gateway directly into software, many only w 1 platform. Thats because of the cost being cheaper because the platform supplied the coding.
Others code their software to accept a gateway that utilized several platforms, giving the merchant choices.
I can help whenever needed. I cut my teeth in management years ago, concentrating heavily in the POS market, before it was cool, lol
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