How the technicality of change the name of a Laser Card to a Debit Card results in the Banks Taking millions from SME's
It seems in the recession businesses are being squeezed for every drop they can get from the proverbial stone. However the the merchant banks increase has to take the biscuit. Banks are in the very slow process of changing Laser cards over to Visa Debit cards, in a move that most people assume was just re-wording a card that does exactly the same thing – allow you to spend money which you already have in your account, without the need to write paper checks.
What myself and nearly every other retailer in the country didn’t realise was that some were infact positioning themselves for instant, supernormal gains.
A €500 purchase last year paid by Laser card would have cost the retailer roughly 15c. The same purchase for the same customer & amount this year, using their spanking new Laser replacement, Visa Debit Card, would cost the retailer €7.75 – An astonishing 5,100% increase in their fee’s on the transaction with the flip of a switch! The change happened because by moving from Laser which is a fixed fee charge to a Visa debit, they “can” charge a percentage commission on. Banks are one of those institutions which you tend to have as little contact with as possible, you assume if there is a change in their rates they will pass them on, like when the ECB change interested rates your mortgage changes too.
The above is a personal example from My Merchant Bank – Elavon, however other banks are also benefiting, some only taking double digit increases in the fee’s. As I’ve said before Merchant bankers are probably our least regulated banks in Ireland.
Now what really gets me is when I happened to stumble across this injustice and bring it to their attention, they “offered” to reduce the 5,100% rate increase to a MERE 360% increased fixed fee, but there is a further cost too for this mere increase. If you fix the fee at 54c, up from 15c, but better than 1.55%; Should someone spend only 5Euro, their cut on the transaction is over 10%. One way or another they will squeeze some money from the stone.
Now put this in perspective of your business. How much is this change in a technicality going to cost you? And were you aware of it? If you want to fix your fee on transactions via Visa Debit it is possible, so you will need to approach them and request to negotiate the deal. The problem with negotiating with these banks is there is no real leverage. They hold all the cards and competition amongst them is extremely poor, in my experience it’s been a tale of who’s the least incompetent to preform what is an automated function once you’re set up.
So rather than just take it on the chin and complain, I propose we do something about it. Lets get some leverage and form a buying group, with this group we use the combined buying power to not only lower or bring back transaction prices to, wait for it, “the good old days of the 2008″; but also we could insist on basic common decency like responses to calls and emails within 48 hours and advanced warning on when ‘minor’ changes in their industry are about to set us back tens of thousands on our balance sheets.
Very interested in your thoughts and comments below, If your interested in the buying group for merchant services (companies big & small welcome) send me a message on Twitter @Ronanob.
http://www.ronanobrien.info/laser-to-debit-card-fee-increase/