In recent months you have probably received far too many calls and visits from people trying to sell you on new credit card processing services, using the fear of “liability” risks, EMV, and “credit card police visits”.  I mention these tactics because clients have called to share what they are hearing from solicitors and experts alike.

We have been concerned about this whole topic because Auto Shop Writer works with vendors and it’s important the software support the latest needs of your business.  First, you need to know what really happened.  There are no enforcement guidelines, no mandate that you must shift how you process cards, and no “enforcement police” in existence according to everything we can find on the topic.  So, if someone approaches you and suggests any of these, they are not being honest, and that should speak volumes about the company they represent !  What did change is the liability for fraudulent cards.  If you accept a fraudulent card, you could see the charge reversed.   If the bank, or processor, have not provided the new EMV cards and devices, they are still liable.

The first line of defense is to know your client, and be sure the card matches their ID.  Most people are used to being asked to show a photo ID with a card, so that simple practice will make your risk quite small. For large jobs, you may want to obtain a deposit on the card in advance. This allows the company time to notify you if the card is bad. 

Currently, there are two companies providing processing services which are integrated directly into Auto Shop Writer.  In both cases, software coding is completed, and we are testing to be sure all is working properly.  Charge It Pro leads in the implementation and will be able to provide fully certified hardware and software shortly.  Merchant Partners / World Pay is still in testing of their system.  In both cases, the existing implementations will continue to process cards for our clients.

We are also in the process of implementing a 3rd system which should allow you to maintain your current provider, but will act as a gateway between Auto Shop Writer and that processor.  We hope to be testing this solution in the coming week.

Finally, in the past our clients have used a simple card reader and then had the client sign the authorization on the final printed document.  We are now integrating the signature pads on the new terminals to Auto Shop Writer, and that will be automatically printed on the final invoice.

The integration we provide is with systems that utilize the internet, and eliminate the need for receipt printers and phone lines.  This can be a significant savings to our clients, and makes processing very easy.  Our method is totally PCI compliant because no credit card information is retained on your computer.  We do retain fully PCI compliant codes to trace the transaction, but no customer data could ever be compromised from this.

I hope this clarifies some of the misinformation being spread by sales reps in the field currently.