I said in the last issue that I could write reams about the compliance requirements for those with card processing terminals, but actually no one came forward to offer me a book deal. Never mind, here’s more anyway, and pay attention at the back; this probably affects you.
Mohammed Asif, who runs two Teem Spirits outlets in Stockport, wrote that, having signed up to a processing terminal, he was not made aware of any compliance requirements.
He writes: “Checking my monthly statements, I found out the processing firm was charging me £28 a month for not going on the net and answering a few daft questions. Then they charge you £30 for registering your business on the website. This is another way of conning the small business and there is nothing anyone can do about it.”
He adds: “The problem was that they don’t send statements. I had to print them off the internet, and being so busy I’d left it for over a year. When I finally printed them all off I noticed the charge. And when I enquired was told that I was not PCI compliant. I had already been through the Trustwave questionnaire when I had a Streamline terminal, but was unaware it was a new industry practice. Nevertheless, £28 a month for what? As we run two shops, that’s £56 a month.”
He also says it’s in the T&Cs but asks: “Is it too much to ask they would point out something like this as it was costing so much? And if it is so important to answer a few silly questions why don’t they just make it compulsory before they set up your terminal?”
He concludes: “We have to watch out for the crooks in masks and the crooks in suits nowadays.”
