Sounds like I can save some money, how do we start?

• Locate your most recent merchant statements. Try to get at least 3 or 4, but up to 12 (for a full year's cycle).
• Photocopy the odd pages of the statement. This is not needed if not faxing. If you ARE faxing, photocopying the odd pages will allow you to fax entire statement at once if statement uses both sides of each page.
• You can email them to billpirtle@yahoo.com or fax them to 1-888-311-6640. Use white out on the first page to hide account information before you photocopy to protect your privacy. Few companies list both the bank routing and account numbers, but this will remove the information.
• We will analyze your statements and create a report detailing savings opportunities including pricing and processing for each statement sent and for the cumulative total of all statements.
• We will send you a summary listing the monthly and cumulative savings and a quotation page listing our fees based on your average monthly savings.
• Once merchant agrees to pricing (signs our quotation) and scope of our service, we provide the methods of cost savings and consult with owner to implement methods of savings. Should merchant sign agreement with Merchant Processing Consulting & Training, LLC. to process through one of our referred vendors, all consulting and training fees will be waived.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. I have great rates, why do I need you?

A. Regardless of who you process with, there are ways to save money. Most banks use outside processors and your costs include their commission. Keep in mind that there are many different price points available in a merchant processing contract. Rates are not the only things we review.

Q. What else do you look for besides rates and other fees?

A. The only rate that most sales agents mention is the Qualified Rate. The Qualified Rate is only for swiped cards (except Rewards, Business, Corporate, International and other specified cards) that follow Bank Card Guidelines. We also look to see if your processor has special rate classes for Debit cards and Rewards cards. We then review the surcharges to find cause of the extra fees.

Q. What triggers the surcharges?

A. MasterCard® and VISA® have over 150 combined classifications that constitute the processor's "cost". These classifications are called the INTERCHANGE. Processors then assign these categories into three (or six) tiers.For some card types, methods of processing or not following guidelines will trigger the Mid Qualified and Non Qualified Surcharges.

Q. How are cost savings attained when Mid Qualified and Non Qualified surcharges are found?

A. There are two ways to save a merchant money on surcharges. One, Mid Qualified and Non Qualified rates are reviewed with other cost points. Two, by determining the cause(s) of surcharges and creating "Standardized Work Instructions" in collaboration with merchant to eliminate the processing errors that are causing the surcharges.

Q. What is this term "Standardized Work Instructions"?

A. It is an Engineering term. It refers to creating a set method of processing work the same way every time to improve efficiency and eliminate errors. It is STANDARDIZED and created for the way a merchant wants to do business (and in compliance with Bank Card Guidelines).

Q. Sounds expensive?

A. Not at all. COMPLETE analysis of statements is FREE. Our fee (when not part of a new processing agreement) is three average month's savings and includes the consultation, the "Standardized Work Instructions", and training for the owners and employees. Training costs for additional employees including on Bank Card Compliance and "Standardized Work Instructions" will be based on number of employees and materials. For merchants processing less than $10,000, fees for COMPLETE service should be under $600.

Q. Still seems expensive...?

A. We understand the concern in this economy. But if your total fee is $600, that means that you will be saving $200 EVERY month on average. It is not an outlay to see if we can reduce your expenses, it is actually money you would be spending EVERY MONTH without the benefit of our services.

Q. Why do you continue to sign new accounts if working in consulting & training?

A. There are a number of reasons, including...

• Rates we include in our reports are rates we write for most merchants. Writing for our preferred partners allows us to give a guarantee on those rates.
• We want to be able to help merchants who do not currently accept credit cards.
• We want to offer merchant services they may not have including Check Guarantees, Gift Cards, ATMs and Capital programs they may not have currently.
• We want to offer merchants a CHOICE if unhappy with current processor.
• We have some innovative ideas to help Chambers of Commerce and other membership organizations increase membership AND make more money. Our partnerships GIVE US access to right solutions.
• We also have creative ideas for other business types that do not typically accept or process credit cards that will allow a business to process credit cards amd have customers pay your fees. CAUTION: VISA and MasterCard have SEVERE penalities for merchants that assess extra fees for credit card use. Call us for our ideas that do NOT violate the guidelines.