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  Lawrence Cimaglio July 14, 2011 at 9:52pm

  Well, I have been missing as we lost our power since Monday at our studio.  I am again back online.  I want to thank everyone for their input.  GREAT information.  I think that I will also check out GoPayment.  I have been "out there" will store and transmit.  Only got nailed twice because the customers had Chase who put a hold on their cards because they had purchased from out of state vendors.  I luckily had saved telephone#, exp date and zip info, that is what concerns me with the info here about Square.  I do not see shifting to cash sales as an option.  So, I also need the versatility to enter the card later or store and hold.  Again, thank you all for the info!!!!!
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  Terry Melman July 14, 2011 at 3:13pm

  I tried The Square at Krasl this past weekend and it worked pretty well, except for one sale where I had no cell phone signal (T-Mobile).  The thing about The Square is the app is pretty skimpy on features and info.  You really need to keep a separate record of the zip code, security code, cust name, epiry date and phone number.  The Square app does not allow for entry of this info.  I've set up my paper sales record (inventory tracking) with spaces for that info when I do a credit card sale, using the last four didgits of the CC as a ref number.  Having this info is crucial if you have any CC problems after the sale.  Oh yeah, they have NO phone support, although I've heard they're quick with reponding to Tweets.  You also need some way to do CC transactions manually if, like me, you lose cell phone service.  Customer receipts are via email or text message, or you can write one out on paper.

   

  Since it's now free and there's no monthly charge, I also set up with GoPayment a couple of days ago.  It's got a free reader that works the same way as The Square, with no monthly or transaction fees (except for American Express trans fee).  The cost is 2.70% per trans (as opposed to 2.75% for The Square; whoo-whoo).  The app they provide is much more complete than the one from The Square, with space for zip code, phone num, epiry date, etc, as well as a little system that allows you to enter your inventory to automatically populate the item section.  They also have 24 hour telephone help available.  Reciepts are again either email or text message, but you can also connect a BlueTooth compatible printer and it will send to that.  Unlike The Square, you don't need to wait up to 30 days if you exceed $1000  per week.  It seems like a much more fully developed system, but, that said, I've only tried the app at home for manual entry.  I'm hoping to get the reader in time for the Ann Arbor fair.

   

  BTW, my experience with both is on an (ugh) Android phone.

   

  Cheers,

   

  Terry
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  Shoshana Matthews July 13, 2011 at 9:00am

  What do you do with customers who don't have e-mail (and I have a lot of them as many of my customers are older)?  What do you send if the credit card company asks for a copy of the signed receipt when the customer questions a charge?  How do you handle shows with no signals (right now I can use store-and-forward to capture the card and batch it up when we leave the show)?  Lots of questions, I know.  Thanks for this discussion.  I've heard there's a weekly limit on how much can be charged with Square and other such devices.  Is this true or have they changed that?
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  Michelle Sholund July 13, 2011 at 8:53am

  I have Intuit/Go payment and use an Iphone.  I love it and only heard about Square last week.  The look and all seems about the same - no fees, easy of processing, etc.  I have to say when I use my app customers are loving it - they love being apart of the transaction process - signing their name, seeing how they get their receipts emailed to them, etc.  I personally like it because it is easy to track sales (and not worry about PCI too) and not have a bunch of paper work to loose.  When credit card companies are gouging the little people it is a smart jump to start using smart phones to process c.c. transactions.  I am saving about $40 a month switching from the old Nurit swiper to the app.  That's like a tank of gas!  - Michelle
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  Pat Sorbini July 12, 2011 at 8:39am

  Been using my Square for almost a year and have not one complaint. Great little device and the absence of BS fees is lovely :) Intuit might be a better deal depending on your monthly sales, (swipe rate -v-monthly charge) but both are a wonderful change from the old ways. I love the spreadsheet you download at the end of the day. MIght make a good record keeper of me yet,
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  Amy Ikenn July 12, 2011 at 12:37am

  Intuit is a different product from Square (Squareup.com), but they seem to be pretty evenly matched.  I have an android phone on Verizon and haven't had connection issues yet.  I also carry a 2A battery charger (iGo from Radio Shack) for my phone in case my day is so good that I drain the battery making charge transactions.  

   
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  Carla Bank July 11, 2011 at 3:03pm

  I got mine in January. Best thing ever!!!! The app is free and they send you the car reader for free also. Got mine via www.intuit.com. Ist called "go payment" I haven't had a connection problem and money is in my bank account in 24 hrs. You can also use it in your iPad. If you don't have one you can use your iPhone, blackberry or android.
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  Lynn Morris July 11, 2011 at 1:53pm

  I just got back from Madison and many people there were using the Square and singing it's praises. There is no initial charge and the rate is a flat 2.75%. I think I was paying much higher fees with my Nurit in addition to a monthly wireless charge. I'm going to try it for my August shows