North Shore PB tech branch is the best by far. I always have the best prices from them for stuff. Bought a $2100 Asus laptop the other week for $1650. The sale price was $1900.
Does the credit card fee become a fixed amount once you reach a certain volume? In which case you just 'write it off' (class it differently on the balance sheet) as being a cost of being in business and not a cost of an individual transaction? You'd think these store would have enough volume not to bother, or just build it into the prices.
TimA: North Shore PB tech branch is the best by far. I always have the best prices from them for stuff. Bought a $2100 Asus laptop the other week for $1650. The sale price was $1900.
(From experience) they're all good until an issue arises, then you'll probably be wishing you purchased from playtech/computer lounge...
TimA: North Shore PB tech branch is the best by far. I always have the best prices from them for stuff. Bought a $2100 Asus laptop the other week for $1650. The sale price was $1900.
(From experience) they're all good until an issue arises, then you'll probably be wishing you purchased from playtech/computer lounge...
I just wish computer lounge were quicker with their price matching. If you request a price match online often you dont get an answer for 24 hours. So annoying.
reven: I get why they do it, but it does drive off customers. Is it really worth the extra admin (for online orders) + orders driven away for the 2.5%? PBTech is a bit different as its in store and you can directly pay via eftpos, but I never order online through them because of it.
I'm still waiting for retailers to discount the cash price to reflect the shift of CC costs purely to user of CC's. Of course that never happened, as it was just another excuse to incrementally increase prices.
It's negotiable. A large chain a family member worked for had negotiated not only lower rates, but a capped upper limit. Smaller companies wouldn't have a show at doing that though.
surfisup1000: Playtech offer Direct debit to avoid the surcharge but that is an overnight wait and a bit fiddly/time consuming - it would be better if they offered polipay as an option, which is at least instantaneous.
No, there's never an acceptable reason to offer POLi. Ever. That company needs to be shut down.
surfisup1000: I understand they are just passing on costs but I'm accustomed to them not having one. Playtech used to have a point of difference with no CC surcharge and free shipping compared against lower quality stores.
Playtech offer Direct debit to avoid the surcharge but that is an overnight wait and a bit fiddly/time consuming - it would be better if they offered polipay as an option, which is at least instantaneous.
Unless they've changed it again, the Playtech Credit Card surcharge is only for shipped transactions, in store pickup with credit card is okay, their justification was along the lines of "We can't absorb the higher transaction costs of card not present transactions any longer, so we will pass those on, card present costs far less, so we will continue to absorb that".
As for direct debit, processing time is down to 1-2 hours between banks and at least for Westpac and ASB within minutes within the same bank. (That is Monday to Friday for between banks). Make a payment at lunch time, it should be there by 3pm.
In fact, from something a Trade Me purchaser sent me, Kiwibank's processing is:
> We send payments to other banks every hour between 9am and midnight on business days. Payments submitted after midnight, or on a weekend or public holiday, will be sent the next business day. Processing times for other banks may vary.
surfisup1000: I understand they are just passing on costs but I'm accustomed to them not having one. Playtech used to have a point of difference with no CC surcharge and free shipping compared against lower quality stores.
Playtech offer Direct debit to avoid the surcharge but that is an overnight wait and a bit fiddly/time consuming - it would be better if they offered polipay as an option, which is at least instantaneous.
Unless they've changed it again, the Playtech Credit Card surcharge is only for shipped transactions, in store pickup with credit card is okay, their justification was along the lines of "We can't absorb the higher transaction costs of card not present transactions any longer, so we will pass those on, card present costs far less, so we will continue to absorb that".
As for direct debit, processing time is down to 1-2 hours between banks and at least for Westpac and ASB within minutes within the same bank. (That is Monday to Friday for between banks). Make a payment at lunch time, it should be there by 3pm.
In fact, from something a Trade Me purchaser sent me, Kiwibank's processing is:
> We send payments to other banks every hour between 9am and midnight on business days. Payments submitted after midnight, or on a weekend or public holiday, will be sent the next business day. Processing times for other banks may vary.
Yes Kiwi Bank is fast, ANZ is overnight. On a Friday the money wont clear until Tuesday.
nigelj: Unless they've changed it again, the Playtech Credit Card surcharge is only for shipped transactions, in store pickup with credit card is okay, their justification was along the lines of "We can't absorb the higher transaction costs of card not present transactions any longer, so we will pass those on, card present costs far less, so we will continue to absorb that".
So if this was a real reason, wouldn't the in-store transactions also have a surcharge that reflects the cost of having a physical retail store? :\
nigelj: Unless they've changed it again, the Playtech Credit Card surcharge is only for shipped transactions, in store pickup with credit card is okay, their justification was along the lines of "We can't absorb the higher transaction costs of card not present transactions any longer, so we will pass those on, card present costs far less, so we will continue to absorb that".
So if this was a real reason, wouldn't the in-store transactions also have a surcharge that reflects the cost of having a physical retail store? :\
Card Not Present (sometimes called MANPAN Facility) attract a significantly higher MSF (Merchant Service Fee) than Card Present Transactions. Most E-Com facilities attract the Card Not Present Rate. However Card Not Present is split again into traditional MANPAN (customer calls with CC Number and merchant enters into terminal) and Card Not Present E-Com where the transaction is processed through a Secure Gateway.
However I have noticed some of our merchants have been getting HIGH CNP rates and ever so slightly lower E-Com rates.
I know a lot of our merchants with E-Com or CNP facilities are paying upwards of 5%.
nigelj: Unless they've changed it again, the Playtech Credit Card surcharge is only for shipped transactions, in store pickup with credit card is okay, their justification was along the lines of "We can't absorb the higher transaction costs of card not present transactions any longer, so we will pass those on, card present costs far less, so we will continue to absorb that".
So if this was a real reason, wouldn't the in-store transactions also have a surcharge that reflects the cost of having a physical retail store? :\
Why? They seem to treat their retail store like their warehouse mostly, things that the average Joe may want to drop in and get is in the front shop part of the warehouse. The people manning the tills seem busy enough doing other things too whenever I've been in, so I don't think they are hired as just 'checkout operators' either.
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