I’m realizing that merchants are not taking EMV aka European Master Card and Visa very seriously. CSI along with our sister company eGuarded, had the pleasure of displaying our wares at the Tampa Boat Show this past weekend. I determined in conversations with merchants that they really don’t care and are not the least bit concerned about the impact EMV can have on their business. Paddleboard, Jelly, Coolie, and Retail Clothing vendors at this show all think that these systems the Square, Pay Pal, and Intuit meet their needs just fine. GUESS WHAT, this is a whole new ball game!
EMV needs to be understood more clearly. Merchants are delusional to think that since they haven’t received charge backs before they won’t see any now. Here’s an example of an EMV repercussion: Say a customer purchases goods and/or services from your establishment that’s just swiping pin and chip cards, those customers can easily say, “That wasn’t me who made that purchase.” The bank is then going to pass that charge back through you (the merchant) by taking back those funds immediately and asking questions later. Can your business survive?
Each vendor I spoke with said they are supposed to have a chip reader by the end of the year. I said, “Really? You’re going to go through the busiest shopping season of the year and put your business at risk?” Maybe the Jelly and Coolie vendor won’t take that big a hit because their average ticket is lower, but what about the Paddleboard vendor who’s selling $1500.00 Paddleboards? We all know businesses never have any fraud over the Holidays.
I encourage you to think twice. Protect your business investment. The ROI on an EMV system like the Clover™ Mobile would pay for itself in a heartbeat. Whether you contact us or your current processor demand that your business be protected with EMV supported devices immediately. Don’t be Penny Wise and Dollar Foolish?
