Paying for new boiler with credit card?

[essexmick]

'Mike the boiler' reckons that its a good idea to pay for a boiler system in part of full with a credit card.

He says that doing this means two things.

Firstly, the fact that the tradesperson takes credit cards shows that their bank considers the tradesperson to be a low risk, and secondly, the credit card company becomes jointly liable with the tradesperson for the contract.

Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, both the supplier of the credit and the supplier of the goods or services are jointly liable to the customer - a point the credit card companies are not keen to publicise.

http://www.miketheboilerman.com/roguetraders.htm

However I asked a heating engineer this evening if he took payments on credit card and he said he had never taken a payment on a credit card and didn't have the technology to do so.

It made me wonder.

Is any heating engineer able to or likely to take a payment on a credit card?

Has anyone paid for the installation of their boiler on a credit card?[/url]

 

[Steelmasons]

Installed plenty of boilers on a credit card payment along with breakdown and servicing work circa 90's so nothing new , obviously a 2.5% charge was made to the customer.

 

[essexmick]

Installed plenty of boilers on a credit card payment along with breakdown and servicing work circa 90's so nothing new , obviously a 2.5% charge was made to the customer.

Forgive my naivety, I've never had a credit card, still don't.

Why the 2.5% charge?

 

[Steelmasons]

We were being charged 2.5% by the terminal operator.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Doesn't show a lot of trust in the installing company though.

ly known that Yellow Pages advertisers have to to meet certain qualifications to have their adverts published.

That's bollocks for a start.

Not every one has the facility, but that doesn't preclude them from being trustworthy.



We can take cards, but there is a surcharge because it is a real PITA to administer. Largely because my company has always operated on trust and has got its structure in place as such.

Easiest way for me to accept cards is for the customer to send the payment via Paypal, and incur the charges at their end, but that then takes them out of the protection of the card issuer.


Does Mike tell you how the protection would be enforced if needed?

 

[essexmick]

What do you mean by "Largely because my company has always operated on trust and has got its structure in place as such" ?

 

[Dan Robinson]

For example....


I tell you I am coming to do a job. It will be £xxxx.xx

I then have to allocate that time and buy all the materials for the job.

At the end of the job I trust you to pay me.


Applying secondary fee's often after the fact makes life very awkward especially when it comes to VAT and accounting and paying the engineers. It is all handled in software I wrote, and would cost a fortune to modify in order to handle something which is unnecessary, which is why, when asked I say yes - easiest way is through Paypal.

Principally because the customers I have trust me, and they are normally asking as a means of spreading payments, rather than worrying about me honouring my side of the bargain.



Perhaps I live in a rarefied world, where a man's word is his bond. But it is a nice place to be regardless .

And as I said in the other thread, if he covers your area, Dean is your man.

 

[kidgreen61]

I have a mobile card payment machine

Last month I took a payment from a customer for £1650, I failed to notice that he had given me a credit card...


The card people have charged me 3.5% commission + vat!

I won't be making that mistake again

 

[FiremanT]

ly known that Yellow Pages advertisers have to to meet certain qualifications to have their adverts published.

That's bollocks for a start.?

Boiler Milkes statement:
Do they advertise in Yellow Pages? It is not widely known that Yellow Pages advertisers have to to meet certain qualifications to have their adverts published. Advertisers must have a premises which will be visited by a Yellow Pages representative. This means there is a known address should any legal action become necessary. They also have to have remained in business for the time between placing an advertising order and publication of the next year's directory. This disqualifies the worst of the 'cowboy' element from having a Yellow Pages advertisement.


WTF did he get that from? The only "qualification" required is the ability to shell out a chunk of cash!

As far as credit cards are concerned, there is no vetting of the business, other than the normal financial checks that we are all subject to, say, when applying for a loan! In reality, they may stump up if the business goes bust, and they MAY generate a "reversal" of charges, if you had a strong case against the trader. In 15 years of accepting a card, through my own account, I never had one reversal. Currently, I would take a payment by card, but it would be through a 3rd party provider, and I think I pay about 2.5% (CC OR debit card). I charge the client 3%, the balance being for administration etc. It is raely used, though. through my own account the commission was 1.6%, and about 16p per DC transaction

[/i]

 

[Whitespirit66]

'Mike the boiler' reckons

Firstly, the fact that the tradesperson takes credit cards shows that their bank considers the tradesperson to be a low risk,

Low risk of what? Banks know nothing about plumbing.

Accepting credit cards means zero. World Of Leather went belly-up a few years back for 31 million pounds, and they accepted credit cards.

Usual advice - get recommendations from friends, relatives, colleagues or neighbours. Anyone but Mike The Boiler.

 

[Phill Peck]

Who is this " Mick the boilerman"

I just had a quick read of a page of his website.

I need a drink
What a tool

 

[Dan Robinson]

Glad it wasn't just me then

 

[Kev F]

Blokes a tit writing that, yellow pages have died for one reason only, people have found out they offer nothing. I take cards and it costs me around £150 a year to run the machine. Then 19p per debit card and 2.9% for a credit card! it's costs to us so I pass them on.

 

[Steelmasons]

Who is this " Mick the boilerman"

I just had a quick read of a page of his website.

I need a drink
What a tool

anything to do with agile????

 

[Phill Peck]

If not does tony have a brother?