You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? Now with 3x more gears...

[cam_calderon]

Originally Posted by Locke

I'd like to bitch about this if I may...

As a merchant...I HATE my POS machine. I hate POS salespeople its just such a pain in the ass.

So...I deal with a great many people from all walks of life, a POS machine is a necessity. Lots of people pay by debit, which is fine, most pay with Credit which...as a small merchant sucks for me because those bloodsucking bastard Credit Card companies rake me over the coals on fees and charges, but everyone wants their 'Points.'

But...since the advent of COVID and much more remote work, I've probably seen the money going through my POS drop from about 75% of my revenue to around 30%.

Many, many people have switched to other forms of payment, obviously and most notably E-Transfers, which, for a small/Medium merchant is absolutely fantastic.

But then the Merchant Services Bastards start prowling around..."where are all our fees?"

Well you get fees as a percentage of revenue through the POS machine, if I get paid by E-Transfer you're s*** outta luck. I'm crying tears for you, ya vulture bastards!

This is turning into more of a rant now, but seriously...screw those guys. I get at least 3 calls a week.

"Switch to us and we'll lower your fees!! Super swearsies!!"

Get. Lost.

Are the actual machines provided by banks, or independent companies?

[you&me]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

It's remarkable how we've arrived as a society to the notion that anyone driving under the MAXIMUM speed limit anywhere at anytime is completely out of line, considered a danger to themselves and others, and just generally worse than Hitler.

I find it more remarkable that speed limits haven't evolved to keep pace with the advances in vehicle performance and technology.

Speed limits in Canada last saw a meaningful increase in 1968, when they went from 60mph (100km/h) to 70mph (110km/h).

You're going to tell me that it's equally safe for someone to be bombing around in their 1968 Chevy Impala Wagon at 110 out to Banff as it is for me in, say, a brand new F150 that will out accelerate, out corner and out brake a lot of "sports cars" from the 90s? All while the newer cars have new tire technology and safety features such as ABS, traction control, etc.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by you&me

I find it more remarkable that speed limits haven't evolved to keep pace with the advances in vehicle performance and technology.

Speed limits in Canada last saw a meaningful increase in 1968, when they went from 60mph (100km/h) to 70mph (110km/h).

You're going to tell me that it's equally safe for someone to be bombing around in their 1968 Chevy Impala Wagon at 110 out to Banff as it is for me in, say, a brand new F150 that will out accelerate, out corner and out brake a lot of "sports cars" from the 90s? All while the newer cars have new tire technology and safety features such as ABS, traction control, etc.

This assumes the car/road connection is the limiting factor rather than site lines and human reaction time. Also car volumes are way up on roads which increases risk.

The site lines for hills and curves are likely the limiting factors on design speed west of the city.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by you&me

I find it more remarkable that speed limits haven't evolved to keep pace with the advances in vehicle performance and technology.

Speed limits in Canada last saw a meaningful increase in 1968, when they went from 60mph (100km/h) to 70mph (110km/h).

You're going to tell me that it's equally safe for someone to be bombing around in their 1968 Chevy Impala Wagon at 110 out to Banff as it is for me in, say, a brand new F150 that will out accelerate, out corner and out brake a lot of "sports cars" from the 90s? All while the newer cars have new tire technology and safety features such as ABS, traction control, etc.

Technology has improved, average mental skills relating to driving have decreased rapidly and in excess of the improvements from that technology IMO. Thus, it nets out to the same speed.

In the past, someone doing 20 kmph might be totally valid due to the technology they're trying to control. Now, they aren't even trying. I see some people doing 140 kmph with tires that are obviously not at the right pressure (ie: one side normal, the other side soft/borderline flat)

That's IMO kinda why self driving needs to be a thing (or at least for transit and otherwise), but that's also going to kill the driving experience for those of us who actually enjoy driving and derive a sense of satisfaction from doing it well.

[you&me]

Right, but that's the crux of the argument as I see it... For those that are engaged with their driving (T-Dog, Pepsi... moi), using modern machines, it can be beyond painful to travel at - or below - current posted speed limits precisely because so there are so many unegaged strugglers. There's simply no other excuse for someone driving a properly equipped modern car to drive below the archaic speed limits unless they are unegaged, or just plain scared.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Locke

I'd like to bitch about this if I may...

As a merchant...I HATE my POS machine. I hate POS salespeople its just such a pain in the ass.

So...I deal with a great many people from all walks of life, a POS machine is a necessity. Lots of people pay by debit, which is fine, most pay with Credit which...as a small merchant sucks for me because those bloodsucking bastard Credit Card companies rake me over the coals on fees and charges, but everyone wants their 'Points.'

But...since the advent of COVID and much more remote work, I've probably seen the money going through my POS drop from about 75% of my revenue to around 30%.

Many, many people have switched to other forms of payment, obviously and most notably E-Transfers, which, for a small/Medium merchant is absolutely fantastic.



This is turning into more of a rant now, but seriously...screw those guys. I get at least 3 calls a week.

"Switch to us and we'll lower your fees!! Super swearsies!!"

Get. Lost.

Timely topic as my wife and I were discussing this yesterday. She runs the office of a small business (does not own it) and the owner was commenting on credit card fees last week as well. They paid about $10k in fees last year so obviously she is looking to reduce that if possible. etransfers are an option but according to my wife they are a PITA to track and you rely on the honesty of people to pay since they are out the door before payment is made. Perhaps their system is just archaic (it is) and that is the problem. But I'm curious as to why they seem to work so well for your business?

[Minnie]

Medication shortages are really GMG today. Particularly since it's 1 of the 2 most important medications my daughter is on..So now we're scrambling to figure out an alternative at the last minute because we weren't given any notice that this was even a thing until we phoned for refills yesterday. Gaaah.

[Kiran403]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Timely topic as my wife and I were discussing this yesterday. She runs the office of a small business (does not own it) and the owner was commenting on credit card fees last week as well. They paid about $10k in fees last year so obviously she is looking to reduce that if possible. etransfers are an option but according to my wife they are a PITA to track and you rely on the honesty of people to pay since they are out the door before payment is made. Perhaps their system is just archaic (it is) and that is the problem. But I'm curious as to why they seem to work so well for your business?

E-transfers are the best. We accept them all the time at my current job. To help with tracking, have the customer put the invoice number in the "messages" section. Also, if you register for autodeposit, there is no security question and the transfer is not cancellable once sent to you. Have the customer do the transfer at your store/office on their phone and send you the screenshot showing the transfer was sent and you're all set to go. My only gripe with e-transfers is that like any other sort of funds transfer, the bank sets stupid limits on how much can be transferred.

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by you&me

Right, but that's the crux of the argument as I see it... For those that are engaged with their driving (T-Dog, Pepsi... moi), using modern machines, it can be beyond painful to travel at - or below - current posted speed limits precisely because so there are so many unegaged strugglers. There's simply no other excuse for someone driving a properly equipped modern car to drive below the archaic speed limits unless they are unegaged, or just plain scared.

The way I see it, the fact that with time, roads are becoming more congested, and people have more to think about, offsets the need to change speed limits due to the changing technology of vehicles.

Unfortunately, the speed limits are designed to take into account that there are always going to be people who are not as engaged as you, and are driving with much more caution, for whatever reason.

Also I think I see a trend in Canada where our culture is moving more towards collectivism rather than individualism. I think it probably relates to our society becoming more multicultural, and the wide disparity in wealth.

[Mr.Coffee]

The main problem with road safety these days is phones.

Obviously.

[btimbit]

When they don't have the beer you wanted but you're too lazy to go to another store

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by you&me

Right, but that's the crux of the argument as I see it... For those that are engaged with their driving (T-Dog, Pepsi... moi), using modern machines, it can be beyond painful to travel at - or below - current posted speed limits precisely because so there are so many unegaged strugglers. There's simply no other excuse for someone driving a properly equipped modern car to drive below the archaic speed limits unless they are unegaged, or just plain scared.

Agreed completely. But the issue is that we have to design laws based on the weakest link in the chain. That's part of the issue is that individuals that suck at driving can constantly continue doing so, so the average group is watered down. I'm not disagreeing, I'm saying that from an objective logic POV, we have to do this, which is stupid. People have non-stop deferred responsibility to others and machines for the last two decades. That's messing up certain "common sense" aspects that in some occasions law assumed and was written upon.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Timely topic as my wife and I were discussing this yesterday. She runs the office of a small business (does not own it) and the owner was commenting on credit card fees last week as well. They paid about $10k in fees last year so obviously she is looking to reduce that if possible. etransfers are an option but according to my wife they are a PITA to track and you rely on the honesty of people to pay since they are out the door before payment is made. Perhaps their system is just archaic (it is) and that is the problem. But I'm curious as to why they seem to work so well for your business?

It obviously depends on the business, but as an Accountant, I'll take the E-Transfer because the Tax Return doesnt get filed until I get paid.

You dont get your documents back or copies of my work and it doesnt get filed until I get paid.

Granted, thats simplistic, I have lots of clients that I trust and I'm up against deadlines so I will file stuff to get it in on time, but we're talking 'same day' or even 'within a few minutes.'

There are all kinds of variations, I deal with a lot of clients remotely, I email them an invoice, receive an E-Transfer, and then file their documents and send them their copies of the work.

I'm not saying its perfect for all kinds of businesses, but when I started a lot of the work was face-to-face and people would largely pay through the POS machine, but when COVID hit it changed all that and I do a lot more remote work where people will send in or drop off their documents and we finalize everything through email, so E-Transfers work well.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Agreed completely. But the issue is that we have to design laws based on the weakest link in the chain. That's part of the issue is that individuals that suck at driving can constantly continue doing so, so the average group is watered down. I'm not disagreeing, I'm saying that from an objective logic POV, we have to do this, which is stupid. People have non-stop deferred responsibility to others and machines for the last two decades. That's messing up certain "common sense" aspects that in some occasions law assumed and was written upon.

Easy solution, we need 2 sets of roads, one for people who can drive, and one for people who think they can drive. Immediate demotions for anyone screwing up on road set one. Eventually it will only be the good drivers.


Don't ask me where this second set of roads go, that's up to the engineers to figure out.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Easy solution, we need 2 sets of roads, one for people who can drive, and one for people who think they can drive. Immediate demotions for anyone screwing up on road set one. Eventually it will only be the good drivers.


Don't ask me where this second set of roads go, that's up to the engineers to figure out.

Yearly driver licensing now includes the following:
1. A timed course, using your own car, on a simulated deerfoot road with merge lane and downtown one-ways, with no parking to be had but you have to drop something off. Must maintain a min speed limit, or not panic and stop, otherwise you fail.
2. Timed lap on an autocross style course, using your own car with the tires you intend on using for bad weather, preferably on a skid pad or snow. Must maintain a minimum time to have a winter driver designation on your license.

Additional rules:
- Those who fail #1 above, are not able to drive on the roads from 6am-9am and 3pm-6pm regardless of weather.
- Those who fail #2 above, are not permitted to drive should there be rain, ice or snow covering any portion of the roads they intend on driving.
- From 11pm-1am, only people who have the top 10% of times in test #1 are permitted to drive. We'll call this "get the hell off our road so we can finally utilize our car in a fun manner" time

[Locke]

Originally Posted by cam_calderon

Are the actual machines provided by banks, or independent companies?

Both. You can choose where to get them from.

I find Banks tend to have better rates because they have the infrastructure already in place, but they fix that by really bending you over on the machine rental fees.

And thats not a hard and fast rule.

I've found that with POS machines you really need to play vendors off against each other to get competitive rates.

"Well Elavon will give me these rates, TD gives these and so and so will give me these, so if you want my POS business you need to beat that."

But I hate bartering, because these guys will give you a 3-6 month 'teaser' rate to switch over and then the real colonoscopy begins and you have to do the whole process over again.

Its very tiresome and tedious.

I just want a fair rate over a reasonable time-period so I know what I'm paying.

Its even worse for me because a lot of my revenue through the POS machine comes in a very short period of time. During Tax Season a lot of money goes through that machine in 3 months making those payments very high, and later in the year, not so much, because I get more Corporate work and they can E-Transfer, Cheque, whatever.

But man...those POS machine peddlers are just relentless. I'm serious, I get so many calls its aggravating.

POS peddlers are getting to the point of Photocopier machine salesmen at this point.

NOBODY wants your goddamned photocopier! Do you see the SIZE of this business? I dont need a Copy machine the size of a Volkswagen!

[btimbit]

I'm still with Jeremy Clarkson on this one

Minimum speed limits, enforced by police marksman

[you&me]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

Yearly driver licensing now includes the following:
1. A timed course, using your own car, on a simulated deerfoot road with merge lane and downtown one-ways, with no parking to be had but you have to drop something off. Must maintain a min speed limit, or not panic and stop, otherwise you fail.
2. Timed lap on an autocross style course, using your own car with the tires you intend on using for bad weather, preferably on a skid pad or snow. Must maintain a minimum time to have a winter driver designation on your license.

Additional rules:
- Those who fail #1 above, are not able to drive on the roads from 6am-9am and 3pm-6pm regardless of weather.
- Those who fail #2 above, are not permitted to drive should there be rain, ice or snow covering any portion of the roads they intend on driving.
- From 11pm-1am, only people who have the top 10% of times in test #1 are permitted to drive. We'll call this "get the hell off our road so we can finally utilize our car in a fun manner" time

A million thanks.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by btimbit

I'm still with Jeremy Clarkson on this one

Minimum speed limits, enforced by police marksman

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Locke

It obviously depends on the business, but as an Accountant, I'll take the E-Transfer because the Tax Return doesnt get filed until I get paid.

You dont get your documents back or copies of my work and it doesnt get filed until I get paid.

Granted, thats simplistic, I have lots of clients that I trust and I'm up against deadlines so I will file stuff to get it in on time, but we're talking 'same day' or even 'within a few minutes.'

There are all kinds of variations, I deal with a lot of clients remotely, I email them an invoice, receive an E-Transfer, and then file their documents and send them their copies of the work.

I'm not saying its perfect for all kinds of businesses, but when I started a lot of the work was face-to-face and people would largely pay through the POS machine, but when COVID hit it changed all that and I do a lot more remote work where people will send in or drop off their documents and we finalize everything through email, so E-Transfers work well.

Makes sense. For my wife, their business is still 100% face to face. etransfer is probalby the way to go to be honest but the one factor that may hold them back is their antiquated software system. Nothing is automated and it's all clunky, but the business is two years our from shutting down so the owner does not want to spend a bunch of money on new software.