Possible Issues with Mercury/Vantiv Magtek IPAD for Microsoft RMS

Wanted to make everyone aware of a potential issue specific to the Mercury/Vantiv Magtek "IPAD" payment processing add-on for the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software.

I arrived at a customers site last week only to find that the entire system was down due to the Microsoft Dynamics RMS database being "full". The cause was a large amount of transaction data being put in to the RMS database from the Mercury/Vantiv Magtek "IPAD" payment processing add-on. The customer had only been using the add-on for just over 2 years and is a single lane RMS users.

Obviously, retailers can't have their system go down due to the RMS database being full so here are the possible resolutions:

1. Purchase SQL Server which allows for a larger database size ($1100 - $2000 depending on version and license options).
2. Have your point of sale partner/VAR/dealer monitor your RMS database and delete/archive old data as needed ($125-$250 per occurrence if needed).
3. Consider switching to Card Defender which does not populate your RMS database with as much transaction data as the MagTek IPAD solution does (Card Defender does not presently work with Mercury/Vanticv but this will change in the coming months).
4. Look at a different integration that RITE offers using an Vantiv ICS250 payment terminal with Microsoft Dynamics RMS.

Do contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com with any questions or contact your RMS Partner to have them check the size of your RMS database (or your IT staff can check the size fo the database as well - just takes about 5 minutes).

Free RITE Price Checker Plug In For Microsoft RMS

Below is some information on the RITE Price Checker plug in for the Microsoft RMS point of sale software. The first license is free which is really cool!  I'll also be adding a video that shows how the RITE Price Checker works.

RITE POS Price Checker

RITE POS Price Checker Plug-In allows the POS user to check an item's price, sale price and sale end date without the need to log into the POS or Manager programs. Microsoft Dynamics RMS users can download and use RITE POS Price Checker RMS Plug-In for FREE for a limited time. Simply register using the link to the right or at the top right of the screen and log in to download this utility and access the FREE license key.
Reduces "No Sale" type transactions Eliminates the need to start a sale to check a price in the system Quickly check sales prices and sale end date View customized item sub-description fields
Retailers Using POS Price Checker All types of retailers
Pricing (per store location) Single license*: FREE Additional licenses* 2-4: CALL Additional licenses* 5+: CALL
*One license is required for each computer where this software will be installed/used. Discount pricing is based on bulk purchases - additional licenses must be purchased within 30 days.
Additional Information Compatible With: Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management Systems 1.2, 1.3, 2.0. Video Showing How RITE Price Checker Works: For more information, please visit http://rite.us/PlugInDirectory/POSPriceChecker.aspx

New Lower Cost Terminal Option from Card Defender and Heartland

Quick Update: Card Defender is no longer available for Microsoft RMS unless you are a beer, wine, or liquor store that will be moving to the Cloud Retailer point of sale software in the near future. 

I wanted to let folks know that Card Defender now has a lower cost terminal with a larger screen available for the Card Defender EMV/Chip Card solution for the Microsoft RMS point of sale software.

Exclusively available through Heartland for the time being, the PAX PX5 terminal features a larger screen than other Card Defender terminals and a lower cost as Heartland will be providing the terminal instead of Card Defender providing the terminal.  This means that only the Card Defender software and labor chargers for installation and remote training will apply - making for an over cost reduction of around $100 - $200 per terminal depending on what your Heartland rep would like to offer you.  Here is what the terminal looks like (please ignore the sample screen images as these are stock images from PAX):

Card Defender will continue to offer processor agnostic terminals as well for RMS which are slightly more expensive but also allow you to pick, choose and change which company you use for merchant services.

As always, please contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com with any questions or clarifications.

Total Cost of Ownership for Card Defender

I've been asked the best way to compare costs for the various EMV/Chip Card add-ons for the very popular Microsoft RMS point of sale software. One of the main issues is that many of the solutions charge a per transaction fee which may sound nominal but really adds up over time. Card Defender may have higher up front costs but the ongoing costs are much lower as shown in the chart below (example only - contact me for more specific details):

Pretty cool that Card Defender has a significant cost advantage over many of the other EMV add-ons for RMS and Card Defender is flexible when it comes to selecting a merchant services company (TSYS, Heartland and First Data) so you can always shop around for the best rates.

Do call (208-340-5632) or email me (kevinantosh@gmail.com) with any questions related to Card Defender, Microsoft RMS, or retail point of sale systems in general.