As if long term equipment contracts, buyout clauses, and specific merchant service commitments were not reasons enough to avoid HarborTouch, a recent Malware attack recently targeted businesses using HarborTouch and HarborTouch confirmed that some data was breached.
Full article can be found here: http://www.pymnts.com/whats-hot-2/2015/pos-malware-nabs-another-victim/#.VTj_byFVikp
Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.
Showing posts with label harbortouch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label harbortouch. Show all posts
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Why You Should Be Avoiding Clover, HarborTouch & QuickBooks Point of Sale
As I am now receiving near daily calls and emails from folks considering the Clover point of sale solution, I wanted to explain why you should not be considering point of sale systems like Square, Clover, HarborTouch, and QuickBooks point of sale.
The only assumptions I am making is that your business is generating at least $60,000 in annual gross sales and 90% of payment is made using debit or credit cards.
When you purchase a point of sale system that requires you to use one specific company for merchant services, you are at the mercy of that company when it comes to the rates that they charge you for merchant services. What I have seen happen time and time again is that these companies will raise your rates every 90 days or so.
While paying 1/2% more in merchant service fees (which is what seems to be the norm with these companies) may not seem like much - lets see how that adds up over 5 years.
If your business processes $200,000 in debit and credit card transactions annually the 1/2% is $1000/year so you could easily end up paying $4000+ in excessive merchant services fees over the course of 5 years.
I don't know about you but I would rather have that money as profit!
Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.
The only assumptions I am making is that your business is generating at least $60,000 in annual gross sales and 90% of payment is made using debit or credit cards.
When you purchase a point of sale system that requires you to use one specific company for merchant services, you are at the mercy of that company when it comes to the rates that they charge you for merchant services. What I have seen happen time and time again is that these companies will raise your rates every 90 days or so.
While paying 1/2% more in merchant service fees (which is what seems to be the norm with these companies) may not seem like much - lets see how that adds up over 5 years.
If your business processes $200,000 in debit and credit card transactions annually the 1/2% is $1000/year so you could easily end up paying $4000+ in excessive merchant services fees over the course of 5 years.
I don't know about you but I would rather have that money as profit!
Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.
Monday, September 15, 2014
HarborTouch Point of Sale is Not Free - Part 2
A quick update to a very popular post on my site related to the true cost of HarborTouch Point of Sale. Over the last year I have talked to multiple retail stores, restaurants and museums about HarborTouch and none ended up purchasing HarborTouch. The main reason is the contract. Why? Take a look at the true or real cost of HarborTouch over time:
Monthly cost of $69.00/month over 5 years equals $4140.00
Quarterly cost of $59.00/quarter over 5 years equals $1180.00
Note that the above costs are what is stated on the HarborTouch website and are required fees. Your fees may be higher depending on the number of stations that you have in your business or organization.
Now comes the fun part that I think most people miss. You are locked in to using one company for merchant services (credit and debit card processing services). I've gone back to stores who are on merchant services contracts and they are paying about 1/2% more in merchant services fees.
Now a 1/2% may not sound like much but look at the following:
$250,000 in annual credit and debit card sales X 1/2% X 5 years = $6250.00
So, your actual 5 year cost for a free system is $11,570.00
For reference, here are some other 5 year costs based on businesses that have worked with in the past or spoken to recently:
Bindo Point of Sale (Professional Version/Single Station): $8,256.00
Microsoft RMS (single station): $6,956.00
High end grocery store cash register: $3,055.00
NCR CounterPoint (single station): $11,056.00
NCR Silver (single station): $7,093.00
I'm trying to keep 'all things equal' by including 24/7 support, supply, installation, training, warranty, and hardware costs in the 5 year total. The only item not included is sales tax.
Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.
Monthly cost of $69.00/month over 5 years equals $4140.00
Quarterly cost of $59.00/quarter over 5 years equals $1180.00
Note that the above costs are what is stated on the HarborTouch website and are required fees. Your fees may be higher depending on the number of stations that you have in your business or organization.
Now comes the fun part that I think most people miss. You are locked in to using one company for merchant services (credit and debit card processing services). I've gone back to stores who are on merchant services contracts and they are paying about 1/2% more in merchant services fees.
Now a 1/2% may not sound like much but look at the following:
$250,000 in annual credit and debit card sales X 1/2% X 5 years = $6250.00
So, your actual 5 year cost for a free system is $11,570.00
For reference, here are some other 5 year costs based on businesses that have worked with in the past or spoken to recently:
Bindo Point of Sale (Professional Version/Single Station): $8,256.00
Microsoft RMS (single station): $6,956.00
High end grocery store cash register: $3,055.00
NCR CounterPoint (single station): $11,056.00
NCR Silver (single station): $7,093.00
I'm trying to keep 'all things equal' by including 24/7 support, supply, installation, training, warranty, and hardware costs in the 5 year total. The only item not included is sales tax.
Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
$25 Complete Specialty Retail/Restaurant Point of Sale System
Update November 2014. It appears that I was not wrong. Once folks saw the contract and actual costs associated with the Harbortouch point of sale solutions, they crossed Harbourtouch off of their lists. Note that the point of sale business that I worked for stopped offering cash registers and point of sale systems in Fall of 2013 so ignore the phone numbers below. You can still contact me for free and unbiased point of sale advice though!
OK - as you know I have been very vocal against the 'free' point of sale systems offered by Harbortouch. I felt that the value just wasn't there compared to purchasing or leasing a point of sale system for retail stores and restaurants.
It appears that I may (time will tell) be wrong.
Based on conversations with the folks at Harbortouch, owners of retail stores and restaurants using Harbortouch, as well as other point of sale dealers selling Harbortouch, it appears that Harbortouch is a viable solution for many small or start up retail stores and restaurants who just do not have the cash flow or credit yet to purchase or lease a $6,000 to $12,000 point of sale system.
So, I am looking for 6 businesses in the greater Boise, ID area (specialty retail stores and restaurants of any kind) to try out Harbortouch. Here are the key details:
· New touch screen computer with credit card swipe
· New receipt printer, cash drawer, customer price/pole display and barcode scanner (barcode scanner and price/pole display not included with restaurant systems)
· Professional installation (must have existing computer network for multi-terminal installations)
· 24/7 support
· 5 year hardware replacement warranty (shipping costs not included)
· Only upfront cost is shipping which runs around $25/terminal
· Monthly support fee of $69/month per terminal
· Quarterly warranty fee of $59
· Credit score of at least 525
OK - as you know I have been very vocal against the 'free' point of sale systems offered by Harbortouch. I felt that the value just wasn't there compared to purchasing or leasing a point of sale system for retail stores and restaurants.
It appears that I may (time will tell) be wrong.
Based on conversations with the folks at Harbortouch, owners of retail stores and restaurants using Harbortouch, as well as other point of sale dealers selling Harbortouch, it appears that Harbortouch is a viable solution for many small or start up retail stores and restaurants who just do not have the cash flow or credit yet to purchase or lease a $6,000 to $12,000 point of sale system.
So, I am looking for 6 businesses in the greater Boise, ID area (specialty retail stores and restaurants of any kind) to try out Harbortouch. Here are the key details:
What You Get:
· New touch screen computer with credit card swipe
· New receipt printer, cash drawer, customer price/pole display and barcode scanner (barcode scanner and price/pole display not included with restaurant systems)
· Professional installation (must have existing computer network for multi-terminal installations)
· 24/7 support
· 5 year hardware replacement warranty (shipping costs not included)
The Costs:
· Only upfront cost is shipping which runs around $25/terminal
· Monthly support fee of $69/month per terminal
· Quarterly warranty fee of $59
The Restrictions:
· Credit score of at least 525
·
5 year system and merchant services commitment (we will set and maintain competitive merchant services rates on your behalf)
If you have a retail store or restaurant generating $150,000
to $750,000 in annual gross sales, then this is a great way to start using a
complete point of sale system with very low upfront costs. By comparison our
typical point of sale systems run $6000 to $12,000 for an outright purchase or
$100 - $300 a month on a 5 year lease. Your anticipated costs over five years
for this system is $5345 (none of the prices include costs related to supplies or merchant services fees).
If the system works well for these 6 customers, then I will look at expanding to offer the systems to retail stores and restaurants throughout the Western US.
PS - here are what the retail and restaurant systems look like:
Retail System
Restaurant System
Monday, March 18, 2013
Harbortouch is not Free
Update September, 15th 2014. No one wants to be locked in to a contract. Read more about my experiences with HarborTouch and the true cost of HarborTouch by visiting this more recent post by clicking here.
Update June 13th, 2013 - Thanks to the comments on this blog post, conversations with Harbortouch users, and conversations with Harbortouch, I am now an approved Harbortouch reseller. You can read more by clicking here. I will be keeping everyone informed on how the first series of installations go.
I've talked about this in the past but a recent recruitment letter from Harbortouch reminded me that I should remind you that there is no such thing as a free point of sale system. If Harbortouch is truly shipping over 1000 point of sale systems each month (which is what the letter stated), then there are a lot of small business owners who are either willing to put up with higher merchant services fees or just don't have budget to purchase, lease or or finance a point of sale system.
What do I mean by "put up with higher merchant services fees"? The letter from Harbortouch states that the dealer will double their average monthly residual (this is the amount that your merchant services salesperson makes off of your credit card processing fees). The letter also states that higher margins are possible as well.
The most likely scenario is that Harbortouch simply charges more in credit card (merchant services) fees. It may not sound like much but even a 1/2% difference can mean that the business owner is paying $2,500 more per year in credit card (merchant services) fees. $12,500 over the course of five years (typical minimal lifespan for a point of sale system) is not free. In fact, with point of sale systems running around $3,000 - $8,000, $12,500 is much higher that what you should be paying.
Still convinced that Harbortouch is a good deal? They also pay the person selling each system up to a $500 commission (source: Harbourtouch dealer ad March 2013). I wonder who actually ends up pay for that commission?
Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com.
Update June 13th, 2013 - Thanks to the comments on this blog post, conversations with Harbortouch users, and conversations with Harbortouch, I am now an approved Harbortouch reseller. You can read more by clicking here. I will be keeping everyone informed on how the first series of installations go.
I've talked about this in the past but a recent recruitment letter from Harbortouch reminded me that I should remind you that there is no such thing as a free point of sale system. If Harbortouch is truly shipping over 1000 point of sale systems each month (which is what the letter stated), then there are a lot of small business owners who are either willing to put up with higher merchant services fees or just don't have budget to purchase, lease or or finance a point of sale system.
What do I mean by "put up with higher merchant services fees"? The letter from Harbortouch states that the dealer will double their average monthly residual (this is the amount that your merchant services salesperson makes off of your credit card processing fees). The letter also states that higher margins are possible as well.
The most likely scenario is that Harbortouch simply charges more in credit card (merchant services) fees. It may not sound like much but even a 1/2% difference can mean that the business owner is paying $2,500 more per year in credit card (merchant services) fees. $12,500 over the course of five years (typical minimal lifespan for a point of sale system) is not free. In fact, with point of sale systems running around $3,000 - $8,000, $12,500 is much higher that what you should be paying.
Still convinced that Harbortouch is a good deal? They also pay the person selling each system up to a $500 commission (source: Harbourtouch dealer ad March 2013). I wonder who actually ends up pay for that commission?
Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Complaints on "Free" Point of Sale
I've mentioned before that there is no such thing as a 'free' point of sale system. When reading the details, you'll likely see hidden fees and/or ending up paying a higher than normal amount for credit card processing. Even 'nominal' monthly fees can add up to $3500 or more over the course of 5 years - about the same as the cost to purchase a complete point of sale system. Yet, with the 'free' point of sale systems you never actually own anything!
Harbortouch has been getting quite a few complaints lately. Here are some links to check out why Harbortouch may not be a sound choice for a point of sale system:
http://www.bbb.org/washington-dc-eastern-pa/business-reviews/credit-card-processing-service/harbortouch-in-allentown-pa-235983222
http://www.ripoffreport.com/directory/Harbortouch.aspx
And Harbortouch's repsonse:
http://www.harbortouch.com/blog/negative-harbortouch-reviews/
As retail professionals, we all know that no point of sale system is free - you either pay up front, pay monthly, pay through misc. fee's, or pay via hidden charges (just paying higher than average credit card processing fee's can cost you $1800 or more annually). Do your homework and you will likely find that 'free' will cost you the same in the long run as most other point of sale systems.
Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com.
Harbortouch has been getting quite a few complaints lately. Here are some links to check out why Harbortouch may not be a sound choice for a point of sale system:
http://www.bbb.org/washington-dc-eastern-pa/business-reviews/credit-card-processing-service/harbortouch-in-allentown-pa-235983222
http://www.ripoffreport.com/directory/Harbortouch.aspx
And Harbortouch's repsonse:
http://www.harbortouch.com/blog/negative-harbortouch-reviews/
As retail professionals, we all know that no point of sale system is free - you either pay up front, pay monthly, pay through misc. fee's, or pay via hidden charges (just paying higher than average credit card processing fee's can cost you $1800 or more annually). Do your homework and you will likely find that 'free' will cost you the same in the long run as most other point of sale systems.
Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com.
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