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Problem with getting merchant services for site

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  • 25-04-2012 7:46am
    #1
    countzero
    Registered Users Posts: 9 ✭


    Hi,

    We have a new site, The Hunting Store, which has been up for a month or so. We decided to use Realex as our payment processor, because we want to allow laser card payments.

    When we went looking for merchant banking services, we got the same response from the irish merchant banks:

    - We will not do business with a site that sells guns.

    We pointed out that we are licenced gun dealers, and that you can't buy a gun off the site. They still wouldn't do business with us. Then they said they'd give us the services if we took hunting knives off the site because you can't sell knives to under 16s in the UK (but we're an Irish site!). We pointed out that Newbridge Silver allows the sale of knives - that didn't get any response.

    Then they agreed to give us merchant services as long as we didn't actually sell guns online. We said, we don't and we won't. Then they came back about the knives again.

    We are furious over this!!!! We are legally selling firearms, ammunition and hunting knives to licenced users. There are hunting shops all over the country doing it. We are not even the only site in Ireland doing it!!! It just seems mad to us that AIB is advertising that they are supporting new businesses and yet they won't give us the services we need to access the 2 million plus laser card users in this country!!!

    For the moment we are using PayPal, BUT:

    Does anyone know of a way in which we can process laser cards from our site, or has anyone had similar experience with merchant services. If so, did you get any result with them?

    Thanks,
    Jennifer


Comments

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    #2
    Sully
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 24,056 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sully


    Probably not the right forum so ill move it somewhere that may be able to help! :)

    Topic Moved


  • Options
    #3
    billybunty
    Registered Users Posts: 127 ✭✭billybunty


    countzero wrote: »
    Hi,

    We have a new site, The Hunting Store, which has been up for a month or so. We decided to use Realex as our payment processor, because we want to allow laser card payments.

    When we went looking for merchant banking services, we got the same response from the irish merchant banks:

    - We will not do business with a site that sells guns.

    We pointed out that we are licenced gun dealers, and that you can't buy a gun off the site. They still wouldn't do business with us. Then they said they'd give us the services if we took hunting knives off the site because you can't sell knives to under 16s in the UK (but we're an Irish site!). We pointed out that Newbridge Silver allows the sale of knives - that didn't get any response.

    Then they agreed to give us merchant services as long as we didn't actually sell guns online. We said, we don't and we won't. Then they came back about the knives again.

    We are furious over this!!!! We are legally selling firearms, ammunition and hunting knives to licenced users. There are hunting shops all over the country doing it. We are not even the only site in Ireland doing it!!! It just seems mad to us that AIB is advertising that they are supporting new businesses and yet they won't give us the services we need to access the 2 million plus laser card users in this country!!!

    For the moment we are using PayPal, BUT:

    Does anyone know of a way in which we can process laser cards from our site, or has anyone had similar experience with merchant services. If so, did you get any result with them?

    Thanks,
    Jennifer
    Try ulster bank streamline


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    #4
    countzero
    Registered Users Posts: 9 ✭countzero


    Thanks billy, I placed a call with them a couple of weeks ago and never heard back from them. Your message prompted me to contact them again - hopefully they'll contact me this time.


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    #5
    R3al
    Closed Accounts Posts: 303 ✭✭R3al


    Laser cards are being phased out at the moment and are being replaced by visadebit cards which are accepted by the likes of paypal so it may just be a short term issue for you, have you tried worldpay? Which payment processor do the other sites use selling similar items?


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    #6
    MOH
    Registered Users Posts: 6,465 ✭✭✭MOH


    I'd second Ulster.

    When opening a business account, I went in and talked to both my local AIB branch and Ulster Bank in the city centre.

    I actually found the AIB guy really good - very enthusiastic about the business, ended up doing a bit of brainstorming which identified some markets I hadn't considered, very impressed. Had a couple of questions about the merchant services side that he wasn't sure about, he called someone on that side of things but they were out to lunch, he promised he'd get them to call me back with the details. At that point they had my business.

    Except that a week later I hadn't heard back from them, and meanwhile had been in to Ulster who'd not been quite as helpful on the business front, but the girl I spoke to answered every query I had about what they could do for me, particularly on the payment processing side.

    Ended up going with them, had the merchant services account set up pretty quickly. Never did hear back from AIB.


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  • Options
    #7
    countzero
    Registered Users Posts: 9 ✭countzero


    R3al wrote: »
    Laser cards are being phased out at the moment and are being replaced by visadebit cards which are accepted by the likes of paypal so it may just be a short term issue for you, have you tried worldpay? Which payment processor do the other sites use selling similar items?

    I'm not sure - there's no real indication on their sites.

    But a payment processor isn't the problem - Realex are fine, and they have no issue with our line of business. It's the merchant banks that are giving us grief.

    We're waiting on a call back from Ulster bank, and we'll check out worldpay too.

    Anyone know if Worldpay process Laser cards?


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    #8
    Nuttzz
    Registered Users Posts: 3,777 ✭✭✭Nuttzz


    Dont worry too much about laser cards, they will most likely be gone by the end of the year

    http://www.independent.ie/business/new-visa-debit-card-replacing-laser-will-remove-online-shopping-quirk-3007638.html


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    #9
    moorea77
    Registered Users Posts: 9 ✭moorea77


    Hi

    Yes, Worldpay does accept Laser cards, but it takes too long to transfer money from worldpay merchant account to your business account.

    Did you try to open merchant account with Elavon? (Bank of Ireland).


  • Options
    #10
    moorea77
    Registered Users Posts: 9 ✭moorea77


    Nuttzz wrote: »
    Dont worry too much about laser cards, they will most likely be gone by the end of the year

    http://www.independent.ie/business/new-visa-debit-card-replacing-laser-will-remove-online-shopping-quirk-3007638.html

    Actually it is very important to accept Laser cards on your website if your are operating in Ireland.


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