Is a Centrally Located Receipt Printer IMPORTANT for a new SSCW Credit Card System?

[Carl]

My 8.5-year-old credit card system is non-PCI compliant so I'm having to purchase a new system for my wash of 2 automatic bays, 6 ss bays, 2 dog washes and I might also add it to 4 out of 8 of my vacs.

From your experiences at your SSCW, is it important that a centrally located receipt printer be included in a new equipment package? I'm thinking that not many people will request a paper receipt but maybe I'm not predicting for such a need in the right mindset. Is this an important component to include w/ the customers' needs foremost in mind or can I save this $$$ in this tough economy to get this package's price down! I'm of course not seeing a great benefit to having this in place, for the money, but want to hear of other opinions if I'm not seeing the other side as I should.

Basically, the receipt printer is one which would be located next to the main bill changer and a customer would walk all the way to it from their handbay or the dog wash to print out a paper receipt by swiping the credit card they'd just used, into this printer's card reader slot. That's all it will do is print receipts. It's not a card dispenser nor a card refiller.

Thanks! - Carl

 

[ONEcard]

Carl

If your transactions are less than $25.00 your not required to have a receipt printer. Most Auto Tellers offer a receipt, which is where we find most of the people who want I receipt will wash at.

 

[Carl]

Important or Rare?

I came across an old post in a similar thread where a carwash owner said in eight years he got around six requests for a credit card receipt from customers using his ss bays / vacs. That's pretty rare but I'm wondering if any of you feel that many business customers might actually require such a receipt printout for their boss that might not ever revisit a wash if it didn't have receipt-printing available for handbay washes using credit cards?

Even if I got the expensive centrally located printer, you'd still need to educate the credit card user someone (I guess more signage) that if he'll walk to the bill changer area, he can get a receipt printed over there.

Just not seeing the need for this receipt printer but gonna wait and see if anyone happens to reply w/ the feeling that it's important to have available and for what reasons? Thanks. - Carl

 

[Indiana Wash]

I have one customer who does not use my wash because she does not get a receipt. I finally got her to use my wash a couple of times. She washes her car weekly.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

We offer self serve bays with credit cards and do not have on-site receipts.
The few people who have asked for them were satisfied with an emailed receipt which I can do from our processor's website. I don't advertise it, but if you feel it's necessary, you could put signs or decals up tellling people to email you for receipt if needed. That way you are making them available and most likely, not a lot of people will bother you.

 

[Carl]

Great Idea!

GoBuckeyes - Thanks for that suggestion! You know...having had a credit card system for 8.5 years that didn't have a receipt printer; I can think of only around maybe 21 or so requests for a printout and like you said, we are able to look up amounts and pretty much satisfy the customer to where they leave not feeling so worried about the charge they'll soon receive for services. I think the requests either come from those who are scared that some swipes they made which didn't turn on the timer, might have gotten "read" and therefore they'll be charged for but that's never the case and I think they just want to leave w/ peace-of-mind that they won't find an excessive, unfair charge...or, I guess there are those customers who might need the printout for their boss? With the system I'm looking at, having a display where upon the customer's pressing STOP, a total charge should display on the display; I'm thinking this makes it even less warranted to invest in such a centrally located receipt printer which will cost around 2.5K. At present I'm leaning 85% DON'T get the printer, 15% DO get it for convenience sake for the customer. But I hate wasting $$$ so you guys are a big help. Thanks again! - Carl

 

[DiamondWash]

That's what I was worried about when buying my new Credit Card system for my self serves that when was the demand for a receipt printer going to be needed? so far I haven't had any people needing a receipt so I'll hold out but this winter will really tell if I need one.