Often Wrong, Seldom in Doubt

Each credit card or e-check transaction depends on all systems being at "go" all the time. The fact is, errors and glitches sometimes happen.

When they do, merchants suddenly are aware of the mechanics they think are at work in a transaction. It can go on for a few days unless we are notified of a potential problem. Or in a few cases, they get mad at the messenger. Then we are the ultimate bad guys.

It takes a dedicated customer service team to monitor all systems, even if the systems are fully not under our control. The fact is, once the card transaction is released to the "system" many parties are involved that we are not in charge of. We coordinate with banks, data centers, "front ends", "back ends," gateways, shopping carts, web developers of varying expertise, the Federal Reserve Bank (yes, they have problems from time to time too) and so many others.

So if something goes wrong, as the first level of customer service, we take the heat. That's OK, that's what we do.

We also provide the solution. We know who to ask for assistance. We get it done. So if one transaction goes wrong in any way, it is remembered by the merchant for a long time. But it was fixed, according to the rules and regulations.

Once resolved, there is no doubt, at least in our mind, that we have provided the best level of support and customer care. We check back to be sure.

We want to rekindle that confidence again in our merchants' minds. We are responsible for your cash flow. We take that very seriously.

Now, being pragmatic, let's remember all the transactions that went right too.