FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: Who is EMT is why should I use you for my credit card processing services versus my bank?
A: EMT (eMerchantTechnology) is an official ISO (Independent Sales Organization) in the credit card industry representing brands such as VISA, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and a host of other electronic payment services such as Check Approval, Gift Card, Loyalty, and Prepaid. Large credit card processing companies (Acquirers) employ ISOs as their sales and service representatives. They do this because ISOs can provide a variety of products and services from various suppliers to create turnkey solutions for merchants. ISOs also provide a level of support not available through an Acquirer or Bank. In most instances, banks do not process credit cards but are offering merchant services for an ISO. They will private label the processing service and offer it under the bank brand but banks are in the business of deposits and not merchant processing. As you can see from our offerings, EMT is focused on complete solutions for different types of merchants. We operate much like a cell phone store and can provide free solutions once a merchant account has been established. These free solutions include credit card terminals, ECRs (Electronic Cash Registers), and complete Point of Sale systems. Merchants receive more value (i.e. free solutions, low rates, 24/7 service) by going directly through an ISO versus signing up for merchant services through a bank.
Q: How can you give away credit card terminals, ECRs, and complete point of sale systems for free? Nothing is free!
A: This is not true. Cell phones are free, cable boxes are free and alarm systems can be free. It is not uncommon in the service business to give away the hardware to get the merchant services agreement. We would rather give you the hardware for free and earn your processing business for years to come. Some companies need to have an up-front profit to stay in business, but when you have 110,000 merchants and 9 billion a year in processing, you don't need to sell the box anymore to have happy customers.
Q: I already have a cash register why should I get a new one from you?
A: Wouldn't you like to upgrade to a brand new register at no cost? Does your cash register have integrated credit card processing? How often does it break down? How much does it cost to get repaired? With us, we provide guaranteed replacement if your unit ever malfunctions.
Q: Should I buy a cash register at a local office supply store?
A: Who is going to program it? Who will you call for support when it breaks and most importantly why are you going to actually pay money for one when you can get one for free.
Q: How much is the support contract for the point of sale system?
A: Similar to a free cell phone, free alarm system, or any other similar promotion, a service agreement is required for the point of sale system. The service agreement for the equipment is $59/month per system as well as $59 per quarter for software support. Keep in mind that service is everything for a high-end, technological product such as this. The majority of our competitors in the POS market charge anywhere from $5,000 to $7,000 PER system plus accessories and other charges. This is just the up-front costs. They also typically charge a service agreement that is at least 15% of the system cost each year. These charges generally increase over time as the chance of component failure increases. That means $750 to over $1,000 per system per year in service in addition to paying for the system. Another advantage of UBC’s program is that as long as the merchant is under the service agreement, they essentially have a lifetime warranty on their POS system.
Q: How good of a deal is the free point of sale system for merchants?
A: Before our free POS program, a merchant would have to purchase a POS system (between $5,000 and $7,000 per system) plus an additional 10% to 20% of the system cost per year in support. As mentioned above these support costs continue to escalate each year. With us, the merchant receives the POS equipment entirely free and also receives a lifetime warranty on the system as long they are current on the service agreement. This means priority swaps, on-site service, remote database back-ups, remote system management, complete customization of the system, and much more. The comparison is between a free cell phone and paying for the wireless service or buying the exact same cell phone for $1,000 and paying MORE for the wireless service.
Q: Does Harbortouch work with gift cards?
A: Harbortouch POS systems work with our gift card program.
Q: How do you program the ECR?
A: When the merchant account is approved, the merchant receives an e-mail with a link attached that will guide them to a website to begin customizing their cash register system. The merchant can choose from a predesigned template or completely customize their cash register in an easy to use step-by-step interface. The merchant will see a virtual cash register setup the way they expect it even before it ever arrives at their door. Our deployment department takes the merchant's custom design and speed loads it into the cash register. Then deployment will ship the cash register with installation instructions, quick reference guides and a complete welcome kit.
Q: Who handles the service issues?
A: UBC does the service with a 24x7 trained technical support team over a dedicated 800 telephone number. This team has been thoroughly trained on all operations of cash registers and will be equipped to handle all matters over the phone. In the event a major component of the cash register malfunctions we will ship out another cash register programmed exactly the way the merchant originally programmed their first ECR. Essentially we are giving the merchant a lifetime warranty on their cash register so long as they continue processing with us.
