MRA Customer Service Bulletins…

Shipping savings…
At its first birthday (members started signing up last August and started saving last September), the MRA’s Shipping Savings program has saved members over $30,000 on more than 20,000 packages. Members who are using the program are saving an average of 20 percent on qualifying shipments, for an average total savings of $181.79.

Card Guidelines…
Customer Service would like to remind merchants of the following guidelines for accepting and swiping credit cards.

• To prevent fraud, check to see if the credit card number on the card matches what the terminal reads, and train your staff to do this too. If the numbers do not match, the card is not valid.

This occurs when a card has been cloned. The information contained in the magnetic stripe was stolen or “skimmed” from a valid card, then embedded into the magnetic stripe of the illegal cloned card, where the embossed number usually doesn’t match it.

MRA has had some reports of cloned cards, so be on the lookout for this form of fraud.

• When you receive a "comm lost" message while swiping a transaction, call the help desk (800.563.5981) to be sure the sale posted. If you assume that it didn't post and re-run the transaction, the customer may be charged twice. If you assume it did post, you may end up not getting paid.

• Credit card sales must be for merchandise or services from your place of business. They are not to be used for petty cash refunds or cash advances.

Holidays…
The season is fast approaching. If you’ve been thinking about offering gift cards this holiday season, now is the time to get started. Call John Mayleben at 800.366.3699 or e-mail him at jmayleben@retailers.com.