Re: [AISdiscuss] PayPal Web Page

[John I Jones <jijones@usjoneses.com>]

On Jun 8, 2006, at 4:12 PM, AIS Membership Secretary wrote:

> Let me make sure I have this straight, the "On Line Join" option is 
> designed, to facilitate an increase in memberships (and renewals) to 
> AIS and as a courtesy to the Sections, facilitate their memberships.
>
> If this is the case then let's just KIS-keep it simple!  We are making 
> this much more complicated than it needs to be.
I think either policy position can be implemented in a simple manner.

> AIS has never charged extra for credit card processing and we know 
> that costs too.  The only "policy" I had to work from on credit card 
> acceptance came from Anner Whitehead's very thorough MemSec Procedure 
> Manual.  I checked with all Board members a couple of years ago that 
> the wording of this policy was still acceptable and have sent the 
> information (which was in a  previous e-mail titled:
> "THE AMERICAN IRIS SOCIETY CURRENT AIS MEMBERSHIP OFFICE POLICY 
> CONCERNING ACCEPTING DUES FOR SECTIONS AND COOPERATING SOCIETIES 
> MARCH, 2002b
>
> to all the Sections for their publications and they regularly publish 
> that statement.
>
> In the last 12 month period I have processed 44 Section and 2 
> Storefront credit card charges that given the 2.9% + .30 would have 
> equaled $47.53. Other than the ASI all sections have been involved, 
> some more, some less. For arguments sake letbs say the bJoin 
> Buttonb tripled credit card membership payments to the Sections were 
> still talking under $150.00/yr., hardly the stuff of budget busting 
> proportions.
This is a reasonable analysis. However, I think we can assume that as 
we progress, more and more of the subscription transactions will be 
made via online payment and the cost will change accordingly.

> 1)	AIS raised dues recently to more accurately reflect the cost of 
> doing business which included Bulletin and renewal mailing and 
> processing.
>
> 2)	In the business world, even Commercial Iris Firms, no one charges 
> extra for payments received by CC as opposed to Check or cash.
If I remember the law correctly (from 10 0r so years ago) a merchant at 
a given location with a product marked at a specific price cannot 
charge an additional fee for processing a credit card payment for that 
product. (They can however offer a discount for a cash payment.) That 
does not however prevent them from charging different prices for the 
same product at two different locations.

> 3)	If we are not charging our consumer for this service, neither 
> should we be charging the Sections or Cooperating Societies.  Or, if 
> the Board thinks it is necessary, they might consider charging the 
> Sections an Annual Processing fee for the CC charges and MemSecbs 
> time to keep records and monthly processing to the Sections (I do not 
> recommend this but state it as an option.)
>
> 4)	 I have no real objection (at this time) to an added amount of work 
> for the MemSec office but we really need to keep it simple for the 
> consumer.
>
> Lastly, and I donbt know this for certain but I believe the credit 
> card companies have a line of boilerplate in their merchant contracts 
> that prohibit sellers from charging extra for credit card purchases. 
> Does this apply to PayPal also or are they a third party/facilitator 
> in all of this and not bound by usury laws?
I have been through the PayPal  terms and conditions, and found nothing 
that would seem to apply. However I think we fall under the different 
prices at different locations umbrella. In this case it would be two 
different merchants (organizations) offering the product for two 
different prices. (This of course assuming we do.)

John

> Tom Gormley
>
>
> Tom Gormley
> AIS Membership Secretary
> P. O. Box 28
> Cedar Hill, MO 63016-0028
> 636-274-6149
>
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John                | "There be dragons here"
                         |  Annotation used by ancient cartographers
                         |  to indicate the edge of the known world.

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