PCI Compliancy - who do you use? Anyway of getting it without paying a fee?

blue_monkey_2

I am with Security Metrics for my PCI compliancy.

I have the same service as last year where I was charged £74.99. I've received quarterly scans since then.

I've just renewed, paid the £74.99 that they are asking for and they scanned me today and it was coming back as fine.

Now I've received an email saying 'we see you have renewed and that you take cards on your site - and because of this we need to charge you an additional £35.'

I have no idea why as I am running the website the same as I did last year. More so that I have no access to my customers card details at all whereas last year I did.

My friend pays £30 for the same company but there is no way of negotiating.

I am not sure what to do, Barclays recommend that I use that company but do I have to. I have paid, can I ask for my money back as I am unhapy with the service as they are saying that I have to have this 'additional scan'. They say 'tough you have to have it' so if I do not have it they will tell Barclays I am not compliant. More so that I can click 'scan now' on my site and it scans so I have no idea what they are going on about. I was complient this afternoon and then they emailed asking for more money. I feel scammed in all honesty - if I do not pay the extra they'll not give me compiancy but I already paid the £75 they are asking for.

Is there anywhere else I can go to or use? Barclays do not tell me much about it, just that I get a 'discount' for using this company, which are now upping their price for some reason.

Does anyone else have any information at all on these companies please or if there is another way to go about being complient without paying a fee. Thanks.

greyteam1959

I was in the same position as you.....and ended up like you.....feeling 'scammed' & there was s*d all I could do about it.
Barclays Merchant Services said I had to be compliant & washed there hands of the whole issue.
I certainly did not like a company in the USA (of which I knew absolutely nothing) handling all my company data.
I got really really annoyed with this Security Metrics lot but had to pay up in the end.
I did try to do the paperwork myself what a f*cking 30 page f*cking nightmare !!!!
Oh and by the way....I have just moved from BMS to a lot better deal.
If its of any interest I am now paying :-
Debit Cards .17p per transaction
Credit Card 1.25%
Commercial Credit Cards 1.25%
And not a mention of PCI Compliance !!!!!!!!!!
I was with BMS for over 15 years and they could not give a s*d.

blue_monkey_2

Thanks for your reply Mervyn, kind of weird to feel great that it is not just me feeling scammed.

I don't think I'll bother calling them to have a rant then, as I was going to do tomorrow. Who are you with now can I ask? Is it easy to switch over to a new Merchant Account? Does it matter that I am still with Barclays for my Business Account or will that have to change too?

greyteam1959

I have used a company called
www.acceptcards.co.uk
I dealt with a guy called Mark Pearson
Very helpful and very quick.....
They set everything up for you.
You rent the terminal off www.123send.co.uk
through them bluetooth (no wire ) terminal £22.50 per month incl vat.
Same as BMS.

They have set me up with Allied Irish Bank (AIB).
Dead easy to switch.
Does not matter at all who you bank with.
Oh word of warning.....check with BMS regarding cancellation charges.....they tried to charge me 3 months fees....until I pointed out to them that they did say there were no cancellation charges. ( Mind you I had been with BMS for over 15 years.)
Get in touch with the guys at Acceptcards....nothing to loose.
If you want I will PM you my company details and you can say I recommended them.

blue_monkey_2

Thanks Merv,

I will do that. It was the Merchant account really I guess.

I've read conflicting advice on that if you do not access card details then you have not have to be PCI complient. I have NO access at the moment so I need to look into this.

I do not need a terminal, people make a 'deferred' payment via Sagepay and my website links through to sagepay and I 'claim' the money from the order page and it is processed then. I've paid for an SSL so that they stay on my site rather than going via Sagepay. Seems that was a waste of money too then.

At the moment I've not answered their emails.

BMS do not charge me a monthly fee at the moment, just as and when I put the cards through.

It is the compliency. I can understand having it but when I do not have any card data at all then I cannot see why I have to pay as I do not hold any card data. Others have told me that I should not be paying, others have told me that they pay.

Either way I think I need a change. It's a minefield.