Page 8 - GS170801

ReadersSpeak
ChapterTitle

Keep interchange simple get too detailed or long winded! Re-
ally, all the merchant wants to know
just read "Getting a handle on interchange - Part 2." I really appreciated is how much they are going to save
the definitions of interchange plus and interchange plus plus and how by going with me.
they affect the merchant. I totally agree that doing statement analyses
I and using them as a marketing tool is a vital part of the sales process. Pat Luke
PAL Merchant Services
And I am also in agreement with keeping the explanation of the interchange
short and informative. I've actually seen a merchant's eyes glaze over when I Sadly, with the floatation[*] of Mas-
tercard and Visa, interchange has
strayed from its original purpose,
as stated in your article, to become
a tool for meeting or exceeding Wall
Street's expectations. Case in point:
Mastercard location fee. What value
did it provide merchants paying the
cost? How much new revenue did it
generate for Mastercard?

Stifled competition?
In my humble opinion, "card brand"
is now synonymous with "oligopo-
ly," harkening back to the days of the
infamous oil, railroad, steel, tobacco
and chemical trusts, which were
judged to be corrupt and anti-com-
petitive. Where is Teddy Roosevelt
when you need him?

Tom Doerr
Payments Consultant
[*Flotation is the process of offering
a company's shares for sale on the
stock market for the first time.]

Thank you!

We wish to thank Pat Luke and Tom
Doerr for expressing their views
on our "Getting a handle on inter-
change" series, which appeared in
The Green Sheet, July 10 and July 24,
issues 17:07:01 and 17:07:02. What
do you think about interchange
and other important aspects of
payments? We will welcome your
feedback on our features, profiles
and news, as well as on articles pre-
sented in our Education and Views
sections. Please send your thoughts
to greensheet@greensheet.com. And
remember, we will continue to
welcome your press releases to
press@greensheet.com. Share your
good news with us so we can help
spread the word.

8 8