how2it13.htm
Credit Card processing issues as they relate to restoring from a backup
- Quick Review
- Restoring from a backup that was made BEFORE the closeout
- Restoring from a backup that was made AFTER the closeout
- What to do if you accidentally settle a batch of credit cards twice
Quick Review: At the end of the day when you perform a daily closeout, InfoTouch will settle any outstanding credit cards, after which the "outstanding cards" are marked as settled so they aren't accidentally settled twice. When you make a daily InfoTouch backup is important, because the backup system built into InfoTouch will not only include all the day's sales, but any credit card transactions that have yet to be settled. Should you RESTORE your computer from a backup, it's critically important for you to know whether the backup you're restoring was made BEFORE the daily closeout or AFTER the daily closeout, as well as whether credit cards are involved at all.
If restoring from a backup that was made BEFORE the closeout, be forewarned that the restore will include any outstanding credit cards that had not been settled at the time the backup was made, and if you perform another daily closeout, the system will settle the credit cards again. This will double-charge the customers and you may get some calls from angry customers.
If you already ran the daily closeout and your credit cards were settled with the original closeout, you should run the DEL_EDC.EXE utility before you perform another closeout. This utility will remove the credit card settlement function yet retain the sale information in the system. If you do not have this utility, you can download it from the InfoTouch downloads area or by clicking here: DOWNLOAD DEL_EDC.EXE. Be sure to install it in the data area of your system, which is either the VERTICAL folder or the TNS directory for DOS users.
If you already ran the daily closeout but are unsure whether you had any credit card transactions, before you perform another closeout, you should print the "transactions by tender type" report to see what your credit card exposure might be. You might also print the "verified credit cards" report which lists the credit card detail that was associated with the system at that time the backup was made.
If there were no credit card transactions, you have nothing to worry about and you can close out again without problems.
If restoring from a backup that was made AFTER the closeout, there should be no problems as the credit cards have likely already been settled and out of the system. However, after restoring the data, you should immediately check:
Print the "verified credit cards" report which lists the credit card detail that was associated with the system at that time the backup was made. If the report is blank, then certainly you'll have no problems as there are no outstanding cards to be settled.
If the report lists any credit cards, it means that the those cards are still "live" because, perhaps, the earlier closeout couldn't settle the credit cards because of phone connection or other issues, or if the operator had postponed the settlement. In this case, you should determine whether these cards are still outstanding or whether a second closeout attempt was performed after the backup was made.
If you accidentally settle a batch of credit cards twice, you should immediately call the merchant services representative at your bank. They can contact the card processor and stop the settlement so that it doesn't go through and double-charge the cardholders, or they may give you the phone number of the card processor so that you can stop it yourself.