What would you do if a merchant who accpeted Discover Card tried to persuade you to use a Visa/MC instead?

Discover Credit card had been my only credit card for 8 years and don't have any plans on applying for another credit card. Discovers customer service can't be beat. Every time I need to dispute a purchase they take care of me and are on my side.



I only have an ATM card to withdraw money and without the Visa logo on it. I don't want or need a debit card.



I pay at stores, gas stations and restuarants with cash or Discover Card.





Today I baught 2 new tires for my car at a local tire shop. The tire store has a sing in the window that says they accept Visa,MC, AMEX and Discover. When I paid for my tires the owner refused to take my Discover Card. His terminal takes Discover Card. He didn't want to take my Discover because Discover charges him a 6% fee off of the purchase amount. Visa/MC charge a 1.5% fee off of the purchase amount.



The owner said can't you use a Visa or MC instead of Discover? I explained that Discover is the only card I have.



I offered to write him a personal check and he refuses to accept checks.



I told him I will drive my car to the bank to get him cash. He refused to give me my car keys to drive 3 miles to the bank.



I told him that he should except my discover card so I can pay him and be on my way.



Unfortunatley because the bank was closed he will not be realesing my car until tomorrow when I bring him cash.What would you do if a merchant who accpeted Discover Card tried to persuade you to use a Visa/MC instead?
for small businesses usually VISA/MC fees (after everything) come up to 4-5% .. believe me! ... so the business owners thinking they are saving by not accepting discover and especially AMEX are very stupid.

people with amex/discover in general spent more .. another reason to accept them.



and this guy was false advertising.
HE is in the WRONG. you offered legitimate means of payment, he refused..you shoulda called the cops RIGHT THEN AND THERE.What would you do if a merchant who accpeted Discover Card tried to persuade you to use a Visa/MC instead?
That's false advertising. If he says that he takes it then he is LEGALLY required to do so. If I where you, I would go back to that shop and have him remove those two new tires and give you back your old ones, then go to another store that won't screw you over like that again. Report him to the BBS and then never go there again. that is ridiculous! I would call the cops and force him to take the Discover card that he advertised that he took. I wouldn't back down from it, and then tell him that he needs to change the sign. You should never have left that shop with out your car. I would have said, "fine, put my tires back on it and I'll take it to a store that will accept the form of payment that they advertise that they do." I would have probably filed a complaint against him w/ the police. Refusing to give you back your property when you are offering a legitimate form of payment for services rendered is considered deprivation and is ILLEGAL.
you should have called the police at the time the store owner refused to take your card and/or release your vehicle.



it is a clearly stated method of payment......he has to accept....who gives a f*u*ck how much his percentage to discover or m/c is? not your problem and not your concern....



he advertised acceptance of the card, he has to accept the card. period.



don't let it go....contact the police anyway and file a formal complaint....this is something akin to false imprisonment or theft and file a complaint with the better business burea as well.



and never shop there again.



i use only my discover...the customer service is second to none as you say and they are very proactive in settling any disputes that have arisen in over 10 years as a cardholder.



don't even have a m/c of my own, only a corporate one.



and i know a thing or two about cars....they didn't "cut up and shred" your tires....they threw them into the back of a trailer behind their building to be trucked to a recycle center when the trailer is full. go back in there and call him a liar as well.What would you do if a merchant who accpeted Discover Card tried to persuade you to use a Visa/MC instead?
He has the Discover sign to get people in, and then depends on being able to switch them. Actually, I've never met anyone who has Discover as their only card because there are still places that take only Visa or MC.



He probably sold them as used tires, either to someone who wanted cheap tires or to a retreading company. If he really cut them up and put them in the trash, you can get him in a lot of trouble. At least in my state, it's illegal to throw away tires. They have to be taken to an authorized disposal site for recycling unless he can resell them. If this guy is throwing them in the trash to avoid the charge at the recycling center, he's a criminal. Look at your receipt. Did he charge you a "disposal fee"?
First off let me say it's not ridiculous to not accept personal checks, that's why debit cards were invented in the first place; to REPLACE your checks. And second, I think you're in the right and you should immediately contact the authorities and threaten a law-suit. Report his business to the BBB (Better Business Bureau), Rip-Off Report, Consumer Reports and anything else you can to discredit his store for screwing you over. Don't do anything stupid like take off with the car, because often times police like to side with business owners when customers fly off the handle. Keep your cool, contact the police, point out the sign that says they take Discover, take a picture if you have to, and once this is all over with attempt to take him to civil court for anything you can. Why? So you can waste his time and money like he has wasted yours, and to drive the point home that if he doesn't accept your kind of card, to take his sign down. That is false advertising and I'm pretty sure a judge would settle with you in small claims for some form of compensation, given you have taken photos. I love getting back at people with the legal system when they try to shove me around like this and you should be no different.

PS You can't steal your own property...and the police would probably forgive you for driving off, as long as you simply drove to the bank, received cash and brought it back to him promptly.
You have done the correct thing by reporting this store to Discover; you should also report the store immediately to the Better Business Bureau. You can even report online:



http://welcome.bbb.org/



Although they will have several arguments for why their actions were not against the law, more than likely keeping the police from taking any action in the matter, it is obviously poor business practice for them to treat customers in such a way. Working for a business that also accepts Discover cards, I can tell you that our merchant account with Discover charges a minimum monthly fee that is far in excess of the fees charges by other cards as well. So the only way for us to recoup the costs of accepting Discover is to accept as many Discover cards as people wish to use. Personally, I wish MORE people would use Discover cards, as we would actually get to keep a larger percentage of the transactions if the cards were used.



You were correct in thinking that the owner might have tried to press charges on you for theft if you had used your spare car key to take your car before the payment was received. Considering all that you had offered in terms of payment, you probably would have had a fairly solid argument, but it would have been your word against his at that point.



Sorry to hear about what happened to you. Although I doubt it even needs to be said, I certainly would not use this tire shop again.