Well, I am truly disappointed in Parker’s Market in Savannah, and in particular Greg Parker, the owner.

I have been a steady customer there for about four years now, spending an average of $30 to $50 per week at their store. Add it up and we’re looking at roughly $6,240.

Today I went in to make a purchase. My items came up to about $3.50. I was then told that I would have to purchase another $1.50 in goods in order to break the $5 minimum Visa purchase requirement instated yesterday by the store.

Now, I know for a fact that this is not permitted under any Visa Merchant Agreements. There is no question in the matter. I ask for the manager.

I am surprised to get the owner himself, Mr. Greg Parker. How this guy became a success, I have no clue.

I informed Mr. Parker that Visa did not allow minimum purchases. He said I was wrong. I said I was right. Obviously we disagreed.

He offered many times to explain how Visas work– how he is charged a transaction fee as well as a percentage. I knew all of this already, and told him that frankly I did not care how much Visa charged him. I explained that he has chosen to accept Visa, and that he has chosen a public-facing business. He must now conduct business according to the agreements he has made.

He did not like that, insisting that if I did not care about his profitability that I was not welcome to shop at his stores.

Obviously, I will not shop at his stores. But, I will file a complaint with Visa because, after all, I am right (per usual):

Source: http://www.corporate.visa.com/ut/faq.jsp?src=home

Can merchants set a minimum purchase or charge a fee for using my Visa card?

Visa has certain regulations that all merchants that accept Visa cards must follow. One of those rules is that Visa merchants are not permitted to establish minimum transaction amounts, even on sale items.

If you run into a problem like this with a merchant, please notify your Visa card-issuing bank. Visa member banks have access to the appropriate Visa rules and regulations as well as to the Notification of Customer Complaint forms which should be used by the bank to document and file merchant complaints.

Looking into the matter further, I find that not only are they violating Visa’s Merchant Agreement, but they are also in violation of state law. See, Parker’s Market in Savannah prints your full name, credit card number, and expiration date on your receipt.

This is illegal. Parker’s Market in Savannah is breaking the law by printing more than five digits of a credit card number on customer receipts, and Parker’s Market in Savannah is also breaking the law by printing credit card expiration numbers on customer receipts.

The law that Parker’s Market in Savannah is breaking:

Source: http://www.legis.state.ga.us/cgi-bin/gl_codes_detail.pl?code=10-15-3

10-15-3.
(a) A merchant who accepts a payment card for the transaction of business shall not print more than five digits of the payment card´s account number or print the payment card´s expiration date on a receipt provided to the cardholder. This subsection applies only to receipts described in subsection (b) of this Code section and does not apply to a transaction in which the sole means of recording the payment card´s account number or expiration date is by handwriting or by an imprint or copy of the payment card.
(b)(1) Effective July 1, 2004, subsection (a) of this Code section applies to receipts that are electronically transferred by a payment card processor and printed using a cash register or other machine or device that is first used on or after July 1, 2004.
(2) Effective July 1, 2006, subsection (a) of this Code section applies to all receipts that are electronically transferred by a payment card processor and printed, including those printed using a cash register or other machine or device that is first used before July 1, 2004.

So, Mr. Parker, it’s time for me to start writing letters in order to force you to uphold your end of the deal you have struck with the public– you sell us stuff and follow the law, and we buy it.

30 stores and you haven’t learned this yet? Why does that not surprise me.

Mike