Aloha Auto Batch

[AlohaWahini]

Does anyone know of a way to automatically send a credit card batch out at the end of the night for the Aloha system? We used to have this utility, but have long since lost it, and need it now.

Bo can you help with this one? Thanks in advance!

 

[AdamDR]

You need the AKB for this one. It's easy to do, but you need the numbering scheme for which processor you have. As a dealer, I don't know the protocol for giving out akbs, but if you let me know what processor you use, I'd be happy to walk you through it.

Adam

 

[AlohaWahini]

Thanks Adam. Helpful as always.

As I mentioned in another post, I have a "fairly current" list of AKBs, maybe it's in there, not sure. However, the last thing I want to do is have you compromise yourself by offering to be helpful. So, the processor is visanet.


I used to have a batch file called autoclose, but it worked with limited success. Thanks for any assitance you can provide.

 

[DTSMAN]

It is AKB 1104. You should have that one it has been around for years.

We here at my company do not offer that feature to our customer unless they beg and are insistant.
1. Once a batch has been closed it can not be retreived to be edited and any errors will have to be handled by phone. PAIN..
2. If something goes wrong, there are no error messages. If someone is not checking to see if it went through they could be racking up days or even weeks worth of transactions. And if they say they are going to check it everyday, (which they wont)then they might as well just check it for accuracy and manually batch at that time.

Just my 2cents on auto settling with any POS system.

Bo

Kentucky phone support-
"Mash the Kentrol key and hit scape."

 

[AdamDR]

Create a text file named 10000001.REQ that is stored in a permanent location outside of the EDC folder.



Edit the text file, and add the following lines:



BEGIN

TYPE <5 spaces> SETTLE

PROCESSOR <5 spaces> VISANET

PROCNO <5 spaces> 2

PINDEX <5 spaces> 1

END





Then make a batch file that will copy the file to the edc folder. That's it!!

 

[suchasynic]

wow -- wouldn't you like to balance your credit card transactions BEFORE you batch them to the processor? If they aren't balanced and have over-charged a customer - you have to credit that customer on a different day because the batched transaction cannot be edited. Then you get customers calling you asking why they see multiple charges on their statement. risky!

 

[AlohaWahini]

Thanks guys. I DO have that AKB, but I've tried it in the past, and couldn't get it to work properly. I think the way it was explained by Adamn, I now realize what I was doing wrong.

So the commands, BEGIN, SETTLE, etc, all go into the REQ file, right? Then winhook calls a batch file, and within that batch file are instructions to copy the REQ file into the EDC directory, and EDC takes care of the rest? Is that all correct?

One of the techs I used to work with DID have a neat little batch file (I think I still have it) that did this, and it would also tell you if it did not settle properly. However, I agree with the comments from Bo and Synic. For one thing, your talking about playing around with the customers money here, and if something goes awry, they get angry real fast. Also, what exactly are we saving them here? Batching credit cards takes like a whole 3 clicks of the mouse. Big deal.

To add to your comments, the most annoying this is that when it did not work automatically, the customers acted like the system was "broken". Then I'd tell them, "Look, this is an enhancement to the system that we don't really support. If it doesn't work, you've just got to batch it manually."
And of course, like many customers who get used to doing things the "easy" way, they whined and cried like babies that they now had to do the batch themselves. I finally got so fed up with it, that I went to my boss and said "We've got to stop offering this to customers. It's risky, and it's not something we should support." My boss agreed.

So, to end this story, this is for one of those customers who is insisting it be returned, and acting like a baby about it. We just replaced his file server, and because the old hard drive failed, I had no idea his batches were being done automatically. And.. you guessed it.. he's making a big old deal of out of it. He keeps his office locked, and because he gets their after the restaurant opens, and leaves before they close (must be nice!), he either doesn't trust anyone or does not want to appoint anybody to peform this "oh-so difficult task" of batching manually (note my sarcasm here ).

So, I pretty much have to set it up for him.