Plainfield ponders paying with plastic

August 29, 2007

By JANET LUNDQUIST Staff Writer

PLAINFIELD -- Soon residents may be able to pay their village water bills with plastic -- at home in their pajamas, even.

Officials are considering whether to accept credit card payments for utility bills, at village hall and on the Internet or by phone. Currently the village only accepts cash, checks or direct debit from a checking account.

But village staff face a daily demand for a credit card option, said Traci Pleckham, the village's director of management services. Sometimes residents show up without cash or checks to pay their water bills and have to make a trip to an ATM.

The village takes in more than 140,000 water bill payments each year. Of the roughly 12,000 village water accounts, about 1,500 pay by direct debit.

Staff members recommended First Midwest Bank to provide the service. The bank handles the village's electronic lockbox transactions, where check utility payments are uploaded to the village's system.

It would cost the village about $72,000 to run the system. But officials say it could save staff processing time, particularly on accounts that are at risk of being shut off, and make life easier for residents.

If approved, credit payments could be made online and by phone up until the due date, which officials say could cut the number of shut-off accounts.

"I think the primary thing from the residents' point of view is the convenience. I think that's worth a lot to the residents," said Trustee Bill Lamb. "Let's be a resident-friendly community."

Trustee Larry Vaupel favored including a transaction fee, saying he didn't think it was fair for the people who don't make credit card payments to subsidize the service for people who do.

But most trustees wanted to offer the credit card option for free.

"There needs to be some ability to pay fees in a timely fashion for those people who aren't here during their office hours," said Mayor Jim Waldorf.

"Well, there's always the mail," said Trustee Walter Manning.

If the board approves the program, credit card payments could be an option a few weeks later. Internet and phone payments could be implemented within nine weeks.

Contact Janet Lundquist at (815) 729-6014 or jlundquist @scn1.com.

Taking a stand against identity theft

Published: Monday, August 27, 2007 5:33 PM CDT
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Pictured is Ward 3 Marshal Joey Alcede with Sulphur Sunrise Rotarian Chris Gregory. Photo by Victoria Hartley Ellender

VICTORIA HARTLEY ELLENDER, Staff Writer

In partnership with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, local law enforcement officials are taking a stand to combat identity theft in southwest Louisiana.

As guest speaker at Friday's Sulphur Sunrise Rotary Club, Ward 3 Marshal Joey Alcede equipped his audience with tools to protect their identities and avoid being targeted by today's clever swindlers.

Skilled identity thieves use a variety of methods to steal your personal information including dumpster diving, skimming, phishing, changing your address and old fashioned stealing.

According to Alcede, dumpster diving is a common occurrence in today's society. "While you are work, these thieves come and rummage through your trash can looking for bills and other paper with your personal information on it," he said. "It sounds silly but it's amazing the amount of success dumpster divers have."

Luckily, southwest Louisiana residents can get the upper hand by purchasing an inexpensive shredder. By simply shredding your bills, papers and documents before discarding them, you can protect yourself from considerable stress and headaches.

Perhaps the most vital tip Alcede offered was to protect your social security number. Despite the fact that many companies and institutions request your social security number to open accounts and conduct business transactions, Alcede said you should always ask questions such as 'Why do you need my social security number?' 'Is there another way we can do business?' 'What are you going to do to protect my personal information if I give it to you?'

Another method criminals practice to get their hands on your personal information is using a special storage device to steal your credit/debit card numbers when processing your card. This process, known as skimming, can be easily prevented by placing your account on fraud alert.

"If you suspect that your credit card number has been stolen, call the bank and ask them to issue a fraud alert," he said. "It will make it much more difficult to access your account because the criminal will be asked to verify personal information."

Alcede told Rotarians to check their bank statements regularly.

"Thoroughly read through your bank statements and make sure every transaction is familiar to you," he said. "If not, you always have the option to question it."

Today, most banking institutions offer online access to your accounts as well. You may view every transaction's time, date and location 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Finally, inspect your credit report annually. Credit reports contain information such as what accounts you have and your bill payment history. The law requires major nationwide consumer reporting companies such as Equifax, Experian and TransUnion to give you a free copy of your credit report each year if you ask for it. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228 to order a free credit report.

By remaining conscious and becoming educated on identity theft, Alcede said you can safeguard yourself and your information from falling victim to the crime.

For more information, visit www.ftc.gov/idtheft.

On Restaurants Efficiency

Tuesday, August 28, 2007 5:34 AM

By Barnet D. Wolf

FOR THE Columbus DISPATCH

Servers at several Tumbleweed Southwest Grill locations use a hand-held wireless device to place diners' orders, calculate bills and process credit- and debit-card payments.

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TOM DODGE | Dispatch photos

Servers at several Tumbleweed Southwest Grill locations use a hand-held wireless device to place diners' orders, calculate bills and process credit- and debit-card payments.

Jennifer Wise records orders from Tom and Carnetta Morehart using a wireless device at the Tumbleweed on E. Broad Street.

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Jennifer Wise records orders from Tom and Carnetta Morehart using a wireless device at the Tumbleweed on E. Broad Street.

Restaurant servers can put in a lot of miles walking back and forth between their tables and the computer terminals where they enter customer orders, calculate bills and process credit or debit cards.

But not at several Tumbleweed Southwest Grill locations. The Kentucky-based chain has armed servers with wireless devices that allow the wait staff members to process food orders and payments right at the tables.

"It's been terrific," said Joe Benline, general manager of the Tumbleweed at 6959 E. Broad St. "It's much more efficient and gives (servers) more time to stay with a table."

The hand-held devices also are being used at the company's restaurants in Heath and Zanesville, but not yet at the chain's Northwest Side location. The company began testing the point-of-sales devices 2½ years ago in Louisville, Ky.

"We started with one store, and the version we used there was larger and bulkier," said Steve Brooks, who oversees information technology at Tumbleweed's corporate headquarters. "The servers did not like the size of them, so we went with a smaller version."

The devices cost between $800 and $1,000 each, or an average of $12,000 per restaurant. Companies making the systems include Hypercom, Symbol and Verifone.

Although Tumbleweed's system is unique around central Ohio, others are looking at table-side credit-card processing.

Heartland Payment Systems is testing a Verifone wireless processing system and could roll it out in the Columbus area by Nov. 1.

Heartland, which handles card processing for many central Ohio restaurants, wants to be sure that data sent from the portable devices are secure, said Pat Allen, relationship manager for the New Jersey-based company.

The portable devices have a number of advantages, not the least of which is easing diners' worries about servers stealing their card numbers.

Allen said restaurant owners will like the wireless system because it helps guard against server math errors.

"Just imagine if you have a lot of people at a table all paying separate bills," Allen said. "Sometimes things can get confused."

But wireless systems allow the server to go from person to person. "That does a lot of for speed and accuracy."

There's another benefit for consumers, and that's being able to leave a busy restaurant in a reasonable time, said Randy Sokol, a consultant with Restaurant Consulting Inc. and chairman of the Central Ohio Restaurant Association.

"One of the hardest things to do at a restaurant is paying and getting out quickly if you have to," he said. "You're stuck with how busy the restaurant is. But the hand-held gadgets speed that up."

So far, the only glitch is that a few credit cards can be difficult to process, particularly if the magnetic stripe is worn down.

A Wiley project

Former Ohio State University running back Michael Wiley is a partner in After Five, the latest restaurant and bar trying to succeed at 482 S. Front St.

Wiley and partner Cameron Jackson expect a Sept. 7 opening, just in time for the OSU-Akron game the following day.

For Wiley, who left Ohio State in 1999 and played four years in the pros, After Five is his first "hands-on, nitty-gritty" business venture.

Wiley said he will be at the restaurant "99.9 percent of the time" it's open during the first month of business. He also is finishing up his college courses and hopes to graduate within the next year.

Parts is parts

• Pa Pa Paninis, 2882 E. Main St., and Domeabra African Market, 1470 Morse Rd., face probation or closing as a result of health-code violations identified by the Columbus Board of Health.

• The Philly Shack has opened at 2695 Independence Village Square. The carryout-only restaurant started by veteran concessionaire Steve Sipe features his Philly cheese steaks, as well as gourmet burgers, all-beef kosher hot dogs and other menu items.

• The annual Taste the Future fundraiser for Columbus State Community College is set for 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 11 on the main campus. Chefs from 56 restaurants and food-service providers will be cooking at the gala. Tickets are $100 but are limited. For more information, contact the college.

For the obit file

Ties to OSU's football program weren't enough to save Spectators Sports Bar and Grill, 3535 W. Dublin-Granville Rd. It opened a year ago as an expansion of a Florida chain owned by Al Colarusso and Joe Skladany, brother of former OSU All-American punter Tom Skladany.

On Restaurants is a weekly column about the restaurant industry. Send tips, information and news releases to onrestaurants@dispatch.com.

Do You Know If You Have Any Advantage If You Check Your Bill With BT?

Do You Know If You Have Any Advantage If You Check Your Bill With BT?

The following article on cheque your bill with BT includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.

Cheque your bill with BT



For many years I have been a customer of BT and have nothing but praise for their telephone service.

Each quarter I receive my account and the immediate response is to forward my cheque in payment. However, this month my quarterly account bears an additional charge of £4.50 for processing my cheque!

Customer relations shrug the matter off by telling me that if I pay by direct debit from my bank account then there is no processing charge whatsoever!


The information about to cheque your bill with BT presented here will do one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about to cheque your bill with BT or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.

But I do not want to be forced into direct debit, preferring to pay personally as bills are received. BT refuse to be sympathetic to a customer of many years.

I then decided to obtain a BT payment card which would enable me to make a direct cash payment via my local supermarket. An approach to customer relations brought a negative response. If I paid in this manner I would still incur the £4.50 processing charge!

The BT payment card was designed to assist thrifty customers and, in particular, elderly citizens, to make regular small payments direct to BT so that when their quarterly account arrived they would, hopefully, be sufficiently in credit to pay it.

So BT is holding their money and it does not require a processing fee? You must be joking! The processing fee of £4.50 per quarter is added to your bill!

Can someone tell me, is this a legal charge?

E J Malone, Belfast

Sometimes it's tough to sort out all the details related to this subject, but I'm positive you'll have no trouble making sense of the information presented above on why you should cheque your bill with BT

source: Belfast Telegraph