How to prepare for the June 1, 2010 transition to an in-store program.
General information:
For the most part, the transition should be seamless. Booksellers using WebPOS.givex.com will see a Givex branded website and all booksellers will see more reports on portal.givex.com. Booksellers using IndieCommerce have already been assigned specific online ID/passwords for the shopping cart. Specific details will be posted about the last ACH transfer and other administrative details.
Multiple location bookstores will be grouped together so that they can continue to redeem each other’s cards. These booksellers will notice a change on portal.givex.com where one location will be designated as the merchant and the others will be stores.
As stated in the Book Sense and ABA Gift Card program agreement with ABA, all booksellers are responsible for their own gift card liability. After June 1, 2010 if you are presented with a card from a store that has closed, the consumer can mail the card to ABA for reimbursement. Otherwise, the consumer should return to the issuing bookstore. We've created a sign and a reimbursement form to help with this service. The 888 phone number on the back of the card rings in ABA’s office and staff is happy to help with these customer service questions. The website that is listed on the back of the cards will direct consumers to a help page.
The Givex Merchant Agreement:
As part of this transition you will become a direct client of Givex USA Corporation. Givex is requesting that each location read and sign their standard Merchant Agreement. We do want to point out that the Givex Merchant Agreement does not force you to purchase anything during the contract term. If you have existing unactivated cards those can be used without ANY additional costs (increment charges excluded). If you plan to continue with Givex (even if just to redeem your cards after June 1) you will need to review, sign, and initial all 10 pages of the Givex USA Merchant agreement and return via fax to 1-416-981-3990 today.
We have reviewed this agreement and it is not significantly different than the agreement ABA originally signed back in 2003. However, we suggest that you review the agreement prior to signing it. The main differences are on Schedule B which outlines the pricing for cards and services. ABA has negotiated with Givex to get individual ABA members the best pricing possible. Your pricing will be locked in for 36 months, but note that you can cancel your contract with 30 days written notice to Givex.
We also want to point out, that after June 1, your store will no longer incur the $20 monthly fee. This fee was only in place while ABA managed the program. The only costs incurred will be for:
| Increment (adding value to an already active card) | 25 cents per use |
| New Card Orders: Setup (generating Givex numbers) | $250 each time you order new cards (Givex numbers) |
| Transaction or Service Fee (paid upfront includes the initial activation, all redemptions and all balance checks for the life of the card) | 40 cents each |
| 1,000 – 4,999 cards (plastic) | 55 cents each * |
* See Schedule B for price breaks on larger orders and keep in mind that buying plastic is similar to any type of print run, the price goes down as the quantity goes up. You can buy your plastic from another provider and your Givex numbers from Givex. Should you choose to print your cards through your own printer, Givex will add an additional fee of 2 cents per Givex number. There will be specific specs that will need to be met to insure that the cards are of a minimum quality. Shipping is always additional and if Givex is producing your cards; please be sure to specify shipping terms.
For booksellers who want to consider a more "off the shelf" approach and purchase 250 or 500 imprinted (lines of text) cards at a time, Givex's GiveXpress program may be the answer. GiveXpress is meant for stores that sell small amounts of cards each year. Everything (except for increments) is included in the cost. Booksellers can arrange to increment GiveXpress cards. ABA is attemping to arrange Givex to create a few bookstore-friendly designs. There's no obligation to setup an account to view current design choices online, however you will still need to sign the USA Merchant Agreement in order to use Book Sense/ABA cards purchased before June 1, 2010. Booksellers will not be able to order GiveXpress cards until after the transition.
Unactivated Gift Card Stock:
Under the program with Givex, all cards were issued as “ABA” gift cards. As part of the transition, we need to re-assign the un-activated gift cards you have in stock so they will work within your store(s) after June 1. Failure to inform us prior to June 1, will result in your store(s) being unable to use those un-activated cards. ABA will need your file of un-activated certificate or Givex numbers today, in order for ABA to cover the cost of adding numbers to your account with Givex. Files provided after June 1, 2010, may be subject to a fee. Instructions on how to create a file of inactive certificate numbers can be found here. Post transition instructions will be posted regfarding what to do if a card number was left out of the file.
Moving your Givex numbers to another processor:
If you want to switch to a different processor, and still use your Givex cards, please email aba@givex.com today. We will supply your processor with a file of all active cards and balances. Your processor will be responsible to ensure they properly map the Givex number to their particular program. Anthology, Booklog, Computac/Square One, IBID, and WordStock have already been given sample files. If you are using a different provider such as Heartland or a different POS, please email aba@givex.com today.
Running a dual program:
Even if you plan to wind-down (or just redeem Givex cards) and launch a new gift card or paper gift certificate, you will need to sign the Givex USA Merchant agreement to continue to process redemption transactions after June 1. There is no obligation to buy anything, but Givex will need a signed agreement in order to process transactions.
Questions?
Contact aba@givex.com or call ABA’s Jill Perlstein (1-800-637-0037, ext 6642) or Linda Ford (1-800-637-0037, ext 6644).
When the ABA Gift Card program ends on June 1, there will be several changes to how gift cards are processed on your IndieCommerce website. There is nothing you need to do on your end; however, you should be aware of the following:
1) Gift cards purchased at other bookstores will no longer be redeemable through your site. Instead, customers will see an error message asking them to check the store name on the card, or call the number on the back if the store's name is not printed on the card. These calls will be handled by ABA.
2) Gift cards will now be processed by your store's Givex account. Previously they were processed by ABA's master account. This change has been made for you by ABA staff.
If you have any further questions that are not covered in this document, please feel free to contact IndieCommerce Customer Service Coordinator Scott Nafz for more information. Scott can be reached at 800-637-0037, Ext. 6654, or via email at scott@bookweb.org.