For all interested parties, the correct way to stay within credit card rules is to discount for cash. It all amounts to the same total at the end of the day but how you phrase it really matters. The complaint here is strictly semantic, you can call it a "fee" then you are up in arms or call it a discount for cash and it seems "fair". The contractor has costs and quotes jobs based on those costs. He got caught out & paid the fee the first time, then asked for compensation the second time when he knew about the fee. I believe lawmakers are looking into these laws again and may allow merchants to charge more for credit cards (the merchant agreement is based on the law). The original intent of the law was to prevent companies from exploiting consumers by charging more for a financed item than a cash one but doesn't make allowances on costs for a company that has expenses but no profit from the financing. This is a particular issue for large grocery stores where a net profit of 1% is considered good. You may not realize what a good contractor you had, he was honest and upfront & completed the work, finding a good contractor is difficult. This guy is doing jobs for a thousand dollars, it is hard to turn a profit on jobs that small. You should be worrying about the guy who isn't sweating the 3% charge. I suspect you will shop around until you find the contractor you deserve.
... View more
