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MSPOS Questions/Needs (NOT RMS)

We are using MSPOS in a small coffee shop. There are a number of issues we'd like to know if anyone has found solutions for:

  • Adding gratuity to credit/debit transactions via XML receipt template

  • Adding gratuity to credit/debit transactions before settling transactions

  • Utilizing loyalty/gift cards with MSPOS MSR feature

  • Utilizing barcode PLU to assign customer specific discount (e.g., local school district employees receive a 10% discount and we'd like to be able to scan a bar code that automatically applies the discount)

  • Running report to display all transactions that received a discount (e.g. see above)

  • Employees attempting to log in receive an error stating "Unable to authenticate the cashiers login information. Failed to read user for user with ID No. 401". Attempting to change the employee's password via the MSPOS Manager app also fails with an error stating "Unable to update the cashier. Failed to change the Employee ID." Subsequently, all time clock functions (timing in, timing out) have to be handled manually in the MSPOS Manager Time Clock screen.

  • Installing the POSconnectorSBA plug-in produces an error stating "Object reference not set to an instance of an object." We have uninstalled/reinstalled POS twice, to no avail.
Reply to
Mark Kalmus
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Not to be rude but wrong system for coffee shop. try an SPS 2000 from CRS. MS POS was not made for coffee shops. Reseller should help with cashier problems. Try logging in as administrator and redoing the cashiers.

Reply to
rick

No offense taken, but your first sentence made me laugh. Right on Microsoft's site, under "Who uses Microsoft Point of Sale?" it says "coffee shops." (Please see

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the Casio 8000 my wife purchased for her one-lane coffee shop already had MSPOS installed, so suggesting we purchase another POS application isn't really a possibility at this time. We have been able to receive no support from any MS Partner (including Best Buy for Business, where the POS system was purchased); partners who have contacted us either have no expertise on MSPOS, haven't heard of the product, or are not licensed to help us.

I have logged on as Administrator (owner) and we receive the errors cited above.

All I want is to find a SINGLE, GO-TO knowledge source for this product. We received no manual, the POS online help is superficial, there is no Knowledge Base info on support.microsoft.com, and suggestions that we subscribe to CustomerSource when CustomerSource does not have any support info (according to MS Sales Support) either is not helpful advice.

Thanks, though.

Reply to
Mark Kalmus

Well, I don't know much about MSPOS either. We've never sold a copy of it and I doubt that we ever will. Not that it's a bad product, but it has a VERY limited target audience that none of my clients or prospects have ever fit into. Pretty interface though!

It looks like the big functionality deficiency in your case is the ability to handle tips. I think that the only way you are going to be able to resolve that with MSPOS is to use an external card terminal supplied by your merchant account provider. In this case, you would verify the card edit the amount and settle the transactions through the terminal - MSPOS would be set up to consider the credit card tender to be an 'other' tender type (if you can do that in POS).

To be fair, I've never been to a coffee shop that ran a tab or accepted tips on Credit Cards. Sounds more like a cafe, which is like a restaurant, which MSPOS and RMS are unsuited for...

There is a password reset tool for MSPOS available to partners - someone from Best Buy should be able to help you with that. You can also search for other local partners on BCentral, but it looks like MSPOS is mostly being sold on line or through the big chains, as you've already seen.

I think your discounting and reporting issues should be resolvable, but I don't know MSPOS well enough to venture more than that...

Good Luck!

Glenn Adams Tiber Creek C> No offense taken, but your first sentence made me laugh. Right on

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Reply to
Glenn Adams [MVP - Retail Mgmt]

I can understand not wanting to purchase another POS application. I have no idea just how tech savy you are but L^ane POS, an open source POS (meaning free) application it suited for both general retail and restaurant POS. It is a mature project and has community support through a mailing list.

Here is an article describ> No offense taken, but your first sentence made me laugh. Right on

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Reply to
Patrick

ew.mspx).

the Casio 8000 my wife purchased for her one-lane coffee shop already had MSPOS installed, so suggesting we purchase another POS application isn't really a possibility at this time. We have been able to receive no support from any MS Partner (including Best Buy for Business, where the POS system was purchased); partners who have contacted us either have no expertise on MSPOS, haven't heard of the product, or are not licensed to help us.

I have logged on as Administrator (owner) and we receive the errors cited above.

All I want is to find a SINGLE, GO-TO knowledge source for this product. We received no manual, the POS online help is superficial, there is no Knowledge Base info on support.microsoft.com, and suggestions that we subscribe to CustomerSource when CustomerSource does not have any support info (according to MS Sales Support) either is not helpful advice.

Thanks, though.

-- Mark Kalmus

"rick" wrote:

Reply to
Jeff

ew.mspx).

the Casio 8000 my wife purchased for her one-lane coffee shop already had MSPOS installed, so suggesting we purchase another POS application isn't really a possibility at this time. We have been able to receive no support from any MS Partner (including Best Buy for Business, where the POS system was purchased); partners who have contacted us either have no expertise on MSPOS, haven't heard of the product, or are not licensed to help us.

I have logged on as Administrator (owner) and we receive the errors cited above.

All I want is to find a SINGLE, GO-TO knowledge source for this product. We received no manual, the POS online help is superficial, there is no Knowledge Base info on support.microsoft.com, and suggestions that we subscribe to CustomerSource when CustomerSource does not have any support info (according to MS Sales Support) either is not helpful advice.

Thanks, though.

-- Mark Kalmus

"rick" wrote:

Reply to
Jeff

I purchased my product from Best Buy as well and its been a nightmare.

Retail Management is more than I need, but POS isnt quite enough. I would like to see gift/loyalty card functions and real integration with SBA.

Both of which Best Buy said the system had when I bought it.

I feel your pain Mark. Its impossible to get help from Best Buy and MS says to go to whoever you bought it from. It would be nice if at least one of them just ponied up to the bar and helped a guy out.

Maybe we should start a MSPOS Anonymous group.

=)

--Mike

"Mark Kalmus" wrote:

Reply to
DomitianX

I purchased my product from Best Buy as well and its been a nightmare.

Retail Management is more than I need, but POS isnt quite enough. I would like to see gift/loyalty card functions and real integration with SBA.

Both of which Best Buy said the system had when I bought it.

I feel your pain Mark. Its impossible to get help from Best Buy and MS says to go to whoever you bought it from. It would be nice if at least one of them just ponied up to the bar and helped a guy out.

Maybe we should start a MSPOS Anonymous group.

=)

--Mike

"Mark Kalmus" wrote:

Reply to
Jeff

Excellent. We have been having numerous issues with the POS system, including multiple fatal errors through the course of a business day. My employees are pulling their hair out, especially when the system crashes in the middle of a busy breakfast/lunch/whenever.

I worked closely with MS Development Engineers to identify the source of our problems, and they FTP'd the latest binaries. After installing the binaries, the MSR would not read credit cards. Only after downloading from Epson the current MSR drivers have we got a somewhat stable machine.

P.S. I noticed MS has replaced the Casio system with an HP system on the POS page of the MS site. I'm guessing the problems were numerous enough to eliminate the marketing of a issue incubator. We're sticking with the Casio

8000T because of our initial investment (and the unlikelihood we could recover a large enough fraction of the original cost) but we are open to moving to a more stable piece of hardware.

I'm not saying HP is more stable, just that the Casio is ridden with issues.

P.P.S. I'm open to an alternative forum for those of us who are non-RMS users.

Reply to
Mark Kalmus
Reply to
CptSoft

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