MSPOS Questions/Needs (NOT RMS)

[Mark Kalmus]

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.

 

[rick]

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.

 

[Mark Kalmus]

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
http://www.microsoft.com/businesssolutions/pointofsale/product/pos_overview.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.

 

[Glenn Adams [MVP - Retail Mgmt]]

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!

 

[Patrick]

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 describing its use in Jumpy Money Coffee Shop:
http://www.open-mag.com/features/Vol_30/monkey/monkey.htm

And here is the sourceforge site
http://l-ane.sourceforge.net/

 

[Jeff]

Mark,

Are you running the most recent version of MSPOS? Help | About | should be 2.0.1112.0

By not subscribing to the Maintenance plan, you don't won't have access to a "single, go to knowledge source", the KnowledgeBase within CustomerSource, nor do you have access to the reports library _or_ any updates to the program.

While not as extensive as RMS (its been on the market for a number of years, MSPOS, just 1), there are numerous articles about MSPOS. Whether they pertain to your issues is unknown. There just haven't been a lot of questions answered in the KB because of the newness and the much smaller number of sales of the product.

When the product merges with RMS in Q1 08, then it will be easier to apply the knowledge to both programs.

MSPOS 2.0 will be shipping in Q1 07 with SBA included/integrated, but because of the lack of the Maintenance plan, you either won't get it or will cost you more because of the penalty. Maintenance costs 18% per year of the MSRP at the time of purchase. If not purchased within the first year, it gradually goes up 27% 1-90 days after, 32% 91-365 and 37% after that.

BTW, did you _really_ expect _any_ support through Best Buy? Had you contacted any real MSPOS Partner, they would have steered you away from the product knowing your needs.

Hell, we spend 1-2 hours discussing needs before offering a product to anyone! How does it go, "When all you're selling is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.." ;-)

As to your issue with passwords, you can get a Password Reset tool from your reseller or MS Tech Support. Also take a look in your Control Panel | User Accounts for any _R_POS user and see if you can change the password there. Must be logged in as an Administrator to see and change them.

-
*
Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security

You must be using Outlook Express or some other type of newsgroup reader to
see and download the file attachment. If you are not using a reader, follow
the link below to setup Outlook Express. Click on "Open with newsreader"
under the MS Retail Management System on the right.

http://tinyurl.com/75bgz

**********

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
http://www.microsoft.com/businesssolutions/pointofsale/product/pos_overview.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.

 

[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]

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.