“Dharma has a dedicated Giving Back program whereby they contribute heavily to the local community”
Altruistic Entrepreneurs set Generosity Standard
By David J. Carter

As an alternative for billing services there is free iPhone processing with all new accounts, and swipers are only $99 each.. You don’t even need a swipe attachment; just use the built-in camera on your Smartphone and the app can get those encrypted numbers off for approval without ever storing the customer data on your phone. What could be more secure?

Of course they offer everything you need, from systems that can use your own iPad as a Point-of-Sale (POS) device, to wireless terminals, to cash-registers and cash drawers.

Their favored terminals are the new Vx520 and FD130, which is fully EMV-capable, which they will program, test and ship to you for about $269. It is Apple Pay and NFC (Tap-n-Go) ready, with an integrated printer for receipts, with a PIN-pad, and compatible with both dial-up & IP connection. If you need the external PIN-pad, that will cost you another $170-$200.

Their eCommerce terms are Interchange-plus pricing (interchange plus 0.35% + $0.15 per transaction). They charge a $17.95 monthly fee that includes PCI compliance, a $20 fee if you need access to Authorize.net (a payment gateway with a $49 one time setup fee, with only a 5¢ fee per transaction), and there is a $25 account closure fee upon termination of service. There are no Early Termination or Application Fees; no Annual fees or Monthly Minimum. You’ll probably never pay that $25 fee unless you close your business and stop accepting credit/debit cards and other financial instruments for a business.

On a sample sale of $100, VISA debit/reward/retail vary between 90¢ and $2.34; MasterCard $2.79; AMEX varies depending on whether it is restaurant, retail, wholesale, healthcare, travel & entertainment, services, or Non-Profit from 2.05% to 3.55% (plus 20¢ per transaction). Very reasonable.

Their Retail Swipe Terms are Interchange-Plus 0.25% + $0.10/transaction.

On a sample sale of $100, VISA debit/reward/retail vary between 75¢ and $2.19; MasterCard $2.64; AMEX varies depending on whether it is restaurant, retail, wholesale, healthcare, travel & entertainment, services, or Non-Profit from 2.05% to 3.55% (plus 20¢ per transaction). As you can see, extraordinarily inexpensive.

Dharma is EMV and PCI compliant, from their software for your iOS or Android Smartphone, to the wireless or hardwired terminals for your POS system. Store & Forward technology is still available through certain standalone terminals and will be a continued feature for Dharma accounts should merchants need this functionality. The PCI risk is too high for this functionality if someone steals your iPad or iPhone with customer data on it and store/forward will not be allowed on mobile devices.  You don’t want to be responsible for monetary loss or identity theft of a customer.

Instead, with their EMV compatibility, you can accept payments even if you don’t have a live connection to the internet for processing.  EMV has relevant information on the card itself from the last time it connected to the internet for any reason (like a recent sale).  That little chip “knows” that it has (for example) $375 worth of daily limit left and can autonomously authorize a sale, for which you get paid up to its limit.  That is so much more convenient when the network is bad, or if you happen to be a retailer at a computer show and your booth is in the basement with a terrible internet connection.  Besides, by requiring the PIN number when using the card, you are reassured that the person with the card is the actual owner, and your client feels reassured that they are secure with the security precaution.

They are extraordinarily reasonable and have no long-term service agreements or cancellation fees.

There is nothing but praise for the customer service.  People specifically mention that there is no difficulty getting through to kind, understanding people that sincerely care about solving your problems as quickly as humanly possible.  Rather, they seem to be stunned by the high quality service when coming from just about any other provider.  Read the Testimonials below for a sample.

Brigette Z. from San Diego says “After 10+ years [with a different company], we’ve switched to Dharma. We’ve been with them for two months or so and we couldn’t be happier… absolutely stellar customer service… we saved about $1200 last month … Thank you, Nick and Dharma … you couldn’t be any better!

Nate A. from Scottsdale says: “The dream team over at Dharma is just that!  It’s rare you get radical customer service coupled with authentic care and support for your business…but that seems to be the standard with Dharma… A high level of service is extremely valuable, but they also give [to] the charity that I work for, Little Kids Rock… I wish there were 6 stars allowed…they would get ’em all!

Jill Cupcake D. from Oakland says: “We’ve been using Dharma for 18 months now and have had nothing but good service and have saved more than 25% compared to our previous merchant! Trace and the support team are always quick to respond and the merchant program reports make reconciling deposits so much easier! You can tell they really care! They are the best!”

Isabelle G. from Oakland says: “Dharma have now been my c.c. processor for 7 months, and I have nothing but praise for the ease and pleasure it has been to work with them, and for the fees (and grief) they have saved me month after month. I have needed to call Dharma only once since I signed on; the problem I called about was resolved in a matter of a few hours, and with great courtesy. I was… amazed. Let me put it this way: I am very grateful for their absolutely unexpected partnership. Kudos to the entire team, and thank you!”

Lisa T. from Berkeley says: “Completely unlike other merchant services providers–they actually care about their customers.  After being dragged over the coals by several other companies, I feel like I’ve finally found one that can be trusted to do right by me and my business.  They also care about the larger community, which parallels my company’s values.  Nick was a pleasure to work with, although the transition had some challenges.  Thanks Dharma!”

There has been but one single complaint since 2007, when the company started operations.  It stemmed from a customer not abiding by their account agreement, exceeding their permitted monthly amount, and even breaking bills into two parts to bypass the limits agreed to.  The account was closed by a partner responsible for handling payments.  The money on hold by the partner firm was paid and the complaint was closed.