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[mi6a2lm]

mi6a2lm:
Seriously, the only possible reason you should have to retain a verizon or AT&T or main carrier cell phone is because you can't use Square to take credit cards unless you have a vendor locked cellphone.  You can't use your unlocked verizon phone to take cards with Square's software anymore than you can use your tracfone/straighttalk/cingular/verizon-prepaid/virgin-prepaid smartphone either.  I wouldn't be surprised if Square has a deal with the big carriers to lock out the little ones.  Though it does partly make sense.  Vendor locked phones cannot be properly bios/firmware updated by the user, they can only be firmware updated by the company which has them locked, and therefore the idea is that they cannot be tampered with from the user's side.

The below doesn't work for the type of businesses they use in the commercial (point of sale - swiping cards on smartphone):

 but lately we've just been getting an email address.  It's usually from a POA (power of attorney)/relative or spouse.  Then I go onto my Square Dashboard -> Create Invoice -> send invoice to email and you can enter in your CC info from home.  Not sure if you can do the bank/routing no. yet or if it has to be CC/debit.  For example, I pick up someone from the ER and take them back to assisted living facility.  Family is out of state but I give contact info and get contact info at drop off.  Then I get email for pmt.
 So I suppose you could use the Square w/o needing a smartphone.  However I now need the smartphone to do invoices.  On old comp. (old Ubuntu w/ old FF and Opera) can't even get to my Square Dashboard anymore.  When you hit 'Login' the page reloads to a 'Login' page en Espanol.  I called Customer Service and mentioned it - I'm sure they've got a team of squirrel monkeys* working 24/7 to make sure their webpages are backwards compatible for Ubuntu 9.10, FF 3.5.3, Opera 12.16, Chromium Developer Build 21  .

In regards to comp. fan - only one fan laptop  HP Paviliion - used compressed air months ago then tested - works OK for non-video things (web browser, office) but video still caused catasthophe-like noise [unplug power cord, take out battery].  Still works though.  I help it keep cool by putting 8-pk frozen hotdogs under hot areas.  Redneck cooling pad!  (Hotdogs are for fish consumption)

Uber:  They send you two to three texts a week.  See above post.  I even got a call from a human.  Call it comrade capitalism.

U:  'Hello Comrade!  How are you doink today?'  Vee see you haff not been drivink much.  Are you aware of the upcomink PGA golf tournament in Scottsdale?

Me:  Yes.  It's at TPC off of Hayden and Bell.  However, I'm on call pretty much 24/7 so when I Uber, I Uber.  When I don't, I don't.  [at this point I started to digress into all sorts of things - MPG's, my car, my vans, vehicles in general, gas prices, types of oil used in oil changes, tire pricing/wear ... until CSR says, 'Uh, uh, ok, well, we'll talk to you later']

*
"Ubuntu 9.10?  Haven't heard of that in awhile.  Yeah, I'll be in in about 1/2 hr. - I'm stuck in traffic ... in my Model T lol!

[FDD]

Not sure if this will work for everyone.
But I have noticed more and more shops using a I-pad/tablet with a little thing on the side for CC/debit cards, and when ask to sign, you use your finger in the window to sign off on it.

and they always ask me if I want an e-mail reseat or not.

so.. is this something more businesses are going to now?

[mi6a2lm]

With Square Point of Sale I enter amt., take your card and swipe it [authorizing ... authorizing ....] then it goes to sign screen.  I turn the phone sideways and then you sign with your finger.  After that it allows you to send rcpt by email, txt or No Thanks.  I show folks after the transaction my gmail acct. where it notifies me immediately of the transaction.  All this is done on the phone. 

Many stores do use the finger-method or that plastic pen.  Either one usually works.  At one bank when I deposit I just hit 'email rcpt'.

[MamaLiberty]

Sounds like anyone who got the phones away from you could have a ball... for a while anyway.   The "signatures," even at the terminals in the grocery store are a joke. No comparison of the signature is ever made, since it's impossible to render a decent signature on the device. I usually just make a vague squiggle, and it is accepted. But lately, below a certain dollar amount, we are not even asked to sign it - and gas pumps have accepted the card without signature for a long time. They now ask for your zip code instead.

[Adventurer, Explorer, Inquiring Mind.]

Sounds like anyone who got the phones away from you could have a ball... (snip)

Isn't that the exact same thing they say to us about carrying guns?  That somehow baddies will be such badass Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris clones they'll disarm us and kill us with our own guns?  LOL.  Sorry, first thing that came to mind.

I do agree they're starting to walk away from the whole "signed chit" thing and just doing "credit chit period."

[MamaLiberty]

Isn't that the exact same thing they say to us about carrying guns?  That somehow baddies will be such badass Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris clones they'll disarm us and kill us with our own guns?  LOL.  Sorry, first thing that came to mind.

I do agree they're starting to walk away from the whole "signed chit" thing and just doing "credit chit period."

Seems most of those walking around with those fancy phones are not armed...   So yes, it would be easier to take phones away from them.  I see all these people walking around with their phones in their hands all the time.  I wonder how they manage to live with just one hand!! A phone in a  holster would be much harder to steal, even if they were not carrying a gun too.

[mi6a2lm]

Apparently I'm below average!  (Edit: Bold is me)

---
Hi [Comrade]
In this email you'll find:               
                       
What your riders said
4.67★[out of 5.0]
Driver rating
Unfortunately, your driver rating last week was below average.

Problems reported

There were a few things riders in your city commonly reported*. Here are some tips on how to improve:
Service

Riders give the best ratings to drivers who:

    * Never ask for a 5-star review, but focus instead on providing an excellent experience
    * Stay calm, patient and polite with riders and other cars on the road
    * Go above and beyond to make the experience special, such as opening doors for riders when possible

City Knowledge

Riders want to be sure you're following the best route. It helps to:

    * Ask if the rider has a preferred route
    * Always use GPS until you know the city well (remember to press BEGIN TRIP after you enter the destination)

Starting/Ending Trips On Time

Riders give lower ratings if they think they were overcharged. Here's how to avoid that:

    * Only press BEGIN TRIP after the rider is in the car and you enter the destination into your GPS (if you use it)
    * Press END TRIP as soon as you drop the rider off, or if you make a mistake on your route

On the bright side, you received 4 five-star reviews out of 5 rated trips in the past two weeks.

We hope you find this information helpful [1] and it guides you to an even more successful Uber experience. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this report, please refer to our FAQ or email partnersphx@uber.com.

Team Uber

partnersphx@uber.com
---

I'm used to hospice-type transports.  Paperwork, DNR, oxygen-type-stuff, wheelchairs. gurneys, family, hospitals.  When you do Uber it's like a taxi - so you show up and they hop in the back.  With urban areas the address might be 1256 s. main st - problem is, is that it might be half a square block of condos with two separate entrances - good thing is you can text back and forth with your pickup to coordinate. 

The criticism/feedback was too general.  The only thing I may have been amiss with was with the ending/beginning ride with the smartphone ... maybe.

[1]  Ummm, yeah, except all the stuff that is non-applicable!  Which is most of it.