Mark Bayley, owner of The Archer, switched to Handepay to receive great savings on his card terminal costs.

Following years of experience in the hospitality industry, Mark Bayley decided to transform an outdated pub in Astley, Manchester. He renovated the structure entirely, removing part of the bar to create a welcoming restaurant area.

Mark teamed up with outstanding chef Marc Lara and his wife Claire, a former MasterChef winner, to create outstanding fresh food using local produce. Taking inspiration from local history, the pub was renamed, opening its doors as The Archer in October 2017.

“When we first opened, I wasn’t sure of the costs surrounding card terminals. I did an online comparison between the two biggest merchant service providers, as I thought that they would offer the best prices. I spoke with their advisors over the phone, and decided to go with the cheapest one.

At the time I thought I’d got a great deal as they were offering discounted card terminal rental for the first year of the contract. It only became apparent that this wasn’t as simple as I thought after I signed up. I discovered that I was expected to pay the full price terminal rental, remembering to claim the difference back in twelve months.

When a Handepay advisor called into the pub, I was surprised to find out that there were more cost-effective card terminal options available. I decided to take the Handepay Price Challenge, and was shocked to discover that I could save £74 per month by switching, a 23% saving!

I’d only been with my card terminal provider for two months and knew I would face hefty exit fees for leaving the contract so early. When I enquired, I was told that I would have to pay over £3,000 to leave. I was disappointed, as I thought that this meant that I’d have to continue paying over the odds for the remaining years on the contract.

However, Handepay made switching to use their card terminal simple by offering to cover the exit fees for me! It was really easy to claim, all I had to do was email across my final invoice from my previous supplier. Within two weeks, Handepay deposited the full sum of £3,432 directly into my bank account. I was able to pay my previous provider quickly, exiting their contract hassle-free.

There’s no way I could have afforded to switch to a more cost-effective card terminal without Handepay’s Easy Switch service. As a new business, paying out thousands of pounds in our first six months would have been impossible. Without Handepay, we would have had to stay in an expensive contract for the full four years.

I was pleased to discover that Handepay are local to me, and I found my advisor really open and honest. It never felt as though he was trying to push a product on me, he was genuinely interested in helping my business save money. As he visited to the pub to discuss my card terminal, he had a great idea of my business and knew exactly what we needed.

I preferred dealing with an advisor in person, as I had a genuine point of contact. This was different to my previous provider, as I’d often ring their service desk and get put through to someone at random.

Overall, I found switching to a Handepay card terminal simple. It’s allowed me to save almost £900 per year, and focus on growing my business!”