PayPoint CEO pens mea culpa to miffed merchants

Nick Wiles, CEO of PayPoint, has written an open letter to the company’s retailer partners after what he terms a “challenging year”.

In light of complaints about PayPoint from retailers – especially over such matters as  a unilaterally-imposed per week charge in May that in many cases outstripped the commission earned – Wiles wrote that, “After listening to our retailer partners extensively over the past year, it is also clear to me that PayPoint’s relationship with its retailer partners has not been good enough and, too often, we have fallen short of what you should expect of us.”

There was also controversy over exclusivity clauses with stores and suppliers that breached competition law, according to utilities regulator Ofgem, and led to British Gas being fined £1.5m.

In a remarkably frank and open communication, Wiles wrote, “We have not always been on your side and there are a number of specific issues which we need to work with you on that have affected your businesses, including reduced commission, banking charges, escalating costs, customer support and how we have sometimes responded to you. We don’t pretend to have handled everything well and it’s clear that we must work harder to improve and rebuild relationships with all of you.”

Wiles added that, “I can’t change the past, but we can change the future and how we work together to evolve our proposition and strengthen the service and products we offer to benefit your business.”

He outlined a number of planned developments launching over the coming year, including:

• New eMoney brands – for example Love2Shop, now live across the network, with richer commission, significant marketing support, giving a broader range of customers reasons to visit the store
• Link Counter Service – innovative service rolling out in late 2021, enabling cash withdrawals over the counter with the opportunity to earn for every withdrawal and balance enquiry
• Home Delivery – Snappy Shopper launches in Summer 2021, enabling an online ordering offer, click and collect and home delivery direct to customers’ homes
• Parcels – Collect+ will continue to expand its range of partners, adding to Amazon, eBay, DHL, DPD, Fedex andHubbox. PayPoint’s new Send service is now live and scaling over the course of the year, with significant marketing support to drive more customers into store
• FMCG vouchers/rewards – new partnerships will be launching in Summer 2021, connecting retailers with big consumer brands, digital vouchering, digital advertising via PayPoint One and retailer rewards programmes

Wiles outlined key improvements and investments that Paypoint had instigated in the past year to enhance day-to-day service to you, including:

• New Retailer Service Hub – significant investment made in systems and people to improve  service, whether by phone, email or online. A new phone system launched in Feb 2021, improving calls answered to over 97 per cent and new targets in place to resolve queries on the same day
• New Retailer Portal – replaced the legacy website with a single, modern online portal with improved usability, creating one digital hub for retailers to manage their relationship with PayPoint, including financial and settlement data, EPoS data and reporting, training and help, industry advice and best practice
• Satisfaction surveys – PayPoint will continue its bi-annual surveys and smaller surveys tracking key moments such as installation experience, to maintain service standards and results
• There will be a greater commitment from our field team to spend time with our retailer partners in understanding and responding to retailer needs

“We are fully committed to engaging with you all more regularly to update on progress and gather continuous feedback on areas for improvement,” Wiles promised. He said this commitment will include:

• Retail Trade Associations – Wiles will personally meet on a quarterly basis with the leadership teams of the NFRN,ACS and SGF to listen to any concerns and update them on opportunities for PayPoint to partner with retailers
• Retailer Forums – the PayPoint Retailer Forum will continue to be held 2-3 times a year and will shortly be inviting new representatives to attend
• Management of specific complaints – Wiles said he will personally monitor individual complaints about the business, to understand specific concerns raised and ensure they are addressed

He said in conclusion that “The convenience sector and our retailer partners are at the heart of our strategy and we are focused on investing to enhance our proposition and opening up new revenue opportunities for everyone we work with.”