RFID vs Smart Prepayment System Pros and Cons
RFID CARD SYSTEM
Pros:
- Easy to use ✔
- Cards can be recharged ✔
- Service card facility for caravan cleaning ✔
- Refund cards available ✔
- Cards for clearing credit available ✔
- Refund cards available ✔
- Time and kWh functions ✔
- Cards can be encoded with a unique code ✔
- Emergency Credit Feature ✔
- Can be set as a 2 rate/day and night rate/ Economy 7 meter ✔
Cons:
- Tariffs have to be updated manually.
- Park owners have to handle cash and reconcile transactions.
- The potential for fraud (clients can say a card hasn’t worked when it really has, for example)
- The inconvenience of checking meters for kWh usage
- The inconvenience of supplying cards, recharging cards (if you chose to do so) and buying replacement cards.
- No indication of foul play (meter being bypassed, electricity being stolen, for example)
Smart Prepayment System
Pros:
- Easy to use ✔
- Payments made online or by phone ✔
- 24/7, 365 day self-sufficient operation ✔
- Change tariffs from anywhere ✔
- Remotely clear credit from the meters ✔
- Remotely add credit on the client’s behalf ✔
- Foul play email notifications ✔
- Can identify clients with excessive use ✔
- Helpful customer service team ✔
- Friendly Hours function ✔
- Money is delivered straight into the park owner’s bank account on a monthly basis ✔
- Dual Fuel product- water, gas, heat, oil and LPG can all be billed for, as well as electricity ✔
- Emergency Credit Feature ✔
- Can be set as a 2 rate/day and night rate/ Economy 7 meter ✔
- Manage multiple sites/locations in one place ✔
- Automated Transaction reports ✔
Cons:
- Only operates in kWh, so can’t be used in laundry rooms or shower rooms (we have a PT-POS cashless timer for this)
- Phone payments can only be made Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm
- Ongoing management fees and transaction charges (although this is recovered via pre-configured service charges which you set up)