It puts them at a huge competitive disadvantage. While everyone does not always agree, there is a consensus that overcharging is not a good business practice. Actually, even when the customer pays 5¢ instead of 1%, that cost is always included in the product's selling price, just as the employer's rent and labour costs are. What is worrisome is the percentage.
Mr. Caron, it is all the more worrisome because small businesses do not have the sales volume needed to negotiate better rates. Just imagine I am a small business owner and I charge my customers 10¢ a transaction when they pay with card X. If I had to compete with a very big company that benefits from a much lower rate, I would go out of business. So there is that issue. New technologies will probably be too expensive for small businesses. That is what worries us.
I am not saying they should not have to pay; the technology has to be paid for. But we need to have merchants at the table when new technologies and products available to consumers are being discussed.