How Does Your Company Handle Auto-Payment?

Boxcar182

Good Day Everyone, 

I am curious as to how your facilities handle auto-payment? 

1. Is it optional? Do they have to sign off a specific form?
2. Is it mandatory with the option to opt-out? 
3. Can you accept auto-payment adjustments over the phone? 
4. Is it strictly mandatory, with no option to opt-out? 

Thank you, 

ESS

We offer optional auto pay. They must sign an auto pay form stating they give us permission to run their card monthly. Alternatively, we also have tenants who choose to put their cards on file for us to run when they call, text, or email us to do so (from either the phone number on file or email address on file). These tenants must also sign a form stating they give us permission to run their card upon request. We do not do payments over the phone in the form of "here's my card info, please run it". We like to have a paper trail for everything as a just-in-case. 

CVSSSTORAGE

ours is optional and they must sign a form in person. To be taken off they must do so in writing. To change cards on file we will process it over the phone and then they have to send us something in writing to switch it to the previous payment method. We save the card as an auto pay but save notes to take it off if we do not receive the letter,email or text

i43storage

1.  It is optional.  We no longer have them sign forms.

2.  See No. 1 above.

3.  We accept auto-payment adjustments over the phone.

4.  See No. 1 above.

MamaDuke7

1.  It is optional.  They sign a form if they are here in the office, otherwise they can do it online or call in the info and we'll take care of it.

2.  I would never make it mandatory.  There are too many people in Southern California that have no bank account and therefore would have no way to do this.

3.  We will accept the set-up by phone.

4.  Again, I would never make it mandatory.

PSC

1. It's Optional. They sign a form in office, I also have an e-sign version of the form. The form only includes the last 4 of the CC, and expiration date. That way it is safer for E-Sign. I do not make autopay active until I have the signed form. 
2. It is not mandatory and they can opt out at any time by just a phone call, or email. I do make detailed notes on when it was cancelled, why, and how they cancelled. 
3. I will make changes over the phone, and send email them a new autopay form via e-sign. I tell the customer that they will be removed from autopay until they sign the new autopay form. 

It is of course a business decision to have them sign the form, but we've learned our lesson. 
Had a couple of problem tenants dispute the charge, and we had no signed receipt or autopay form signed. We tried to contest the dispute but the customer's won and got their money back. 

We've ran into the same problem with an over the phone payment once. Tenant disputed the charge, we had no signed receipt.. customer got their money back. Phone payments are a risk, but we've continued doing it since we have only had that a problem with disputing with 1 person. They definitely must make a payment in person or by money order/cash if they are >30 days late.