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“Our very first payment was from a gentleman who came to the office to obtain copies of prior court records but did not have cash with him for that transaction,” Lopez said. “He told us that he appreciated us offering this service as it allowed him to complete his business at the court that day.”
Over the last five years, the court has averaged about $156,500 per year in collections, Lopez said. Now, using the company, users can agree to pay a fee at the time they swipe their card. Before, the court couldn’t take payments from cards because of a transaction fee, Lopez said.
People not having cash happens often, Lopez said, and the new system will be helpful.
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“People use credit and debit cards as their preferred method for everyday transactions – fewer people carry cash or use traditional checks; money orders can be costly and inconvenient,” Lopez said. “Over the years we have had to turn people away from our counters because we did not accept cards.”
Along with being able to accept cards at the counter, people will also be able to pay online or over the phone, Lopez said. People have already benefited from it, she said.
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“A young person was on the verge of having their driver’s license suspended for failure to make a time-sensitive payment,” she said. “They were able to use the call center to make a payment and avoid the suspension.”
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