In most cases, vend pricing is set through the Laundroworks system using the LaundroPortal.
But in some cases, it is the laundry machine that controls the vend pricing directly.
The following is a list of machines where vend pricing comes directly from the machine itself, and is NOT set through the Laundroworks system:
Dexter X-Series Washer and Dryers, and Dexter C-Series Dryers
Alliance (Speed-Queen) Quantum/Midas Touch Washers and Dryers
Maytag Gen2 control Washers and Dryers
LG Washers and Dryers
All Vending Machines, including VendRite
If you need to configure prices for the above machines, you'll need to do that directly through the machine's interface.
You'll want to consult the manual for your specific machine, or reach out to your distributor, to get instructions on adjusting the machine specific settings that control vend pricing.
Once the price is set on the machine, the machine automatically instruct the Laundroworks Card Reader as to what price to display, and charge to the Laundry Cards/LaundryCat App accounts.
For the above machines, it is still recommended that you put all Card Readers into Custom Machine Groups, for reporting purposes.
For all other types of machines, see the Card Reader Price Settings - By Machine Manufacturer section for details based on your specific machine.
Prerequisites
Before you can begin setting Card Reader prices, you first need to ensure that:
1. The Value Add Center Kiosk (VAC) is Online
1. The Value Add Center Kiosk (VAC) is Online
If there are multiple VACs in your location, ensure that VAC01 is online as this is the primary VAC that communicates with all card readers in the location.
To confirm VAC01 is Online, log onto the LaundroPortal, click on your location address, and confirm that you see VAC01 and that it is NOT indicating a status of Offline:
If VAC01 is currently offline, you will need to get VAC01 online before you can continue to configure any Card Reader settings.
Review our VAC Offline and Internet Issues article for troubleshooting steps for a VAC Offline issue.
2. The Card Readers being priced are Online
2. The Card Readers being priced are Online
The Card Readers must be reporting as online on the LaundroPortal.
If a Card Reader is showing any version of a "timeout" error, that reader is currently offline and will therefore be unable to receive any settings changes sent to it via the LaundroPortal.
Timeout errors include the following:
For the Check if machine exists error specifically, this is usually only seen during new installs, and it's likely the reader's number was recently changed; or the system is busy carrying out a lot of system updates/settings changes.
Try power cycling both the VAC01 kiosk, and any Card Reader reporting this error to see if that clears it.
If you have a Card Reader reporting as offline, review our Portal says "Timeout - check reader/machine" - Card Reader is Reporting it's offline article for troubleshooting steps.
3. The Card Readers have been Activated and NOT displaying a communication error
3. The Card Readers have been Activated and NOT displaying a communication error
Once a Card Reader is activated to a location, it will add itself to the Machine list of that location automatically.
Before pricing the reader, check the Machine list to ensure the Card Reader's Status is NOT be indicating a communication error (e.g. "Machine/Serial Communication Error"):
Select errors, like a "Machine Error" will still allow for the Card Reader to be priced (as a "Machine Error" indicates an issue with the machine itself, not with Card Reader communication).
In general, it's best to clear any Card Reader Status error before attempting to price that Card Reader.
If the Card Reader has been activated, but is NOT showing up on the LaundroPortal, confirm that the reader was activated using the Activation Card for the specific location it was activated for.
If it's been activated with an Activation Card for a different location, that Card Reader will need to be Factory Reset so it can be re-activated using the correct Activation Card for the location.
The screenshot below show's VAC01 online, and all Card Readers reporting no status errors on the LaundroPortal; this is an example of a location ready for vend price configuration:
Manage Groups Menu - Creating Custom Machine Groups
Before setting any prices, it is strongly recommended that you first create Machine Groups, and add the readers representing those machines, to these custom Machine Groups.
This will allow you to apply price changes, to all the readers in the same group, using one operation (another benefit of grouping is that this will allow you to run reports on machines, based on these custom machine groupings)
If you already have your machines grouped into custom machine groups, move on to the Card Reader Pricing section of this article.
Note that custom machine groups are only used for Washer and Dryer Card Readers.
Door, POS, and Vending machines readers cannot be placed into custom groups.
To group all of your Washer/Dryer Card Readers into custom machine groups
click the Manage Groups button in the top right corner of the Machines table header:
Inside the Machine Group Management page,
Click the "+ Add New Group" button to create a new custom machine group:
Give the group a meaningful name, such as "18lb washers"
then click the Save button to create this new group:
Navigate to the newly created group, and use the dropdown menu to select a Card Reader number that is installed on any machine that belongs in this group
Then click "+ Place Into this Group" button to add that specific reader into this group:
Continue selecting all other readers that belong in this group (you'll do this 1 reader at a time, pressing the "+ Place Into this Group" button after each reader you add).
Do this until all of your 18lb washer readers are listed in the new group.
Then continue by making additional custom groups, for all of your different types/sizes of machines, including Dryers.
Note: unable to add a specific reader into a group it belongs in?
Note: unable to add a specific reader into a group it belongs in?
When adding readers into a specific machine group, you are only able to add Card Readers, that use the exact same Card Reader settings.
If you have machines that are not all of the same model type, it is probable the reader settings are not exactly the same, between the different model machines.
In cases like these, if you have 2 different types of 45lb Washers for example, you will need to make separate custom groups for each type of 45lb Washer model you have.
(for example, you cannot put a 45lb Dexter Washer in the same group as a 45lb Alliance Washer)
If the system is not allowing you to add a specific reader to a group, it is most likely because that reader is installed on a different model of machine; so you will need to create a separate custom group for the different model machines.
If you know a specific Card Reader should be able to be added to a specific group, try power cycling that Card Reader so it reloads it's reader settings.
It's possible it never uploaded all it's reader settings information to the LaundroPortal the first time it was activated. Since the LaundroPortal can see all that reader's settings, it won't allow placing that reader into a group because there are no settings it can use for comparison to ensure it's in the correct group.
Card Reader Price Settings - Communication Types
When it comes to setting Card Reader pricing, all Card Readers operate in a similar manner, based on their communication type.
There are 2 Card Reader communication types that affect how pricing will work:
1. Serial Communication (2-way direct communication between the Card Reader and Machine's control board)
1. Serial Communication (2-way direct communication between the Card Reader and Machine's control board)
Serial Communication allows the Card Reader to always be in sync with the machine. Pricing only needs to be updated on 1 side (either on the machine side, or on the card reader side, depending on the specific machine).
Serial communication allows the card reader to know what cycle options are being selected, so multiple vend price levels can be set for different cycle options.
2. Pulse Communication (Coin Drop emulation - no direct communication with machine's control board)
2. Pulse Communication (Coin Drop emulation - no direct communication with machine's control board)
Pulse Communication means the Card Readers are simply emulating a "coin" being inserted into the machine, whenever a Laundry Card/LaundryCat App account is tapped to the card reader. In most cases, the reader will insert 1 "coin" into the machine to trigger payment.
With pulse communication, the pricing will need to be set on both the Card Reader side (so the reader knows how much to charge Laundry Cards/LaundryCat App accounts), AND the machine side (so the machine displays the same price the card reader is charging (if desired).
Pulse communication only allows for 1 vend price to be configured, as the Card Reader has no way of knowing what cycle option is being selected at the time of payment.
Serial Card Reader Price Settings - By Machine Manufacturer
Alliance Machines (SpeedQueen/Huebsch)
Alliance Machines (SpeedQueen/Huebsch)
Depending on the specific model, your Card Readers will be using either Serial or Pulse communication.
Serial Communication - Card Reader Controls Vend Pricing:
Below are examples of the type of Card Reader vend price settings you may see when the Card Reader is in control of machine pricing:
Alliance Washers will usually report the name of the base cycle option being priced, these include base options like Normal, Perm, and Delicate.
The Extra Options (Modifier 2 and Modifier 3) are modifiers that are added to the price of the selected base cycle.
If you see Modifier 1 (set to $0), it is best to ALWAYS leave this Modifier set at $0. If this modifier is anything other than $0, it will ADD that dollar amount to ALL cycle options (so if Modifier 1 is set to $0.75, then all cycle option prices will be increased by $0.75.
Common uses for Modifier 2 and Modifier 3 settings are things like Extra Wash and Extra Rinse options; or to control what happens when the Light, Medium, or Heavy cycle option buttons are used.
When the machine does not report a specific Modifier by name, you'll just see the label "Extra Option (Modifier 2)", "Extra Option (Modifier 3)", etc.. In these cases it's best to use 1 machine as a tester, price each modifier with a different price, and select the different Modifiers on the machine to find out which Modifier # corresponded to a specific cycle modifier.
Below are a few examples of what these modifiers can control:
On older model MDC Washers, you may see the following Card Reader vend price settings:
The cycle price options the reader displays will be based on what cycle options the Card Reader is getting from the machine directly.
On machines that trigger the Card Reader to display these vend price options, it's possible that the machine's modifiers (if it has any) are corresponding to one of the listed "base" cycle price options, instead of being shown as a dedicated cycle extra option like with newer MDC Washers.
In these cases, it is best to set each cycle option to a different price (e.g. Heavy = $1, Normal = $2, Permanent Press = $3, Delicate = $4), then test all buttons on the machine to confirm which "base" price option is corresponding to the different cycle options on the machine.
Alliance Dryers will usually report the different temperature options, as well as settings to adjust the price AND time for adding top off time to an already running machine.
It is important to note that the amount of Dry Time these Dryers starts with, is completely controller by settings on the machine directly (you cannot affect the starting dry time from the LaundroPortal).
However on these machines, it IS possible to adjust how much Top Off time the dryers add, by adjusting the Card Reader's "Topoff Time (min)" setting.
If you setup a full cycle/top off time pricing model; then your full cycle temperature pricing (High Temp, Medium Temp, Low Temp, etc.) would be a different price than the machine's Topoff Price setting. In cases where the Top-Off price is different from the Full Cycle/Starting price, when customers are adding additional top off time, they will be required to hit the machine's Start button each time they want to add additional time (Laundry Card must be present on the reader when the machine's Start button is pushed).
If the full cycle cost (for all temperature options), and top off cost are the exact same; then customers will only need to push the machine's Start button when starting the machine from idle. Once the machine is running a cycle, simply tapping a laundry card to the Card Reader will add the additional top off (the Start button does NOT need to be pushed at all when adding top off time)
Serial Communication - Machine Controls Vend Pricing:
Below is an example of what you will see if your serial communication card reader does NOT control the machine's vend pricing (there will be no vend price settings listed at all):
You will also notice that if you navigate to the Bulk Pricing Menu, you will see a note for the Dryers that there are no price settings to configure, and for the Washer readers, you will only see a setting for configuring the Free Dry Bonus Amount:
These are all indications that the LaundroPortal is NOT used at all to set machine prices.
Prices need to be updated on the machine directly, and the machine will update the card reader with the new price.
Pulse Communication (Card Reader and Machine pricing is set separately):
See the Pulse Communication Card Reader Pricing section of this article for these details.
Dexter Machines
Dexter Machines
Depending on the specific model of Dexter machine, your card readers will be using either Serial or Pulse communication.
Serial Communication - Card Reader Controls Vend Pricing:
This is only possible on Dexter C Series machines, running updated reader firmware.
Below is an example of the card reader vend price settings you will see when the Card Reader is in control of machine pricing:
Only the price settings in the Green Box are used for adjusting reader/machine pricing.
Dexter machines will report the name of the base cycle option being priced (Hot, Warm, Cold) as well as the name of the cycle modifiers (Extended Wash, PreWash, Extra Rinse, Super Wash). The Modifiers will ADD to the base cycle costs.
You will always be able to set a price for all of these modifiers, even if the specific modifier is NOT enabled on the machine itself.
If the modifier is not enabled on the machine side, customers will be unable to select that modifier option (even if the card reader shows a price for it).
Serial Communication - Machine Controls Vend Pricing:
Dexter C Series Dryers, and Dexter X Series Washers and Dryers do not allow for the Card Reader to control pricing.
Below is an example of what you will see if your serial communication card reader does NOT control the machine's vend price (there will be no vend price settings listed at all):
You will also notice that if you navigate to the Bulk Pricing Menu, you will see a note for the Dryers that there are no price settings to configure, and for the Washer readers, you will only see a setting for configuring their Free Dry Bonus Amount:
These are all indications that the LaundroPortal is NOT used at all to set machine prices.
Prices need to be updated on the machine directly, and the machine will update the card reader with the new price.
Pulse Communication (Card Reader and Machine pricing is set separately):
See the Pulse Communication Card Reader Pricing section of this article for these details.
One element that is specific to select Dexter pulse machines (e.g. Dexter A Series washers), is an additional Super Cycle option which can be enabled on the machine side.
If enabled, this option allows the machine to prompt for an additional payment after it's initial wash cycle has started (the prompt is usually only seen in the first 1 to 2 minutes of the initial wash cycle being started). This additional payment will upgrade the base wash cycle to extend it's wash/rinse times.
On Dexter pulse readers, you will see Supercycle settings that can be used to price this additional cycle option:
If your machine does not have this supercycle option, or you've disabled supercycle on the machine side, these settings should be left at 0.
If supercycle is enabled on the machine side, you'll use the supercycle reader settings to set the cost of this cycle upgrade (this will be charged in addition to the base cycle price), and the supercycle time should be set to the amount of time this cycle upgrade adds to the base cycle time.
Wascomat / Electrolux / Clarus Vibe / Compass Pro Machines
Wascomat / Electrolux / Clarus Vibe / Compass Pro Machines
Depending on the specific model, your card readers will be using either Serial or Pulse communication.
Serial Communication - Card Reader Controls Vend Pricing:
Below is an example of the Card Reader vend price settings you will see when the Card Reader is in control of machine pricing:
In most cases, these machines do NOT report the name of the base cycle option being priced, as some of these machines allow you to create/remove custom base cycle options. On these machines, the card reader can only report the Program# for the different possible cycle options.
You may see up to 12 different base program#s listed on the LaundroPortal, however this does NOT necessarily mean that your machine has 12 different cycle options in use.
If your machine only has 6 different cycle options currently programmed on the machine side, then only 6 of the LaundroPortal Program#s will actually correspond to prices on the machine.
To figure out which Program#s corresponds to a specific cycle option on the machine, it's best to set each Program# to a different price (Program1 = $1, Program2 = $2, Program3 = $3, etc.) and then test a machine to figure out which Program# corresponds to a specific cycle option. You can then program all machine cycle options based on that information.
Note: it is possible that not all machines are running the exact same programs, in the exact same order.
So if you find a few machines that seem like they're pricing cycle options incorrectly; it's likely those machines either have extra or less programs than the other machines, or their cycle options are listed in a different order.
The different cycle option modifiers/add-ons will usually be listed by name. These options ADD to the base cycle that's selected.
You will see pricing for all possible cycle modifiers/add-ons, even if the modifiers are not actually enabled on the machine.
There is no harm in pricing a program/add-on, that's not currently being used by the machine.
It is sometimes recommend to set a price for the unused Program#, that way if you add a program in the future, it will already be priced as opposed to being initially setup as a $0 cycle option.
Pulse Communication (Card Reader and Machine pricing is set separately):
See the Pulse Communication Card Reader Pricing section of this article for these details.
Maytag/LG Machines
Maytag/LG Machines
Depending on the specific model, your card readers will be using either Serial or Pulse communication.
Serial Communication - Machine and Card Reader control different payment methods:
For these machines, Serial Communication dictates that the Machine will controls all Vend Pricing related to Laundry Card payments; but the Card Reader will control Vend Pricing related to the LaundryCat app payments specifically.
If your store does NOT make use of the LaundryCat app, then you can ignore all vend price settings listed for the Card Reader on the LaundroPortal.
The machine is in control of all vend pricing; once the price is updated on the machine side, the machine will update the Card Reader with the correct price.
If your store IS using the LaundryCat App, then you will need to set the vend price on both the machine side, and on the LaundroPortal for the Card Reader.
The machine controls the price that Laundry Card paying customers are charged, but for customer's using the LaundryCat app, you'll set the price of the Card Reader so it charges LaundryCat app accounts correctly.
Below is an example of the card reader vend price settings you will see for Maytag/LG Serial Communication Card Readers:
As stated above, if your store does NOT use the LaundryCat App, there is no need to update the Card Reader's Mobile Only/Mobile Prepayment settings, since they will not be used at all.
For locations that use the LaundryCat App, these settings are used so the card reader charges the correct amount to the app during the first tap of a phone.
If you have multiple vend prices, for different cycle options; then this setting should be set to the cheapest base cycle price.
The app will be debited the base cycle price during the first tap, and if the customer has selected a more expensive cycle option, the reader will prompt them to tap their phone again to pay for the extra value needed to cover the more expensive cycle option that was selected.
Pulse Communication (Card Reader and Machine pricing is set separately):
See the Pulse Communication Card Reader Pricing section of this article for these details.
Fagor/Domus Machines
Fagor/Domus Machines
Fagor/Domus Washers will typically use Serial communication (with the exception of Hybrid Coin+Card configurations), while all Dryers will use Pulse communication.
Serial Communication - Card Reader Controls Vend Pricing:
Below is an example of the card reader vend price settings you will see when the Card Reader is in control of machine pricing:
In most cases, these machines do NOT report the name of the base cycle option being priced, as some of these machines allow you to create/remove custom base cycle options. On these machines, the card reader can only report the Program# for the different possible cycle options.
You may see up to 12 different base programs# listed on the LaundroPortal, however this does NOT necessarily mean that your machine has 12 different cycle options in use.
If your machine only has 4 different cycle options currently programmed on the machine side, then only 4 of the LaundroPortal Program#s will actually correspond to prices on the machine.
To figure out which Program#s corresponds to a specific cycle option on the machine, it's best to set each Program# to a different price (Program1 = $1, Program2 = $2, Program3 = $3, etc.) and then test a machine to figure out which Program# corresponds to a specific cycle option, and then program all machines based on that information.
There is no harm in pricing a program/add-on, that's not currently being used by the machine.
Note: it is possible that not all machines are running the exact same programs, in the exact same order.
So if you find a few machines that seem like they're pricing cycle options incorrectly; it's likely those machines either have extra or less programs than the other machines, or their cycle options are listed in a different order.
It is sometimes recommend to set a price for the unused Program#s, that way if you add a program in the future, it will already be priced as opposed to being initially setup as a $0 cycle option.
Fagor/Domus Washers can be sensitive to price adjustments done while the machine is currently running an active cycle.
It is recommended to only adjust reader settings on Washers that are at idle.
If you adjust a reader price setting, and get an error message on the machine's display, you can usually correct this error by resetting the machine
Pulse Communication (Card Reader and Machine pricing is set separately):
See the Pulse Communication Card Reader Pricing section of this article for these details.
Other Machines (IPSO, ADC, Continental-Girbau, Milnor, Hero, Encore, etc.)
Other Machines (IPSO, ADC, Continental-Girbau, Milnor, Hero, Encore, etc.)
With most other machine manufacturers our Card Readers will typically use Pulse communication as oppose to Serial Communication (however there are a few exceptions, e.g. Hero Washers, and Continental-Girbau: (Genius) Washers which can use Serial Communication Card Readers as well).
Serial Communication - Card Reader Controls Vend Pricing:
You will be able to tell if your specific Card Reader is using Serial Communication by checking the Card Reader's Control Type setting to see if it says "Serial" somewhere in the Control Type name.
Examples of other machines with Serial Communication readers:
Examples of other machines with Serial Communication readers:
Hero Washers:
Crossover Washers:
Continental Washers:
If the Control Type being used has the word "Serial" in it, then the reader is in direct communication with the machines control board.
If you see price settings available in the reader settings, it means you can adjust the prices of these machines from the LaundroPortal directly, and the Card Reader will update the machine to display the new prices automatically.
Note: the different pricing options you will see will be dependent on the type of machine a Serial Communication Card Reader is connected to.
The Card Reader will show you all available pricing options, based on the information it's getting from the machine's control board directly.
If you see "Serial" in the name, but there are no vend price settings to configure, then the machine is in control of the prices.
For these reader's, once pricing is updated on the machine directly, the machine will automatically update the card reader with the new prices.
Pulse Communication (Card Reader and Machine pricing is set separately):
See the Pulse Communication Card Reader Pricing section of this article for these details.
Pulse Communication Card Reader Price Settings
Pulse communication (Coin Drop emulation), means that the Card Reader is NOT communicating with the machine's control board at all. Instead the Card Reader is emulating a Coin Drop; so from the machine's perspective, it has no idea a Card Reader is installed.
With Coin Drop emulation, because the card reader has no way of knowing what cycle option is being selected on the machine, these Card Reader will only allow for the machine to have 1 vend price, as the reader is not able to dynamically change what it's charging based on what cycle option has been selected.
Examples of Pulse Communication Card Reader settings:
Examples of Pulse Communication Card Reader settings:
Below are a few examples of the card reader settings you will see if your card reader is using some form of Pulse communication:
You will only have 1 vend pricing option, and 1 time setting option (an exception, like on Dexter A Series machines, which will have extra Supercycle settings, which is an extra payment that can be made 1-2 mins after the machine's cycle has been started).
The Price/Cost setting dictates how much customer Laundry Cards/LaundryCat app accounts are charged to start a Washers/add time to a Dryer
The Time Unit (mins) settings is for you to inform the card reader how long a wash cycle is, or how much dry time customers get, when paying for that specific machine.
The "Time Units (mins)" setting DOES NOT control how much time a Washer/Dryer cycle lasts for.
This is for simulation purposes, so the card reader knows approximately how long a wash/dry cycle lasts for. This allows the Card Reader to stay in sync with what's happening on the actual machine.
When adjusting vend prices on Pulse communication machines, you need to adjust the reader settings (so the reader charges the correct amount), and then separately adjust the machine side settings (so the machine displays the correct amount).
In most cases, the machine is only getting 1 "coin" inserted into it, whenever a Laundry Card/LaundryCat app account is used to make a payment.
This means, that when adjusting the machine's vend price, you want to ensure that the machine's Coin Value setting is also adjusted to equal the new vend price.
Since the card reader is only inserting 1 "coin" into the machine, the machine needs to know that the 1 "coin" it's getting from the card reader, is worth the full price of the machine. Otherwise, it would take multiple card payments to satisfies the machine's new vend price and start the machine's cycle.
In some rarer cases, especially if you have a Hybrid Coin+Card setup, you're Pulse communication Card Reader may be showing the following reader settings (which allow for programming the Card Reader to send multiple pulses:
For Washers using a Multi-Pulse control type:
For Washers using a Multi-Pulse control type:
For Dryers using a Multi-Pulse control type:
For Dryers using a Multi-Pulse control type:
Unlike the normal Pulse communication readers, these Pulse communication readers are programmed to send multiple pulses/"coins" to the machine to trigger payment.
On some machines, especially ones running a Hybrid Coin+Card configuration; it's not possible to change the Coin Value setting at all, or changing the Coin Value setting is not possible since it would disrupts the normal operation of the machine's coin drop.
Instead of changing the Coin Value setting to equal the machine's vend price, the card reader is manually programmed to send enough pulses/"coins" in order to pay for the full vend price of the machine.
So when updating the prices for pulse card readers that are using a multi-pulse control type; you'll also need to adjust the Number of Pulses setting so the card reader knows how many pulses it needs to send to the machine to satisfy the machine's new vend price.
You can usually calculate the number of pulses needed by taking the new vend price and dividing it by $0.25 ($8.50 / $0.25 = 34 Pulses/"coins").
But officially, you want to take the new vend price and divide it by the machine's Coin Value setting (which is usually $0.25 by default) (Machine's Full Cycle Price / Machine's Coin Value Setting = # or Pulses needed)
For additional information related to multi-pulse control types, you can review our: Universal Pulse Dryer [29] / Quarter Multi-Pulse [14] Control Types article.
Setting Card Reader Vend Pricing via the Bulk Pricing Menu
If you've grouped your Card readers, you can use Bulk Pricing menu to apply the same price setting changes to all Card Readers in a specific machine group.
Click Bulk Pricing button in the top right corner of the Machines table header:
Depending on the type of machine our reader is connected to, you will see different pricing fields representing the price settings that the machine allows our readers to affect.
When changing the price settings for your groups, it is recommended that you only change one group a time.
It is possible to do more than 1 group at a time, but this may slow down the settings update process (depending on how many total readers are being updated) as when the system carries out these updates, it updates the settings on each reader 1 at a time.
Choose a group, and click the check-box(es) next to each price settings you want to change.
You will not be able to edit a specific price setting until you've clicked the check-box for that particular price setting:
Once you've entered the new price that you want each price setting to be set at,
scroll to the bottom of the page and click Submit Price Change Requests button to have the system push the same price settings to all Card Readers in the machine group.
This will send the new price list to the VAC01, which will then forward it to all the individual Card Readers in this specific machine group, one reader at a time.
The process may take a few minutes to finalize and be confirmed on this page. This is why it is recommended to do this only one group at a time, as this lag time will be longer the more readers that are being updated.
There is no price setting synchronization
The Bulk Pricing feature is simply a way to send a ONE TIME command to all Card Readers to have their price settings updated.
This means that prices of readers do not automatically stay synchronized just because they are in the same group.
For example, if next month you add a new Card Reader to the group, or you change a circuit board of an existing Card Reader, that Card Reader will NOT automatically have its price settings synced to match the group it's in - even if it's replacing a Card Reader that's already inside a group.
The Bulk Pricing menu only sends a 1 time command. So if you have a reader that is not using the correct settings, you'll need to update the reader individually (or push another bulk pricing update to the entire group).
Bulk Pricing Menu - Yellow Triangle Warning Symbol 
If you see a yellow triangle next to a Bulk Pricing reader setting, this is a warning symbol that means that at least 1 of the Card Readers, that is currently in this machine group, is using a different value, for the particular setting with this symbol, than all the other Card Readers in the group:
Please note that when there is a discrepancy between the value that all readers in a group are using for a particular setting;
the value that gets displayed by the Bulk Pricing Menu, is simply the value that ONE of the Card Readers in the group is currently using for that specific setting:
The Card Reader that the Bulk Pricing menu picks, when deciding what value to display for a particular group's setting, is chosen based on whichever Card Reader has last "checked in" with the LaundroPortal; so it is essentially chosen at random.
Therefore, the value being displayed is NOT an indication of the value that was last chosen for this group's setting, nor does it mean this is the value that the system is trying to use for this group's setting.
It only means that ONE reader in this group is using that particular settings at this time.
If you see this warning symbol it means you have a value discrepancy that should be addressed.
Common reasons for a group have a price setting discrepancy are:
Card Readers have been assigned to the incorrect group.
Card Readers have been assigned to the incorrect group.
In this case, the individual Card Reader's price settings are correct, however the group has Card Readers assigned to it that should not be grouped together because the Card Reader is installed on machines that use different prices.
In this case, you should go to the Manage Groups menu and correct the groups so that only Card Readers that use the same vend price settings are grouped together.
You've recently pushed a price update, but not all Card Readers have updated to the new price.
You've recently pushed a price update, but not all Card Readers have updated to the new price.
When using the Bulk Pricing Menu, depending on how many readers are in a group, it will take a few minutes for the price update to be reflected by all Card Readers. The system pushes the price updates to each reader in a group, 1 at a time, so if you refresh this page while in the middle of price updates, you'll see this warning message because the system hasn't finished updating all the Card Readers in the group.
In some cases, a Card Reader may have not take the updated price the first time (could be the Card Reader was in busy, or some wireless interference caused the Card Reader to not pickup the update command that was sent).
In these cases you can either just push the same Bulk Price update again (the system will only update readers not currently using the desired price setting), or go to that reader's individual settings menu and update it's price from there (this is usually faster if you only need to update the settings on 1 or 2 readers).
You've recently pushed a price update, but have some offline Card Readers in that group.
You've recently pushed a price update, but have some offline Card Readers in that group.
Card Reader pricing can only be updated if the Card Reader is currently online.
If you have a Card Reader that's powered OFF, or has some other issue that's causing it to operate in an offline mode, it will be unable to receive any settings updates via the LaundroPortal.
An offline Card Reader will need to have it's price setting updated whenever it's back online (the system does NOT automatically synchronize price settings.
In order to find out which Card Reader is using the incorrect value for a particular setting, simply hover your mouse curser on top of the yellow triangle.
This will bring up a pop up menu that will display what each Card Reader in this group is currently using for that particular setting:
From here, you should first determine if all Card Readers in this group are correctly grouped together. In the above example:
if Dryer 20 and Dryer 21 are actually different size Dryers, then moving them out of this group will clear the warning triangle, since all other readers are using the same value for this setting.
if Dryer 20 and Dryer 21 are in the correct group, then determine if the price of this group should be $0.75 or $1.00 (or some other value).
Then use the Bulk Pricing menu to send the price setting update to all Card Readers in this group to correct the discrepancy.
Setting Card Reader Vend Pricing via the Individual Reader's Settings menu
You can also set prices on specific readers individually; having custom Machine Groups is not required when updating settings in this manner.
Simply click the wrench icon next to the specific reader you want to configure:
Click the "Edit Machine Settings" button:
This will bring up a pop up window showing the current settings this reader is using.
You can then adjust the settings for this individual reader,
and then click the "Update Settings" button to have the system push the new settings to the reader immediately:
If you only need to adjust the price settings of a single reader, it's usually faster to make the change at the individual reader, rather than using the Bulk Pricing menu to update it's settings.
Troubleshooting
Below are common issues you may encounter when attempting price changes on your machines/readers:
Issue | Description |
Price being displayed on the Card Reader is NOT the same as the price being displayed on the Machine's Display | Explanation: If you encounter this issue, it's likely you have Card Readers that use Pulse communication and NOT Serial communication (though it is possible for this to happen with Serial communication as well)
If you have Pulse communication Card Readers, when you adjust the price on the LaundroPortal, this will only affects the price being displayed on the Card Reader itself (note: whatever price the Card Reader displays, is the price that customers actually pay when interacting with the Card Reader) Resolution: If using Pulse Communication Card Readers, you need to adjust the price on the Card Reader and Machine separately. Note: For Pulse communication, usually if you're adjusting the price displayed on the machine, you also NEED to adjust the machines Coin/Pulse value setting to match. If using Serial Communication Card Readers, if the machine and reader have gone out of sync (and there are no errors on the card reader, or machines display), simply power cycling the machine will get the Card Reader and machine prices back in sync. |
After changing the prices of my machines, the Card Readers no longer start the machine, and the Machine's display shows a balance remaining, that needs to be paid, in order to start the machine | Explanation: If this issue started happening right after changing prices, it is likely that you have Pulse communication Card Readers, and when you changed the price of the machine, you did not also adjust the machines Coin value setting to match Resolution: You need to adjust the machine's Coin Value setting so it matches the new vend price of the machine. When the card reader makes a payment, it only sends 1 single pulse to the machine to get it to start. The machine sees this "pulse" as a coin being inserted, so you want to make sure the machine knows that the "coin" from the Card Reader is equal to the full vend price of that machine |
The Bulk Pricing menu does not show any price settings for me to change | Explanation: If you have one of the following machines:
these machines do NOT allow for price control via the LaundroPortal. Once you change the price settings on the machine itself, the machine will update the Card Reader with the new price. In most cases, if you have a machine like the above machines, you'll see a warning message in the Bulk Pricing page indicating these readers have no price settings to configure:
For all other machines, first check to ensure you're not seeing any error message, in the bulk pricing menu, about the specific Card Reader you're trying to price. Examples of errors message you may see include: or
Resolution: If you're seeing an error in the Bulk Pricing menu, in most cases, simply power cycling the machine (unplugging machine from power, and plugging power back in) will trigger the card reader to reboot and send it's current reader settings to the LaundroPortal which will clear most errors you'll see in the Bulk Pricing page. |
The Bulk Pricing Menu isn't updating the price on specific Card Readers | Explanation:
The Bulk Pricing menu sends a 1 time command to readers to update their settings.
It's possible the specific readers aren't getting the price update because the reader is offline, or there's wireless interference in the store.
Resolution:
First confirm the Card Reader is reporting online on the LaundroPortal. If the reader is showing an offline message, you need to correct that issue first.
If the reader is online, try adjusting it's settings using the individual reader settings menu first.
If that doesn't work, power cycle the Card Reader and try again.
If that doesn't work, power cycle the VAC01 kiosk, then power cycle the Card Reader and try again.
If it's still not going through, contact the Laundroworks support team for troubleshooting help with a possible wireless interference issue in the store. |