Is It Illegal To Glue A Debit PinPad To The Counter?

[CanadaGirl]

For the past week or so at work, our debit pinpads have been glued down to the counter for some reason. I don't care why, my manager was obviously told by someone higher up to do it, so it must be for a reason. Everyone who has come in hasn't had a problem with it. They actually find it amusing to grab for the pinpad and find it stuck like cement. Except for this one old guy. He goes to grab for the pinpad, and of course it doesn't remove itself from the counter, so he gets angry with me.

Angry Old Man:"Why is this glued down?!"
Me: "Not sure, but it is."
AOM: "If you're going to glue it down, you need to put those protectors around it!"
Me: "Just use your hand like everyone else does."
AOM: "This is illegal!"
Me: "Um, no it is not. My manager wouldn't have glued them down if it was."
AOM: "Yes it is!!"
Me: [hands the ass his receipt and pushes his bag of cheap whiskey towards him] "Have a good day."

GAH! After he left, I taped a piece of paper to each pinpad staying not to pull at the pinpad. We don't need them getting snapped in half because some angry guy decided it didn't belong there.

I'm pretty sure it isn't illegal to glue those things down, anyway. People can just use their hand to cover the buttons. It's not like I'm staring at the pad looking for what their number is. Our other customers could care less, too. Our demographics are mostly the elderly, so it's not very likely some of them can even read the numbers on the buttons from 4 or 5 feet away.

Anyone else deal with idiot customers and debit pinpads at their stores? (I know there are some places that have debit/credit on one machine, so post stories about those, too!)

[AFpheonix]

ours are screwed into a holder on the counter, which for most people is fine, but I find that it's hard to reach for customers that are in wheelchairs

Just about every other customer has to be coached on how to use the pinpad, which is a pain if I'm trying to multitask if we're busy. I can't type prescriptions and route phone calls and mix antibiotics if I'm having to hover over numbnuts who can't figure out how to push digital buttons and follow directions, or pay attention long enough to finish transactions. Yargh!

[Worker-Intellectual]

Yes, it is illegal to glue a pinpad down, just like it is illegal for a store to run out of an item or ask for necessary information or ask for ID when a customer is purchasing alcohol/cigs.

[CanadaGirl]

Yes, it is illegal to glue a pinpad down, just like it is illegal for a store to run out of an item or ask for necessary information or ask for ID when a customer is purchasing alcohol/cigs.

you scared me there... until i read the rest of that sentence!

[Ree]

I can understand the frustration, though.

I sometimes have trouble seeing, and need to have the pin pad closer to me.

Also, while I could probably use my hand as a shield, having the pin pad just sitting there in the open on the counter seems like more of a security risk.

[CanadaGirl]

I sometimes have trouble seeing, and need to have the pin pad closer to me.

We had a lady in last night... I'm not sure what the politically correct term is, so I guess "little person" works? Well anyway, she was maybe 6 or 7 inches taller than the counter.(counter comes up to about my hip/waist level) Made it very difficult for her to see the pinpad screen. But that size of people is an extreme rarity around here.

[Rubyred]

Actually...while it's not actually "illegal" to glue the pin pad to the counter, it is against Visa/Mastercard rules to do so without using the screen covers. The store could get a fine if Visa/Mastercard site inspectors were to come in and see that.

How do I know this? I work for a credit card processor on the merchant side as account manager. I know that contract inside and out.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I do believe he's right.

[Ree]

We had a lady in last night... she was maybe 6 or 7 inches taller than the counter....Made it very difficult for her to see the pinpad screen.

I'm only 5 feet tall, so, yeah, if it was a high counter, I might have a problem.

[DistantStar]

I can say that I used to have all sorts of problems with pinpads before most of the chains came up with holders for them that are adjustable. I'm 4'2". So if there was one glued flat on a counter, unless it was an exceptionally low counter, I'd have real problems using it.

[booger]

Our pinpads are bolted to the little check writing counter, it's pretty high up for shorter people and disabled people, but it does rotate a bit from side rto side and up and down so that helps. If someone can't reach it, we can opt to print out a slip for them to sign.

[thegiraffe]

5' and 4'2? I feel like a giant haha (I'm 6'...yes, seriously).

And...haha...numbnuts. Growing up, we had a neighbor we named "numbnuts" because he truly was an asshole. A very odd asshole....

As far as gluing it down, I don't really see a REASON for it, unless they're on a coiled cord, and you pull and accidently let go, and whee! The pin pad gets to go for a little ride and could get broken....

Perhaps velcro would be a better solution?

(No offense to Ree and Distantstar btw...I'm just amused. I remember being 5' and 4'2. I won't tell you how old I was though.)

[Broomjockey]

5' and 4'2? I feel like a giant haha (I'm 6'...yes, seriously).

Pfft. Feel better shorty I'm 6'6" I just wish these places would stop having signs hanging so low. And maybe raise the height of the doorway a few inches.

Actually ON topic (me on topic? shocking!), we used to have our debit pads in holders, and the holders were taped to the counter. (The holders didn't do anything to cover the pin pad either.) It was really annoying, because the angle it was at, most people couldn't read, or so they claimed. We got a new system, and trashed the whole lot.

[Seanette]

Pfft. Feel better shorty I'm 6'6" I just wish these places would stop having signs hanging so low. And maybe raise the height of the doorway a few inches.

Off-topic question for the taller-than-average types: does it bug you when a shorter shopper asks for help reaching something down from a high shelf? I'm 5'4", and in some stores, my choices are ask someone tall in the vicinity for help or climb the shelving to get the item I'm after.

[Broomjockey]

Off-topic question for the taller-than-average types: does it bug you when a shorter shopper asks for help reaching something down from a high shelf? I'm 5'4", and in some stores, my choices are ask someone tall in the vicinity for help or climb the shelving to get the item I'm after.

As long as you ask nicely, I'm more than willing, provided I'm capable ( i.e. hands not overflowing with groceries or some such that cannot be easily put down.)
I can't imagine many people minding, again, providing previous conditions are met.

[thegiraffe]

Nah, it doesn't bother me. At the grocery store I work at at home (i'm away at school right now), I can reach all the merchandise on the floor, and just about everything in the freezers/coolers.

Btw Broomjockey...I'm female. 6' and female is more impressive than 6' and male haha (not that 6'6 isn't impressive, because it is lol). I'm used to grabbing things for people, and being able to reach things they can't (comes in handy sometimes to hide things lol). And yeah - I've hit my head on a few low-hanging signs, and I'm paranoid in low-ceiling places (busses, etc) that I'm going to whack my noggin.