Credit Cards: Let the fun begin!

[Mara-chan]

I've bitched about checks. I've bitched about people being picky with change. And now... CREDIT CARDS!

Just the FAQs

Did you know you HAVE to sign your card or I can refuse to sell to you? And writing 'Check ID' doesn't count, you are supposed to SIGN your card before it's valid. And if you don't you're supposed to sign in front of me and present me with a valid government ID.

Check out this site for more info


So that means...

If you don't have your card signed and I ask you to show your ID, DON'T GET PISSY WITH ME! It's for YOUR security too, dumbass! And if I say "You should sign your card, or put 'Check ID' on it", it's just me coming up with a nice way of saying "Someone's gonna steal your shit, sign their name and max our your card if you don't sign it you numbnutted douchesuit."


It's also for your protection

Our credit card system at Staples asks for the last 4 digits of the credit card number or the printed number on AMEX. We need to check that. WE do. Don't read it to us. If you were a criminal, you could be lying! We check those digits against what the card actually swipes because criminals can reprogram Mr Smith's card with Mrs Jones' card number. Just let me do my job to keep us BOTH safe from scammers.

Oh, yeah... LEARN HOW TO USE THE CARD!

And this is a big one. You've probably had your card for a while. LEARN HOW IT WORKS! That big black thing on the back? That's a magnetic stripe. When we ask you to swipe your card, that part goes DOWN. If you swipe the other end, the punched numbers make a bad grinding sound. That's a good sign your swiping the wrong way.

Learn the difference between DEBIT and CREDIT. Debit means you need a PIN. Credit means you SIGN for it. Debit lets you get cash back. Credit doesn't. So if you end up SIGNING you're not gonna be able to get cash back. And if you hit debit, you need to remember your PIN. Don't get mad at ME because you can't remember a 4 digit number. Debit takes the money out faster than credit, but (at our store at least) we can't return directly to the card, you get cash. Credit takes longer to take out AND longer to credit back. So if you buy something and return it the next day, you may not see that money back for a few more days.

Also, some places (like gas stations) may put a hold of up to $75 on a credit card if you pay at the pump, so not all of your money may be available right then.


Not so hard!

When using the touch-screen sign/keypads with a stylus, you don't have to STAB the screen! Just a tap works fine. If you start about 1/4 inch above the pad and press down gently, you'll hear it go *beep*. You don't start six inches up and stab at it like I would like to do into your chest. Customers have actually SHATTERED the screens of our pads, the last one was last year, a week before Christmas!

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Amen on that screen stabbing thing.

Some customers at my store not only do it, but do it REPEATEDLY, it's no wonder our damned PIN pads are having issues.

[Kiarna]

Yeah credit cards suck.

However in Australia they have just brought in a function in which you can sign or use your PIN for credit purchases. As a customer I love that function (plus my Mum works in my Credit Union dealing with SC, so she made sure we knew what we were doing with it)!!

But I never got people who don't sign cards. It's illegal in Australia (I'm pretty sure anyway), but I guess some people never learn.

I wish you well with the world of credit card illiterate people, and hope it gets better!!

[ralerin]

Oh, yeah... LEARN HOW TO USE THE CARD!

And this is a big one. You've probably had your card for a while. LEARN HOW IT WORKS! That big black thing on the back? That's a magnetic stripe. When we ask you to swipe your card, that part goes DOWN. If you swipe the other end, the punched numbers make a bad grinding sound. That's a good sign your swiping the wrong way.

Learn the difference between DEBIT and CREDIT. Debit means you need a PIN. Credit means you SIGN for it. Debit lets you get cash back. Credit doesn't. So if you end up SIGNING you're not gonna be able to get cash back. And if you hit debit, you need to remember your PIN. Don't get mad at ME because you can't remember a 4 digit number. Debit takes the money out faster than credit, but (at our store at least) we can't return directly to the card, you get cash. Credit takes longer to take out AND longer to credit back. So if you buy something and return it the next day, you may not see that money back for a few more days....

Not so hard!

When using the touch-screen sign/keypads with a stylus, you don't have to STAB the screen! Just a tap works fine. If you start about 1/4 inch above the pad and press down gently, you'll hear it go *beep*. You don't start six inches up and stab at it like I would like to do into your chest. Customers have actually SHATTERED the screens of our pads, the last one was last year, a week before Christmas!

To the first part-not all places have you sign credit slips if it's under a certain amount. Although the whole not allowing people to put money back onto their debit is the same at our store. It annoys people and they give me the catbutt face. Nothing I can do.

To the second-our screens are shitty so you HAVE to stab them really really hard to get them to register.

[Sirloracaz]

Yea, it's not that hard. I had one customer who could not seem to use their card; I was doing my part just fine. She made a comment "this is harder than it needs to be," as though I was doing something wrong. Umm.... our card machines are pretty simple. You slide, and push the buttons.
People can't pay attention to the card readers. They ask questions. All stores ask for more input. You don't just slide your card and go. Keep your eyes on the screen!! Push all the buttons.
They also worry that the company is going to mysteriously take more money from them because they have to re-enter their PIN, cancel, re-swipe, or let me swipe it. Nope. we only want to charge you what you owe.
For the love of god, please do NOT shove your card in my face! If you don't notice the card reader, at least hand it to me decently. If you shove it in my face, I will back away and cower.... I really don't want to lose an eye...or take a bite (they're so filthy).
Decide *before* you swipe the card how you want to pay. Some store can't cancel the transaction once you go so far.
My machine might say 'debit visa' on the screen. That's okay. If you pushed the credit button on it, and it's asking you to sign, it's running as credit. What's the big deal?
I agree that people should not stab the screen. But if you push to light, it won't take either. There's a certain medium... these machines have existed for a while; why haven't you figured it out? Sadly, the machines at my work sometimes do not load right during a transaction, and I have to restart the transaction for the machine to re-set.

[Sirloracaz]

Store credit cards

Like many stores, my work has a store credit card. If you get approved, and pay with the card, you get 10% off. It's a standard credit card app, and we do it in the computer/register. So why do people complain that they have to give their social security #, their address, name , DoB, mother's maiden name, etc?? it's part of every credit app! I am not collecting your info. I am not stealing your ID. Neither is the store or bank. If we don't check your credit, how can we set up the card?
I hate it when people refuse to give their person info out when they are trying to apply for credit. If I ask you for your mom's maiden name and keep a credit card that you already have, then you have a problem. If I need your social for a gift registry, then it's a problem. stop being so uppity when you are applying!

[Pagan]

To the second-our screens are shitty so you HAVE to stab them really really hard to get them to register.

I'm firmly convinced that this is because of people repeatedly stabbing the poor pin pads.

For the love of god, please do NOT shove your card in my face! If you don't notice the card reader, at least hand it to me decently. If you shove it in my face, I will back away and cower.... I really don't want to lose an eye...or take a bite (they're so filthy).

Amen to that!

And on a side note:
If you are paying with cash, please do not wave that in my face either. I am not a stripper.

[Meegz]

A lot of you know that a lost of places are different when it comes to CCs. Us, we have a card reader for customers to use, but we block the swiping thing so that we are forced to check cards. (It even has a little sign saying so). The pad however allows the customer to confirm the amount of the total ("DO I HIT YES OR NO!?!") then if it's credit, it'll go through (after checking ID unless it is signed, we compare signatures) But, when it comes up as a debit card, we tell them "either use your finger to hit enter for credit, or your pin for debit) and I will say 99% of the people yank and jam on the damn cord for a pen.

"With your finger, please"
*continues yanking, now frustrated* "WITH your finger, its heat sensitive"
*grabs a BIC from our pen jar trying to tap it"
"YOUR FINGER, please"
*customer looks confused*

It sucks

[Chromatix]

All the machines I've seen over here use buttons and don't use any touch-sensitive or stylus features. They never ask for an electronic signature, only a PIN, and they're only used for chip-cards which require the PIN.

If a shop hasn't graduated to the chip cards, they'll give you a card-receipt to sign.

[Jacen]

I've bitched about checks. I've bitched about people being picky with change. And now... CREDIT CARDS!

Just the FAQs

Did you know you HAVE to sign your card or I can refuse to sell to you? And writing 'Check ID' doesn't count, you are supposed to SIGN your card before it's valid. And if you don't you're supposed to sign in front of me and present me with a valid government ID.

The problem is that signatures can be forged, easily. I don't even bother writing my sig normally these days. I'd rather enter a pin or show you ID. My government issued ID (Drivers license) is harder to forge.

[boringscreenname]

When I worked at Target, we had the card readers that required you to insert your card into the machine. You wouldn't believe the number of people who asked if their card would be returned, if the machine ate their card etc...

I actually had one woman gasp in horror then jump back in fright when the machine took her card.

'Oh and people could never enter them the correct way, and then it made this horrible crunching sound.

The sad thing is there's a picture on the machine showing how the card is supposed to be inserted, and there's even a little demonstration playing on the machine itself, yet people still couldn't get it right.

I tried my best to explain how to inserh the card correctly and then the person would turn the card every way except the right way and finally hand me the card in frustration and I'd insert it properly.

We also had people sign on the screen with INK pens, not the STYLUS. We just hand sanitizer to clean them off but sometimes there was still ink on the screen.

[StarsAreFixed]

Oh chip-and-pin credit and debit cards are a bundle of laughs also.

The card readers READ your chip, stop ramming in your card with the chip out of the reader, what good is that?
It is NOT my store's fault if your card is declined. It's YOUR BANK you tool.
Too bad if your pin is locked, we are no longer allowed to override that because we are not covered for it in case of fraud. Unlock your card! And the absolute idiots who come up saying 'I forgot my pin, you'll have to swipe it'. Eh, nope.
Oh yes, hilarious that you have to enter your pin again, yes it's all my fault that you entered your pin while I was pacling your bags and while the reader said 'please wait. DO NOT enter pin'. Haha, no you won't be charged again because that's not possible without scanning all your stuff again....duhh.

Foreign swipe cards are fine though, except of course every time I get a card with no signature, the customer has no english. Eventually I manage to get them to pull out other credit cards..all with no signature. Bahhh.

[MannersMakethMan]

The best ones are the folks who can't remember their PIN.

1st attempt: Failure. Look to the ceiling for inspiration, whilst looking utterly confused. No, surprisingly enough, I wasn't kind enough to write it on there for you.

2nd attempt: Bash the same 4 buttons as last time, but a little harder. You know it's the right number

3rd attempt: Admit defeat, and ask for help at a volume suitable for store announcements
"Doris? What's me number fer this one again?"
"I wrote it on the back of your chequebook"
"Is it this one? ABCD?"
"Yes"
"Oh. I thought it was EFGH."
"No, it's always been ABCD"
"Oh. Where'd I get EFGH from?"
"I don't know Bert, but it's ABCD"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Bert, A-B-C-D"
"No, I'm sure it's EFGH... But it didn't work the last twice. Could it be your systems?"
"No, it's ABCD - our Martha's birthday, Ath of the B 'CD"
"Oh. So not EFGH then?"
"No, ABCD, that's why I write it down for you"

PUT THE NUMBER IN ALREADY!!!! If you don't do it soon, you'll need one less bag to carry your shopping home in, since I'll be inserting it into a random orifice one piece at a time.

"A *stab* B *stab* C *stab* D *stab*. Do I need to press enter?"
"Yes."
*STAB*
...Thank you....

[Pagan]

PUT THE NUMBER IN ALREADY!!!! If you don't do it soon, you'll need one less bag to carry your shopping home in, since I'll be inserting it into a random orifice one piece at a time.

Or one more....to carry their head in.

[earl colby pottinger]

And that is management's fault

To the second-our screens are shitty so you HAVE to stab them really really hard to get them to register.

Either it is customer's with messy fingers (I can't believe how dirt some screens get) but worse ad more often it is management being cheap on the touch-screens.

And that is really annoying because in the long run the maintenance costs of the cheaps screens is far out weights the costs of a good screen up front.