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Not sure if I done the correct thing

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ineedadollar

ineedadollar

Free Member
Sep 8, 2011
319
18
Had a customer come in 45 mins before close. Turns out he's deaf and he writes out the order. He goes to pay for it via card. And all of a sudden my card machine gets stuck on please remove card. When trying to remove card it feels not right. I have a look inside it and appears paper is stuck in the card machine. It is still saying please remove card. But the card has been removed.
Customer writes down saying the transaction has been authorised and I tell him by writing I can't process the transaction without the card machine recipt. I asked if he could show me on his app that it's gone through to which he said he don't have bank app.
He's mentioned that he has never seen me before and comes in all the time. However I've never seen him and in the only worker.
told him I can offer him one free as an apology and If the transaction did go through he will be refunded. He didn't accept.
Was this an honest issue or is there some scam of some sort going on here
 
Was the transaction for a large amount? If he claims to be a regular customer but you're the only one who works there and you've never seen him before then it certainly sounds suspicious. Did you manage to get the paper out or is your card machine now out of action?
 
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It was only a £15 transaction. But the fact that he claimed to be a regular is what put me off. + The fact that his card was contactless but opted to put it in. Card machine is now out of action
 
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If he doesn't have a bank app, how does he know it's been authorised? Are you saying a piece of paper got inserted into the card slot so the machine believed the card was still inserted after he removed it? Is that even possible unless the customer inserted it themselves?

Sounds like a clear scam to me - come in near closing time so the manager is likely to be busy performing closing duties, there's likely to be minimal till staff working, and those that are just want to coast through the last hour and go home. Play deaf to throw the staff member off their usual flow and force them to communicate in an unconventional (and therefore immediately slower and more awkward) way. Put a bit of paper over the chip so it can't be read and causes an error on the machine. Claim to be a regular and mention having never seen that staff member before (suggesting that they're new/inexperienced).

The aim is to create an environment where the cashier has to challenge a disabled customer, using an awkward communication method, hopefully with other customers waiting impatiently behind. The cashier gets flustered and decides it's easier to trust the customer on this occasion, letting them leave with the goods. A low value transaction makes it not worth the effort of arguing even it it's a sole trader.
 
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ineedadollar said:
It was only a £15 transaction. But the fact that he claimed to be a regular is what put me off. + The fact that his card was contactless but opted to put it in. Card machine is now out of action
Click to expand...

Plenty of people with contactless still use the card machine with pin.
 
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After going through it in my head numerous time. Few points which stick out for me
Card machine was working fine Until he used it. suddenly there is paper stuck in it
He said it was authorised. But I always remove receipt before removing the card.
Never seen the guy before but he says he comes in regular.
Having to communicate through paper makes my life more difficult and throws me off my flow.
He didn't have a wallet and had about 10 loose cards in his pocket.
I had to think to myself what would i do if the person wasn't deaf and treat him the same way. I need a walking stick and get no special treatment so I'm not giving anyone any special treatment especially when they lie about being a regular
In the end he said he would come back today at 1. he came back at 12 when i was walking through the door. I spent 45 mins on the phone to try and find out if the transaction went through. They told me nothing of that value went through. He was still adamant that it did and said he will bring in bank statement on Friday.
I didnt expect him to come back today but as he did can the bank take the money out his account without my card provider knowing?
 
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ineedadollar said:
After going through it in my head numerous time. Few points which stick out for me
Card machine was working fine Until he used it. suddenly there is paper stuck in it
He said it was authorised. But I always remove receipt before removing the card.
Never seen the guy before but he says he comes in regular.
Having to communicate through paper makes my life more difficult and throws me off my flow.
He didn't have a wallet and had about 10 loose cards in his pocket.
I had to think to myself what would i do if the person wasn't deaf and treat him the same way. I need a walking stick and get no special treatment so I'm not giving anyone any special treatment especially when they lie about being a regular
In the end he said he would come back today at 1. he came back at 12 when i was walking through the door. I spent 45 mins on the phone to try and find out if the transaction went through. They told me nothing of that value went through. He was still adamant that it did and said he will bring in bank statement on Friday.
I didnt expect him to come back today but as he did can the bank take the money out his account without my card provider knowing?
Click to expand...
Do your bank transactions not take a couple days or are they instant? I honestly think there is something dodgy going on... But he did come back so I'm unsure... Please keep us updated - sorry this is happening to you but it is fascinating.
 
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Bring in bank statement on Friday? Perhaps one of the cash machine printed ones showing the exact amount and card - but not details of retailer.
 
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yes, he bought in one yesterday showing his balance being £1.60 but not showing any transactions.
I think something dodgy is going on also but I'm not sure either. Surely wasting 2 hours of his time cant be worth it for 3 waffles
Will see if he comes back friday
 
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ineedadollar said:
yes, he bought in one yesterday showing his balance being £1.60 but not showing any transactions.
I think something dodgy is going on also but I'm not sure either. Surely wasting 2 hours of his time cant be worth it for 3 waffles
Will see if he comes back friday
Click to expand...
Waffles for £15? For 3? I'm in the wrong business!
 
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The easiest thing to do is to contact your payment merchant and verify if the transaction went through or check your bank account? No money No goods
 
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Yes, I contacted them yesterday in front of him and was told the transaction ain't gone through.
He was still adamant that it did and is bringing in a bank statement on Friday to prove it did. He is seriously shortening my life with the amount of writing I'm having to do.
He should have just come in and said ill clean your windows and the shop for 3 waffles would have taken less time and got 3 waffles out of it
 
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ineedadollar said:
Yes, I contacted them yesterday in front of him and was told the transaction ain't gone through.
He was still adamant that it did and is bringing in a bank statement on Friday to prove it did. He is seriously shortening my life with the amount of writing I'm having to do.
He should have just come in and said ill clean your windows and the shop for 3 waffles would have taken less time and got 3 waffles out of it
Click to expand...
I just really don't see why he keeps waffling on... (haha I'm funny)
Or really, why he keeps coming back?!
 
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ineedadollar said:
Yes, I contacted them yesterday in front of him and was told the transaction ain't gone through.
He was still adamant that it did and is bringing in a bank statement on Friday to prove it did. He is seriously shortening my life with the amount of writing I'm having to do.
He should have just come in and said ill clean your windows and the shop for 3 waffles would have taken less time and got 3 waffles out of it
Click to expand...

The problem with trying to be helpful is that it's easy to start down a dead end road with no easy way back out. When he produces a bank statement (which will be printed from online banking so could be easily forged), what are you planning to do with this new 'evidence'?

What his bank statement says is irrelevant. Unless the money has arrived in YOUR bank, you haven't been paid. Ergo, no delicious waffle for him. By all means follow it up with your payment processor to see if they can find a record of the payment, but when they can't, any problem he has with his bank is HIS problem. There's nothing you can, or should, do about it.
 
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Stedurham said:
Has he not got the start of dementia or something sounds like it to me
Click to expand...
Not sure but I think there may be more to it then him being deaf. He appeared to be wiping his eyes as he was walking out the other night. Appeared to not try to cry.

Honestly i tried explaining to him that if the money has been taken out his bank account then he needs to contact them and get it
 
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He’s an old confused blind bloke if that was me I’d just ring bank let him hear that you haven’t got the money and just give him them bless him
 
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This is interesting. Have you spoken with your employees to verify if he is indeed a regular? You're stressing yourself out for £15. Not worth having grey hairs and wrinkles. Truth be told, it really is dodgy. Just let him have it when he tries to come back again.
 
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I think if he was a fraudster it would be quite a lot of effort for £15. Annoying as it is, I'd let it go and save yourself some valuable time. Plus, imagine it's all genuine and you get abad review for your business. That would cost you more than £15.
 
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paulears said:
Why are you pressing the case - what is the cost of the ingredients? Surely you could just wipe it out?
Click to expand...
If he had come in earlier, I would have just given it him. But cause of the time I would have had to stay behind at least an extra 30mins which I really wasn't feeling.
+ the fact he lied about saying he was a regular. I'm there 7 days a week from open to close and as I'm not very busy I remember most customers especially if they are deaf. I'm not a big fan of liers but he hasn't been back so probably realised something. Not sure what but something lol
 
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It is possible (not likely but possible) that he had a ghost transaction - when his bank is notified he has spent £15, so it is no longer available for him to spend, but the process does not complete, so you don't get the money. After a few days when your bank doesn't ask for the money, the transaction cancels and the money is available for him to spend again.

I am sure there is a more technical way of explaining that.
 
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It cost me probably about £100 in lost sales while I got a new card machine,
However he received nothing. But to make the order it would have cost me £6-7 probably. But would have had to stay an extra 30mins or so as he came in after i had finished cleaning would have meant i would have to clean again
 
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