Chip 'n' Pin - A Quick Guide Discussion Area

James

Waitrose's card system crashes

http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,16781,1661609,00.html

and by the amount of time it takes to process chip type transactions the system seems to be slowing up in general - normal signs of an eminent crash!

James

Barclays Plays Loose with Chip & PIN

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2005/12/14/cmliz14.xml

scbk

Ok now this is my first post on this site!

Recently (about a month ago) I started working on the counter/till at the large shop I'd been working on the shop floor for about a year prevously. Now I'm all clued up on the transactions I can say I can't wait for February 14 (?), when it's all switched over to PIN. Signatures are some of the easiest things to copy, and believe it or not not everybody even bothers to sign the back of their card, or if they do it gets worn away very easily. It really annoys/stuns me when people come in and say they don't know PIN, I'm thinking !!!!!! it's (apparently) YOUR card how can YOU not know you PIN :mad: . So then you have to get them to sign, and quite often their signature bears little/no resemblance to what is on the card, but you feel under pressure to accept it anyway.
I've done hundreds, if not thousands of card tansactions and never once refused a signature, TBH I don't even know how to, and it's not a situation I'd like to be in. If a person gets their PIN wrong, it comes up on the screen telling you of that.
But with signatures there is no definate yes or no, and the feeling I get from my colleagues/employers is to accept all signatures regardless.

Also the sercurity of card numbers shocked me, all the details are printed unobscured on the till/shop copy of the transaction recipt which could easily be taken when your back is turned. Also there's a lot of order forms in the office and despatch dept. which contain full card details.


Also found it slightly amusing when a chap came in with his card statement to question a refund which wasn't put through properly (not by me of course ) and when I asked for him to enter his PIN I noticed he's written it down on the back of his envelope, which he'd obivoulsy been carrying about town with him all day :rolleyes:
Did feel kinda sorry for him though as he seemed a nice guy, just didn't appear to be the brightest of blokes




Anyway, bring on february!

and pllleeease people make an attempt to remeber your pin, it's only 4 digits :rolleyes:


and if you have concerns over people seeing your PIN as you enter it, please pick up the keypad (if it's the none fixed type), move it close to your chest, cover with one hand and type with the other.

gunneradt

waits for ridiuclous queues in tescos as everyone forgets their pin.

Ali_UK

scbk wrote:

and if you have concerns over people seeing your PIN as you enter it, please pick up the keypad (if it's the none fixed type), move it close to your chest, cover with one hand and type with the other.

Ah....or you could yell my favourite......"STAND BACK!!!"

Oh ok, I haven't been quite that rude but I have asked several people to back off while I put in my pin - you know, those annoying types who are stood past the cashier before you've even got your shopping in the bags, it's as if they think I'm going to get things done any quicker!

Slightly off topic - but I'm always stunned however at the fact that people still use cheques as they seem so fiddly compared to everything else. I did notice a sign in Asda saying it would take a while to process them as they have to call through to an authorisation centre - are they trying to deter the use of cheques? I think so!

DesG

Ali_UK wrote:

Slightly off topic - but I'm always stunned however at the fact that people still use cheques as they seem so fiddly compared to everything else. I did notice a sign in Asda saying it would take a while to process them as they have to call through to an authorisation centre - are they trying to deter the use of cheques? I think so!

I know it is off topic, but I noticed that Cahoot dropped their cheque guarantee limit to £50 from £100 a while ago, and I did think at the time, they don't want us using cheques any more!

I am using my chip and sig 1% cashback card for everything at the moment, unless it isn't accepted and I whip out the chequebook

Cheers, Des.

Mary6_2

I would like to tell you of my experience with pin numbers.
While on holiday at the begining of November, I had to use my pin number while I was under pressure, so I mixed the numbers up. When I returned to UK I asked for a new number but was told I couldn't have one because my card was due for replacement on December 31st. The new card arrived in the middle of December...same number...same account, but I still can not apply for a new pin number until December 31st. I can use the card with a signature, but I have been refused in several shops. I can get money out of my branch with the card if I queue, and I can use the card to guarantee cheques. I had no idea this was "policy" wih my bank and was wondering if anyone else had had the same problem.

canny_yorkshireman_2

cannot understand the banks behaviour here even though the card is near the end of its use surley they should isue you a valid pin number,and a signiture should be still accepted untill feb/march next year when the shop will be liable for fraud should a pin be declined. I would not be too pleased if my bank dictated when i can use a debit card and withold a valid pin.

aeron26

The card issuer owns the card and can more or less do what they like though, can't they?

The whole credit card system is disturbingly insecure, because it works on 'trust'. It will always be exploitable because of that.

seabiscuit_2

i found out by chance - when I got the pin number wrong 3 times (kept thinking it was a different card) and it got blocked

BUT I can still use my card to pay for things, I put it in the chip slot, it says pin blocked and then prints out a signatory thing for me to sign and jobs done

now why on earth do they say pin is secure, if a thief blocks the pin they can still use it to shop with by just forging my signature as before

chip n pin is a complete joke in my opinion - many people I know are refusing to use them at all, cant get chipless cards as their company refused, so are resorting to cheques - they dont care if it causes a queue behind them - its the shops problem not theirs