PEN or PIN is the brilliant, new initiative from 4 June 2008 to slowly move from authenticated signatures on credit card transactions to the use of a PIN, as with EFTPOS transactions.But some retailers are acting like merchant dinosaurs in failing to properly train staff or adapt to the new system.
Take "Outlet Books" at Shop 50 at the Airport DFO in Brisbane whose PR skills make Belinda Neal look like a Sunday School Choir Leader.
The official new credit card operating procedures for all staff include the following key requirements in the Staff Training Materials:
• If the customer says it’s a ‘credit’ transaction, ask them if they want to enter their PIN.
• If the customer elects to use their PIN, ask them to enter their PIN into the PIN pad.
• Q: How will my procedures change? A: Your procedures should not change too much. When you ask the customer which account they wish to use they will respond with ‘credit’, ‘cheque’ or ‘savings’. If they say ‘credit’ ask them if they want to use their PIN. If they say ‘yes’ then pass them the PIN pad (or turn it) and ask them to enter their PIN then press the ‘OK/ENTER’ button. If the transaction is approved, pass one receipt to the customer and retain the other for your records. There is no need to ask the customer to sign the signature slip if the PIN has been used and the transaction has been APPROVED.
But that's not how it works at Outlet Books.
Today a customer when in to purchase a book and told the staff member that it was a credit transaction with a PIN.
The official new credit card operating procedures for all staff include the following key requirements in the Staff Training Materials:
• If the customer says it’s a ‘credit’ transaction, ask them if they want to enter their PIN.
• If the customer elects to use their PIN, ask them to enter their PIN into the PIN pad.
• Q: How will my procedures change? A: Your procedures should not change too much. When you ask the customer which account they wish to use they will respond with ‘credit’, ‘cheque’ or ‘savings’. If they say ‘credit’ ask them if they want to use their PIN. If they say ‘yes’ then pass them the PIN pad (or turn it) and ask them to enter their PIN then press the ‘OK/ENTER’ button. If the transaction is approved, pass one receipt to the customer and retain the other for your records. There is no need to ask the customer to sign the signature slip if the PIN has been used and the transaction has been APPROVED.
But that's not how it works at Outlet Books.
Today a customer when in to purchase a book and told the staff member that it was a credit transaction with a PIN.
The staff member proceeded to finalise the transaction - contrary to the above operating procedures - without querying if the customer intended to use a PIN and did not offer the customer the machine to key in the PIN.The staff member then asked for a signature which the customer rightly refused, asking that the transaction be cancelled and re-processed as a credit card PIN transaction.
Outlet Books at the Brisbane Airport DFO where
the slogan: "Pen OR PIN - Now you have a choice"
means absolutely nothing!
The staff member stated that it was not possible to cancel the transaction as it had already been approved and then sought assistance from the manager who may also be the owner given her defiant attitude which ensued from that point on.
She stated that Outlet Books does not give refunds. That admission is interesting given that Outlet Books Pty Ltd is a trading corporation within the meaning of the Australian Constitution and is bound by the Commonwealth Trade Practices Act which prohibits corporations from refusing refunds. This is now a separate matter for the ACCC to look into.
The Manager then blamed the inexperienced casual staff member and then stated than PEN or PIN was an option - but failed to point out that it was at the option of the customer NOT the merchant.
The customer insisted that the transaction to be cancelled - correctly pointing out that the new system had commenced on 4 June and had had extensive publicity and newspaper advertising.
The Manager then stated that a PIN cannot be used with all cards yet and that because the customer had not told the staff member early enough in the transaction process that he wanted to use a PIN, it was too late to do so.
Hang on! Don't procedures state that the customer must be offered the choice? This was not done.
The machine would have shown the following display after the staff member entered the credit card details:
PIN or OK?
But the staff member chose to disregard this - overriding the customer's choice - and was therefore solely responsible for placing the customer in such a predicament.
After this was explained by the customer to the Manager, she fumed that every transaction cost her money to process but she would refund the amount.
She then proclaimed that she would NOT re-process the sale as a credit transaction with a PIN.
PIN or OK?
But the staff member chose to disregard this - overriding the customer's choice - and was therefore solely responsible for placing the customer in such a predicament.
After this was explained by the customer to the Manager, she fumed that every transaction cost her money to process but she would refund the amount.
She then proclaimed that she would NOT re-process the sale as a credit transaction with a PIN.
In other words, the customer could lump it or like it - sign the docket or get the refund and leave the store because she would not sell the book to the customer via the customer's preferred, rightful and lawful use of his credit card.
Outlet Books Pty Ltd uses the Commonwealth Bank as its Merchant Bank who really should crack down on this sort of commercial bastardry where a customer properly insists on an electronic refund and is then told that the bookstore will NOT re-process the order, and is therefore denied the right to purchase the book of their choice via the credit card and transaction type of their choice. This matter will be referred to the Commonwealth Bank who are invited to comment on their view of what happened today.
In the end, the customer chose the latter offer of a refund and a total sale cancellation with a refusal to process the sale via the customer's credit card with a PIN.
Outlet Books Pty Ltd uses the Commonwealth Bank as its Merchant Bank who really should crack down on this sort of commercial bastardry where a customer properly insists on an electronic refund and is then told that the bookstore will NOT re-process the order, and is therefore denied the right to purchase the book of their choice via the credit card and transaction type of their choice. This matter will be referred to the Commonwealth Bank who are invited to comment on their view of what happened today.In the end, the customer chose the latter offer of a refund and a total sale cancellation with a refusal to process the sale via the customer's credit card with a PIN.
If all of this was not bizarre enough, read on:
In an endeavour to diffuse the situation, the customer said that he had often come to the store in the past to which the Manager retorted:
In an endeavour to diffuse the situation, the customer said that he had often come to the store in the past to which the Manager retorted:
"Yes, I remember you. You raised this same matter previously when you were here with your wife."
The customer pointed out that he had never been there with his wife, that he had not been in the store since 4 June and therefore could not have previously raised the issue of PEN vs PIN.
In fact, the customer not been there for almost 6 months - at a time when the possible use of PINs with credit cards was not even on the horizon - rendering the manager's idiotic statement false and meaningless.
But the Manager still would not let go - even when she was totally wrong, sarcastically stating: "Well, it must have been someone who looked like you!"
Why in heaven's name did she not simply refund the customer's money, process the order in accordance with the customer's request and get on with running the store in a customer-friendly manner.
In fact, the customer not been there for almost 6 months - at a time when the possible use of PINs with credit cards was not even on the horizon - rendering the manager's idiotic statement false and meaningless.
But the Manager still would not let go - even when she was totally wrong, sarcastically stating: "Well, it must have been someone who looked like you!"
Why in heaven's name did she not simply refund the customer's money, process the order in accordance with the customer's request and get on with running the store in a customer-friendly manner.
The customer got his refund and walked out of the store to the DFO Centre Manager Mark Bayes' office.
Mr Bayes is on leave for a week so Queensland Consumer Watch anxiously awaits his response to this tawdry incident.
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