Card rejected by Countdown

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jpoc

1043 posts

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#242158 13-Oct-2018 20:28

So, I went to my local Countdown early this morning to buy some supplies for my day out.

I went to the self checkout and scanned my items. All were accepted as OK and I swiped my loyalty card.

Then I tried to pay by card.

I swiped my card and entered my pin.

I was then told to write my signature on a touch screen with an attached pen.

I have not seen that before but I did so.

Then I get a message that tells me that my signature must be authorized by a staff member.

I waited for a few minutes for the staffer to turn up and when she arrived she went into the checkout supervisor's menu and she was presented with two options.

The signature OK option was greyed out and the only one that would respond was signature invalid.

She pressed that and the checkout reported that the transaction was aborted.

I left without my supplies.

No idea what the business case is for this but I guess that I am no longer allowed to shop at countdown unless I bring cash and queue for a self checkout that takes cash. (No going to happen)

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#2107438 13-Oct-2018 20:30

Or it was a fault/glitch... On balance more likely than Countdown not wanting to accept electronic payments.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

richms

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#2107441 13-Oct-2018 20:44

Did you try paywave first? Or was that down yet again?

Richard rich.ms

jpoc

1043 posts

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#2107442 13-Oct-2018 20:48

I do not use paywave. I used standard eftpos. I do not think that my eftpos card can do paywave.

richms

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#2107443 13-Oct-2018 20:50

Ah ok, probably why they wouldnt process it then, offline eftpos isnt very well supported.

Richard rich.ms

jpoc

1043 posts

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#2107445 13-Oct-2018 21:01

richms:

Ah ok, probably why they wouldnt process it then, offline eftpos isnt very well supported.

But there was nothing to suggest that the eftpos was offline.

I have never had this experience before.

throbb

675 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2107446 13-Oct-2018 21:03

Sounds like Eftpos was down and either they dont accept offline non cresit eftpos or the terminal had reached its offline $$$ limit.

MadEngineer

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#2107459 13-Oct-2018 21:52

sounds like it was trying to process your eftpos card like a credit card

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robjg63

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#2107508 14-Oct-2018 07:31

If your eftpos is working OK elsewhere (try a bank ATM for an account balance/withdrawal), then there was a glitch at countdown.
No big deal.
Try again.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Bung

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#2107509 14-Oct-2018 07:51

If you left without trying again you give up too easy.

Goosey

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#2107517 14-Oct-2018 08:44

1) I think all self serves in the supermarkets take cash (hint its on the payment options, if you cant see where the coin and note receptors are).

2) does your eft card have a chip on it ? (as others have said, likley the issue was a temp one at the store and all the checkouts were taking offline payments, but even with offline payments there are limits on how many transactions can be stored and held by the eft terminals / servers within a retailer's store / number of eft devices).

3) if your card hasnt got a chip and the store was offline, then maybey thats what got you into a small mess?

Dingbatt

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#2107571 14-Oct-2018 10:04

Goosey:
1) I think all self serves in the supermarkets take cash (hint its on the payment options, if you cant see where the coin and note receptors are).

All the countdown supermarkets round the parts (West Auckland) have "Card Only" signs on the terminals in the self checkout. The first question they ask is "This is a card only checkout, do you want to continue?".

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Geektastic

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#2107576 14-Oct-2018 10:18

I don't do self service. I'm paying for their staff, so their staff can do the work!

Talkiet

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#2107577 14-Oct-2018 10:21

I only do self service. I'm paying their staff to keep shelves stocked and for their IT group to develop faster more efficient checkout options. I don't want to have a conversation with a checkout operator about how my day is going, or whether I have a busy afternoon.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

lNomNoml

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#2107583 14-Oct-2018 10:34

jpoc:

I left without my supplies.

No idea what the business case is for this but I guess that I am no longer allowed to shop at countdown unless I bring cash and queue for a self checkout that takes cash. (No going to happen)

So I guess human interaction by asking was out of the question?

muppet

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#2107636 14-Oct-2018 12:14

I was out the other day in the Napier and I needed to go number twos.

I went to the local public toilet, but there was no toilet paper.

The perfectly reasonable assumption from this is that I guess this means I am no longer allowed to ever do a poo at a Napier City Council toilet, unless I bring my own toilet paper (not going to happen)

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