Row in the petrol station

[BishBashBosch]

After filling my car, at the counter, I was told the price and put down my credit card on the counter. They had a portable card reader but it was facing the cashier.

The cashier puts my card in to the reader, presses some buttons, and hands me the reader with it on the 'enter pin' screen. There wasn't an amount visible.

I immediately think that's a bit odd because I should put the card in myself (particularly now), and I don't know what messages he saw when he was pressing buttons. I felt a gut instinct something wasn't right.

I say to the guy "I'm going to take my card out and start again".

The guy gets very annoyed with me. I forget exactly what he said. He took back the machine and asked for my card. I said I wanted to put the card in myself.

It turned into a standoff, him saying "just give me the card", me refusing to. Eventually he gave in and gave me the machine and I did it the way I wanted, but with him grumbling and tutting me the whole time. There was a screen asking if the amount was correct, I don't know what would have happened if I'd pressed 'no'.

Was I being unreasonable? Is there a scam where they change the amount and the customer doesn't see when they enter their PIN?

It was a national chain petrol station.

[Tryingourbest23]

He was either operating poor practice or trying to scam

I wouldn't put my pin in without seeing amount either

[Tunnocks34]

Why did you put the card on the counter if you didn’t want him to put it in the machine?

Why didn’t you just say ‘can I clarify the amount please?’

He was rude but it sounds like you made a fuss over nothing.

[ladybee28]

Not being unreasonable, but I found myself re-scanning your post to try and find the bit where you explained to him WHY you wanted to do it your way.

Maybe you did, but if not, it might have helped avoid the tutting.

[BishBashBosch]

I put the card on the counter because it hasn't always been the case that the machines have a slot you can put in your own card. When I saw it was that type of machine I thought something was wrong.

[BishBashBosch]

I think I said something like "I didn't see what you typed in".

[BishBashBosch]

It's possible that he just has got in the habit of pressing the 'amount correct' button for customers because it speeds things up, and when I said I wanted to start agan it annoyed him and he didn't want to back down.

[MudSmudge]

Places have different machines. If their machine doesn't connect to the till system then he has to input the price after the card goes in so it sounds to me like you're making a fuss over nothing. Do you often get paranoid or was there something else going on to make you feel like this was odd?

[Lanaa]

You put your card down. Often when people do they they do it because they want the till person to swipe or insert it in the reader.

You also assumed he was psychic. You should have explained why you wanted to insert your card yourself.

This unnecessary drama could have been avoided by just paying and checking your receipt.

[BishBashBosch]

It was the kind where they enter the amount on the till and it is sent to the machine.

I don't think I made a fuss, I just said I wanted to start again with me seeing what the messages were on the machine.

[MudSmudge]

@BishBashBosch

It was the kind where they enter the amount on the till and it is sent to the machine.

I don't think I made a fuss, I just said I wanted to start again with me seeing what the messages were on the machine.

How could you possibly know this?

[Lanaa]

National chain petrol stations don't have PDQ systems that let employees steal. You were rude to this man.

[BishBashBosch]

Because when he did eventually give me the machine that's what happened.

[akkakk]

card machine should show the total at the point you enter a pin

[Regularsizedrudy]

I don’t understand how he wouldn’t be able to get money from doing this though? Surely if he put the wrong amount in it’s not going to end up in his pocket. He was probably just speeding up the payment process by clicking through the messages. You should have just asked him to confirm the amount.

[Regularsizedrudy]

How he WOULD* Be able to

[BishBashBosch]

From 2006 admittedly but:

www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/1077150.city-petrol-station-card-scam-latest/

"Customers do not need to hand over their cards and should place and remove it from the chip reader themselves."

[Clymene]

If you'd wanted to put the card in yourself, why did you put your card down on the counter?

[BishBashBosch]

@Clymene

If you'd wanted to put the card in yourself, why did you put your card down on the counter?

Answered already.

[islockdownoveryet]

I don't understand, the cashier tells you how much I say pay by card please the machine is facing me I scan my card in fact I have a Apple Watch so I rarely use my card .
Never have I passed my card or machine to the cashier .
I don't understand why he would do this .
They won't even touch your points card they scan it for you with you holding it .

[islockdownoveryet]

@BishBashBosch

It was the kind where they enter the amount on the till and it is sent to the machine.

I don't think I made a fuss, I just said I wanted to start again with me seeing what the messages were on the machine.

Yes they all do that that's why you say card please they press a button on the machine to say card which you see then you enter pin or scan card .

[malmi]

Never put your PIN in without seeing the amount. You did the right thing. They should not be bypassing the "confirm amount" bit. Whether you explained yourself properly I'm not sure. If you put your PIN in for the wrong amount it can cause all sorts of bother, especially if not noticed until later on.

[Halliehallie9828]

Why would you even pass your card over? That’s odd to start.
The amount comes up on the same screen you enter your pin on.
If it didn’t you would if got a receipt anyway straight away.
You made a fuss over nothing.

[BishBashBosch]

I passed my card over because there wasn't at that time anywhere for me to put the card myself, because it was facing the cashier.

Even in 2020 not every shop has those kinds of payment systems.

[BLASTPROCESSING]

The receipt would show you how much you paid?