AIBU to complain? Humiliated and angry about how I was treated in Waitrose.

[JustSpeakSense]

I visited my local Waitrose cafe this morning, I placed my order at the counter (two breakfasts & two lattes, and a slice of cake) I was going to pay by debit card, the lady serving asks me to enter my card and then she goes off to make lattes. The card machine doesn't register my card going in.

She comes back and says 'oh sorry I didn't set it up right, put your card in again' which I do, nothing happens. She now gets quite annoyed with me and says 'you need to put the card in properly, all the way' I do this (again) and nothing happens, she lets out a massive sigh (I am obviously really dumb in her eyes!)

'Don't you have contactless?' she asks (I don't) 'You'll have to use another card then' she says. 'Or cash' (I don't have another card and I don't have cash on me) 'your card's not working she says' (loudly and rudely - shaking her head at me) everyone in the long queue is now showing interest in the kerfuffle.

I say to her 'there is nothing wrong with my bank card, I use it everywhere I go, in fact I have just used it in this store'

'I'm not disputing that' she snaps at me 'you'll have to go and draw cash and pay that way'

At this point I turned around and walked out the store (I was humiliated at how she spoke to me and fuming) We went down the road to Sainsbury's cafe and had a delicious breakfast (and no problems with card machine)

I was fuming and I want to complain (I have never complained anywhere before) do you think I should complain and who should I contact?

I think you're confusing Waitrose with Asda...

No, was definitely a Waitrose.

Was the one near Stratford Upon Avon.

You are kind of making a mountain out of a molehill really.

Card systems sometimes don't work. I never assume it is that the person hasn't got funds - I don't think many people do think that.

It's difficult that you were embaressed and stressed and it sounds as if she was rude but I would wonder whether your own state made you overly sensitive to her. Maybe she was stressed and embaressed too and you both misread each other?

I think that if you are annoyed you should speak to customer services or forget it.

Being so angry that you start a thread about it yet, at the same time, not upset enough to bother complaining doesn't really work. I try to be logical and adult about these things, especially in front of my children.

Shouting in Waitrose? Whatever next -- the most we get in North Essex/East Herts is loud tutting and the occasional death stare.
not Mumsnet territory at all, oh no

I don't go to Waitrose often, but of the few stores I've been in, the staff have all been very polite and helpful. I'd complain to Customer Services, or to the store manager, or to the company via their website.

Ooh KingJ that's my local Waitrose! There are lots of women of a certain age working in there and quite a few seem to think they're the Queen of Sheba (not unlike a lot of the customers). I don't have the patience for the weekly shop in there, strictly quick pop ins only.

I don't think ywbu to write a quick email. I wouldn't be annoyed about the card not working, it happens, but when I've worked in shops we'd never make out it was the customers fault, surely you try it again, on a different till if need be and if there's no way it'll work you apologise for the inconvenience.

Also, if you hadn't put your pin in there's no way it could have anything to do with you being overdrawn, does she not understand how cards work?

JustSpeakSense. I was shopping in my Waitrose today and, yet again, their card reader didn't want to 'read' my card - despite no problems with my card or my bank balance. Although it would take my payment by contactless.

I went to their customer service counter and had a chat to one of the assistants there. He told me that they have been having a number of problems with their card-readers recently with a number of customers. Apparently they are looking into upgrading their card-readers. But how long this will take, I have no idea.

that's exactly how she was acting, as if my card was being rejected because of lack of funds

You're projecting. From your account she made no allusions or mention about any reason for the card not working.
She could have been more patient about it, sure.