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RestaurantERA, what's the procedure when credit card terminal breaks down and people have no cash?

Dust

Dust

C H A O S
Member
Oct 25, 2017
32,283
I was at the restaurant with my girlfriend and suddenly a lot of commotion started going on across tables, turns out their terminals broke down and it became "cash only" situation. Thank god my gf likes to carry cash, so we were safe but the scenes that happened after made me raise my eyebrow. They were writing down their information from ID and told them they have 24 hours to pay the bill. Is that right? Seems weird.
 
Mcfrank

Mcfrank

Member
Oct 28, 2017
15,219
I would just say tough luck, the sign on your door says you take credit cards and that is the only way I can pay. If they have a technical issue on their end, that is on their end (assuming i didnt actually have cash, if I had cash I would obviously pay with that)
 
fick

fick

Alt-Account
Banned
Nov 24, 2018
2,261
Honestly it's on the restaurant to either have one of those old CC imprint copier things, or just write it off.

Then again if it's a non-corporate chain you're a shitgnome if you don't pay.
 
Strafer

Strafer

The Flagpole is Wider
Member
Oct 25, 2017
29,377
Sweden
Well..

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Finale Fireworker

Finale Fireworker

Love each other or die trying.
Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,713
United States
Sounds like an improvised panic. Most restaurants would surely have a policy in place to let anyone go who did not have cash and just warn anyone new entering the building they can only accept cash. Of course you would offer to comp the meals of anyone who was unable to pay due to your own system failure.
 
gdt

gdt

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,491
The old mechanical swipe imprint still works if they have it. Though I'm not sure I'd want to do that.
 
fossi8

fossi8

One Winged Slayer
Member
Apr 22, 2018
1,006
You call a public notary to certify the issue, let people eat for free and then claim it to the bank institution.
 
whatsinaname

whatsinaname

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,067
The couple of times it happened for me - once they gave us our food for free and at the other place we had sufficient cash.
 

Deleted member 41178

User requested account closure
Banned
Mar 18, 2018
2,903
Had this a few times and each time I've left without paying. I very rarely carry cash on me and definitely not enough to cover a meal at a restaurant.
 
Vilifier

Vilifier

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,840
Normally when a credit card terminal machine breaks down or loses connectivity; the seller needs to call their payment processor for manual authorization. They then imprint a copy of the credit card onto the receipt to help input the sale later and in case they need to resolve a dispute.
 
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Mesoian

Mesoian

â–˛ Legend â–˛
Member
Oct 28, 2017
26,519
81JdU-CaFzL._SX569_.jpg


Though yes, if like...all internet is down for some reason, the carbon copy press shown above.
 
mittelos

mittelos

Member
Oct 27, 2017
166
Surprised my old ass has never encountered that but yeah that sounds like a mess. I have been places where it was not obvious that it was cash-only, then find out when it's time to pay that it's cash-only, and be pointed to an ATM sitting by the front door with a hefty service fee tacked-on.
 
SOBOSLDR

SOBOSLDR

Member
Nov 27, 2017
566
We said we were going to ATM and never came back. Honestly after trying multiple cards like 10 times they should have just said "it's free". 2nd time was a fast casual place and I didn't even have the food yet so I walked off the lady was so pissed over nothing was kinda funny.
 
Violence Jack

Violence Jack

Drive-in Mutant
Member
Oct 25, 2017
41,766
The only time that's ever happened to me, the people in the place who had already ordered their food got it for free. It was a small Pho place, and there were only about 5-6 people eating.
 

mrmoose

Member
Nov 13, 2017
21,190
What were they going to do after 24 hours with the information from their ID? Go to their home and threaten them?
 

Allforce

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,136
I went to a restaurant on Sunday that was cash-only and their policy if you didn't have cash was to give you a SASE and the check and just mail it to them later LOL.

Guy I was with who had been several times said he had spoken to some servers there and they said it doesn't happen that often because people mostly know it's cash-only but the times it has he guessed around 95% of people actually sent in the money afterwards which was pretty uplifting to hear.
 
TransEuropaExpress

TransEuropaExpress

Member
Dec 6, 2017
10,989
US
Happened to me recently at my neighborhood diner. I'm friends with several people in there so of course I just went around the corner to the ATM and came back.
 

Deleted member 22750

Oct 28, 2017
13,267
One time they took my info and I came back the next day.(my fault, it was cash only takeout).

Another time we got to eat free because we were eating already. (Their fault/issue) they said it was on them.
 
LL_Decitrig

LL_Decitrig

User-Requested Ban
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
10,334
Sunderland
TheDestructiveSquirrel said:
199-48500---b1.jpg


They should have one of these for when that happens
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

That's not enough. They need an ancient employee who knows where it's kept and how to work it. According to longstanding tradition, she's always called Gladys, has a ballpen on a chain around her neck, and knows so much about the business that if she ever retires your business's half life will be measurable in milliseconds. You'll find her over there by the 1971 photocopy of a sign that says "You don't have to be mad to work here, but it helps."
 
Tom Nook

Tom Nook

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
15,789
Probably have to give the restaurant your ID and find a ATM machine (or bank) outside.
 
The Albatross

The Albatross

Member
Oct 25, 2017
39,038
This happened at a small restaurant that I go to a lot and the owners were like, "eh, I guess meal is free today." I ended up giving them $20 the next time I came in because I go there so often it was a measure of good will and I like all the people there.

I think telling the people they have 24 hours to pay their bill is ridiculous. You're selling food and your machine breaks. It's not like the customer lost their credit card or something, you are incapable of taking payment. Honus of responsibility is on the owner to figure something out, not the customer.
 
twopenny

twopenny

Member
Oct 27, 2017
209
This happened to us at a place I used to work at. Depending upon your resources, The folks who came into the place before the card system went down should not be expected to pay with card; it's on the business to have a plan for this. The business should immediately get a sign on the doors indicating that the place is now cash only; servers or folks at the register should remind everyone this is the case before orders go in.

It's heartening to hear folks go out of their way to get cash and pay, but definitely not something a business should put on their guests. This is particularly true if there's no warning or notice.
 
LuigiMario

LuigiMario

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,938
Happened to me a couple times, usually they have a couple of those credit card imprint machines or just take the card number and expiration date and enter it when it goes back online.
 
BobbeMalle

BobbeMalle

Banned
Dec 5, 2017
2,019
Some of you are fine with stealing dinner just cause credit cards don't work, i mean WTF.
Just go to the atm and come back, shouldn't be a big deal
 
SwampBastard

SwampBastard

The Fallen
Nov 1, 2017
11,040
My coffee place had their CC terminals go down this morning while they were making my coffee and they just gave it to me for free.
 

capitalCORN

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
10,436
Last time this happened at a place we worked we just shut down the house till it was brought back up.
 
LL_Decitrig

LL_Decitrig

User-Requested Ban
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
10,334
Sunderland
BobbeMalle said:
Some of you are fine with stealing dinner just cause credit cards don't work, i mean WTF.
Just go to the atm and come back, shouldn't be a big deal
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I tend to the view that if you expected to get credit it would be unreasonable to impose on you an obligation to pay by cash because of a technical failure not of your own making.

If this happens before your order has been completed, you could be given the option to leave or remain under the new conditions.

If you intended to pay by debit card you could, as a gesture of good will, take it upon yourself to procure cash to cover the bill and present it to the cashier. This should not be an obligation, however. It's just not good business to shove your own failures onto the shoulders of your customers.
 
LProtagonist

LProtagonist

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
7,588
I agree with most people here.
Chain place? If they have a backup thing, fine, if not, how do you expect me to pay?
Local independent place? Let me hit up an ATM or come back later when the card system is working.
 
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