WSVN — Many of us now have credit cards or debit cards with a chip. They are supposed to make it tougher for crooks to rip you off, but right now, the cards are making it easier to rip off business owners, which is why one called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
If you are going to a restaurant in the Keys, odds are you might want seafood.
Judith Silva: “We serve local seafood, stone crabs, lobster, whatever is in the sea. We serve it fresh off the boat.”
And if you are from South Florida, odds are you might like it with a Cuban touch. Judith has you covered there also.
Judith Silva: “We have lobster croquetas, fish croquetas. We have a lot of Cuban things, but with seafood.”
Judith has a lot of customers who love to eat at King Seafood in Marathon. Many pay with the new chip credit or debit card.
One of them was a crook.
Judith Silva: “I received a letter from the bank telling me that card was a stolen card.”
Normally, the bank would have covered the $91 and change the thief charged, but this time, they said no, because…
Judith Silva: “Because the card that they used had a chip on it, and I didn’t use the chip reader for the transaction. I just slid it through.”
Judith’s point of sale or POS machine, as it’s called, has a chip reader, but the company that supplies the machine hasn’t figured out how to make it work yet, so she still has to swipe the cards.
Judith Silva: “They didn’t update their system on time, and they still don’t know when they are going to update their system, leaving me open to any fraudulent charges.”
Judith contacted the company that supplies the machine. They said, “We aren’t reimbursing you.”
Judith Silva: “They say they are not covering it because it does not fall into their liability contract.”
That means, not only is Judith out the nearly $92 from one crook. Any other crook — and we know there are plenty of them in South Florida — can come by with a stolen chip card and stick it to her.
Judith Silva: “It was $91 now. It can be $300 tomorrow, and on and on and on.”
Well Howard, Judith lost money because the machine she was told she had to buy doesn’t work properly. Is she out of luck?
Howard Finkelstein: “The blame for the new chip readers not working in some businesses yet is either the fault of the equipment provider or the bank. In Judith’s case, the equipment provider is having the problem getting the machines to work, so they have to reimburse her for the money the crook stole from her.”
First, the good news for Judith. We contacted the company that provides her machine. They did a little research, concluded they made a mistake and reimbursed Judith for the nearly $92.
As for their POS machines, they told us they have been certified and ready to process chip cards, but the industry delays are the problem. They did tell us they will reimburse merchants like Judith who are ripped off by fraudulent credit cards.
Judith Silva: “Upgrade and upgrade fast.”
Judith has her money back and knows that if she gets ripped off by a crook again, she will be reimbursed. Now, she can enjoy running her restaurant again.
Judith Silva: “We didn’t think we were going to last this long, really, but it’s been good. People like it.”
Patrick Fraser: “While businesses are having problems with the chip cards, you shouldn’t. If your credit card is stolen or cloned, whether it’s a chip card or not, the machine problems don’t affect you. In most cases, your credit card company will cover your losses, so that’s good.”
Charged up by a problem you have? Want us to POS — prepare our solution? Contact us. We will chip is some legal advice, some help, and we don’t even want the credit. With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
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