I'm used to whacking my garage door opener on T-Hoe's dashboard, and turning it seven ways from Sunday before it will open the garage door. I know that when I look at the tire pressure readings, the front tires are actually the back tires, and vice versa. I know that only the back section of T-Hoe's seat-heater will warm. And that only my left side mirror will fold in and out at the touch of a button, while the right side stays fixed, and only hums.
I've become accustomed to the Mansion smelling like the subterranean level of an outhouse after Farmer H does his business, due to the ceiling light/fan not working. I reach into the belly of the FRIG II freezer beast for 13 fistfuls of ice twice a day, because the dispenser thingy only crushes.
I know not to expect my bank's ATM to dispense the correct amount of requested money (don't get me started!). That Country Mart's card-reader malfunctions indiscriminately for all customers. And that my pharmacy apparently can only run transactions as credit, not debit.
What I did NOT expect was for Save A Lot to reject my debit card! Seriously! I go there at least once a week. No problems. Chip read.
Sunday, I popped in to get barbecue supplies. Hamburger, bratwursts, sour cream, French Onion dip, potatoes, onions, pickles, mustard, BBQ sauce, beans, paper plates, salsa, buns. Yes. More than I usually buy there. In fact, the total came to $44 and change. Not a big deal.
I pushed my debit card into the chip reader, and the gadget said my card couldn't be read. I figured maybe I'd slid it in at an angle, rather than straight. I tried again. A delayed message of the same thing. It's like the cashier was off. Like maybe she wasn't hitting whatever she had to do for me to put in my card. I don't know how those things work. I must have tried five times. In fact, I was ready to have her shove my cart aside, while I went out to T-Hoe for the checkbook or cash.
The cashier, a young gal, spun that gadget around. Held out her hand for my card. Tried this and that. Looked like she was doing exactly what I had done. After three tries, she got it to work.
What in the NOT-HEAVEN?
I don't know if the readers were overwhelmed on a holiday weekend, or what. I guess I'll have to go in there with backup cash next time.
5 comments:
Here's a trick we checkout people sometimes use; if the card doesn't swipe the first time, we wrap the swipe edge in a lens-wipe thingy and swipe it through to clear the reader, because it picks up "stuff" from so many cards, usually that clears it and the card can be swiped. I don't know if the same can be done with a chip reader, but maybe clean your card with a lens-wipe towelette now and again. And put a new battery in your garage door opener.
River,
This checker must not have known the tricks! She just kept jamming it in there like I had been! I can't pry the garage opener open. That's what keeps me from solving my own problem, and Farmer H would rather deny there's a problem than pop that gadget open for me. :(
Take it with you when you buy the battery and ask the assistant to do the changeover because you can't open it.
My card reader does that sometimes, usually when I am super busy. Maybe it has a brain fart? Like I do at times when I am overwhelmed.
River,
I'd have to have them open it first, because I don't know what kind of battery it takes.
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Kathy,
I don't know the deal. That checker didn't use any special technique to fix it. I'm surprised she didn't just whack it with her fist.
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