Supermarkets and discounters have had massive problems at the cash registers since Wednesday. Paying with EC or credit cards is currently only possible to a limited extent in many places. Read here what customers need to know about the weekend.
Since Wednesday morning, some shops have been struggling with massive technical problems with card payments. It is specifically about a specific card reader of the type H5000 from the US manufacturer Verifone.
The company confirmed that a solution is already being worked on. It is unclear how many devices are specifically affected. The company left a request from CHIP unanswered.
As the editors learned, the fact is that the device is particularly popular in German retail and is one of the three market leaders. Supermarkets, hairdressers, restaurants and bakeries in particular rely on the device.
Card payment failure: who is affected?
A failure between the reader and the network operator ensures that the cards are read but the payment cannot be made. An error message appears. In individual cases, the error blocks the entire checkout.
All major giro, Maestro and credit cards are affected.
According to the payment provider Payone, the cause of the disruption is a certificate error within certain versions of the software provided by Verifone.
Which supermarkets and discounters are affected?
According to information from our editorial team, individual branches of Netto Marken-Discount, Edeka, Aldi Nord, dm and Rossmann are affected.
Even small and medium-sized trading companies rely on the well-known devices. Industry experts did not want to commit themselves, but believe that thousands of shops across Germany are affected by the failure. The exact number can only be estimated.
On request, Aldi Süd, Rewe, Penny and Lidl stated that they were not affected by the outages because the corresponding card readers were not in use in the branches there.
What do the affected devices look like?
This is what the Verfione H5000 card reader looks like. The device was designed for the German market and is one of the three market leaders.
Are only supermarkets affected?
no
Department stores, boutiques, bakeries, bicycle dealers, restaurants and hairdressing salons are also unable to make card payments in individual cases. All merchants using a specific Verifone H5000 card reader are affected.
Why doesn’t card payment work at the hairdresser’s and in the supermarket?
Only certain card readers are affected. Specifically, the type H5000 from Verifone. Several models are in circulation in Germany. Other manufacturers and card readers are not affected, according to random inquiries from providers in Germany.
Will the problem be fixed quickly?
Completely unclear.
The US manufacturer Verifone only responded to press inquiries on Thursday evening. Technicians should fix the problem promptly. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Leading payment providers in Germany believe that only exchanging the devices could lead to a nationwide solution. Payone speaks of a “manual intervention” and the provider Concardis even pronounces the exchange directly. Appropriate dealers would be supported.
Apparently, the retail industry is already starting to do this. A Rossmann employee reported on Friday morning: “Our device was replaced on Wednesday evening. Everything has worked since then.”
What do I have to consider when shopping?
Bring cash with you. Ideally, so much that you can at least buy the most important groceries for the weekend. Find out in good time whether card payments are possible in the branch. Look out for notices at the entrance and notices in the branch.
If card payment is not possible and you do not have cash with you, you must leave the purchases where they are. Identity cards, driver’s licenses and health insurance cards are retained as a deposit at the petrol stations. In some cases, even the police get involved.
How do I know if I can pay by card in the branches?
In principle, the affected companies provide information with notices and displays at the entrance. “Card payment is not possible with us” is there, for example. In many cases, announcements are made at the same time.
In an Edeka branch in Munich it said on Wednesday: “Dear customers, we would like to point out that card payments are currently not possible in our branch. We ask for your understanding.” Customers will also find corresponding information boards at the checkout.
What happens if I can’t pay for my purchases with a card?
Then you have to pay for the purchases with cash. If you don’t have enough money, the purchases have to stay in the store.
From a purely legal point of view, a sales contract between the supermarket and the consumer is only concluded at the checkout. If the card payment does not work and the customer does not have any cash with them, the purchase contract is deemed to have failed. The goods must then remain in the branch.
This is particularly annoying for supermarkets and discounters. You then have to put the products back on the shelves accordingly. In some cases, frozen goods and meat even have to be disposed of when the cold chain has been interrupted for a long period of time and the products no longer feel “cool enough”.
The article also appeared on Focus Online.