Credit cards

proxyindian

When we were in India last year and had done credit card purchases we were asked to sign two sets of documents.

This happened at least twice. Once it happened to me and I signed both sets. I was so disoriented by the heat and everything coming at me from all directions (man, those clerks sure know how to dazzle!). The next time, John refused. They encouraged him and then he yelled at them. When we were outside, he said that he'd read about credit card scams where they run the card twice.

I'm not so sure though. Was it? I know I'm not the brightest apple in the basket but their whole financial system is run differently than here. I mean, at so many shops they wrote out the receipt. So I'm wondering on the eve of our second trip (yes, we leave tomorrow for three weeks) what is it with signing two sets of documents?

Thanks.

Aishah

Never heard of signing 2 sets of documents - did you have any irregularities on your statement when you returned? I never allow them to take my card away to the back of the shop etc. which can sometimes happen. I keep it in front of me at all times. You should only be signing the credit card purchase slip and nothing else I think.

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proxyindian

No, there was nothing done to the cards. I was nervous though. The card is not going anywhere without us.

We also figured out to watch them wrap things up. The hemmed sheets they showed us were not hemmed when we got home. Fortunately, I was able to get my mom to fix that (I sent her to Jaipur to demand the correct sheets!) (Sorry, I'm trying to amuse myself here.... actaully, my mom is a fantastic seamstress.)

Aishah

Did John end up signing only once or did he cancel his purchase? The whole thing seems very strange to me... I think just stick with the sign once business.

Prashant.M

Nowadays I am seeing two types of card swiping machines.

1) Machine which prints two receipts simultaneously, one on top of the other. You sign on the top receipt and the signature is carbon copied to the one at the bottom. One is merchant copy and the other customer's.

2) There is a another cheaper kind of card swipe machine. Instead of printing out two receipts simultaneously, it prints out the receipts one after the other. One is the merchant copy, which you sign and return to the merchant, other is the customer copy, which you sign (or not) and keep it with you.

Maybe you encountered the second type of machine.

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proxyindian

Maybe it was the second kind. When we get there (very, very soon) and encounter this again, I'll ask why I'm signing two forms. I'll try to figure this one out on the ground.

proxyindian

The first time John encountered this, he didn't sign twice. The second time he encountered this, he did sign a second time. I don't know why he did at that point. Nothing ill came of it, however. So I'm glad about that.

Aishah

Sounds like it is the 2nd type of machine as Prashant says - you wouldn't need to sign your own copy in that case. Since all was well, maybe nothing shonky was going on...

Nick-H

I have experienced signing two separate documents. One is the credit/debit card slip, from the little machine; the other (which may also have your card number on it, being the shop, till-printed invoice/receipt.

Whilst I was suspicious at first, I've given up bothering. It's just that in India, the more paperwork there is the happier people are . I never have had any irregularities on the final charge.

Do check the numbers, though... On one occasion the shop divided the amount by 100 and charged me in paise instead of rupees. I happened to go back to that shop some weeks later and was happy that the paperwork he showed me was correct, and made up the amount for him.

On a more recent occasion, we had the amount overcharged by ten times! I should have checked the slip. We noticed very quickly, and the shop put the mistake right with no fuss: but to a traveller, this kind of mistake would be a headache and a half to correct. Yes... I am satisfied it was not a con; it was a big shop I know well.

Mistakes can happen anywhere in the world: just they hard to sort out if not noticed until you hudnreds of miles away.

Oh... and I have never managed to persuade anybody that entering my pin into the machine is a substitute for a signature, which is then not needed. Just sign: they cannot conceive that it is not necessary!

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Sama

with the rise of identity theft, US credit card companies -- at least in my experience with my cards -- are usually pretty good about writing off questionable charges. just a phone call.

during my first trip I used my credit card as an ATM card a few times and when I got home saw that I was charged $10 for each transaction. I called and they wrote of the charges, no questions asked.

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proxyindian

On our second trip, we never had the experience of having to sign two documents like we did that first time. Still not sure what that was about but glad it didn't come up again.

davyd

I bought three books from Amrit bookshop in Connaught Place (just next to Barista, on Outer Circle). Opening my purse I found that I have not enough cash but they could accept credit card.
To my astonishment salesman asked me to type pin-code on his machine. I said it's something new for me, as I never before typed my pin-code in shops.
While we were wrangling over the question to enter or not to enter pin-code and I was trying to withdraw my card from machine (salesman simply did not want to give it me back) credit card machine started to print check (my payment was accepted by bank).
I told them they should not ask from customers to enter pin-code as it's not protected unlike ATM. Am I right?

Prashant.M

Yeah davyd, for credit cards they should not ask for the pin code to be entered; pin code is only for debit cards and that too to a pin code keyboard connected to the card swiping machine, which connects to the bank not to their own machine.

brownboy66

They're been around for a while now, but it is possible to get combination credit card/ debit cards - so it looks like a normal credit card but allows you to access a standard cheque or savings account and withdraw money - using a pin . Consequently in some countries its also become common place to use a pin with a credit card transaction as well.

Re the eftpos terminals(electronic funds transfer point of sale) - yes, there are two types. The combination receipts/ credit card slip is designed mostly for credit card sales so that you sign the top receipt which the merchant keeps, and you get the copy underneath.

With the machine that prints two copies - this is mostly designed for debit cards so that you swipe your card - enter your pin - money is deducted directly from your bank account for the transaction - the first copy goes into the till (as a record of sale) and the second is your receipt. It can also be used for credit card sales in that you sign the first copy (which the merchant keeps) and again - the second is your receipt.

Where I would be suspicious is if you were required to sign twice - you only need to give your signature once, as the other copy is your receipt. If you are presented with two bits of paper - just check to ensure they are for the same transaction.

kristinm

A word to the wise - we brought Amex as our back-up credit card, and sure enough overspent and had to use it ...Nearly NO ONE in India, except very expensive shops and hotels accepts Amex, it is next to useless. I wish I'd known before I came....