U.S. oddness

[gordo]

Just returned home from a few days in the States. Had a great time - but there were (from a Canadians point of view) some oddities.
Credit and debit cards in Canada have a built-in security chip. Oddly, despite the fact that the credit companies are US based, and that the banks are international - US retailers had no idea how to use these cards.
So,
A bookstore processed my debit card as a credit card. Bizarre.
Using my debit card I couldn't select which account (savings or chequing) that funds would be deducted from. The cashiers did not understand that this could be done or that not being able to select the account was a problem.
Some shops still manually franked my credit card (the way they did back in the 80s).
And at the self serve gas station, the pumps asked for my 5 digit zip code when I used my credit card. But being a Canadian, I don't have a 5 digit zip code. Despite the fact that Canadians represent the greatest percentage of visitors to the US. You'd think that the International gas stations and International credit card companies would have programmed the pumps to accept credit card verification beyond just the US zip code.

So primitive.

gordo

 

[Deleted member 16349]

And at the self serve gas station, the pumps asked for my 5 digit zip code when I used my credit card. But being a Canadian, I don't have a 5 digit zip code. Despite the fact that Canadians represent the greatest percentage of visitors to the US. You'd think that the International gas stations and International credit card companies would have programmed the pumps to accept credit card verification beyond just the US zip code.

So primitive.

gordo

I too went for a trip to the US recently. Called my credit card company first to notify them of the trip because sometimes they invalidate the card if they see purchases done in a different area than normal. Anyhow, when I talked to the card representative, they said that if I was driving there and buying gas, they had a solution to that area code issue. The solution was to use the numerical values in our canadian postal code followed by two zeros. It worked fine. Next time maybe you can contact your credit card company and ask what method they use for the postal code requirement at gas stations in the US.

 

[ajr]

In the UK we just use the Chip and Pin in the petrol (gas) stations very easy, when I go to the states I always get lost and have to prepay in the kisok. Oh and they always think Im Australian say that I speak funny! I just give them a stern look!

 

[Jon Wood]

... (savings or chequing)

Some might think that spelling the word checking with a "Q" is odd.

I kid. I'm a big fan of my neighbors to the north. My favorite donut shop down the street DOESN'T TAKE CREDIT OR DEBIT CARDS! Talk about primitive.

 

[gordo]

Some might think that spelling the word checking with a "Q" is odd.

I kid. I'm a big fan of my neighbors to the north. My favorite donut shop down the street DOESN'T TAKE CREDIT OR DEBIT CARDS! Talk about primitive.

I also think that spelling checking with a "Q" is odd - try telling that to my iPad though.

I think it's fine for a small shop not to take credit or debit cards given their cost to do so, however I do think that it's odd that in the 21st century huge multi-national corporations can't harmonize their own security systems - e.g. the use of a security chip.

And don't get me started about standing in line at the grocery cashier waiting for someone to fill out a cheque.

gordo

 

[gordo]

[snip]when I talked to the card representative, they said that if I was driving there and buying gas, they had a solution to that area code issue. The solution was to use the numerical values in our canadian postal code followed by two zeros. It worked fine.

How intuitive! I have used that work around in the past, however it doesn't always work. When it doesn't you have to either give the cashier your credit card before they release the pump or pre-authorize a charge amount. It's ridiculous, given the multi-national scope of financial institutions like Visa and the scale of Canadian tourism to the US. Heck, even my Safeway loyalty discount card works in both the US and Canada.

gordo

 

[meddington]

I hate having to punch in my zip code. And NO! I don't want a car wash! You used to be able to pump your gas and THEN pay. Those days are over. Weird though, is that I pulled into a gas station in Mackinaw City, MI and they had an attendant who pumped gas for you...like back in the 70s.

 

[dabob]

Gordo . .. come on - you expect us to make it user friendly to visit the united states . . . we only extend those features to those who choose to come the states illegally . . . then we will buy your gas, give you healthcare, housing, and unemployment insurance . . . so next time sneak across the border and apply for everything you need at the local welfare office . . .

 

[GuruMorgor]

I work at a Gas Station in western PA on Saturdays as a fun/perk job. Couple of things that people find amazing; Full serve - yes, we do it for you and you pay more, 10 cents a gallon more. We'll do your windows, check your oil and the air in your tires, if you're obese, we'll bring you 4 mountain dews and 4 snicker bars that you'll have devoured before we finish (for real, every saturday!) Believe it or not, we actually still trust people enough to let them get their gas BEFORE paying at the self serve. It's a people job, you see them all, rich, poor, ugly, pretty and such and you get to know alot about your town that way.

 

[akalaray]

I hate having to punch in my zip code. And NO! I don't want a car wash! You used to be able to pump your gas and THEN pay. Those days are over. Weird though, is that I pulled into a gas station in Mackinaw City, MI and they had an attendant who pumped gas for you...like back in the 70s.

In New Jersey (last time I was there) it was against the law to pump your own gas!!!

 

[arossetti]

In New Jersey (last time I was there) it was against the law to pump your own gas!!!

I think that goes for WA also. I thought the rumor was that the NJ fuel pumpers are unionized. Therefore they lobby the state government to keep it illegal for the end user to pump their own gas.

 

[meddington]

In New Jersey (last time I was there) it was against the law to pump your own gas!!!

That's right, I did hear that! Protecting those attendant jobs?

 

[meddington]

Here's Oregon's reasoning for full service stations:
ORS 480.315 - Policy - 2011 Oregon Revised Statutes
Looks like safety is the primary reason given. I guess the rest of the Country is rampant with self-service related deaths?

 

[gig0]

It's too bad they don't conform to the ATM/X format, otherwise everything would be perfect.

Wait a second...

 

[Sev]

In New Jersey (last time I was there) it was against the law to pump your own gas!!!

The same thing in Oregon (last time I was there), you cant pump your own gas. When pulling into a gas station and get out of your car for any reason, the attendants come running up really fast.

-Sev

 

[Mike F]

New Jersey law states that you have to be trained in order to be able to legally pump gas. Don't know of any "gas attendants union", not sure where that rumor came from.

 

[Alith7]

So primitive.
gordo

***Just a note, I have not read any other posts yet, will get back to this later today...

Gordo~
in all those areas, you are correct. however, in all fairness, I visited Canada on a road trip quite a few years ago, and was driving all night to get where I needed to be. In a blizzard so bad the only other life I saw was plow trucks. Around about 2am the gas gauge was reaching E, so I pulled into the next gas station I saw. And there was no "pay at the pump". at this point, this had been common even in the back woods of Wisconsin for years. at the next 5 gas stations I pulled into it was the same story. Some how, by the grace of Gods, I made it to my hotel on fumes at 5am, and waited another hour for the local gas station open. I was dumbfounded that Canada could be so "primitive" as to not have pay at the pump.

So, it all depends on perspective...

 

[Deleted member 16349]

***Just a note, I have not read any other posts yet, will get back to this later today...

Gordo~
in all those areas, you are correct. however, in all fairness, I visited Canada on a road trip quite a few years ago, and was driving all night to get where I needed to be. In a blizzard so bad the only other life I saw was plow trucks. Around about 2am the gas gauge was reaching E, so I pulled into the next gas station I saw. And there was no "pay at the pump". at this point, this had been common even in the back woods of Wisconsin for years. at the next 5 gas stations I pulled into it was the same story. Some how, by the grace of Gods, I made it to my hotel on fumes at 5am, and waited another hour for the local gas station open. I was dumbfounded that Canada could be so "primitive" as to not have pay at the pump.

So, it all depends on perspective...

True, in a lot of small towns there are still older gas pumps that require payment in the store. In one town here in Ontario recently, it took me awhile before I figured out how to use the old gas pump. A lever had to be flipped before the pump would work. No instructions provided. Of course the locals knew.

 

[Bret Hesler]

Here's Oregon's reasoning for full service stations:
ORS 480.315 - Policy - 2011 Oregon Revised Statutes
Looks like safety is the primary reason given. I guess the rest of the Country is rampant with self-service related deaths?

It is still in effect in NJ, I believe for the same reason. However we have really low gas tax, so it is still cheaper than NY gas.

I grew up in PA and pumped gas for my mom when I was about 12. I never blew anything up, but now that I'm in NJ, I can't be trusted to touch the nozzle. There are fires at gas pumps, but they are rare.

Gordo, are you trying to become the first Ugly Canadian tourist? Going to other countries and complaining about how different they are is what Americans do best.

 

[gordo]

[SNIP]
Gordo, are you trying to become the first Ugly Canadian tourist? Going to other countries and complaining about how different they are is what Americans do best.

I manage to be ugly even when I'm not a tourist ;-D

I just find it odd that these huge multinational companies don't appear to have harmonized how they handle financial transactions and that the folks who program things like self serve gas pumps don't consider that tourists might want to purchase some gas.

gordo