Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: A bigger breach?

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  • George Darroch,

    Yeah, it's the same in Spanish speaking countries, the use of points instead of commas.

    Turns out everyone does things differently.

    WLG • Since Nov 2006 • 2264 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg,

    Turns out everyone does things differently.

    Sometimes I need to pay more attention.......

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Kerry Weston,

    @Simon - your "Leaving Indonesia" posts on OD are extraordinary: vivid, compelling, insightful. Gutsy stuff - thanks.

    Manawatu • Since Jan 2008 • 494 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg,

    Cheers, Kerry. Very much appreciated.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • TracyMac,

    Call me old-fashioned, but I've never used eftpos for anything less than $10 nor a credit card for less than $50 (except the few occasions when I've been caught short).

    I'm glad that England's now caught up with the glories of "chip and pin" eftpos - it tweaked me no end having to sign for eftpos things when no-one ever checked the signature. I was, however, more tweaked in the late 90s by the phone banking system - internet banking took a while to get underway and the IVR systems had problems with my kiwi accent, especially when I used "yis" for an affirmative (I still say "yeas" now).

    As for the US, everyone I know there still does things like rent payments with cheque or cash. The last time I wrote a cheque was in 2000, paying a housing bond in the UK.

    Australia has some oddities as well. Direct credits seem to do some organisations' heads in. I lived in a flat where the letting agency was transferred to Independent Real Estate. Before then I'd paid by direct credit, but they refused to accept a DC and insisted on a direct debit. The only trouble with that (other than the fact I refuse to do them, after being stung in the UK) was that the DD form did not have an amount, a payment interval or an end date. They couldn't see why I was so shitty about the fact that they could take as much money out of my account as they wanted whenever they liked. They reckoned it was "in case of your owing us money for something like damage to the property". Funnily enough, I was under the strange belief that was what a BOND was for. I paid my rent in cash for two months before finding somewhere else to live.

    Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Campbell,

    Yeah, it's the same in Spanish speaking countries, the use of points instead of commas.

    got to be careful there - recently a client in the US sent me some hardware to work on, declared it for customs with an extra 0 by mistake "80.000" for $80 - NZ customs tried to hit me up for the GST on over NZ $100,000 ....

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart,

    Call me old-fashioned, but I've never used eftpos for anything less than $10 nor a credit card for less than $50 (except the few occasions when I've been caught short).

    I just remember when retailers had a minimum limit for eftpos transactions (usually $2) which was about the same time as I got my first eftpos card. Because of this, I do feel slightly guilty using it for purchases under this amount, and try to keep some loose change on me or buy something else to top it up, but anything over that I wouldn't think twice.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    especially when I used "yis" for an affirmative

    I have the same thing with Coop Taxis, until I learnt to enunciate: "riddy nowww"

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Andre Alessi,

    I have the same thing with Coop Taxis, until I learnt to enunciate: "riddy nowww"

    When my old company was trialling a voice activated IVR, they placed test phones on each floor for people to try it out and give feedback.

    I was highly impressed when my demand of "I want a steak and mushroom pie, please" caused me to be immediately put through to the sales department. (We didn't sell pies, but it's the thought that counts.)

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report Reply

  • izogi,

    On PINs, I was yesterday with a recently-arrived German friend as he was buying something with his credit card and trying to figure out where he was supposed to sign, as the slip hadn't printed out at that point.

    Coming from a country where credit cards almost never have PINs (according to him), he told me he'd feel very insecure if a PIN could ever be used to authenticate his card, and felt much safer signing instead.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 1142 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart,

    Coming from a country where credit cards almost never have PINs (according to him), he told me he'd feel very insecure if a PIN could ever be used to authenticate his card, and felt much safer signing instead.

    Considering the handwriting observation training of the average shop assistant, and how often people thanked me for bothering to check the signature at all when I worked retail (and the crap I got if I asked them to sign again), that's quite funny.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    Considering the handwriting observation training of the average shop assistant, and how often people thanked me for bothering to check the signature at all when I worked retail (and the crap I got if I asked them to sign again), that's quite funny.

    Obviously you are a good salesperson Lucy.They used to bitch if you asked for 2 Id afterwards also, y'know just to prove that those garments off the list they were walking around with were really the suitable colour. Black levis supertapers were always popular. :)

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

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