Saving time vs user safety
I recently found out during a purchase at a supermarket that my signature in a debit-card transaction was not required, as the total was less than NT$800. The cashier told me that this policy went into effect nationally on Tuesday last week for all businesses that accept debit cards.
Basically, businesses in Taiwan, working together with debit-card companies, have taken away from consumers a monetary transaction safeguard without consulting with them. This action is unprofessional and unethical.
Despite the convenience this change will bring to many (saving merely a few seconds), I foresee one problem waiting to happen in the near future.
A dishonest person could use my debit card to make a purchase and would not be asked to sign the receipt if the total were under NT$800.
If he and his buddies did this several times during a period of 15 minutes, my account would be empty long before I had time to contact my bank.
Debit-card holders need to have the option of signing their names on grocery receipts, no matter how low the total is. Anything less facilitates debit-card fraud during a purchase.
Michael Tsai
Greater Tainan
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