Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article ,
Chris B wrote:
On 14/11/2017 10:16, Jethro_uk wrote:
On Mon, 13 Nov 2017 23:31:42 +0000, Bill wrote:



In theory, you should never let your card out of your hand. But there are
some smaller retailers where it's "arranged" that the cashier has to take
your card to put in the machine.


I've heard this advice many times but its not only "smaller retailers"
it is "every" restaurant chain in the US that disappears with your card
for 5 minutes when making up the final payments slip.

A local pub/restaurant takes your card from you when you arrive. Seems
that is getting common.

That happened to me for the first time a couple of months back. Before they
would honour our reservation, the Eliot Arms in South Cerney took my card
and put it in an envelope in the till. Bearing in mind this is a quite
upmarket area, I was extremely surprised. Naturally, we will never go there
again, not anywhere else that does that - I refuse to be assumed guilty
until proved innocent! Had we not had hungry friends with us, I would have
made my views known in no uncertain manner and walked straight out. As it
was I paid first and then made my views known.

--
Bob
Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England

Very funny Scotty - now beam down my clothes.