Failure of Gas Station to accept Canadian Credit card causes robbery? Man Sues.

[Honky Tonk]

Well even then, it's not MasterCard's fault that some asshole robbed him.

He should have done his research before visiting America. It's not the gas station's responsibility to inform him [[especially if he didn't ask). I still don't see the reason for the lawsuit, other than trying to get some big bucks.

Agreed on all points. I don't see ANY reason for the lawsuit, and I don't think it'll hold up in court, but I do think he's pissed and just blowing smoke here.

As far as "doing his research", it's up to the Canadian Mastercard people to inform him. They probably have travel tips on their website, which of course, he didn't check. HTF was the gas station supposed to know he was Canadian and was going to use a Canadian credit card? If anything, he should have asked if the gas station accepted Canadian credit cards.

YES, the guy that robbed him is a total asshole.

[Canadian Visitor]

Agreed on all points. I don't see ANY reason for the lawsuit, and I don't think it'll hold up in court, but I do think he's pissed and just blowing smoke here.

As far as "doing his research", it's up to the Canadian Mastercard people to inform him. They probably have travel tips on their website, which of course, he didn't check. HTF was the gas station supposed to know he was Canadian and was going to use a Canadian credit card? If anything, he should have asked if the gas station accepted Canadian credit cards.

YES, the guy that robbed him is a total asshole.

I'm not expert on U.S. law but I certainly don't see the that core complaint [[the zip code issue) belongs w/the retailer. IF there was a legal issue here it would be that a 'global payment system' which both Mastercard and VISA claim to be, should work in every country, ideally the same way, and if not, notice should be given about that, particularly if travel between 2 nations is highly likely.
Whether that reaches the standard of being a legal issue vs a customer service issue is another matter.

That said, this is a gas station fairly close to the border, which makes me wonder if this issue hasn't come up a few times before. That being the case, it might make sense to post something on the pumps about that.

[313WX]

I'm not expert on U.S. law but I certainly don't see the that core complaint [[the zip code issue) belongs w/the retailer. IF there was a legal issue here it would be that a 'global payment system' which both Mastercard and VISA claim to be, should work in every country, ideally the same way, and if not, notice should be given about that, particularly if travel between 2 nations is highly likely.
Whether that reaches the standard of being a legal issue vs a customer service issue is another matter.

That said, this is a gas station fairly close to the border, which makes me wonder if this issue hasn't come up a few times before. That being the case, it might make sense to post something on the pumps about that.

At most, all that MasterCard has to prove is that the information about the work around was posted where the guy could see it [[it could even be buried in some obscure part of their website, as Honky Tonk stated). And that may not even be necessary.

The problem with his lawsuit is he's blaming the fact that he was robbed on the zip code issue. He's not suing about the zip code issue itself, because if he wasn't robbed, I'm sure there would be no lawsuit.

Lastly, as far as the gas station putting something up at the pumps, I don't think that would be a bad idea. But it's ultimately at their discretion to do so. They're under no legal obligation to do so.

Bottom line, neither MasterCard nor the Gas Station owner are responsible for the actions of a 3rd party.

[RO_Resident]

I'm not expert on U.S. law but I certainly don't see the that core complaint [[the zip code issue) belongs w/the retailer. IF there was a legal issue here it would be that a 'global payment system' which both Mastercard and VISA claim to be, should work in every country, ideally the same way, and if not, notice should be given about that, particularly if travel between 2 nations is highly likely.
Whether that reaches the standard of being a legal issue vs a customer service issue is another matter.

That said, this is a gas station fairly close to the border, which makes me wonder if this issue hasn't come up a few times before. That being the case, it might make sense to post something on the pumps about that.

My US-issued fleet card isn't accepted at all gas stations. These days, ~5% of stations refuse the card.

It was inconvenient when the local gas station started requiring verification inside the building. Later, it was a PITA when they changed the franchise and stopped accepting the fleet card altogether.

[Wesley Mouch]

I'm not expert on U.S. law but I certainly don't see the that core complaint [[the zip code issue) belongs w/the retailer. IF there was a legal issue here it would be that a 'global payment system' which both Mastercard and VISA claim to be, should work in every country, ideally the same way, and if not, notice should be given about that, particularly if travel between 2 nations is highly likely.
Whether that reaches the standard of being a legal issue vs a customer service issue is another matter.

That said, this is a gas station fairly close to the border, which makes me wonder if this issue hasn't come up a few times before. That being the case, it might make sense to post something on the pumps about that.

Pretty much every country in the world uses 'chip & pin' technology for their credit cards. The US is the big exception. We do seem to be rolling it out, slowly and late... but we're catching up.

I just bought gas in Hamtramck, and the pump DID have a sticker asking Canadians to visit inside to complete their transaction.

That all said, I don't see how the credit card company nor retailer is to blame for the robbery. The rest of the world is no doubt amused and rightly confused by the US and their backwards, insecure credit card methods.

[Bham1982]

One big reason the U.S. didn't switch to chip [[yet) is because the companies thought they could bypass the chip technology altogether, since the chips are getting outdated already with smartphones. Chip tech is actually really old news.

Another reason is that the primary impetus behind chip tech in Europe is fraud. CC fraud rates in the U.S. are much lower than in Europe, so less of a need.