Gerhard Venter, Cape Town
It was interesting to read about the saga of the “little black dress (lbd)” (“Customer pays dearly for “misreading’ price”, Off My Trolley, January 11).
However, this raises another issue that concerns me.
Have you noticed that most (if not all) of the devices/keypads where you enter your PIN, does not reflect the total value of the transaction?
Yes, the cash register displays the amount, but you are immediately asked “enter your PIN please” and we tend to oblige without first confirming the amount.
I believe that it would make more sense if the keypad would also reflect the amount of the sale. Then it is right in front of your eyes and it gives you the opportunity to query the price (or the total cost) before you enter your PIN.
I believe such a mechanism may have saved Lindsey Hall the hassles she now has.
Would it not make sense to put some pressure on our banks to make such an improvement?
Back to the LBD – it would be interesting to see how Larissima print their numbers on the tags of their merchandise. Maybe four numbers without spaces?