What to do if the payment terminal does not work?Device failure: is there a risk of incurring a penalty?The POS has become a fundamental tool to allow payment to customers who do not have cash on them.Think of the tourists who, while traveling abroad, prefer not to bring cash but simply a credit card.The ATM not only allows you to withdraw at the ATM but also to pay directly by debiting your account: this is what happens when you insert the card into the payment terminal in the shops.With this article we will focus on a particular aspect of the question: we will see what to do in case of POS connection failure.The issue is particularly important especially today that, by law, all professionals and merchants must necessarily have a POS to allow payment with electronic money, under penalty of an administrative penalty.Let's say then that a customer, after choosing the goods to buy, wants to pay with his credit card but the terminal does not work.What happens in this hypothesis?What to do if POS connection fails?Is there a penalty?If the topic interests you, continue reading.The POS is the payment terminal that allows you to make a transaction using the so-called "electronic money", ie payment cards such as credit cards, debit cards (ATMs) or prepaid cards.The POS (acronym for “Point Of Sale”, which literally means “point of sale”) is therefore an electronic device that allows the transfer of money from one account to another.How the POS works is pretty straightforward.The holder prepares the transaction, entering the cost that must be paid;the customer inserts the card inside the terminal (or the strip in the appropriate slot, depending on whether the POS is designed to read the chip or the magnetic strip), enters the security code and completes the operation.Some POS also allow “contactless” payment: the customer touches the device with his card or smartphone without having to insert the card or swipe it.The function of the POS is always the same, but the types are many, depending on the concrete needs of those who use it.We can therefore identify four POS models:The law establishes the obligation for all merchants and professionals (including doctors, lawyers, etc.) to accept payments with POS.Otherwise, an administrative penalty of 30 euros is triggered, increased by 4% of the value of the transaction for which the acceptance of payment with electronic money has been refused.Failure to connect the POS can represent a problem as, as just seen, it has become mandatory for practically all businesses, for professional activities and for self-employed workers.What to do if the POS doesn't work?In principle, the technical assistance provided by the service provider should be contacted immediately.Through remote connection, the specialized technicians should be able to solve the problem of connection failure.However, if the malfunction does not resolve itself in a short time even with the help of the supplier's assistance, then it is possible to try some manual “stratagem” to try to restore the non-functioning POS.In case of failure to connect the POS, it is possible:Although the law does not say anything in this regard, it must be considered that the malfunction of the POS does not entail any sanction for its owner, who is unable to use it for a cause not attributable to him.In other words, the professional or the merchant who were to refuse card payment by a customer would not incur the penalties seen above, as such refusal would result from a force majeure cause, namely the sudden failure of the POS.We should come to different conclusions if, on the contrary, the payment terminal does not work due to the fault of its owner: think of the merchant who knows that the POS is faulty and who does nothing to fix it, so as to have an excuse to accept cash only, or to the one who does not pay the monthly fee, so that the service provider blocks it.Email (required if you want to receive notifications)Notify me when a new comment is addedSign up to stay informed and updated.Follow our director on YoutubeOr subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date."The Law for All" is a newspaper founded by the lawyer.Angelo Greco and registered with the Court of Cosenza, NGR 243/2016 - NR Stampa 1/2016.|© All rights reserved |The Law for All Srl - Registered Office Via F. de Francesco, 1 - 87100 COSENZA |CF / VAT number 03285950782 |Rea number CS-224487 |Share capital € 70.000 iv |Unique Code: M5UXCR1 |IBAN: IT20N0706280880000000138231 - Swift ICRAITRRTI0