The Signature Of A Bad Customer

Our store has just recently switched over to the chip system for credit cards. I’m checking out a customer at the register and all is fine until they prepare to pay with a credit card.

Customer: “And I want a paper copy of the receipt to sign off on.”

Even before the change, I’d never had a customer request to sign their name on paper; our system would still sometimes print a slip for it if the system went down and we could override into that format, but since going to the chip, that whole system has been removed, leaving us only electronic signature pads.

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t do that since we switched to the chip, but you can sign your name on the pad here and the system will accept it.”

Customer: “No. That is not my legal signature if I sign it electronically! It’s only my legal signature if it cannot be digitally altered!”

Me: “Umm, I can assure you, sir, millions of people use these every day. They are legally acceptable. If you just sign your name we will be done.”

Customer: “That is not my legal signature. Are you refusing to accept my legal payment?!”

Me: “No, you are refusing to sign; I’m not refusing to accept your payment. Let me get a manager.”

I page a manager, who comes over, and as I explain the bizarre reasoning of the man, she gets a bit wide-eyed while he continues to insist that electronic signature pads are not legal. She goes around in circles a few times with him before he says:

Customer: “I want to speak to the man in charge!”

Manager: “The store manager is not in today, but—”

Customer: “No, the company!”

At this point, I hand him the number for our corporate complaint line.

Customer: “What is this?! No, you need to get the president of the company on the phone now. It’s the law!”

We’re a nationwide company with thousands of employees. none of us have the CEO’s personal phone number on hand, nor does he handle customer complaints.

At this point, my manager has had enough and tells the man to either sign the pad or leave. He finally relents and signs off but informs us that if anything happens to his signature, he’ll be back with the police.

We never saw him again.