A Site for Shore Eyes

Bureaucrat: Department of Consumer Affairs. How may I help you?

Citizen: I want to report some businesses, especially restaurants, that print out the entire charge card number on receipts.

Bureaucrat: They can’t do that. Tell me the details.

Citizen: When I get the receipt, my entire charge card number is on the merchant’s copy, but only the last four digits are on my copy.

Bureaucrat: Oh, well that’s okay. They can do that. It only has to be blanked out on your copy.

Citizen: I don’t understand. The merchant’s copy is the one I leave on the table, for anyone to see, and the one that the merchant’s employees can view. I don’t need my card number hidden from me, because the number is on the card, which I also have.

Bureaucrat: I’m just telling you what the law says.

Citizen: I thought that Public Law 2002, Chapter 101, read, “No retail sales establishment shall print electronically more than the last five digits of a customer’s credit card account number or the expiration date of that credit card upon any sales receipt provided at the point of sale to the customer, except that the provisions of this section shall not apply to any sales receipt in which the sole means of recording the customer’s credit card number is by handwriting or by an imprint or copy of the credit card.”

Bureaucrat: Right. That means it only has to be blanked out on your copy. The store has to have the numbers so they can get paid.

Citizen: They get paid when they scan the card. They don’t have to print out the number. So where does it say that?

Bureaucrat: You just read it to me.

Citizen: Right, and it says any sales receipt provided at the point of sale to the customer. The store’s copy is provided to me, is it not?

Bureaucrat: That’s the store’s copy. It isn’t provided to you.

Citizen: If it isn’t provided to me, how is it possible that I sign it?

Bureaucrat: That’s their copy. The numbers aren’t on your copy.

Citizen: Well, it’s provided to me at the point of sale, so according to the law, all but the last five digits have to be blanked out.

Bureaucrat: Only on your copy. It doesn’t have to be on their copy.

Citizen: And where does it say that?

Bureaucrat: That’s what it says.

Citizen: Okay, read to me where it says that.

Bureaucrat: You read it. That’s what it says.

Citizen: And I want you to tell me specifically where it says that only my copy has to comply with the law. The law says, any copy provided to the customer at the point of sale.

Bureaucrat: Right, meaning your copy.

Citizen: Okay, explain to me why I would want to steal my credit card number from myself? I already know what it is. I don’t want a sales receipt with my entire credit card number sitting on the table for anyone to see.

Bureaucrat: Right, so it shouldn’t be left on the table.

Citizen: That’s usually the procedure. It sits right there on the table for anyone to see.

Bureaucrat: They shouldn’t leave it on the table.

Citizen: Have you ever eaten in a restaurant?

Bureaucrat: I eat in restaurants many times.

Citizen: And do they leave the sales receipt with your credit card number on it sitting on the table?

Bureaucrat: I always pay cash when I go out to dinner.

Citizen: I can see why you don’t understand the law. You’re still living in the sixties.

Bureaucrat: Are you insulting me?

Citizen: No, I think you’ve insulted yourself with this entire conversation. So are you saying you’re not going to investigate my complaint?

Bureaucrat: I’ll investigate it, just like the last time, but so far, all of these places are in compliance with the law. They don’t print the full credit card number on your copy, and that’s what the law says.

Citizen: Okay, I’m getting a bit frustrated here. Will you please read the part of the law that says it only has to be blanked out on my copy?

Bureaucrat: That’s what it says. You already read it to me.

In case you think this is ridiculous, or humorous, consider the fact that this conversation actually happened, both on the county and state levels. I have contacted my senator (no response) and The Answer Guy for the Press of Atlantic City (no response). I intend to pursue the matter further, but am trying to figure out whether or not I’m insane. Some of the establishments I’ve encountered who comply only with the law as interpreted by Consumer Affairs:

The Crest Tavern, Lower Township
The Bellevue, Cape May Court House
Casey’s on 3rd, North Wildwood
Fishtales, Galloway Township

Please check your sales receipts, especially the store’s copy. If you find your entire credit card number on the receipt, do what I do. Sign the customer’s copy and leave it on the table, and take the store’s copy with you.

If anyone can figure out how to get the NJ state government to enforce its own law, please let me know.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 23rd, 2008 at 7:29 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.