Complaint Review: McDonalds

I worked at a McDonalds for almost 5 years.  When we started taking credit/debit cards, we used to have options for credit or debit, which was a pain waiting for someone to punch in their PIN while there were more cars waiting behind them.  Then, they changed their system so that it would automatically go through as credit.  There were certain bank cards that I took that had to go through as debit though.  Since our pin pad didn't work, customers actually had to tell us their PIN number at the d/t window.  There is no way to make it go through as debit in the d/t so no one is lying to you.  Anyway, it doesn't really make a difference.  If you want to use your debit card go inside.  The debit option is still available at the front counter. 

When we (the employee or even you the customer) swipe your credit or debit card, we sometimes don't have a choice. Once in a while it will tell us that it is waiting for the customer to continue, as in putting in your pin number or telling it credit. Most of the time, it just goes through as credit. Don't complain because it may have been out of our hands. Also most of the people I deal with, would like it to go through as credit so no one can read the card number and/or get the pin number.

Thank you.

To accept payment with card at my McDonald's, all you do at the register is press "NO-CASH" then "Amount Tendered". Then the machine says "Waiting for customer" the customer then slides the card, and usually the machine immediately prints a receipt. But sometimes the customer enters a pin. This leads me to believe that the card reader its self is responsible for the choice between debit & credit.

I'm sorry to hear that you felt cheated, and I hope that you will talk to that store about this problem because they can give you answers and I'm sure they will help you take care of it and help to prevent it in the future.

To accept payment with card at my McDonald's, all you do at the register is press "NO-CASH" then "Amount Tendered". Then the machine says "Waiting for customer" the customer then slides the card, and usually the machine immediately prints a receipt. But sometimes the customer enters a pin. This leads me to believe that the card reader its self is responsible for the choice between debit & credit.

I'm sorry to hear that you felt cheated, and I hope that you will talk to that store about this problem because they can give you answers and I'm sure they will help you take care of it and help to prevent it in the future.

I dont see the rip off here. I also have major freakin issues with using any type of credit or debit card at a fast food joint>!! To me is shows desperation. I just cant imagine there ever being a good reason to use a credit or debit at fast food places. UNLESS you have a car full of angry tired hungry ornery little kids, then ANYTHING flies !! :)

I'm a manager at a mcdonalds and when mcdonalds first started accepting cashless transactions when you swipe a card (front counter or drive thru) it would always ask credit or debit and we would go from there. now all mcd resturants are now on a new system where when a card is swiped it does not give the customer or the crew the choice of debit or credit. this is a fast food resturant and I'm sure you and all the customers in line want there food as quick as possible and it takes about 10 to 15 seconds extra to run as debit and sometimes the card reader does ask credit or debit and if so in drive thru we have to ask and give out the key pad if they want debit...dont get me wrong I would rather have my card run as debit also but it is up to mcd how they want to run their cashless transactions...remember they have to do the paper work!!! and they end up paying the fees...we don't charge you extra. if the way mcd does cashless trans. upsets you...i suggest using CASH!!!

I cant belive someone will file a ripoff report abought using debit cars in the d/t the reason we do not like to accept debit cards threw the d/t is becouse when you have 3 cars at the speaker and another 3 in line do you really think we have the time to pull out a keypad and let you punch in a piN? we get charged 2 on every order under $20. it does not matter if its debit or credit. its people like you that make peoples life harder and then you still expect to get fast friendly service?? wow just think abought that...

First off, let my apologize for the inconvenience caused by this incident.
I would like to let you know that this is NOT due to a fee charged by the bank; in face, the bank makes MORE money when it is charged as credit. By default, the credit card reader will run it as credit; it will ONLY allow debit if credit is denied!

First off, let my apologize for the inconvenience caused by this incident.
I would like to let you know that this is NOT due to a fee charged by the bank; in face, the bank makes MORE money when it is charged as credit. By default, the credit card reader will run it as credit; it will ONLY allow debit if credit is denied!

First off, let my apologize for the inconvenience caused by this incident.
I would like to let you know that this is NOT due to a fee charged by the bank; in face, the bank makes MORE money when it is charged as credit. By default, the credit card reader will run it as credit; it will ONLY allow debit if credit is denied!

First off, let my apologize for the inconvenience caused by this incident.
I would like to let you know that this is NOT due to a fee charged by the bank; in face, the bank makes MORE money when it is charged as credit. By default, the credit card reader will run it as credit; it will ONLY allow debit if credit is denied!

I am a bank manager and we always want our customers to use credit instead of debit because we make more money from the merchant on the transactions. It costs the business much more money to run a transaction on the credit side vs. the debit side. So when Mcdonalds ran it as a credit it costs them more money! As far as how it affects the consumer....by Mcdonalds running it as credit protects you by the Visa or Mastercard 0 liability policy that they all have in place. When they ran it as credit the business takes on all of the liability not the consumer. When you run it as debit the liability falls with the customer because you have to use your PIN. I see it all the time...so be glad Mcdonalds ran it as credit!

I used to work at Mcd, and know for a fact that the debit machine which is a separate device breaks.... a lot. Odds are their machine is broken... if you are going through drive thru to pay for the order on debit there is no way to punch in your bank ID number without you telling it to us..... you want to tell a mcd employee your password go for it. Me, I'll skip and use credit.

Machine=broken, no conspiracy here.

At the Mcd's where I worked, we had the "new" credit machine. Ours didn't have a pinpad attachment, so the customer would have to actually tell us their pin to use their debit. Nobody wanted to do this, of course. These machines (in drive thru) autmatically choose the credit option, just as Dept stores automatically use the debit option. These machins DO NOT give a debit option in the drive thru, it is impossible for an employee to select debit, unless the total is $13 or more (at Mcds) the machine will give a debit option.

If you would like to use your card as debit, go inside. It may sound inconvenient but more often than not, its faster. And you can use your card however you wish.

First I do want to say I do not agree with the OP as this being a rip off but you have gotten her post all mixed up. She wants to use her card as debit not credit because the debit goes through right away so she knows the funds are taken away from her bank account right away....She may manage her checkbook online. She doesn't want it to be used by credit because it takes 2-3 days to post and by that time you may have forgotten.....and don't say she should be more responsible because everyone has done this.


For the OP...sorry Mcdonalds will not let you enter you pin....but this is not a rip off in any kind of way....this is just an inconvienience for yourself.

First I do want to say I do not agree with the OP as this being a rip off but you have gotten her post all mixed up. She wants to use her card as debit not credit because the debit goes through right away so she knows the funds are taken away from her bank account right away....She may manage her checkbook online. She doesn't want it to be used by credit because it takes 2-3 days to post and by that time you may have forgotten.....and don't say she should be more responsible because everyone has done this.


For the OP...sorry Mcdonalds will not let you enter you pin....but this is not a rip off in any kind of way....this is just an inconvienience for yourself.

First I do want to say I do not agree with the OP as this being a rip off but you have gotten her post all mixed up. She wants to use her card as debit not credit because the debit goes through right away so she knows the funds are taken away from her bank account right away....She may manage her checkbook online. She doesn't want it to be used by credit because it takes 2-3 days to post and by that time you may have forgotten.....and don't say she should be more responsible because everyone has done this.


For the OP...sorry Mcdonalds will not let you enter you pin....but this is not a rip off in any kind of way....this is just an inconvienience for yourself.

First I do want to say I do not agree with the OP as this being a rip off but you have gotten her post all mixed up. She wants to use her card as debit not credit because the debit goes through right away so she knows the funds are taken away from her bank account right away....She may manage her checkbook online. She doesn't want it to be used by credit because it takes 2-3 days to post and by that time you may have forgotten.....and don't say she should be more responsible because everyone has done this.


For the OP...sorry Mcdonalds will not let you enter you pin....but this is not a rip off in any kind of way....this is just an inconvienience for yourself.

Here in the UK both debit and credit cards are authorised online - there is no window.

Debit cards cost the retailer a fixed amount, typically 10 to 20 pence, and credit cards cost the retailer a percentage, anything from 1.5% to 4% of the transaction.

Many retailers absorb the cost of the debit card - some add the cost of the credit card to your payment, and this is built in to their cash register.

Personally, I have no problem with a retailer recharging me the cost they have to bear using credit cards, as long as they tell me upfront.

If anyone is unhappy about this, talk to your credit card company or bank and ask them to change their charging policy. Retailers have no choice.

Here in the UK both debit and credit cards are authorised online - there is no window.

Debit cards cost the retailer a fixed amount, typically 10 to 20 pence, and credit cards cost the retailer a percentage, anything from 1.5% to 4% of the transaction.

Many retailers absorb the cost of the debit card - some add the cost of the credit card to your payment, and this is built in to their cash register.

Personally, I have no problem with a retailer recharging me the cost they have to bear using credit cards, as long as they tell me upfront.

If anyone is unhappy about this, talk to your credit card company or bank and ask them to change their charging policy. Retailers have no choice.

Here in the UK both debit and credit cards are authorised online - there is no window.

Debit cards cost the retailer a fixed amount, typically 10 to 20 pence, and credit cards cost the retailer a percentage, anything from 1.5% to 4% of the transaction.

Many retailers absorb the cost of the debit card - some add the cost of the credit card to your payment, and this is built in to their cash register.

Personally, I have no problem with a retailer recharging me the cost they have to bear using credit cards, as long as they tell me upfront.

If anyone is unhappy about this, talk to your credit card company or bank and ask them to change their charging policy. Retailers have no choice.

The OP wrote: "The reason that I want to use my card as debit is the transaction goes through to the bank right away, where as credit can take several days to get to the bank."

So let me get this straight. You want to run your card as credit so you have a "grace period" during which you can replace the funds in your account before the charge goes through? I can see how that might be important for large purchases of high monetary amounts, but a HAMBURGER???

The reason that I want to use my card as debit is the transaction goes through to the bank right away, where as credit can take several days to get to the bank. They shouldn't take ATM cards if they aren't willing to give you the choice between debit and credit, or at least have a sign posted at the drivethru that states they only accept ATM credit and not debit at the drivethru window.

It appears that McDonalds has earlier this year deployed a uniform nationwide system to take credit cards. Before it was up to the individual franchise owners to negotiate credit card agreements if they wanted to, so card policy would vary from store to store. There were some that would ONLY take debit cards, and charge the consumer a fee for doing so. Merchants are allowed to charge the consumer a fee on debit cards, but not credit cards. The OP's experience may have been under an old system that has been replaced. Now all stores have the same equipment and take all four brands of major credit cards.

Inside the store now, there are self-service card terminals on the counter. These are similar to the ones found in major retail stores. The consumer simply swipes his card in the slot (or use the RF reader if it is a wireless card). If it is a credit card there is no need to enter a PIN or sign any paper. Debit cards may be accepted inside but I haven't tried. They probably didn't want to have PIN pads at the drive thru because they'd be subject to damage and slow up the line.

I suspect the multinational clout of McDonalds corporate has allowed them to obtain a better rate than typical small businesses pay.

I have never worked for McDonald's, but the company I work for has a similar debit/credit machine.

I'm pretty sure McDonald's system is the same as ours, and it is in fact the consumer who is charged the merchant fee, so in fact, the Drive-Thru operator is saving you money by running your card as credit as banks don't charge interest fees when their customers run their debit cards as credit.

I have a simple request for the OP, STOP COMPLAINING!

You are not out any money by this act, and if it bothers you so much that the company processes payments in any way they see fit, i suggest you eat elsewhere.

Rip off implies that you were scammed. There is no scam here. Please get your facts straight before dumping on others.

Cory's post makes a lot of sense. Perhaps it was important to this woman that her card be rung through as a "credit" because she was trying to earn bonus points by buying her 99 cent burger. That does indeed make a difference in whether it is rung through as "credit" or "debit." And that burger could have been the different between getting that free gift or not.

It's cheaper for a business, for a customer to use their card as a debit then a charge. As for the "point is"... some people don't have the money in their account and have to use it as a charge card otherwise the debit will go through and they'll get one of those $36 overdrafts we're reading so much about.

Others want to use it as a charge card because they're getting their whopping 1% rebate or their frequent flyer miles off of it or what ever else. I had one lady ask me if she could buy a $2000 ring and then return it. When I asked her why, she said with that purchase, she'd have enough frequent flyer miles to go to the Phillipines. Said no problem, she'd just have to pay the "points".

The sad frickin part is people are using charge cards TO GO TO Macdonalds. I have people who walk into my shop and don't have A FRICKIN' DOLLAR. I charge them a dollar for a minor repair and they whip out a charge card. I tell them don't even bother. I tell them to drop off the dollar the next time they're in the area. Now that I think about it, it's a proven fact that people WILL spend MORE money on a charge card. That study was done where people spent 37% MORE if they put it on a charge card then if they paid cash. Probably the debit is the next best thing to cash since it comes directly out of your account. So the OP had it right but for the wrong reason.

What difference does it make? The customer pays the same whether it is run as a debit or a credit. If anything, McDonald's saved him some time as he did not have to enter a PIN number or do anything other than have his card swiped.

What difference does it make to the person who is paying?

Folks,

Debit processing IS cheaper than Creidt processing.

Many stores have their pocessing set up that it recognizes that your card is a Debit Card so it saves them a ton of money.

On $100 their cost to run that transaction as a credit would be around 1.60% or $1.60. DXebits run from $0.15 -$0.25 per transaction.

What would you rather pay as an owner $0.15 per transaction or 1.6% - 3%???

If it is run as debit or credit? It costs you the same either way.

In my business, when people pay debit I don't have to pay the 2to5% "discount" charged by visa/mc, that they charge me to use it as a credit card.

I don't know how macdonalds is set up, but your post doesn't sound right. If a customer uses a debit card with a pin pad it actually "costs" me less. Though they may not like to use the pin pad because it slows down transactions, meaning a longer wait or some may not have a pin pad at the drive through.

Pin pads cost anywhere from $70 to $90 or a heck of a lot more if anyone is stupid enough to lease one. Same goes for those folks who lease their credit card machines. Just look at all the posts on this site, from people who have leased cc equipment.