DO NOT USE APPLE PAY HERE!!!!!!!…read more
There is no sign posted saying that Apple Pay is currently not working, so I had no reason to know there was an issue. I placed my order, they rang everything up, and the payment was declined on their end. However, the charge still reduced my Apple Cash balance and shows as "pending" on my end.
The employees told me the pending transaction supposedly will not authorize, but apparently this has happened before. If they already know there is an issue with Apple Pay, why is there no sign at the register saying, "We are currently unable to accept Apple Pay"? Had there been a sign, I obviously would not have used it and this entire situation could have been avoided.
Now my money is tied up in a pending transaction, I have a screenshot showing the charge and the reduced balance, and I couldn't leave with the items I had already attempted to purchase.
I asked the employees for help and asked to speak with a manager. I was told the manager wasn't there. I asked if they could call the manager, and they told me they didn't have a manager's number and refused to call anyone. The only solution they offered was for me to come back tomorrow and talk to the manager.
So, essentially, their payment system has an issue, they apparently know about it, they didn't warn customers about it, and now I'm expected to rearrange my plans and come back tomorrow to deal with the consequences.
The employees also seemed completely lost about what to do. The only response I kept getting was, "I apologize for that." I appreciate an apology, but an apology doesn't resolve the fact that my balance has been reduced and I don't have the merchandise I attempted to purchase.
I ultimately had to buy the item using a credit card instead, while now having to wait and see whether the Apple Pay transaction actually processes or eventually gets reversed. If it does process despite the store not completing the purchase, I'll have to contact the card issuer to dispute the charge.
The frustrating part is that this could have been prevented by something incredibly simple: PUT UP A SIGN.
If Apple Pay isn't working, tell customers before they use it. Don't let the transaction fail on your end, leave the customer's money in pending status, and then tell the customer to come back tomorrow because you don't know what else to do.
One star because the actual problem wasn't just that Apple Pay didn't work. Technical issues happen. The problem was the lack of communication, the lack of a warning, and the complete lack of any useful assistance once the problem occurred.