well, what makes an official looking device safe? ATM and gas station skimming is a big issue.
do they do restaurant payments different in the UK? would you simply hand your card over to a waiter to pay a bill? what prevents the waiter from just writing down your info? you wouldn't even see a device there.
i think that its just an issue of trust. you won't necessarily trust someone with a hacked together device on a street corner, but if its your cousin jim's glass blowing sculpture store, you'll probably trust anything they run your card through.
plus, in the US at least, we have a fairly robust consumer protection on cards. if you suspect your card to be compromised or see a charge on it you know isn't yours, dispute it and you'll probably have your issues resolved satisfactorily.
Generally we don't let our cards out of our sight. Indeed most of the time I handle my own card and it's only rarely that a shop assistant will handle it. (So writing down info isn't a big concern).
The portable POS devices allow the customer to tip as well BTW.
"They" don't run cards much any more. It's a case of consumers putting their own cards into chip+pin devices and keying in their PIN.
Sure @ disputes, we have similar, but it's an extra hassle and not fun.
at some point in time, there's a layer where you have to give someone some level of trust. again, in the case of ATM and gas station skimming, even official looking devices can be malicious.
also, what are your thoughts on online purchases? you're relinquishing a certain degree of control there, too.
disputing isn't fun or convenient, but if it wasn't there or it was worse, i don't know that the CC system would be as popular or successful. its one of the reasons why debit cards had a rocky start.
do they do restaurant payments different in the UK? would you simply hand your card over to a waiter to pay a bill? what prevents the waiter from just writing down your info? you wouldn't even see a device there.
i think that its just an issue of trust. you won't necessarily trust someone with a hacked together device on a street corner, but if its your cousin jim's glass blowing sculpture store, you'll probably trust anything they run your card through.
plus, in the US at least, we have a fairly robust consumer protection on cards. if you suspect your card to be compromised or see a charge on it you know isn't yours, dispute it and you'll probably have your issues resolved satisfactorily.