Re:It started *yesterday* (Score 1)

Well, the local reports I read here were that shops were obliged to dig out their old manual machines: you know, the ones that take a "tracing paper" copy of the card. I understand that merchants are covered by some kind of insurance to cover situations when on-line validation is unavailable through no fault of theirs. People were not pleased, but a law suit against the bank who made the terminals? Well, I'm no lawyer, but recourse to Law in these sort of situation is *much* less likely here that in the US. First off, under English Law, it's comparatively easy to predict the outcome of a suit; so why bother, why not just settle! Also, "contingent fees" are hardly used here; and Courts suggest that mediation is used to settle disputes far more than in the (as seen from here) overly litigious US. Anyway, here's the (local) BBC coverage http://news2.thls.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/ne wsid%5F583000/583280.stm