Payment card operating company SIBS confirmed the ‘existence of technical problems’ in payment terminals across the country this afternoon, but cash machines (ATMs) were unaffected.
“The network of payment terminals (TPAs) has been recording technical disturbances during the afternoon of Monday” confirmed SIBS with masterful understatement.
Payments in those shops with card payment facilities were suspended from 3pm this afternoon until the early evening.
The statement from SIBS added that "the SIBS monitoring system identified the fault in real-time, and the mechanisms necessary to stabilise the system were started."
The public found out there was a problem when queuing at shop checkouts this afternoon and those without cash had to go and find a cash machine, or abandon their shopping if there was not one conveniently situated.
The situation generated the most serious problems in large stores like hypermarkets with many disgruntled shoppers leaving their goods at the checkout and walking out.
In the Iceland store at Guia Shopping staff were on hand to advise customers of the problems and good humour was maintained but in the Continente store it was left to checkout staff to explain the card payment problem thus creating unnecessary congestion and some ill-feeling.
