From: jjamies@tiscali.co.uk
Newsgroups: uk.finance
Subject: Re: Tesco Credit Card
Date: 7 Oct 2005 00:31:02 -0700
   posting-account=adghcw0AAADTDqtii88uCujkrRjas68k

MC or Visa does either every ask if you can manage Chip & PIN, or if
you want to accept the responsibility for the protection and
safekeeping of a PIN?  If you have PIN issues with either MasterCard or
Visa and your card issuer doesn't volunteer the information that a Chip
and Signature card is available here is how you can use terms and
conditions to your advantage:

My bank decided that it would prefer to give me a Chip & Signature
credit card rather than have me comply with their T&C on the Chip & PIN
card.

The terms of the C&P card required "cardholders to notify the bank
immediately the cardholder suspected anyone else knew their PIN" - the
banks words not mine. I pointed out that everytime I used the card in a
store I must suspect that someone knew my PIN (shop assistant, customer
behind, CCTV camera operator). Even if I shielded my PIN I could not be
sure nobody knew.
Therefore I was duty bound to call them and advise them of my suspicion
and they could take what action they deemed necessary.

The T&C did not specify what action they would take and I would not
insist on any. When they told me that the automatic action they would
take was to cancel the card and re-issue it, the penny then dropped
with the bank that they could either issue me 50 plus cards a year or
issue a C&S card.

The thing I found interesting was the bank commenting that they didn't
expect people to read the T&Cs. I wonder why.