Visa card surcharges

Thanks to Ms. Pauline Sahetapy for reaffirming my view that surcharges on payments with Visa card or in fact with any credit card are illegal.

What she omits, however, is to mention what Visa and the card issuing banks are going to do in order to stop this widespread practice.

I am using my Swiss Visa card frequently, that's what it is here for. If a shop assistant or cashier, who after all are only following orders, mention a surcharge, usually between 3 and 5 percent, I ask her or him to write this clearly on the credit slip, so that I could claim it back from Visa Switzerland.

In over 90 percent of the cases, sometimes after consulting the boss, no such charge is added. If my ploy fails, I will sign the credit slip and then send it together with the cash register slip or receipt to Visa, who, without any fuss will credit my next statement. I suggest that all cardholders do the same. As this process will mean a lot of work for the banks they may kneel on their contract partners -- the shops.

The card issuing banks on the other hand should inform their customers of their right to refuse surcharges, not just encourage them to report errant shop-owners, and that without telling us what the consequences, if any, are.

ALFRED HAFNER

Bandung, West Java