My chip reader mistakenly believes a card is inserted

[KimberlyRamsey]

I have had, but never installed, the chip reader for quite a while.  Got a new iPad and since there is no headphone port, I have to finally upgrade to the chip reader.

everything has gone just fine.... except the reader believes that a card is inserted all the time.  There is no card inserted.  Is this piece defective or is there some trick I can use to get it cleared?  BTW, I have done the “20 second/orange lights etc” reset but it didn’t clear the unit.

[isabelle]

Hey @KimberlyRamsey!

I've never heard of that issue. I am so sorry that's happening with your new reader. What happens when you try to take a payment? Does it behave like a payment is already underway with the card inserted? 

Let me know. Additionally, I would take a look at these troubleshooting steps.

[KimberlyRamsey]

Yes, it wouldn’t reset and continued to indicate that a card was inserted.  Since I have had this reader (unused) for a couple of years I wasn’t sure how to make a claim and return it.

I just went to Best Buy and bought another one.  It works fine.  The other reader is clearly defective.

[Joe]

Thanks for letting us know, @KimberlyRamsey. So sorry for the trouble here. I am with @isabelle on this one, this definitely sounds strange and I am not sure I have ever seen this issue before. I'm glad you were able to get a working reader! 

A quick note for you and @BlackHat - if issues with your readers ever continue to persist after troubleshooting, we recommend flagging them over to our Support Team. They can provide a bit more 'hands-on' troubleshooting and ensure that these issues get resolved in a timely manner for you. 

In the meantime, feel free to respond here if you have any lingering questions. We are here to help! 

[BlackHat]

I am experiencing the same issue now.. I just made 3 transactions and went to the 4th and it says cannot read chip and reinsert.. not working... It also says CARD INSERTED at the top of the app all the time ! ! Done everything update app reboot all devices made sure its charged ...Arrrghh! 

Someone help $50 bucks and it  seems to be dead in just 4 uses..

BlackHat Breads

[Lainy61]

Hi everyone. I just started having the same issue yesterday. Customer service had me insert my own card, charge $1.00 and then give myself a refund. The screen came back to "reader ready". Unfortunately, when I started the app again, there was the "card inserted" message. This is a work around I'm now doing. Hate to have to do this each time, however...

I put in $1.00 and hit "charge" without a card in the reader. You'll get a message showing "please try inserting again. Hit "cancel payment" at the bottom of the screen. This will bring you to "payment failed" screen. Hit "ok". This will return you to the keyboard screen and the reader will show "Reader Ready". Go ahead with your transaction. It's a shame to have to go thru this, but it works until they figure out what's wrong. Hope this helps. 🙂

[nika]

Hi @Lainy61. Thanks for your post! You definitely shouldn't have to go through that lengthy process in order to accept a payment. When you spoke to our CS team, did they walk you through all of these troubleshooting steps?

[Lainy61]

Hi. Thank you for your message. I did go through all the steps to troubleshoot the reader. It always worked temporarily. Unfortunately, once I turned off the app and went back in, the screen went back to "card inserted". I will have to use the warranty option. Thank you for reaching out.