Posted on 07/27/2012 10:16:08 AM PDT by matt04
Wal-Mart Stores Inc has been sued by disability rights advocates who accused the world's largest retailer of failing to make payment machines accessible to disabled customers who use wheelchairs and scooters.
In what they called the first case of its kind, the plaintiffs accused Wal-Mart of discriminating against disabled customers by mounting "point-of-sale" terminals in many stores at elevated heights that cannot be reached.
They said this makes it difficult or impossible for the customers to pay for goods with credit or debit cards, and that Wal-Mart has refused to replace these older-model terminals despite using more accessible equipment in other stores.
The complaint filed on Wednesday with the federal court in San Francisco accuses Wal-Mart of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and California state laws protecting the disabled.
...
According to the complaint, some customers are forced to "stretch and strain upwards" to see Wal-Mart's view screens, while others risk identity theft by having to orally give their personal identification numbers to cashiers.
The complaint said neither Brown nor Kilgore can see the display screens at the Wal-Mart stores where they shop, and neither can privately enter her own confidential PIN number.
"I feel unsafe when I check out," Brown said in a statement.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
If they put those systems lower, they will have a very hard time with maintenance. Children will have a field day with them. They will be unusable more than functional.
Why not just hand the debit card to the cashier and have her run it as a charge. Then they do not have to speak their pin. Or they can writed it down fold it and hand it to the cashier. There are reasons Wal-mart will not make them lower. Folks do not watch their kids closely enough.
This is just folks looking to win the sue happy lottery.
The Americans With Disabilities Act just turned 20 this year.
Or, as I like to call it, The Full Lawyer Employment Act.
Good intentions made into shitty law, and this law has been abused beyond belief.
And if they are so disabled they are unable to stretch to reach the keypad, then how can they transport themselves to a WalMart store?
Just maybe they need someone to drive them to a Walmart store.
publicity?
they want $$ and the lawyers will get 50% of it and the 100,000 clients will get a few bucks each
ya because there is NEVER a walmart employee there at the register to provide help if you ask..........
As someone who works on (does not design) the cash wraps at various retailers I can tell you, no matter where you put the terminal for customer use. Someone won’t be happy with it’s placement.
Walmart will move them down (hey, thanks for the work!) and then someone who is 6’5” will come and complain that they have to get down on their knees to use it.
I can also tell you walmart’s cash wraps are as accessible or more so than many other retailers.
So why not post a sign that says “These Payment machines are installed to service our normal-abled customers. Disabled access can be found at #####.”
The main reason walmart and others won’t lower them is shopping carts..
the 1000 dollar pin pads loose every time to a fully loaded cart.
Probably one of the most abused laws ever. There are disability lawyers who do nothing more than drive around town measuring the width of parking spaces and the angles of wheelchair ramps and then suing into oblivion everyone who is non-compliant.
FYI, that video is the uncensored version.
OK, how about this, militant cripples? Wait your turn in line and be served by a real person.
Easiest solution is to use handheld PIN pads so that the cashier can hand it to the customer. I’ve seen them in lots of stores here.
Not to mention Two-Ton Tess on her scooter.
Gee did they consider shopping elsewhere? There is no requirement that they shop at Wal-Mart - that is a choice.
Or are the advocates retarded?
that is likely what Walmart will do.
However, with PCI compliance regulations. a small cored handheld pin with card swipe can cost 1500-2000 dollars installed. Per register.
Attention Walmart shoppers! Price increase on isle 1!
“However, with other lawsuits I suspect they are suing WalMart because they HAVE large BANK ACCOUNT that will generate a lot of MONEY for them.”
Fixed it.
They do this at our Wal-Mart. Checkouts with wider aisles and lower payment stations are marked with the same wheelchair symbol as parking spaces.
Doesn’t surprise me. ATM makers put braille on their machines and some are used in drive thru only. Go figure! lol
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