14ymedio, Madrid, 19 February 2024 — “In our country, every new resolution is condemned to being violated before it is implemented, usually due to the ineffectiveness of those responsible for enforcing it.” This is one of the more than 100 comments made by readers who responded to the Cubadebate survey about the implementation of the regulations that oblige letting customers pay through any electronic means.
February 1 of this year was the day when all businesses had to have electronic payment available, under penalty of the suspension of their license, but in reality none of this has happened, and the authorities, the users insist, do nothing to solve it.
“I made a complaint more than a month ago about the non-compliance with the rule in the Coppelia [ice cream parlor], on the Presidency’s site,” a reader protests. “What protection do consumers really have when not even the Government is serious about citizens’ complaints? More than a month! And no one has bothered to give me an answer.”
The comments give life to what the note relates, written after verifying, with the votes of the survey, that private companies rarely comply with the provisions, although the situation in the State companies is not much better
The comments give life to what the comment relates, written after verifying, with the votes of the survey, that private companies rarely comply with the provisions, although the situation in the State companies is not much better. According to the results of the online survey – in which 2,839 people participated – in both sectors there are difficulties in paying electronically (67%), although 23% believe that there is more in the private companies, and 10% that it is worse in the State shops.
Some 80% of voters said that the regulations, approved last August as part of the banking process that sought to reduce the amount of cash movements due to the shortage of national currency banknotes and, at the same time, reduce the flow of informal operations, are not complied with. Of the 1,825 people who answered whether digital payment can be used correctly in the places where it exists, 63% said no.
Readers were also asked about their preferred payment method, with Transfermóvil in the lead (62%), followed by EnZona (19%) and the QR code (12%). The POS (card payment terminal) is the least used, with only 7%. As for the services where it works best – and, therefore, is used more – are paying bills for electricity (35%) and telephone service (33%) which are, by far, the ones that win. These are followed by gas stations (10%) and other services (7%), but the situation worsens with businesses, where more emphasis was placed.
The purchase of food in the State ration stores is paid for electronically on 5% of occasions, while in restaurants the figure drops to 4% and in bakeries it is null (0%).
Cubadebate’s article also cites those who participated in the debate opened by the media. The majority of those elected indicate the private companies as responsible for the situation, although officials against whom they throw accusations of corruption are not exempt from responsibility.
“They don’t give the option of paying by transfer and, when I inquire, they tell me that they are solving the problem with the inspectors,” says a quoted commentator. Among the most common barriers that private individuals have when accepting a transfer payment is the requirement of a minimum purchase value, but also the inefficiency of the administrations when it comes to providing the mechanisms.
“At the time of paying, the clerk said that they did not have a QR code, although they had requested it more than a month ago and it was not yet available”
“A reader identified as Arael refers to the service of an establishment located at 26 and 15, in Vedado, where he went days ago. At the time of payment, the clerk told him that they did not have a QR code, although they had requested it more than a month ago and it was not yet available. “To my great surprise, they told me to pay in cash, but they did not accept bills under 100 pesos,” he said.
The lack of visibility of the QR code is also one of the obstacles, either because it gives an error or because the employees try to hide it so that the customer gives up paying online. These obstacles are joined by the connectivity problems suffered by the entire Island, including Havana, which is the most advanced in this aspect. This situation causes confusion so buyers try to avoid it by paying in cash, since it is not uncommon for the connection to be interrupted in the middle of the operation, leaving in doubt whether or not the transfer has been completed and leading to non-payments or, on the contrary, duplicate payments.
There is also a significant group of Cubans, especially among the elderly, who do not have a smart phone or are reluctant to use one because of the complexities that this new technology holds for them. Having a QR reader, managing applications such as EnZona and Transfermóvil is a territory full of unknowns. In addition, the cost of the devices that support these tools is unreachable for the pocket of a pensioner who does not receive remittances from family abroad.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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