4 Most Common EFTPOS Problems & How to Solve Them

In the event of a malfunction, do you know how to troubleshoot your EFTPOS dilemmas? Most business owners would say no! We elaborate on the most common EFTPOS machine issues store clerks and business owners are faced with and offer solutions for day-to-day EFTPOS and mobile EFTPOS conundrums. Explore our tips and advice below and feel confident managing your EFTPOS terminal.

1. My EFTPOS terminal has no internet connection

No matter how good your EFTPOS machine and devices are, chances are that you will experience an internet outage at some point. When this happens, what can you do? Having an offline solution prepared for these situations is a must for businesses who don’t want their sales to be impeded or stalled by unforeseen hassles.

Thankfully, in this day and age, most EFTPOS machines feature an “Offline Mode” and are fully prepared to take care of transactions for you, with or without internet connectivity. If you do experience an outage, then your terminal will automatically enter into Offline Mode, storing each transaction and saving it to be uploaded to the database when connectivity is restored. Make sure to ask your provider about Offline Mode so you can have peace of mind!

2. The terminal printer is not working

While printing issues are a common occurrence, most of them are easy fixes. The first course of action is to check your paper roll. If you have the wrong size roll in, or if the roll has been incorrectly inserted, then it likely will not work. Make sure the roll size is correct for your device and ensure that the paper is fed correctly through your machine with the shiny side of the roll facing the printer cutter.

The next solution to try is to reboot the terminal and then print a log-on receipt to test it. If this is unsuccessful, then try cleaning the printer cavity by 1) opening the cover 2) taking out the paper roll 3) wiping the printer head with a clean, dry cloth.

Other ways to fix printer issues include checking the battery and recharging it if necessary. Terminals with low battery levels can go into power-saving mode and stop printing to minimise battery usage.

3. My EFTPOS is showing a comms error

If your EFTPOS is showing a comms error, then try the following steps to resolve this problem.

• First and foremost, try rebooting the terminal. You may have heard the common phrase ‘try turning it off and on again’ and while this is a joke, oftentimes, it works! Rebooting your EFTPOS is a quick-fix solution that can work for various device issues.
• If rebooting doesn’t work, check your internet connection to see if it’s working. You can also check to make sure the cables are correctly inserted.
• Another option is to make sure the EFTPOS communications type that is selected is functioning. You will have an icon for each communications type on your devices, such as one for the ethernet (three dots connected with lines), Wi-Fi (a fan-shape icon), dial-up (a telephone), and GPRS (mobile signal bars). If the terminal is functioning correctly, the icon should appear as grey. If it is showing as red (except in the case of the dial-up icon), this means something is not working as it should.

If one communications system is down but another is working, use that one instead until the problem can be sorted out.

4. My EFTPOS touch screen is not working

An unresponsive touch screen can be one of the most frustrating EFTPOS problems for business owners to deal with. Thankfully, there are three simple steps you can take to try fixing this issue. First, shut down the terminal by pressing the red X key. Hold it down until the terminal turns off. Once off, use an alcohol wipe or a dry cloth to clean the terminal screen. Then turn the terminal on again by pressing the green ‘enter’ key until it restarts.

Rely on the experts at Rocket POS for 24/7 technical support!

As expert POS system providers, we are committed to our clients and always ensure that you can work without interruption or worries. If your EFTPOS terminal is still out of action, you can rely on the team at Rocket POS for our fast, efficient, and high-quality response service.

We know that EFTPOS issues can be frustrating to deal with, especially during peak business hours. If by any chance, your EFTPOS experiences a fault that can’t be rectified by the steps listed above, please contact our technical support team on 0800-758-767.