According to The Irish Times, payment group SumUp is coming under fire, as it has been blamed for a payment issue that occurred at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, during the Aer Lingus College Football Classic between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
A technological fault meant that payments could not be processed at food and beverage kiosks, and fans were able to eat and drink for free before the issue was resolved.
SumUp Issue
Fans were notified in the first half that the credit card machines were down because the wi-fi connection was out at the Aviva, which meant that they could eat and drink all that they wanted for free.
Following the match, the Aviva Stadium’s catering partner, Levy UK + Ireland, issued a statement blaming the issue on its payment provider, SumUp.
‘We were unable to process card transactions for two hours at Aviva Stadium during the Northwestern Wildcats v Nebraska College football match,’ Levy noted.
‘Reports that this issue was because of Aviva Stadium technical issues are inaccurate, the issue was solely down to the external network system which the payment provider operates on to process transactions. This was not a technical issue isolated to Aviva Stadium or indeed Ireland.’
‘Joint Decision’
The company noted that the decision to serve food and drinks for free was taken to ensure that the customer experience was not negatively impacted.
‘Our team at Aviva Stadium were extremely quick to ensure that the fan experience was upheld and food and beverage kiosks were kept open serving customers for the entirety of this period,’ it noted.
‘Payment systems resumed at 7.30pm and fans continued to enjoy the college football event. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this caused customers and would like to thank our employees at Aviva Stadium for the spirit they showed in keeping everything going.’
A spokesman for Levy UK + Ireland added the decision to give food and drinks away for free was a “joint decision” taken with Aviva Stadium management.
“We were able to take payments for a period of time before kick-off, and after half-time, when the issue was resolved, but we gave away approximately 75% of the food and drink provisions we allocate for a game of this size,” the spokesman said.
He also said, “[The company is] already in contact with the payment provider, SumUp, to start the process of reclaiming these costs.”
SumUp has been contacted by The Irish Times for comment.
© 2022 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Conor Farrelly. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
