Damage to card reader detected message on on my Paypal here card reader

[AAlSafi]

I had this error message today. What is gutting is that I have only used it on less than four occasions. I had kept it stored in my cupboard, in its own case for some time.  It has not been subjected to any abnormal conditions, so i do not understand why this would happen.

I called paypal and spent over twenty minutes with a Customer Care Representative who told me that they cannot help me as the device was bought through Amazon and it is out of warranty. What a load of nonsense. I said to them how would they feel if they were in my shoes, i was shocked to here them say that ‘how I feel is irrelevant to this’. No compassion at all. Frankly i am most disgusted with this device and the Paypal customer support team. I am certain that this device is not fit for purpose and should have been replaced free of charge.

[davewilson1969]

This is the reason...

I too have the same issue. The reader was working fine and has just been sat on a shelf in my shop during the 2020 COVID closure. Now I get the error and it doesn't work. I did read on another forum a reply from PayPal which explained that…

The unit is not meant to be left uncharged for long periods as this damages the battery.

I note from the people complaining, that many say this exact thing, the unit has been very little used, or left for a long time. So, this is the issue. As the unit has not been regularly charged (3 months in my case) this has effectively killed it. PayPal’s stance seems to be that it’s our own fault and so we must stump up to buy another - with no guarantee that it wouldn’t do the same after 12 months. Considering they only come with a 12-month warranty, then you risk having to purchase a new reader every year. I agree with others that the unit is not fit for purpose. It is a rechargeable device that gets damaged irreparably if you don’t constantly charge it. This is ridiculous. They sell us this product that clearly isn’t fit for purpose. And when it stops working, they charge us for another.

[GSatch]

I have this problem too but my experience does not fit their explanation. I used my card reader once a year for a three day craft show and used it successfully for three years in a row. Three days every year for three years with no problem. Went to plug it in for the fourth year and there's the error message. So it can work perfectly well with intermittent charging. I just use the PayPal Here App to take card payments manually which is a bit of a pain but there's no way I’m paying for another card reader. If I get another reader it won't be PayPal.

[satview]

i have the same problem

[dominicc]

My first one had the issue, then paypal sent me a new one and the new one has the same issue.

The manufacturer is MIURA and they seem to make lots of card readers for different companies, the blame for the failure should be pointed at their engineering department.

When the error occurs you cannot use any 'Revive Menu', and the reset button just boots the unit until the same error appears.

When the error does appear you can press '5' and do a factory test which will indicate there are no hardware issues.

When the error appears if you plug in a USB cable a USB Mass Storage device appears and you can read files from on it, the files on mine are:

Factory_Test_Results.txt

mpi-exit.log

mpi-installation.log

If you open 'Factory_Test_Results.txt' with a text editor you will see the results of the test, which include a false 'Tamper' event.  Mine has these two lines, near the top.

'TamperEvent=00000103'

'TamperRegs=DCR:00000000,DTCR:00000000,DACR:000000CB'

Clearly, if the device has been used once, to test it's functionality for when it's needed, and then stored in it's box, NO TAMPER EVENT can have occured.  All that happens is the battery goes flat.

Likely when the battery goes flat the system either gets confused when it is plugged in again to charge it or it never actually turns off completely and enters a low power mode which eventually drains the battery and some memory content is lost/corrupted when the battery dies.

In my case, the unit was installed 2018-11-09, as you can see from the last line 'mpi-installation.log' file on it.

'Install script finished a[Removed. Phone #s not permitted]56:25'

Today is 2021-02-02, the unit was removed from it's box, the power switch was pressed, the display flashed garbage breifly then turned off.  It was then connected to a USB cable and powered on, and it had a message saying 'please wait, charging'.  After a few minutes it was then powered on again and the 'Damage to Reader' message appeared.

Hope this technical information helps people understand the symptoms.

Personally, I'm going to crack both of mine open and see what components can be removed and repurposed from them, there's at least a display, battery, keypad and case.  Maybe I'll make a PCB for it and turn it into something less of a paperweight...

[bubblelee76]

I had a very same problem and I tried to find the answer from web instead of PAYPAL and I found the answer. Please see the link below... https://thydzik.com/paypal-here-damage-to-reader-detected-contact-paypal-for-assistance/ Smply...I have no chance to repair it since the inner button cells were totally depleted and the encrypted info was wiped out and cannot be restored. There ia only way to do is DUMP IT. Paypal haven't noticed it to the customer...very bad behavior. I do disappointed....