This has probably happened to almost everyone: the coin keeps slipping through the machine. But here is a tip on how to make it work anyway:
The war of nerves at the machine
Everyone has surely experienced this situation at least once: you are standing in a parking garage in front of a machine and want to pay for your ticket. The machine requires silver coins; you could alternatively insert a banknote to pay, but you want to use small change because who wants to receive ten or twenty one-euro coins as change? In most cases, the parking fee is only one or two euros anyway. So, the coin is fished out of the wallet and the machine is fed with it. But instead of paying the fee, the money slips right back through. Well, it can happen – the machine just choked. So a second attempt is made, but this one also fails. A little nervous, but still with the same enthusiasm, you try a third, fourth, fifth time. Meanwhile, a queue of customers who also want to pay for their tickets is forming behind us, and you start to get fidgety. In dire need, you desperately rub the edge of the silver coin against the machine, because legend has it that this helps. But no, the coin slips through again. The coin is fished out of the coin return slot again, now you rub harder against the machine in the hope of persuading the coin. And all of a sudden, as if the coin and the machine were just waiting for us to break out in a stress-induced sweat, the coin slides through, the ticket is validated, and you can leave the parking garage. What a hassle – but in all seriousness: does rubbing the coin on the machine really do anything?
The Federal Association of the German Vending Machine Industry says: rubbing the coin next to the machine slot does absolutely nothing. It is like a placebo medication: it is immensely calming, but does not help in the slightest.
Why can't you outsmart the machine?
Every device with a coin insertion function has an electronic coin validator. This validator reads every coin that is inserted precisely, as it has certain data that must match the coin. When the coin comes through the slot into the machine, it is measured by the validator and checked for size, conductivity, and electromagnetic properties. Some machines even have the ability to scan the embossed image of the coins.
Be that as it may: if the coin does not match the stored data, the machine spits it back out. However, the validator is not impressed by rubbing, scratching, or moistening, as no electrostatic charging occurs here.
Why do you sometimes have success after rubbing anyway?
Honestly, this is a case of luck. Sometimes the machine can actually "choke" during the lightning-fast check and it simply spits out a perfectly intact coin. This is also often because the machine has a "tolerance range" that is set too narrow, and the coins should actually slip through without any problems. Therefore, it can happen that the coin is only accepted after the second or third time – these attempts can also be made without rubbing the coin slot.
What really helps?
Simply moisten the coin slightly, then it will be 'swallowed'.
Why is the tolerance range set like that?
Now one could actually ask why this program is set this way – quite simply: it is intended to exclude counterfeit money, because people keep trying to put money from other countries into our machines. To prevent fraud, this makes sense, even if it often means the consumer needs to stay calm. Just keep trying or use a new coin – then it will work with the ticket.
Read also:Â Do you want to get your lost wallet back?
Image by Janine, meinhaushalt.at
