Does owning a credit card rot your brain?

[Amalthea]

Okay, this didn't happen to me, but to my manager who told me the story.

SC somes in, gets books, goes to cashier. Whips out credit card. Is asked for ID. Refuses to provide ID. There's no signature on the card, so the cashier calls the manager. Manager comes up. Explains that she will need to see ID to run the credit card since the card is not signed. Customer states that it WAS signed, but signature has rubbed off. (Yeah, well, we don't care. We can't check signature and you won't show us ID) SC says our merchant agreement states we can't ask for ID on credit cards, he knows, he's had to sign merchant agreements before. (Dunno where he got this thought, but my manager checked the agreement after the fact and we can ask for ID whenever we feel like it.) So SC still refuses to show ID, but says we can't refuse his sale, that we have to call the credit card company and they'll verify that it's really him. So my manager's like wtf? How are they gonna know that you are the cardholder? SC says they'll ask him questions like his mother's maiden name, etc. So my manager calls the credit card company, explains she has a "cardholder" who refused to show ID and wants them to verify his identity. The only question the CC person asks is "Is the card signed?" Manager tells him no. CC person says "Then there will be no sale." Managers smiles, asks him to repeat that to the SC, hands SC the phone. Air goes out of SC's balloon. SC sullenly whips out his ID. Manager verifies ID matches the card, and finishes the sale.

So, the moral of this story, this guy would rather spend 20 minutes arguing with the manager than show his ID.

[CanadaGirl]

All that bitching and the guy had the card on him? jeeez

[skeptic53]

I think it's not so much brain rot as the tendency to bureaucratic black/white thought.

It's similar to the idiotic "zero tolerance for drugs" in schools that prevents kids from having an asthma inhaler or taking migraine medicine in a timely fashion. Kids suspended for taking Tylenol, etc.

In this case it's the paranoia of ID theft that has some fools tossing the baby out with the bathwater. Appropriate precautions make sense. Refusing to show ID *and* refusing to sign the credit card make no sense EXCEPT in the context of misunderstanding the do's and don'ts of preventing ID theft.

[0oAmericanGirl]

When I worked at the store, they told us to NEVER ask for ID on a credit card. Why? Because some idiot customer went to the store manager and said he felt like we were trying to call him a theif and he was a loyal customer... bla bla bla.

I thank every cashier who asks for my ID, I apperciate it because people do steal credit cards or use other people's identities.

I'm sure that asshole would be singing a different tune if you accepted his stole credit card!

[One-Fang]

I think all unsigned cards should be confiscated so they can be returned to Visa, Mastercard, etc to be returned to the correct cardholder.

Oh, it *was* your card after all? Shoulda signed it then, ya mug!! Now shove off.

[Sofar]

I like how the representitive put that. Then There Will Be No Sale. Like a judge giving his edict.

[batmoody]

I like how the representitive put that. Then There Will Be No Sale. Like a judge giving his edict.

I was thinking it sounded more like God. Either way it was a nice slap!
We arent't required to check ID. We don't even have to touch their card. (Which I love! We get accused of not giving back their club card all the time, I can only imagine if it were a credit card!) Its all done on the debit/credit reader by the customer. However, I have had people get all pissy because I didn't ask to see their card, or their ID. Its like 0oAmericanGirl said, some customers probably complained about it. I just tell them, I am not required to,transaction is done, have a nice day.
I for one am glad we don't have to ask for ID. Hell, if its anything like asking for ID on checks, or alcohol I will never support it.

[Kelly Lynne]

I thank every cashier who asks for my ID, I apperciate it because people do steal credit cards or use other people's identities.

So do I. And it happens so rarely. I'm always grateful that people actually verify that I'm the owner of the card.

It would be pathetically easy to swipe someone's credit card and use it without getting caught, because they just never check. As long as you're the right gender for the name on the card (or it's a vaguely unisex name like Pat or Lindsey or even Kelly) At least, it'd be easy until they notice the card's missing and put a hold on it. But, swipe the card, buy a bunch of stuff that day, max it out and get rid of it....you could probably get away scot-free.

(Yeah, despite the fact that I'd never do something like that, I enjoy figuring out how to beat the system. I wouldn't even want to, but kind of get a kick out of the fact that I could..it's kind of a logic puzzle for my sick, deranged mind. Please tell me I'm not the only honest law-abiding citizen who does that. Please. )

[thegiraffe]

I once had a customer come through my line who paid with a credit card. We're required to look at the card for the name, expiration date (which we never really check b/c if it's expired, it'll be declined), and then check for the signature to get an idea of what it should look like. He paid with his card, and I asked to see it. No biggie, right? The name was of Asian origin (I'm not even gonna try to guess where), yet the guy looked hispanic. I know they can look similar sometimes, but I just wanted to be sure. That, and the signature was quite....well, it had seen better days. I ask for his ID. He gets all huffy. Red flag. In my experience, it's the ones who complain about showing ID that are doing something they shouldn't be doing. So I ask again. I explain WHY I'm checking the ID (didn't mention the name discrepancy, just the fact that the signature was worn off and I wanted to double-check). All in all, it took about 3 minutes of coaxing to even SEE the ID. And he held it at about an arm and a half length from my face. I have bad eyes and I don't focus well at long distances - especially on something as small as a license! I reach and ask to SEE it and steady it, all the while explaining to him that it's for his own good, etc. I guess I should mention (it's important later) that he was wearing a Wells-Fargo shirt. That didn't really phase me though. Anyhow, he finally lets me SEE the ID (it's also a double check for me - to make sure it doesn't feel funny or whatever). Turns out it IS him (why all the drama, then?), and I send him on his merry way.

5 minutes later, he comes BACK into the store and talks to my (kickass) store manager. I see where this is going, so I just keep doing my job until one of the office staff (quasi-management kinda) comes and tells me the SM wants to talk with me and she'll run my register. No big deal - I did what I was supposed to do. So he asks me what the deal was, how it went down, etc. I've known him since I was 12 - I have great rapport with him and he knows I do my job, he just had to see as a formality b/c there was a complaint. I explain to him that when he got flustered, it was a red flag, and he had a pretty good-sized order (upwards of $50, I think. It's been a few years), and I wanted to make sure it WAS him. I could see him shove a write-up form underneath the stack of papers on the table and I breathed a sigh of relief. He tells me that in 13 years, the store has never had a fraudulent credit card (!), and asked me if I noticed his shirt. I said that yes, I did, but I didn't know him. A shirt means nothing to me (well, unless you're obviously a cop, but they rarely pay w/ a credit card, and when they do, I get handed ID also) because it didn't have his ID on it. All in all, it was chalked up to experience, but I didn't get in trouble because I was simply trying to do my job. Idiot customer though - had the nerve to come complain that I asked him for ID on his credit card. I wish he had complained to the front end manager we have now. She would have stood there and said "and?? she's doing her job." She has a way of dealing with idiot customers that i WISH I had. More on that later though.

[ringo]

It seems to me, the number one violation of the merchants agreement is the Dollar Minimums and Maximums. According to the pdf on visa's web site:

Always honor valid Visa cards, in your acceptance category, regardless of the dollar amount of the purchase. Imposing minimum or maximum purchase amounts is a violation.

I have been stoped one time for minimum purchase. I see signs all the time to this, and I know its a violation.

It says this about Signatures and Identification

For suspicious or non-matching signatures, make a Code 10 call and ask for further instructions. Note: If the transaction is accepted with a non-matching signature and it turns out to be fraudulent, your business may be liable, even if all other procedures were followed.

Here is where VISA is saying one should check ID:

While checking card security features, you should also make sure that the card
is signed. An unsigned card is considered invalid and should not be accepted. If
a customer gives you an unsigned card, the following steps must be taken:
• Check the cardholder’s ID. Ask the cardholder for some form of official
government identification, such as a driver’s license or passport. Where
permissible by law, the ID serial number and expiration date should be
written on the sales receipt before you complete the transaction.
• Ask the customer to sign the card. The card should be signed within your
full view, and the signature checked against the customer’s signature
on the ID. A refusal to sign means the card is still invalid and cannot be
accepted. Ask the customer for another signed Visa card.
• Compare the signature on the card to the signature on the ID.

If the cardholder refuses to sign the card, and you accept it, you may end up
with financial liability for the transaction should the cardholder later dispute the charge.

Information about "See ID":

Some customers write “See ID” or “Ask for ID” in the signature panel, thinking that this is a deterrent against fraud or forgery; that is, if their signature is not on the card, a fraudster will not be able to forge it. In reality, criminals don’t take the time to practice signatures: they use cards as quickly as possible after a theft and prior to the accounts being blocked. They are actually counting on you not to look at the back of the card and compare signatures—they may even have access to counterfeit identification with a signature in their own handwriting.
“See ID” or “Ask for ID” is not a valid substitute for a signature. The customer
must sign the card in your presence, as stated above.

- All of the above has been quoted from the pdf on visa's web site:
http://usa.visa.com/download/busines..._merchants.pdf

[friendofjimmyk]

My conundrum...I don't sign my cards, I write "Please see ID" on the signature line. I am asked and I provide my ID for the proof. This is a suggested way to do it if you fear theft of your card.

Now, I have been in the post office and there was a sign clearly posted that "See ID" is not acceptable on credit cards. The card must be signed. Credit card companies require the card to be signed. The post office will not accept one that is not. However, there are several places where I have read writing "See ID" is a good way to protect yourself.

So, do I sign the back of my card? No. I still write "see ID". If I have to go to the post office, I hope I remember to bring cash!

[Broomjockey]

(Yeah, despite the fact that I'd never do something like that, I enjoy figuring out how to beat the system. I wouldn't even want to, but kind of get a kick out of the fact that I could..it's kind of a logic puzzle for my sick, deranged mind. Please tell me I'm not the only honest law-abiding citizen who does that. Please. )

Yeah, I do this too. Interesting mental exercise, and lets you find the weaknesses in your own workplace so you know what to work for.

[Sedorna]

My conundrum...I don't sign my cards, I write "Please see ID" on the signature line. I am asked and I provide my ID for the proof. This is a suggested way to do it if you fear theft of your card.

Well, I do both. I have my card signed and I write see i.d. on it. I figure that way, I've got all the bases covered.

I actually, earlier in my job, got in trouble for not asking for i.d. (Which is infinitely better than getting in trouble for asking for i.d.)

Now, I'd like to add a somewhat different ask for i.d. story. This guy came through my line with several hundred dollars of American express gift cards. Uh-oh, I thought, my heart dropping. Please, don't freak out, I prayed, as I asked him for his i.d.

What did he do? Why, he just smiled, said sure, and took out his i.d, which matched his credit card. Now, if more customers were like him then there'd be less need for this board, and wouldn't that be great?

[Becks]

(Yeah, despite the fact that I'd never do something like that, I enjoy figuring out how to beat the system. I wouldn't even want to, but kind of get a kick out of the fact that I could..it's kind of a logic puzzle for my sick, deranged mind. Please tell me I'm not the only honest law-abiding citizen who does that. Please. )

Don't worry, I do the same thing. I always thought it meant that I had too much time on my hands.

[Lace Neil Singer]

We don't have to check for ID over here (at least, not where I've worked). Instead, the system does random checks of customers where customer services has to ring the bank for verification. The amount of fuss some people made, you'd think we were accusing them of fraud and theft.