Filmmaker

Why do retailers such as Best Buy and Circuit City request to see a picture ID when paying with a credit card if you are pricematching/using a coupon/using Best Buy Bucks, etc.? I mean, it's no biggie, but it just seems peculiar. "Yeah, I'm using a stolen credit card, but I wanna make sure I save the guy I stole it from as much money as possible!" It's just a weird practice and I thought I'd opine on such since I have nothing better to do for the next hour...

mbs

The Best Buy Bucks one is easy. McDonald's employees are ineligible (to cut down on the thievery). While likely they do nothing with the ID, it is more of a deterrant from McD employees stealing gamepieces.

I've never been asked to show ID for pricematching or using coupons. But I always use my RewardZone card, so they have all my info anyhow...

Filmmaker

How the hell are they gonna be able to tell if someone's a McDonald's employee by looking at their driver's license???

renaldow

Yeah, I think that's kind of a stretch, especially since they do it all the time, not just during and right after the Monopoly game...

Why do they do it? To track you, and be sure it is you. Yeah, they always ask for your name or phone number if you're buying things. No big deal. I give my phone number, my wife gives it, you give it, it all shows up that I bought something there, no biggy.

But, if you're returning or price matching something, you are a problem customer (according to the article awhile back) and they do not want you around. If you do it enough times, they will refuse your business. By looking at ID each time you do it, they have it recorded that it was YOU, not me, not my wife, not some other family member, etc. So, when you deny that you've returned anything and it must've been your brother doing it, they know it wasn't, and they know you are the 'problem customer.'

Y2K Falcon

For bb, driver's license number is the new mark of the beast. You can't identify the devil without it.

Groucho

Much like Sex Offenders, McDonald's employees are required to register with the state, which then puts a scarled "McD" on their driver's license.

mbs

As I said... they probably do nothing with it and have no way to do anything with it. But I'll betcha it still prevents a lot of theft. Just adds some way they COULD potentially track you, and that is enough to scare away McD employees from stealing pieces.

Y2K Falcon

Or what... They'll get fired?

mbs

I'm sure given the typical McD employee's knowledge of the justice system, they probably assume they will be locked up in the slam for doing so.

It is obviously speculation, but my guess is that this appearance of "tracking" the BB$ does indeed cut down on theft.

island007

We recommend that all merchants verify the identity of all credit card purchases.

Filmmaker

Is that legal???

Filmmaker

Yes, but are you missing my point--if I stole someone's credit card, why the hell would I bother price-matching/using a coupon/using Best Buy Bucks, etc.?

renaldow

All stores have the right to refuse service to anyone at anytime for any reason. Read some of the "I Hate..." threads that get started here, it happens to 'repeat offenders' often.

Filmmaker

But as a legal issue, can a store refuse your business if your "crime" consists solely of practicing procedures the store itself allows (e.g. price matching)? I can't fathom how you could ever legally be denied service by following an allowable practice, at least without a disclaimer on the company's price matching/return/et al policy advising customers of an allowable limit.

wewantflair

A store has the legal ability to deny service for any reason that is not explicitly illegal, such as race, gender, etc.

renaldow

You have to realize that shopping at any store is not a right, it's a privelage. Like wewantflair said, as long as it is not for a discriminatory reason, the store can refuse your business at any time. Stores are also private property, not public property, and being such, the store can allow or not allow anyone on the property that they desire.

Again, read a lot of the "I Hate XXXXX" threads that have been posted here over the years, and you'll see dozens of stories of them doing that. It's perfectly legal.

Filmmaker

Well how fucked up is that?

DVDKrayzie

because when thieves figured out that they don't check for ID when pricematching, anytime they wanted to use a stolen credit card, they would just pricematch since they now know that it's much easier to get away with it.


that being said, that's great in theory, but a $7/hr employee couldn't care less. I like to "test" employees cause i'm weird like that. I've made a purchase with a friends card (who was standing in line with me just in case) and shown MY ID a few times, and EVERY time, the employee pretends to look at the name on the card, shakes his/her head OK and goes on with the transaction. Similarly, i've shown old receipts at the door for merchandise i just purchased, they look at it, look at the bag, mark it with their trusty highlighter, and I go on my merry way.

All that is just there as a deterrent since the employees dont really care

island007

No

ummm... because you would be a thief
Thieves try different ways to hide their theft.

Filmmaker

Fair points...I guess I should be pleased with myself that I don't know how to think like a thief...

renaldow

There really isn't much else you can say about it, is there?

Just Lurking

Just sign the back of the card. Say no thanks when they ask for i.d. If they persist report them to MasterCard/Visa/Discover/AmEx. They an agreement with the card provider to take card without i.d. by comparing signatures between card and receipt. I have reported several business.

The other thing that drives me crazy is min. amounts if using a credit/debit card. This is against merchant agreements with card companies, too.

Filmmaker

Hmm...thanks for the advice, Just Lurking...I didn't realize until just now that I hadn't signed my card...

calhoun07

I always sign my card (and don't understand people who just write "SEE ID" on their cards...the card isn't valid if it isn't signed, yet stores take them, of course) but from time to time, I am asked for ID. Best Buy ALWAYS asks me for my ID, even though my card is signed. So does Osco. I've been checked at Target.

Can you provide more information on this? I'd be curious to know exactly why stores ask for ID if this is the case.

renaldow

After reading his post, I checked it out on visa.com , and he's totally right. Do a search on FRAUD and you'll come up with a lot of related articles. There's also a 6mb merchant agreement you can download, and it mentions not checking ID.

It does not say that checking ID is against their merchant agreement, however, it is just not part of their guidelines for dealing with purchases and frauds.

In short, they are to verify the signature on the card and on the receipt, and if they ever feel like there is fraud going on they need to call Visa's authorization phone immediately, then Visa will tell them what to do.