topic Re: Signing a CC receipt in General Credit Topics

Signing a CC receipt

llecs — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:10:22 GMT

I dropped by my local Wal-Mart on the way to work this morning to pick something up. The clerk swiped my Nat City CC and had to sign for it.

Usually, when I sign, I find it difficult to get my full signature in the box without making it considerably different than my true signature due to the limited space. So, I'll take the pen and scribble all over the box and press "Ok" or "accept" or something like that. Then a box popped up that said "Signature Accepted" and that was that.

Is there ever a time that a signature is not accepted? Have any of you been denied because of a signature?

Note: I think I saw this topic before somewhere. It seemed like there was a link of someone talking about all the things he put into the signature box as a signature - on paper or checkout box. Seems like they'd spend up to a minute writing whatever: drawing lines, happy faces, fake names, sonnets, whatever.

Re: Signing a CC receipt

Anonymous — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:33:10 GMT

I write CID on the back of the card instead of my signature.

I'd think if there were issues with the signatures not matching, they'd ask to see your ID to verify.

Although, come to think of it, my signature on my DL doesn't match my typical CC slip scrawl - and the pic is 10+ years old, and was taken when I was 7 months pregnant and quite "poofy."

Re: Signing a CC receipt

Anonymous — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:48:23 GMT

I work at a retail store (not going to say which one... lol) part time and we do alota CC transaction. From what I see when customer do signature and American laziness ;p alota people dont even make a effort to sign name correctly. I even had one customer that thinks he is funny by making a smilely face on pinpad and always asking me if looks like him... blahh lol

but I always ask for CC and ID to check under black light.

Re: Signing a CC receipt

Anonymous — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:15:33 GMT

This is why I refuse to shop at Target for ANY reason. It is their policy to NOT check IDs.

If you ever notice. when you go there & use your CC, their little machine takes it from your hand & spits it right back out.. the clerk never even puts a hand on your CC.

When my CC was stolen last summer, the thiefs obviously knew Target's policy. They ran my card for over $800 and then went back through the line to run it for another $270 purchase.. luckily, my card shut down because by the mother of all coincidences, I had already bought $300 at Target earlier that same day! My CC detected fraudulent activity and shut the card down.

When I called the Target manager to inquire about their ID policy, the manager of the Target store in Temecula CA told me that it was not their policy to check IDs for a CC!!!!!! I said, but then how can you verify the person using the card isn't using it fraudulently?!

Guess what he said?? (I will always remember this...) "It's the customer's job to keep track of their credit cards, it's not our job to babysit it for you." WOW. Luckily, I had fraud protection and got all my $$ back, but I had called Target as a sort of heads-up, hey, your policy leaves you wide-open to fraud! And the response was, we know, and we don't care.

I've never shopped there since. And I always present my CC with my ID and make the clerk look at it, even if they say "oh, I trust you.." I always admonish them and say, well, you shouldn't! Someone stole my CC last summer and was able to run $1300 on it before I caught on.. imagine if you were "trusting" them!

Re: Signing a CC receipt

Anonymous — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:26:25 GMT

What is kinda making easier with people with stolen CC are those stores that are now fully running on Self Check out machines. Only certain cards that I have seen that are a little more protective like AMEX when it comes with Selfcheck with purchase over $250 (on average) prompting machine to selfcheck watcher to check ID (well at my store it does). With some CC, people are puchasing like $500+ and it not asking for ID... well that helps speed transaction for store but it screw customers when CC is stolen.

Re: Signing a CC receipt

thotgal320 — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:35:03 GMT

I work in a retail store and if your card is not signed or says CID law here in CT is you must ask for ID. If your card is signed and your purchase is over $500 we have to ask for ID. If you give us an unsigned CC you have to sign it and present ID. If you refuse to sign it we can refuse to take it. I went to a store the other day and gave them my CC it wasn't signed and the cashier asked me to sign it. I didn't have a problem with that because I know retail. What bothered me was she gave me a PENCIL to sign it with.

Re: Signing a CC receipt

Anonymous — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:58:14 GMT

ant-

at the self-checkouts, the store can set the parameters on the machine. They can set it so it will require an employee's login before it completes a CC transaction.. they did this at our local grocery store when people started scamming by using stolen CCs on the self-checkout.

Re: Signing a CC receipt

Anonymous — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:46:08 GMT

well.. at my store is different and I think some store are just more relaxed on setting then others which to me is just a bad thing and a laziness of the store and its willingness.

What I hate most are customer that get all pissy when you ask for ID and even more pissy when you tell them to take card out of wallet... heh

noway to satisfy everyone... some people just like to complain

Re: Signing a CC receipt

TopCat99 — Sat, 17 May 2008 01:11:08 GMT

When I worked retail, and now in another job that takes CCs, the policy follows the CC rules: anyone (with permission of cardholder, of course) can sign for a Visa/MC, but Discover and AmEx require the cardholder to sign.

It seems store-specific cards are cardholder-only, too. I had to become an authorized user and get a card in my name to use someone else's BestBuy (HSBC) card. Lowe's enforces the cardholder-must-sign rule, too--but by policy more than reality.

That said, if the card isn't signed, we ask for ID. Some customers appear annoyed, but many commend the vigilance.

Re: Signing a CC receipt

Anonymous — Sat, 17 May 2008 02:37:56 GMT

Most of the stores I shop at don't ask you to sign. Just swipe and walk out.

Re: Signing a CC receipt

Anonymous — Sat, 17 May 2008 04:43:36 GMT

their are REALLY STUPID laws in cali, if you give your CC to a clerk and they look at the back to see if it is signed or not, if it isnt they wont charge it unless you sign it, if the back of the card says CID then by cali law, they dont have to except it b/c it is not a signature, some clerks wont look at the back of the card or ask for ID at all, why cause clai law says that retailers are NOT to ask for ID, this is stupid, it makes me soooo mad, that their is a chance that your CC is stolen and no id is asked for, then both parties are screwed, you for the money lose and if you do get it back then the store looses the money, its a lose lose situation.

Re: Signing a CC receipt

Anonymous — Sat, 17 May 2008 13:25:43 GMT

Technically your card isn't vaild without a signature anywhere, read your cc agreement, most people just don't say anything about it. The post office will also make you sign your card.

When I worked at Target back in the dark ages we were supposed to ask for ID with credit cards, but hardly anyone did.

Re: Signing a CC receipt

Anonymous — Sun, 18 May 2008 03:38:53 GMT

My new CC is not signed and I funnel as many of my expenses as possible through it all with no complaints if that says anything about how strict stores are on bothering to check.

I have only actually had 2 people ask for my ID in the ~2 months I have owned the card.

Every single time I sign something I just scribble on it and I have yet to have anyone complain about it.

If your card is ever stolen I certainly would not hold my breath and hope the store clerks catch it.

I guess I should probably write CID on it or something but I am having fun with my little experiment here.

Re: Signing a CC receipt

athensguy — Mon, 19 May 2008 01:26:11 GMT

According to the credit card merchant agreements, the merchant is NOT ALLOWED to ask for ID for use of a Visa or MC if the card is properly signed. They are supposed to eyeball the back of the card and the signature mark you make on your receipt. There is a complaint form to report businesses that ask for ID, along with a couple of other violations involving transaction fees or min/max charges:

MasterCard complaints

The only time they are required to ask for ID is if the card is not signed. Then they are supposed to ask for ID and have you sign it on the spot.

Re: Signing a CC receipt

MattH — Mon, 19 May 2008 02:40:44 GMT

@erchambers wrote:
They are supposed to eyeball the back of the card and the signature mark you make on your receipt

In my experience, very few clerks ever eyeball my card. If the amount is under 25 bucks, they don't even ask for a signature, I just feed it through the machine and away I go. If it's over $25, either the machine captures some random motions I make with the stylus or they hand me a slip to sign, I put a random squiggle resembling a child learning to write, they stick the slip with my squiggle in a drawer, and that's that.

There is one major exception: some stores require the clerk key in the last four digits, presumably as a means of forcing her to at least have the card in her hand, but in most cases ALL she will eyeball will be the last four digits, eyeballing the signature is very very very rare.

Maybe they could have a special sweepstakes program for retail clerks: if our Secret Shopper sees you actually eyeball the signature you will be entered in a drawing...

Many years ago my father got a phone call from a LOCAL bank, "we have somebody trying to cash a check with a signature that doesn't look like yours, do you recognize the name XXXXX?" A few years back when somebody forged a few checks on my wife's account with a much larger bank, they did NOT notice that the signature had no resemblance whatever to hers. Fortunately the total of the forgeries was less than the balance in her account so none of her legitimate checks bounced, but getting the money back from the bank involved a certain amount of tedium.

Message Edited by MattH on 05-18-2008 07:40 PM