topic Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign? in SmorgasBoard

Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

QuakerOatmeal — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 16:05:42 GMT

I've never understood why if every credit card should be signed on the back, why they make the surface area such an "anti-ink" texture?

I have never been able to sign a credit or debit card nicely on the back.

Ball point pen, Gel ink, Permanent marker, everything comes out horribly and makes my signature look terrible!

Why is this so???

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

Brian_Earl_Spilner — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 16:22:57 GMT

My problem is my signature is too big for the strip

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

CYBERSAM — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 16:43:02 GMT

Few years ago, Walmart CEO said signature on cards are useless as he was advocating for pin and chip.

Moving forward they probably eliminate that! My new Verison Visa CC through Sync, does not even have an area to display your signature.

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

Slabenstein — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 16:57:29 GMT

My SO's Cap1 Plat doesn't have a space to sign, either.

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

iced — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 17:45:10 GMT

I haven't signed the back of a card since years started with a 1 I think. Didn't know people still bothered.

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 17:46:16 GMT

I put SEE ID on all of mine but 95% of the time, nobody checked.

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

GApeachy — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 17:49:36 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I put SEE ID on all of mine but 95% of the time, nobody checked.

I put "Stolen"......lol, nobody ever checks esp. during Pandemic. Cooties! EEK!!!

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

SecretAzure — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 18:52:03 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I put SEE ID on all of mine but 95% of the time, nobody checked.

It's because nobody wants to mess with Sephiroth (reference to Saeren's DP at this time 10/01/2020).

Even when I worked retail over 10 years ago, nobody checked the cards. In fact, the systems were on the other side of the counter and behind the register so we never even saw the card unless they had some issue using it.

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

pinkandgrey — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 00:53:07 GMT

I've wondered that myself many a time lol.

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

Brian_Earl_Spilner — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 02:30:51 GMT

@SecretAzure wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
I put SEE ID on all of mine but 95% of the time, nobody checked.
It's because nobody wants to mess with Sephiroth (reference to Saeren's DP at this time 10/01/2020).

Even when I worked retail over 10 years ago, nobody checked the cards. In fact, the systems were on the other side of the counter and behind the register so we never even saw the card unless they had some issue using it.

When I worked at Best Buy in a store I would only check if the client was being a total jerk. If it wasn't signed I'd ask for another card that was. A lot of DBiness would ensue, but our agreement at the time (we still had imprinters) required it. Then they would try to sign it at the register and I would tell them not to bother because I still wouldn't be able to accept it as the point of the signature on the card was to compare it to the signature on the receipt to validate it was the same person. The "SEE ID" ones were my favorite because I would simply point out that the card says it wasn't valid without a signature. Of course, there was no room to add one so they would scramble to find a new card after a manager came over and verified that a signature was required to accept the card. Pretty difficult when all of their cards said "SEE ID". Lesson: don't be a jerk to retail employees, we can make your life very difficult if we want.

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

AZ-Jeff — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 03:29:32 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I put SEE ID on all of mine but 95% of the time, nobody checked.

I tried this as well for many years and they barely looked at the card, let alone the back of it. The Sharpie Extra Fine Point is the pen I use to sign now.

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

iced — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 11:19:02 GMT

@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:
When I worked at Best Buy in a store I would only check if the client was being a total jerk. If it wasn't signed I'd ask for another card that was. A lot of DBiness would ensue, but our agreement at the time (we still had imprinters) required it. Then they would try to sign it at the register and I would tell them not to bother because I still wouldn't be able to accept it as the point of the signature on the card was to compare it to the signature on the receipt to validate it was the same person. The "SEE ID" ones were my favorite because I would simply point out that the card says it wasn't valid without a signature. Of course, there was no room to add one so they would scramble to find a new card after a manager came over and verified that a signature was required to accept the card. Pretty difficult when all of their cards said "SEE ID". Lesson: don't be a jerk to retail employees, we can make your life very difficult if we want.

I don't condone being a jerk to employees, but this sort of tin god attempt at retaliation is also the type of behavior that makes repeat customers seek out competitor stores in the future. If a cashier tried to pull this on me, I'd just walk away from the merchandise and buy elsewhere, never to return. If I saw a cashier try to pull this on someone else, I'd walk away from the merchandise and buy elsewhere, never to return.

Life isn't made difficult, cashier is denied the satisfaction of upsetting me, and business loses out on revenue.

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

TSlop — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 11:59:04 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I put SEE ID on all of mine but 95% of the time, nobody checked.

I do that on mine and I get about the same percentage; very rarely will a restaurant server come back and ask to see my ID. With the vast majority of services I go to having a chip reader or contactless these days, hardly anybody, except a restaurant and drive thrus, physically take my cards now.

Anecdote: I worked for Avis for 8+ years and I can't remember if I used to check the back of cards. However, the computer system brought up the name of the person based on the credit card. So if the credit card didn't bring up a matching reservation to the name on the driver's license, it was like a mental prompt for me to verify if the credit card was actually theirs. Also, I do recall asking a person or 2 to sign their credit card.

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

Shooting-For-800 — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 12:14:26 GMT

Fine tip sharpie works wonders.

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

GApeachy — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 12:34:59 GMT

I don't sign cards and I also tape my numbers. Prevent your signature and numbers from being photographed. There's no need for an employee to have your numbers anyway, stick, slide, tap. Any employee can check your id in your presence, no need to walk off with it. Btw, the tape doesn't jamb the reader either, just don't wrap the leading edge. I use cloth surgical tape and use a black sharpie to scribble a line to prevent viewing the numbers. Press down hard and you can tell if the tape has been pulled, it can stretch or fray a little.

I've had one employee ever ? my having "stolen" on the back of my cc and my numbers taped. I told her I started doing that when my purse was stolen. So she checked my dl's and that satisfied her. Had it not, I do carry a backup card, which is locked and can be quickly, easily unlocked.

Check Id is better to write on there instead of stolen, lol. I've used both.

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

Brian_Earl_Spilner — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 14:49:48 GMT

@iced wrote:
@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:
When I worked at Best Buy in a store I would only check if the client was being a total jerk. If it wasn't signed I'd ask for another card that was. A lot of DBiness would ensue, but our agreement at the time (we still had imprinters) required it. Then they would try to sign it at the register and I would tell them not to bother because I still wouldn't be able to accept it as the point of the signature on the card was to compare it to the signature on the receipt to validate it was the same person. The "SEE ID" ones were my favorite because I would simply point out that the card says it wasn't valid without a signature. Of course, there was no room to add one so they would scramble to find a new card after a manager came over and verified that a signature was required to accept the card. Pretty difficult when all of their cards said "SEE ID". Lesson: don't be a jerk to retail employees, we can make your life very difficult if we want.
I don't condone being a jerk to employees, but this sort of tin god attempt at retaliation is also the type of behavior that makes repeat customers seek out competitor stores in the future. If a cashier tried to pull this on me, I'd just walk away from the merchandise and buy elsewhere, never to return. If I saw a cashier try to pull this on someone else, I'd walk away from the merchandise and buy elsewhere, never to return.

Life isn't made difficult, cashier is denied the satisfaction of upsetting me, and business loses out on revenue.

And that's fine, because the customers that would get this treatment were the ones we didn't want coming back. A couple of $3-5k sales weren't going to break us. And, I wouldn't be denied the satisfaction, because them leaving is satisfaction enough, especially after a racist comment or shot about being an educated dolt which is why I'm working in retail. Even today, 15 years later, making 70k, I still get racist comments based on my looks, verbally abused, and people think I make minimum wage. Sorry, they're free to shop elsewhere, cause I have no plans on accommodating them.

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

Girlzilla88 — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 15:01:26 GMT

@Brian_Earl_Spilner I wish I could KUDO that so bad LOL we had the same type of behavior from people that came to restuarants thinking they were "above you" and completley being out of line because they felt intitled to it because we were 'just servers' and I even had a racist guy try to get me fired because he wanted to complain to the manager I gave my fiance a kiss AFTER the restaurant was closed and he was still there taking his time (because we run on HIS time) .....of course my fiance is a different color than me and he was SO OFFENDED I would DARE .....even if it was a small peck (to his cheek mind you) and behind him he tried to make it seem like we made out on his table knocking over his plates XD I swear...I left SO MAD that night if I had the job I have now then as an addition I would have thrown his racist behind out......As you can see I am still peeved by it it's just the audacity some people have to think they are just THAT GREAT and that ABOVE others that they have no consequences to their actions like come ON it was 2015 when this happened.... Ok Done with my Rant LMAO Good Day XD

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

Brian_Earl_Spilner — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 15:23:30 GMT

@Girlzilla88 wrote:
@Brian_Earl_Spilner I wish I could KUDO that so bad LOL we had the same type of behavior from people that came to restuarants thinking they were "above you" and completley being out of line because they felt intitled to it because we were 'just servers' and I even had a racist guy try to get me fired because he wanted to complain to the manager I gave my fiance a kiss AFTER the restaurant was closed and he was still there taking his time (because we run on HIS time) .....of course my fiance is a different color than me and he was SO OFFENDED I would DARE .....even if it was a small peck (to his cheek mind you) and behind him he tried to make it seem like we made out on his table knocking over his plates XD I swear...I left SO MAD that night if I had the job I have now then as an addition I would have thrown his racist behind out......As you can see I am still peeved by it it's just the audacity some people have to think they are just THAT GREAT and that ABOVE others that they have no consequences to their actions like come ON it was 2015 when this happened.... Ok Done with my Rant LMAO Good Day XD

Don't you love it when they pull out the "customer is always right" card? I'm like, yeeeeah...no.

Had one once that called corporate and claimed senior abuse. Investigation was started and everything. I sold her stuff in her home she needed, and she agreed to, along with the pricing. At the end of the 14 hour day, she no longer agreed to the purchase, but paid it because "I was threatened into payment and I just did it to get him out of my house because I was scared for my life". Claimed I was taking advantage of her because I'm mexican (I'm actually asian, but look hispanic) and she's an old white woman. Also claimed that she believed that I stole her credit card number and rang her up personally instead of for the company because she's a RICH, old, white woman.

I knew at the beginning when my manager convinced her she needed this stuff, that it was a bad idea. I told him we shouldn't even be doing the job, that she was trouble waiting to happen. But, he said blah, blah, blah, customer service and taking care of all our clients.

In the end, investigation was dropped after corporate spoke to a couple of people that interacted with her. We lost thousands in labor going back out there over and over because I took advantage of her and installed stuff she didn't want (stuff the store sold her). And she is now blacklisted. Manager finally agreed with me that this was a customer we should have let go to a competitor.

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

Girlzilla88 — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 15:26:13 GMT

I sign all mine with a Sharpie XD on a side note LOLOL

Re: Why are credit cards so tough to sign?

iced — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 15:43:01 GMT

@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:
And that's fine, because the customers that would get this treatment were the ones we didn't want coming back. A couple of $3-5k sales weren't going to break us. And, I wouldn't be denied the satisfaction, because them leaving is satisfaction enough, especially after a racist comment or shot about being an educated dolt which is why I'm working in retail. Even today, 15 years later, making 70k, I still get racist comments based on my looks, verbally abused, and people think I make minimum wage. Sorry, they're free to shop elsewhere, cause I have no plans on accommodating them.

As long as it's understood that the way to combat Karens isn't by becoming a Karen back at them.