D wanted to buy a basket ball. So, we went on down to the local all-in-one department store to find one. After choosing the ball (an American brand) and convincing himself that the inflated import price was appropriate, D tried to check out.
This, of course, was not easy (nothing is easy here).
He wanted to use his credit card because we didn't have enough RMB on us to pay for the ball (who knew it would cost around 300 RMB?), so the salespeople hustled us to a special counter where he could use his credit card. Credit cards are not common here, so there's always a flurry of activity around someone who wants to use one. And since D's is an "international" (a.k.a. non-Chinese) credit card, the purchase requires a manager's approval.
All was going relatively smoothly until they turned over his card to look at his signature. D wrote "ASK FOR ID" on the back of his card, an attempt to get US clerks to ask for his ID so that they be sure that the person bearing the card is, indeed, D.* In preparation for showing ID, D had his passport open and ready.
Can anyone guess what happened next?
The clerk insisted that he sign the receipt "ASK FOR ID" so that it matched the back of the card. D's explanations in English about "determining my identity for security reasons blah, blah, blah" were not understood (shocking, eh?). She wouldn't let him sign his actual name.
The clerk was very thorough, though. She even compared D's "ASK FOR ID" on the receipt with the one on the back of the card. She wasn't too pleased with the match (they didn't match well at all), but she let him buy his basketball anyway.
*This business about writing "Ask for ID" on the back of a credit card rather than signing your signature to it sparks quite a debate among some people. Apparently, the folks who use the ID line on the back are afraid that if someone were to steal their credit cards, the thief could just forge the signatures. Those thieves, however, would have a harder time producing ID with a matching name and so on. Or so the thinking goes.
The US postal service will have none of this. If you don't sign the back of your credit card, you can't use it to make purchases at the post office. Why? Credit cards usually say "not valid until signed" on the back.
3 comments:
I am wondering if the credit card company will process that signature.... interesting...and kind of funny!
I just soild myself (twice) reading this post. Both kinds, I'm talking here.
Credit cards are "not valid unless signed." Those who do not sign their card are also waiving their "zero fraud liability." Signing the back of your card signifies your acceptance of the terms and conditions with the credit card company, one of which is zero fraud liability. Sign your cards.
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