bob@sdcsvax.UUCP (Robert Hofkin) (08/31/84)
A lot of merchants have started demanding a phone number along with the signature on credit card slips. One has even printed their own slips, with a big space for the phone number. What reasoning lies behind this move? How do netters feel about publicizing their [possibly unlisted] number? --Bob Hofkin
ir524@sdccs6.UUCP (ir524) (09/01/84)
Try telling the clerk that you don't have a phone.
My experience indicates that they would rather have the
sale than press the point.
--
UUCP ihnp4\
akgua \ Peter Woodbury, UCSD
decvax >----!sdcsvax!sdccs6!ir524
dcdwest/
ucbvax/ kiessig@idi.UUCP (Rick Kiessig) (09/01/84)
> A lot of merchants have started demanding a phone number along with the > signature on credit card slips. One has even printed their own slips, > with a big space for the phone number. What reasoning lies behind this > move? How do netters feel about publicizing their [possibly unlisted] > number? I personally don't like giving my phone number out to these people. One idea is to use some really off-the-wall number like 555-6268. 99% of the merchants won't notice. Another one is to give the number of the local dial-a-joke, etc. The bottom line is that numbers aren't checked by anyone. The only reason they're requested is in case of future trouble. Most merchants have a $50 floor limit on their credit card purchases - meaning that if the charge is for under $50, they don't have to get specific approval (although they are supposed to look the number up in the bad card lists which are mailed out weekly). If it's over $50, they have to call in for approval. In the under $50 case, if the card turns out to be expired, or something like that, they want to have a way to get a hold of you and ask you to come in and straighten it out. Without the number, they have to wait for the bank to get a hold of you by mail, which could take weeks. So if you know your charge is good, why leave your phone number on little pieces of carbon paper in your merchants trash can? Rick
bytebug@pertec.UUCP (09/03/84)
> How do netters feel about publicizing their [possibly unlisted] number?
Whenever I'm asked for a phone number, I either give them my work #, or
the number to my computer line which has no phone attached. (In the
case of signing up for a free-prize drawing, I usually hook up a phone
to the computer line for a few days "just in case...")
--
roger long
pertec computer corp
{ucbvax!unisoft | scgvaxd | trwrb | felix}!pertec!bytebugcoller@utah-cs.UUCP (09/03/84)
If you don't want to give out your phone number for credit card slips, checks,
or whatever because your number is unlisted, POLITELY tell the clerk that you
don't wish to give out your phone number because its unlisted. Saying
you don't have a phone gives a false impression (if its on a credit card
slip, the clerk probably won't believe you anyway; its very difficult to
get a credit card without a phone). Giving a phony number can backfire,
I remembeer one time when somebody gave me a phony number on a check and
forgot some merchanise. I tried to call him, but the number was
disconnected. Net result was that the customer was out about $2.00 in
groceries, and would have had to do some explaining if he'd come back
for them (the check was good). I know one clerk who once had somebody
try to give him his own (unlisted) phone number.
Be nice to clerks, they're people too (at least most of them are :-).
Lee Coller (former grocery store clerk)
{hplabs, seismo, decvax}!utah-cs!coller
coller@utah-cssdo@u1100a.UUCP (Scott Orshan) (09/04/84)
The one time I ever left my credit card at the store was at a K-Mart
which took my phone number. They called me later in the day, before
I even knew the card was missing. They could have also looked in the
phone book if they had my address.
Another time, after I had my car serviced at the same K-Mart, they
called to say that they had found a pool of oil on the floor and
they were checking all the cars that were serviced to find who had
the problem.
--
Scott Orshan
Bell Communications Research
201-981-3064
{ihnp4,allegra,pyuxww}!u1100a!sdopiety@hplabs.UUCP (Bob Piety) (09/05/84)
I don't have a phone 8-)....do you? 8-) Bob
nichols@uwmacc.UUCP (09/05/84)
When I first ran into this several years ago, I thought it was an annoying practice. Now, if the clerk is an interesting female, I ask if she is going to call me! So far only in-store conversations have resulted, but it does make life more enjoyable. -Dennis Nichols University of Wisconsin-MACC
bob@sdcsvax.UUCP (09/06/84)
*FLAME ON* Omitting the phone number from magazine inquiries doesn't help that much. I had about 3 salesmen call me at home last week from companies I didn't remember. (They looked me up elsewhere.) Maybe salesmen are stupid; if I omit my number it's probably because I don't want to get calls. *FLAME OFF*
res@ihuxn.UUCP (Rich Strebendt) (09/06/84)
| A lot of merchants have started demanding a phone number along with | the signature on credit card slips. ... How do netters feel about | publicizing their [possibly unlisted] number? I tried for a while to refuse to provide the phone number, but that got to be more and more a pain in the <anatomy>. At a local K-Mart the clerk at the register had to call one of the security people over to get an OK to omit the phone number! So, now I give my office phone number. I have an answering machine on that line, so if there is a legitimate reason for the business to call (say, I left my MasterCard on the counter), then they can get the message to me. Otherwise I just fast-forward to the next message on the tape and erase it when I am done. Rich Strebendt ...!ihnp4!ihuxn!res
figmo@tymix.UUCP (09/20/84)
There really IS a good reason for having a phone number on the slip. In fact, there are several: 1. You accidentally left something at the store. The salesperson realizes this after you have exited. S/he can wait a few minutes and call you at home, or if you come in, reciting your phone number off the top of your head helps as quick ID. The thing I've most commonly left is my card - I'd be in a rush, and the salesperson would forget to give it to me. 2. This one helps the store more than you, but every so often the salesperson screws up the charge slip by either miscalculating the total (if it's over what you paid, YOU benefit) or forgetting to fully run it through any and all machines. I've benefitted enough from this procedure that I don't mind doing it. --Lynn
ddyment@ubc-vision.CDN (Doug Dyment) (09/20/84)
I'm rather surprised to have seen no comments on what I know to be at least one reason why phone number are collected on credit card slips. A number of companies that do analyses of consumer buying habits (aided, of course, by computer) use as input to such studies the information found on credit card slips (they will, you have no doubt surmised, pay retailers for such infor- mation). The reason for the phone number is to make it easy for them to properly correlate all information about individual family buying habits. Your phone number remains constant across an ever-changing variety of credit card types, numbers, and names (your name is often slightly different on each of your many cards; plus of course other members of your household may hold cards in their own names). I also used to refuse to give my number, but found that often just led to time-wasting hassles and delays. Now I just enter a random number each time (entering the SAME number, of course, doesn't foil their scheme), without comment. If I'm stupid enough to leave my credit card, I'll just pay the ($50 max) consequences, but I haven't managed to do this in 20+ years of using the damn things. ... Doug Dyment