I don’t have a job, and I’m home all day. There are times when my mom calls me and wants me to go get something at the store, which is the least I can do. Every week I get groceries for the family, using her card. I always “get away with it”, although I hate doing it becaues I’m afraid I’ll get “caught”. I’ve only been caught twice, and both times were at bookstores.
So I go to Wal-Mart and I get groceries (which was a nightmare itself; it’s back to school time) and I’m in line. The clerk rings my order up and I swipe my mom’s card through. She asks to see it. Whenever they do this, I always say, “It’s my mom’s card,” and they let it slide. I mean, we have the same last name. I never sign my mom’s name, either. I tell her “It’s my mom’s card.”
“Doesn’t matter,” says the clerk. She’s in her mid-20s.
So I smile sheepishly and I hand her my debt card. She has to call a manager over to VOID the order. The manager gives me a dirty look but she does her job. Then the clerk has to put the codes in for each order. I feel bad because there are a ton of customers in her line. I turn to the guy behind me (who is the husband of my former boss at Blockbuster; she’s there, too. What a coinicidence)
“Sorry,” I tell him.
“Aw, no problem. I think they should have let you go. I tried to help you.” He smiled. What a nice man. At least I wasn’t in front of some horrible customer.
“Most employees here at Wal-Mart never check credit cards. But I do. People are always surprised when I do, too.” Says the clerk, a rather self righteously I think.
Well la dee da. Look where it got you. You have about a million customers who will chew you out about the holdup, I think.
Finally, at long last, I get to leave. The whole process took about ten or fifteen minutes, what with typing in the codes and waiting for the manager. She could have just let me go like everyone else has done, but no. She couldn’t. I went at 1:00 PM for the sole purpose that it would be busy and they wouldn’t have qualms about the card.
So who’s right? I’m mad at my mom for making me use her card, 'cause I hate the anticipation of whether I’m going to get caught (which doesn’t even make sense because she allows me to use her card). I was also mad at the clerk at being so self-righteous, even though it was her job. I also feel guilty, because I was a troublesome customer who held up the line. I know what it feels like to be a clerk, and I always try my hardest to not be a bothersome customer. Looks like I was today.
Has anyone else gone through this problem?
My son uses my card all the time. I guess maybe the clerks feel like if he has the code (I have him use it as a debit card so he has to punch in the number) then he has my permission to use it. He’s never been refused or stopped because of it.
I wouldn’t be too upset by it. You were trying to do your mom a favor and it just backfired. I would just chalk it up as an unpleasant experience.
Way back in the olden days, on the rare occasions when my mom let me use her credit card, she’d write me a note in case I was ever questioned. I don’t remember ever being challenged, but maybe clerks were less suspicious in the 60s and 70s, or maybe I’m so squeeky clean and wholesome that they just KNEW I wasn’t doing something wrong… Anyway, mebbe you could try carrying a note??
I never thought about that. It sounds like a good idea. Thanks!
Credit card companies will issue you a card for your mom’s account, if she requests it. I would want the clerk to notice the difference. My brother has an now exwife, that took out cards in his name, and ran up $25,000 in debit. His was the only name on the card. Had the sales clerks followed the rules, he and the card companies wouldn’t be filing fraud charges at this time.
<slight hijack> My college roommate came from a very rich family. He dressed (and acted) like complete slob. We went into a clothing store and he picked up some clothes and threw 3 $100 bills down on the counter to pay. The clerk took one look at him and asked him to leave, he said why - she said she thought the money was stolen!
A different time he had to take his Porche 944 to the dealership to get the oil changed. He dropped it off and gave them the keys. When he got in my car he realized he had left his shoes inside his car (like I said - he was a real slob, who else goes into a car dealership in socks?) so he went back to try and get them. He was outside his car pulling on the door handle when the security guards asked him to leave. They said they were ‘tired of people coming in from off the streets and trying to steal stuff from cars’ then threatened to call the cops. Talking about going on a tirade…I thought they were going to give him a new car to get him to settle down. They apologized big time!!!. </slight hijack>
My guess? She did it because she was told to do so. Do NOT blame the clerk-I have been told this back when we used to swipe cards for people-it was required that it only be YOUR card, not someone else’s.
Perhaps she has kids at home she has to support, or college tuition to pay. She’s just doing her job.
[Credit card fraud analyst hat on]
Damn it, we WANT the stores to verify who is using the card.
Have your mother call the bank and add you as an authorized user. You can get a card with your name on it.
[credit card fraud analyst hat off]
I have to side with the clerk on this one.
As the owner of a business, I was just notified that a Visa sale was being reversed. It was a stolen card. The clerk failed to ask for ID.
I always train my clerks to ask for ID when a customer uses a credit card. It’s to prevent fraud, not inconvenience the customers.
What do you think happens when someone nicks a credit card from a mailbox? The thief goes on a spending spree, the card holder is liable for $50.00; and the businesses are out hundreds if not thousands of dollars. It’s always good business sense to verify the method of payment.
I agree with the others; have your Mom request a card with your name on it.