If you use a credit card on a gas pump, why don’t they have you sign the receipt? You have to everywhere else you use your credit card. I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to hook up some sort of electronic LCD screen like on a UPS driver’s clipboard to take your signature. And if taking your signature isn’t necessary, why bother taking it everywhere else?
Second:
A couple years ago, when Ford got rid of the Thunderbird, they had to also come up with a new model for the NASCAR Winston Cup circut (which was formerly the Tbird). They decided to take tbe Taurus, and make it into their NASCAR car. Why not the Mustang? The Mustang is rear-drive and a sports car; the Taurus is a front-driver family sedan. Makes no sense to me…
Maybe the real question isn’t why gas stations don’t require that you sign the receipt. Perhaps the real question is why most other bricks-and-mortar retail outlets do require you to sign the receipt. I’ve wondered about the difference myself, but I couldn’t find the answer. My WAG: perhaps the gas station has security cameras that they can use to prove that you actually got the gas they are billing your credit card’s issuer for. Just a guess.
I’m an NHRA man myself, but I’ll take a stab. I bet it’s something to do with NASCAR’s performance bylaws, which can be very strict. Allowing the Mustang, Viper, Trans Am, or Vette to compete might up the performance numbers, but it would kinda run counter to the philosophy of NASCAR, which is that the public wants to see a race featuring cars that the average Joe could concievably pick up at the dealer two hours before the green flag. That’s a pretty ridiculous proposition now, considering that Winston Cup series a “Taurus” makes about 750hp, but I guess lip service is still important. NASCAR banned the hemi’s for the same reason.
Anyway, it really doesn’t matter what platform the car is supposed to be based on… they build the things from scratch, mostly. Like I said, no “stock” pony would ever make 750 horses.
The other day I hired a car, then had to fill it with gas. Hiring the car, I just had to sign as normal, but 10 minutes later at the gas station I had get out of the car to sign again - it seems that paying $20 or whatever for gas is an acceptable risk, but if you’ve just spent $250 on a car 10 minutes before, a little alarm bell goes off somewhere in the system and they can double check you are for real
Why is it that at most retail stores you now get to swipe your own card & the cashier never gets to see it? Does this make sense? I thought that it was common sense to compare signatures.
The reason that most places have you sign for a credit card is to prove that you authorized the purchase. If you should ever challenge the charge appearing on your bill, the store has evidence that you did make a purchase. They do not NEED to do it, but it is nice to have.
Gas stations have forgone that legal evidnece for convenience. They believe that people are more likely to buy gas if they don’t have to come in to pay for it. Evidently their mathematicians have told them that the gains from the convenience far outweigh the possible loss from a few losers who contest the bill (and with security cameras they can probably win those battles too).
As for stores that let you swipe your own card, I would make a WAG that it is because people are so paranoid about someone getting their credit card number. As if a store clerk is going to memorize a bunch of 16 digit numbers plus names and expiration dates.