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Requiring signatures for credit card transactions

P

Piper

New member
Do you require a signature for all amounts on credit cards? We currently do, but I’d like to speed things along by not printing the merchant copy or getting a signature on amounts under $15.00 or so. We have a lot of these and it seems like a waste of time.

In 6 years I have never had a non-valid charge back, so the risk seems pretty low. Just want to know how everybody else handles this.
 
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Swiped card in store on a pickup? I do not get a signature, I just hand them their copy of the receipt.

On a delivery? We get a signature - but only to give the customer an opportunity to fill in the tip line. If it wasn’t for the tip line, I wouldn’t even bother with that one.

Yeah, you are supposed to have a signed slip, blah blah blah, as per merchant agreement, etc., etc., blah blah. However, over 4 year, a signed slip never help me prevent a chargeback.
 
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Registered Guest:
If it wasn’t for the tip line, I wouldn’t even bother with that one.
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Oh, cr*p, I forgot about the tips. We have a high number of small transactions where the customer leaves a tip, such as a purchase of a couple of beers. Having dine-in will probably preclude me from turning the merchant copy off.
 
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same situation here, but we actually get $10-$20 a night in tips at the counter for the phone girls from credit cards for pickup whch is why we keep getting a signature
 
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gregster:
Do you still ask for ID if you don’t need a signature?

Also see this thread:

Did You Know You Can’t Require ID on CC Transactions?
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Why would I ever ask for ID? What would be the purpose?

It’s not worth the hassle at all. Doing any of that does nothing to help with a chargeback.

I swipe the card, take the number, whatever - and if it comes back, so be it. Of course I’m talking about normal orders and orders that are not questionable for other reasons. If I, for whatever reason, choose to ask for ID (or anything else) before accepting a card, or if I choose to not accept a card for whatever reason, so be it. I’ll deal with the letter from VISA if/when I get it.
 
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But what if I need some extra cash and agree to give you say…half of the $400 tip I am going to leave? 😛 Here we go again! :arrow: (Note: Just kidding…no need to respond) :shock:
 
Registered Guest:
Why would I ever ask for ID? What would be the purpose?

Doing any of that does nothing to help with a chargeback.
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Agreed.
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famouspizza:
same situation here, but we actually get $10-$20 a night in tips at the counter for the phone girls from credit cards for pickup whch is why we keep getting a signature
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Agreed. There is no point in signed slips other than tips for the cashiers.
 
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The only chargeback in two years I have gotten was one person. He filled out the tip line, but did not sign which my counter girl did not catch. Of course filed a chargeback. Do you fill not requiring signatures would increase this type of fraud?
 
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aj453:
The only chargeback in two years I have gotten was one person. He filled out the tip line, but did not sign which my counter girl did not catch. Of course filed a chargeback. Do you fill not requiring signatures would increase this type of fraud?
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YMMV, but no, I don’t think it would increase that type of fraud.

I’ll be honest - we don’t even keep the copy of the slip we get signed on deliveries. Again, when I used to keep them, they never helped me fight a chargeback. Just a bunch of paper to file and keep track of. I’d rather throw it straight into the trashcan after the driver cashes out.

Now, If you have a driver that is writing his own tips in on the slip - it would be nice to go back and look at older slips of his. When I suspect that now, I do actually save the slips of that driver for a while.
 
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We always require the signature, period. We also always require ID proving that it is actually YOUR card. We also are THANKED regularly for doing so by customers. If VISA wants to hassle us about requiring ID, we are prepared to stop accepting Credit cards.
 
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smeagol8:
We always require the signature, period. We also always require ID proving that it is actually YOUR card. We also are THANKED regularly for doing so by customers. If VISA wants to hassle us about requiring ID, we are prepared to stop accepting Credit cards.
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Why would you stop just because you couldn’t ask for ID?

I’ll never understand why a customer would thank anyone for asking for ID. It’s not like you are helping them avoid any liability - they have zero liability for the misuse of their card anyway.

I’d bet at least 20% of our pickup orders that pay with a card are not the person whose name is on the card. It’s their 12 year old kid, their boyfriend/girlfriend, their husband or their wife. What about someone who calls in from work and pays for an order delivered to their house? Or someone that pays ahead on a pickup order?

There are all sorts of situations that would lead to someone not having ID that matches the card.

IMO, bottom line is the only people with liability from a CC transaction is the merchant. And in the end, there is really nothing you can do to limit that liability unless fraud is blatantly obvious and you simply don’t accept the card.
 
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I think in most cases stopping taking credit cards would bankrupt most businesses…The use of them is just too common place to stop…
 
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Registered Guest:
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smeagol8:
We always require the signature, period. We also always require ID proving that it is actually YOUR card. We also are THANKED regularly for doing so by customers. If VISA wants to hassle us about requiring ID, we are prepared to stop accepting Credit cards.
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Why would you stop just because you couldn’t ask for ID?

I’ll never understand why a customer would thank anyone for asking for ID. It’s not like you are helping them avoid any liability - they have zero liability for the misuse of their card anyway.

I’d bet at least 20% of our pickup orders that pay with a card are not the person whose name is on the card. It’s their 12 year old kid, their boyfriend/girlfriend, their husband or their wife. What about someone who calls in from work and pays for an order delivered to their house? Or someone that pays ahead on a pickup order?

There are all sorts of situations that would lead to someone not having ID that matches the card.

IMO, bottom line is the only people with liability from a CC transaction is the merchant. And in the end, there is really nothing you can do to limit that liability unless fraud is blatantly obvious and you simply don’t accept the card.
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Customers thank us for checking ID, because (I assume) it shows we actually CARE about illegal credit cards usage. And while it may be true that they have zero liability for the misuse of their card, they do have 100% of the hassle in dealing with it. We also (obviously) do not accept CC’s over the phone. We have not had a chargeback in MANY years - since we started this policy, actually. Why would I stop accepting cards if I couldn’t check ID? If someone wants to tell me how to run my business, they have to buy it first.
 
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royster13:
I think in most cases stopping taking credit cards would bankrupt most businesses…The use of them is just too common place to stop…
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I agree. We are approaching 70% credit card usage vs. around 45%-50% 2 years ago.
 
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Registered Guest:
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royster13:
I think in most cases stopping taking credit cards would bankrupt most businesses…The use of them is just too common place to stop…
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I agree. We are approaching 70% credit card usage vs. around 45%-50% 2 years ago.
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I actually had a day last week that my cash intake was -9 cents after paying out tips. Sales were above average for the day but it all was on the plastic.
 
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smeagol8:
We also (obviously) do not accept CC’s over the phone. We have not had a chargeback in MANY years - since we started this policy, actually.
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Wow. Have to admit, that’s one way of preventing chargebacks.
 
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smeagol8 just curious how much volume you lose by not taking credit cards on the phone…
 
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