Starbucks customer complains to corporate after she's told to show an ID with a $27 credit card purchase

In fairness to Starbucks, I made fairly small purchase at Radio Shack yesterday and they wanted to see my ID, too. (I showed it to them - and didn't file a complaint.) Starbucks' response to the woman was: "Any transaction over $25, we will continue to request identification as is the policy. Since you have indicated that your purchase was over $25 our partners followed the appropriate credit card policy." Read "Starbucks says it's corporate policy to check ID with a $27 credit purchase"

Comments

[Michael Walker]

The problem is that it's a violation of the merchant agreement that any business has with a card company (VISA, Mastercard, etc) to *require* ID.

see point 3 http://consumerist.com/2008/07/10-things-you-might-not-know-about-your-credit-card.html

Starbucks violates that agreement by having that policy. I don't personally mind all that much, but perhaps SBUX should scale the policy down to "ask for ID" instead of "require ID" for purchases over $25.

[waltie]

It's not a policy of which I've ever been made aware, nor have I ever seen it enforced in all my years at Starbucks.

[Killer Kona]

I only ask for ID if the card isn't signed or the customer has put "See ID" in the signature spot on the card. I have never been told to routinely ask for ID for a purchase over $25. The only other time i ask for ID is if a homeless person comes in with a gold AMEX card...it has happened, and yes the card was stolen.

[ash_sk8s]

They cannot require ID unless the card is not signed, or unless the signature on the receipt and the signature on the card do not match. I don't think most companies don't know that though...

[Bill]

Her complaint should be to VISA, let them deal with Starbucks.

As an aside, about 10 years ago I had a Citibank Visa that had my picture and a digital image of my signature on the front of my card.

It was once rejected by my local post office because the handwritten paper sign said "All Credit Cards Must be Signed on Back.

I guess my signature on the front didn't count.

[Karl Dahlquist ~ karldotcom]

Doesnt a business reserve the right to refuse service to anyone? Including sketchy looking people without ID?

[Mark]

I work fro a card issuing bank, and have to deal with alledged fraud all day. If a merchant asks for ID to help prevent fraduelant transactions, I am all for it.

A small inconvienence for much security.

[SeattleShane]

One thing to keep in mind, is that if SBux dosent actually use Visa to process their credit card transactions they are no longer bound by the Visa agreement. I don't know if they do or not, but I used to work for a large retailer (about 5000 stores in the US) that didn't use Visa/MC/AMEX directly and used a 3rd party company. People would complain to me often about this issue and my response would be to advise them to contact the respective company if they wanted to complain to them, but that I still needed their ID.

My problem with this is that if I did the same thing to a customer and told them that they had See ID written on their card so I couldnt take it, per Visa's guidelines, they would yell at me then as well. You just can't win. lol

[MIKE]

I hate when they ask for ID....it is a violation of their agreement...even if they use a third party. Many times I carry just my card..no ID. So they have made my food or drink..what..they are going to throw it out? ok...fine...but what I usually do when they ask for ID I sign a fake name on the reciept and protest the charge

[javagirl666]

Thats why shit like this happens...thanks, Mike.

[kartenlegen]

This is so much cool. The envy the courage of the girl.

[Mrs. Tillinghamshackles]

What many people don't realize is that if they don't sign the back of their card, even if they write "See ID", then retailers are supposed to ask for ID, ask them to sign the back of the card, and compare the signatures before running the card. That is the only correct instance to require ID. If they refuse to produce it, service can be refused. But if the card is signed, then you can't ask for ID, no way.

[Name is required.]

Oh for goodness sake. If someone steals your credit card and makes charges w/o id and/or sig being checked, then you're going to complain that SBUX was so concerned about following policy not to check under certain amounts, they forgot to think of the customer.

Come on. When someone steals a credit card, they often go place to place making 25-buck and less charges that don't require i.d. or sig. Who do you think pays for that?

[lb]

What is the the benefit for VISA, Mastercard, etc not to check for ID (over certain amounts, at least). The signature check seems like a waste of time to me. I'm not a handwriting expert, and am I checking the signature on the receipt after the card has already run through (WTF?) or am I comparing it to the sig on their govt issued ID (again, WTF?, why don't I just look at their picture?). The CC policy goes against common sense.

-and any policy that is "ask but don't require" is absurd. It either is required or it isn't.

[Mrs. Tillinghamshackles]

While I think checking ID makes sense, it is also true that that's just not the way things are. The woman is PERFECTLY justified in her anger.

[*eye roll*]

Omg...ridiculous. Are you that lazy that you can't walk to your car to get your ID? The policy is in place to protect you. Dumb.

[John]

This is for the protection of the customer, one question to that stupid lady that complain: If another stupid woman finds your card and walks in to starbucks, then buys 100 worth of whole bean and mugs, would you be ok with them not asking HER For ID?

[SBsmooth]

this isn't a real policy... come on partners prove me wrong... where is it? POS resource manual? Just swipe the damn card and keep your line moving people, sheesh!

[I.Heart.Spirit]

Regardless of the policy...

How can anyone be upset that someone was doing something that potentionally is protecting them?

Even someone above mentioned how the bank or what not will reimburse them... If she was too lazy to walk to her car, I'm sure she'd be more inconvenienced calling to cancel her card and wait for a new one if she ever lost it.

[Mark]

I work for a major credit card issuing bank. I deal with fraud issues every day. There is a HUGE misconception of how a credit card works.

Merchant banks issues accounts to the merchants to process payments. Bank of America, CardService Int., and others process merchhant payments under Visa/MasterCard rules.

The consumer is issued a credit card by any number of banks for the cardmember to use for goods and services.

When you Mr. Consumer go to a store and charge a purchase, the merchant runs the payment through a terminal to verify if you have enough credit to complete the sale. The merchant bank then credits into the merchant's bank the amount of the transaction, less the fees the bank charges (1 to 3% of the total transaction). Your issuing bank then debits your account for the amount of the charge. You then pay your monthly statement.

Visa/MC do not directly issue cards or merchant accounts, the issuing banks operate under their rules. With the prevalence of fraud, requesting ID is a simple way to deter losses to the consumer, merchant and the issuing banks. Visa/MC do not have any specific rules regarding ID requests.

[Shifted]

Maybe the response she received from corporate was just their "nice" way of saying, "this is for your protection, you lazy self-entitled @#$%&, deal with it." I doubt very much anyone will find this policy if they look for it, but it is nice that the partners were backed up for doing the right thing.

[MIKE]

HELLO....VISA has a ZERO liability for charges that your signature does not match.....so it is not protecting YOU(consumer)....and if the retailer on a charge back shows the signature was CLOSE it is not a issue. Most charge backs are on items under 25 dollars because the scammers know the rules, they did not sign so retailer can not collect... Though I am not Sbux---I own 11 franchise stores that take hundreds of transactions a day. Never once have I been denied payment when the signature was close....and we don't ask for ID. Yes, I have had on average 2 a month charge backs on the under 25. Typically I state that I have video...they tell the customer and the scammers "remember" they did buy something....the others get the money back and I lose out...Only 6 times last year out of 10,000+ charges

[Chris]

Having worked chargebacks on the merchant side for years, I'd be happy to ask for ID. I frequently used the phrase, "This is for your security,"

But people want it both ways. They don't want to be inconvenienced by showing their ID, but they would be incensed that some business would use their credit card without checking to make sure it was the real cardholder. This is spoken from direct experience and things my customers have said to me.

For a merchant, t'is better to be safer than sorry.

[Kat]

Personally I am happy when I'm asked for ID, it's not that big of a deal to whip out my drivers license. It's a security check, one that I definitely would appreciate should my card ever get stolen.

[me, myself and I]

If you don't want to risk your ID to be checked, just don't use credit cards. Cash still works in most establishments. Just so you know, in case you forgot.

Some people are too funny, seriously. I don't know how far up it goes, if it is just my district, region or whatever, but we got it in writing to check the ID for all purchases above 100 dollars. We actually have to sign this once a year, usually just before the holiday season.

[Bill]

It isn't for my security. My bank will charge the bad charges back to the bank.

I am offended by the doubklespeak.

[Corvex Corvidae]

I've had it told to me, from both SM and DM, to ask for ID if the purchase if over $25 and if the card has "check ID" or some variation thereof written on the back. I've never once had a customer complain about it... on the contrary, the ones who actually write "check ID" on the card usually thank me for actually bothering to do so. Goddamn.

I would've just swiped the damn thing if the customer was making a scene about it, but I do admire the stones on that partner if she didn't back down. It's ultimately the cardholder that runs the risk.

Jesus H Christ. You'd think we were cavity searching you or something.

[SBsmooth]

POS manual says to ask for ID only when the signature on the receipt does not match what's on the card. Don't know about you but once I hand over the slip to sign I've already given them their card back. I'm not sitting there holding the card and patiently watching to match the signatures. Besides whether the signature matches is entirely subjective. Oh and the manual hasn't been updated since 2006. As everyone knows SBUX changes policies daily but only updates manuals once field partners tell them to.

[Karl Kenya]

It's not a policy. It's a good practice to compare signatures on ALL credit card transactions, but it isn't required by any starbucks policy.

[green_cup]

I love that phrase...

"We're doing this for your security."

Such a slippery, slippery slope.

(Plus, if it's a violation of a merchant agreement and Starbucks has a policy that conflicts with that, that's really more of Starbucks' fault rather than a card merchant. The woman here was completely justified.)

[me myself and I]

I think some people get a little mixed up here. There are two ways of ID check. One is the one we exercise in our stores (well, at least some of us do), which is checking if a picture ID matches the name on the credit card. No notes taken, just a quick look, that's it.
The other one is to actually write down something taken off the ID. I wouldn't like that happening to me at any given store, but just checking if I'm the legitimate card holder shouldn't outrage anyone.
As far as I understand the snippets of the agreements I've seen so far, the second one is the explicitly forbidden one. And that makes good sense to me.

Why anyone, especially the credit card companies, would be against the first check is beyond me.

Oh and to the poster who mentioned nobody gets charged in case of fraud, well, the merchant is out of it's stuff. So you'll pay a premium on your stuff to pay for all the lost credit card transactions. You are aware of that, right?

[Ash]

And you guys wonder why other people hate americans? You are complaining because they check your ID while you spent 5 bucks for a cup of coffee. Unbeliavable, you guys should visit a third world country so you can appreciate all the things you guys have.

[green_cup]

@Posted by: Ash | February 19, 2010 at 01:14 PM

Oh, get off it. It's all relative to one's society's lifestyle and standard of living.

One should not feel bad for spending the money they possess on items they wish to. I could go broke tomorrow handing out every dime I have to help some unfortunate soul out there, but I won't because I wish to have a certain lifestyle that I pay for with the keep I earn and have.

That's not to say I don't write out a few checks to non-profits every year, either.

So get off your high-horse. I'm sure you own something more than the basics yourself. Besides, who needs to visit a third-world nation to see poverty; just head to rural Kentucky.

[Erik]

Some interesting comments here. I never understand why someone would have a credit card but not id with him/her. I have actually heard that one is required to have id at all times, at least in CA. I have no idea if that is true, and maybe that just opens another can of worms. But two specific things:
@Mark - unfortunately, I am more confused after reading your posting. What exactly are Visa/AMEX then? I understand that they are not issuing banks, but if they share the same system, what really is the difference and what exactly do they do?
@Ash - do us all a favor and read Gunter Grass's _Headbirths_. You will then have a better picture of what the rest of us put up with when brownbeaten by someone who has spent just a week in a third world country as part of some misery tour, and then comes back to preach to everyone about it. Folks like you suck the life out of party conversations.

[ICU]

I used to dutifully ask for ID if I saw "see ID" scribbled on the back of the card. But then, one day the guy didn't have it. So I said sorry, can't take it, can you pay with something else? He stormed out, and later I got reamed by my DM for daring to refuse service. Fine, screw checking ID. Holds up the line anyway. Sbux doesn't care about protecting the damn consumer, they just want the money from point A to point B as quick as possible.

[Cranbliss]

Obviously you're not liable when you're credit card is stolen and used... but it's still a huge hassle to go through reporting it, isolating the charges, following up, etc. I'd rather just avoid it all.

My credit cards all say "see ID" and I'm very happy when people ask for it. It's funny though... because it's so inconsistent. My husband and I bought a new TV, $1300 (we charged it to get the reward points on our Visa), and despite it saying "see ID" AND the cashier clearly seeing what it said... we were not asked.

On the flip side, I was once asked in the Wendy's drive thru... purchasing just a small coke. Yes, I COULD have been mad about having to dig out my ID... but I wasn't. It's good to know at least someone is looking out.

[soydork]

you really can't win with people- every time i'm handed a card that says "see ID" (or my favourite, "CID") and i ask, i am greeted with much eye-rolling and huffing, as though i am being ridiculous. there have also been times where i gave up and stopped asking, and was reprimanded by the customer.
what the hell?

[FormerBaristaGo!]

Allowing debit usage would really limit these issues. It's really just not a big deal. Some people will look for any reason to feel righteous indignation after a bad day...

[Barista]

One of our customers works for the government handling credit card fraud.

Little known fact: If you do not sign your credit card, it is technically declared VOID. My roommate works in higher-end sales (minimum sale is $100) and is not allowed to accept credit cards that are not signed

[Mrs. Tillinghamshackles]

It's pretty funny that that is a little known fact considering all cards say "Card is not valid unless signed" on the back.. Oh the world we live in! :P

[Aces of Eight]

I believe the whole "Starbucks is flouting the cardholder agreement thing" holds no water here. Why? Because any merchant can deny anyone service if they want to. Now, Starbucks would have to accept it as per the cardholder agreement, if I believe, the person owed Starbucks money for some reason, for goods and services already rendered and they owed them a debt. However, Starbucks does not take IOU's. So Ummm, I really don't see how Starbucks is breaking any laws or agreements here. And this woman needs to find something way more important to get upset about.

[American finance solution]

I have been searching for a website like this in the field I am interested in. I am a big fan. I was thinking about creating my own blog about similar ideas for like-minded people. Some good ideas here. Thanks, I can only hope mine turns out as good as this one
American finance solution

[Andrew]

First off, the idea of holding steady to policy and refusing customers is completely foreign to me. In my 4 yrs experience, I'm always told to back off policy for customers. Really makes me wonder the purpose of having a policy.

Second, I've never been told to check ID for purchases unless it is a high amount, like 100 or more. And as someone else pointed out, writing "See ID" on your card is actually voiding your card b/c there is supposed to be a signature there and retailers aren't supposed to take it. So I just don't bother when I see it written on cards........SWIPE!

[girl diet]

Role Notion,still itself die careful importance in play sky industrial stock marriage science activity shall design doubt military cultural drawing absence act to authority variety refer without writer existing heavy example relationship over either animal commission daughter law start speak assume must sentence since much confirm spring identify come editor depend division over network end definition until highly feel show hide roof terms project task distinction handle most deputy it lunch tall knowledge circumstance launch quickly trial boy package step right odd off channel dream file enemy current lead myself example station

[Kyitty]

Have you ever heard about sometimes people get checked because there have been a lot bad cards & checks because of thefts and people using them after they were stolen?? It is common practice. The banks and law enforcement agencies are good about asking stores to check ID. Call your local bank or the police dept and ask them if you think I am wrong. Get a life! You would probably be happy as a clam if someone was caught using your ID.

[scoremore]

That is the only correct instance to require ID. If they refuse to produce it, service can be refused...

[erlyn vergano]

Im one of your regular customer , we always order a solo espreso maciato , it so happen today i order a solo espreso maciato in your congressional branch one of your barista name jaela made my espreso , instead of of espreso maciato she gave me a espreso with weapcream which is is not may order , and she said ganyan ang espeso maciato namin i told her that im a regular cutomer of starbucks kaya alam ko ang order ko , at sinabi ko sa kanya kung pano gawin ang espreso maciato ko and she ask the other barista at sinabi sa kanya na foam lang ang espreso maciato . at yun pa ang ang basita ang nag sorry sa aking pero yun jaela parang galit pa at tinalikudan ako.

[Tax Attorney]

Thank you for the sensible critique. Me and my neighbor were just preparing to do some research about this. We got a grab a book from our local library but I think I learned more from this post. I am very glad to see such great information being shared freely out there.