Online retailers requiring identification

one man clan on 15/11/2013 - 10:41

This came up recently in relation to eGlobal maybe? I can't really recall the online seller, but it just happened to me yesterday with JB HiFi.

I ordere the PS Vita deal online after they'd sold out at the nearest store to me. For $4.95 shipping I was pretty happy. About 30 minutes later, I received an email from JB requesting I scan/send them a copy of my drivers licence AND a recent utilities bill. I immediately cancelled my order. One of the major reasons for shopping online is convenience; this is certainly much less convenient than shopping in a B&M store, not to mention the security implications of it.

I expected better from a major retailer, and was quite surprised. Are other major retailers doing this now too?

General Discussion

Comments

  • pax on 15/11/2013 - 10:47

    I sent an email to JB HIFI about this requirement too (awaiting phone call from them).

    It already says as part of their pick up that you will need to present your drivers license, plus credit card used in purchase, if purchased using a credit card. It seems like unnecessary bureaucracy, especially as other vendors can do a billing address check through the card payment processor, and as long as the billing address matches the credit card, and that in turn will match the drivers license, then there should be no issues.

    There doesn't seem to be anything on their website which clarifies their requirement either.

    btw, I have Internet in my name, bank stuff in wife's name and household utils are in the home owner's name, so I am restricted with what I can use.

    Pax

    • c64 on 15/11/2013 - 11:59

      i don't mind them sighting my drivers license to verify i look like my photo and the name on my id matches my card name, but i do object to having to send the copies, which has the potential for identity theft or other abuse.

      and how are they possibly going to verify that the copies of the id and utility bill that you send them are authentic??? image manipulation is trivial.

  • sm007h on 15/11/2013 - 11:33

    Not sure if my information is old, but merchants have to for any fraudulent credit card transactions and so some merchants do check for ID to cover themselves. Never heard a major retailer doing it though.

    • pax on 15/11/2013 - 11:37

      Not a problem with them doing it, but when you need to do it before order completion AND when you pick up the order, then there is an unnecessary duplication of work being done.

      Pax

      • sm007h on 15/11/2013 - 13:43

        I agree with you there, but I can understand where they are coming from. They have a procedure for picking up goods from online purchases which require ID etc (They have had cases of people picking up goods that did not have the authorisation to do so). They have a separate process for credit card transactions.

        Usually big retailers will write a percentage of their total sales off due to fraudulent purchases and shrinkage, but we end up paying for it overall because of this built-in cost. I wouldn't mind big retailers doing this if they end up lowering their prices.

        • one man clan on 15/11/2013 - 14:06

          You'll mind a bit more when someone intercepts/access JB's database and has a copy of your license and a utility bill and your CC details.

    • one man clan on 15/11/2013 - 11:45

      To some extent that's probably true, but JB is a multi-million dollar business and really should have better systems in place. There's just no way I'm going to verify my ID with two forms of identification over email for a $200 purchase. What's to stop Joe Nobody on the other end from using all that information to set up a fake line of credit in my name?

      I'm pretty lax with my personal information online, but definitely balked at this one.

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