Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 (Tek) 9/26/83; site orca.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!decvax!ucbvax!ucbcad!tektronix!orca!andrew
From: andrew@orca.UUCP (Andrew Klossner)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re:
Message-ID: <690@orca.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 8-Mar-84 22:20:57 EST
Article-I.D.: orca.690
Posted: Thu Mar  8 22:20:57 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 14-Mar-84 07:47:45 EST
References: <512@psuvm.UUCP>
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR
Lines: 33


	"I recently used my credit card to order some HiFi equipment
	for a friend. In order to avoid the trouble of lugging the
	equipment over to his place I tried to have the Mail order
	store ship it direct to my friend's address.

	"This apparently is not possible. The merchandise has to be
	shipped to the registered address of the card- holder and no
	other. In fact it has to be the billing address. However, I do
	get the feeling that if a thug (person with questionable
	morals) and a business connive, it would perhaps be possible to
	charge goods illegally."

This may very well be the stated policy of the merchant and of the bank
carrying your charge card, but it is not implemented.  The bank will
not tell the merchant what a cardholder's address is, or even verify an
address.  The most the bank will tell a merchant is whether or not a
charge of $xxx can be levied against card number yyy, expiration date
mm/yy.  Period.  If the charge bounces, they won't even tell you why.

Therefore, all you have to do is simply not tell the merchant that the
shipping address differs from the billing address.  When placing an
order over the phone or by mail, they have no way to check.  Of course,
when you place an order in person, a conscientious merchant might check
your ID, but if you're buying a HiFi in person you're probably going to
carry it with you rather than have it shipped.

As to my bona-fides:  I've been running a low-volume mail-order house
for three years (taking consistent losses ... good for my tax
situation), and have accepted over a hundred credit card charges by
phone and mail.

  -- Andrew Klossner   (decvax!tektronix!orca!andrew)      [UUCP]
                       (orca!andrew.tektronix@rand-relay)  [ARPA]