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]