The Daily Ping

Somehow, Ryan has written over 1 million Pings; Paul, just 60.

May 1st, 2010

Convenience or security? You can’t have both.

I’m not quite sure what I think about some stores’ policy of not making you sign a credit card receipt if the charge is less than a certain amount.

For instance, at Target, I think the limit is $25. I get thrown for a loop every single time (even though most of our purchases are under that amount, so I should be used to it by now) and pick up the pen, ready to sign. I mean, it’s nice in one respect… I can pay really super fast and get on my way. But on the other hand, doesn’t that make it really, really easy for someone to use a stolen credit card at Target over and over and over again without even getting questioned?

Similarly, many merchants (apparently) don’t require a PIN or a signature for debit card purchases under $25 which just seems batshit insane to me. It’s a debit card! With money coming right out of someone’s account!

Thoughts?

Posted in Consumer Commentary

COD May 2, 2010, 1:13 pm

The electronic signature systems tend to get so squirrelly so quickly that it becomes all but impossible to sign with anything resembling your actual signature. So I’m not sure it really matters. I’ve given up trying. I just scribble a line and click ok.

What is this then?

The Daily Ping is the web's finest compendium of toilet information and Oreo™® research. Too much? Okay, okay, it's a daily opinion column written by two friends. Did we mention we've been doing this for over ten years? Tell me more!

Most Popular Pings