Just ordered, for the first time, a watch from Watches of Switzerland. Omega Speedmaster ....the new model.
Just got an e-mail from them saying I am ‘required’ to send them a picture of myself holding a driving licence or passport. What sort of absurdity is this? I’m paying with my credit card, my address is easily checked.
Anyone else been treated like this? I’m not going to co-operate. If they can’t treat me with civility, I will shop elsewhere.
Have you asked them why? Possibly an additional security level ..Money Laundering Regs? I had to scrap my dad's car on Monday and the company collecting it wanted a form of ID in advance of collection..think we emailed a copy of his passport..
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I can’t see what it will achieve.
Any photo showing you and the ID will mean the ID will be un readable,
In addition you can’t detect a fraudulent document in a picture
A totally pointless exercise on their part.
You might as well show a picture of your bus pass
Advise you will send after they provide a photo of the staff member that will be serving you.
I can understand showing ID on the day in person to support a sale.
A simple test. How many TZ members would be happy to have a commercial jewellers possess photos of themselves with private security documents (passport or driving licence). How can you know what might happen to them? Who guarantees their safety? And what happens if they get misused.
Maybe I’m over-suspicious, but it worries me.
It wouldn't worry me but I would just refuse to trade with them. They will only do it if they can. If enough people say no, they will cease the practice.Originally Posted by paskinner
I think this is a very valid point. The seller may be concerned that the buyer could be doing some sort of fraud, but as buyers, how do we know that the seller isn't a fraud, or that we've not stumbled onto some fake copy-cat site or something? When we hear about the avalanche of scams going around these days, the message from authorities is very clear - don't disclose your personal data to anyone you aren't 110% sure of, as any personal info is valuable to fraudsters for ID theft etc. So I'd be very wary of sending a picture of my ID (containing my address, DoB etc) off to some person who may or may not be who they say they are.
I think there are a few sides to this. The anti fraud checking I understand - there are better ways to do it than to send a clumsy email that sounds a lot like or is an ultimatum. That’s poor customer service. It might have been classier to call and explain and to ask you to bring it with you for them to take a look and verify. It’s a shame they emailed you for it - email can feel very blunt.
Then there’s the fact they solicited your business and didn’t tell you about this upfront - again, clumsy and poor service. I think they got you excited for a new watch, as any of us would be, and then threw cold water on it with this rather unfortunate way of dealing with a sensible precaution. I think I’d react badly to that.
Then there’s the question of sending sensitive personal information to a shop, who, we presume, will hang on to it. A frustration of mine with modern life is the need to have an account with everyone and his dog. I want to buy things, I don’t want shops storing my data just to sell me whatever it is I want. Take the order, take the payment, don’t hang on to my details any longer than it takes to send the order and for nothing more than to record a sale. Checking out as a guest is always my way where possible.
Given the numerous stories about companies losing data hand over fist again and again, the less I dish it out, the happier I feel. So to answer your original question - no, I don’t think I’d want a shop having a copy of my passport knocking about.
It may be because you have paid via credit card, I know that if you have a stolen credit card and someone uses it to pay for an item, the transaction will be void (after the card is reported stolen), and the retailer is left empty handed I believe
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I’ve just told them to cancel my order. Absurd and timewasting. As the watch isn’t due for three months they had plenty of time to check my card, identity or address. Register of voters would be a good start. Especially as I’ve been at the same address for years. And had the credit card for years too. They are too lazy to do a proper job.
Last edited by paskinner; 29th January 2021 at 18:44.
I wouldn’t cut your nose off to spite your face without asking why first. If it is just laziness as you put it then fine just cancel, but I’d want to know first. With all the fraud and money laundering going on in today’s world it could well be added security because of that. It could also be that they’ve flagged up something on you that you’re not aware about and it could be in your interest to check your credit to make sure someone’s not up to something. All unlikely, granted, but I’d have asked first.
If the shipping and billing address are the same I don't see why they need that, it's a bit odd. I would probably place an order via Omega directly unless there was a difference in price.
What was the value of the anticipated transaction ?
Probably ML regs and could be for several reasons including nothing to do with you or your purchase.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/.../regulation/27
Can I respectfully suggest you are careful in declining to provide your ID&V information. Be polite and reasonable :)
Last edited by joe narvey; 29th January 2021 at 19:07.
Send them a photo of you in a balaclava with your ID
Seems odd, not seen this on a watch purchase before. My first thought was to wonder if there was a discrepancy between the billing address of the credit card and the delivery address.
Sure you can, in fact image based ID checking software is now more reliable than the vast majority of 'hand held' checks. The exception will be where specialist equipment is used (e.g. RFID chip readers like at airport security).
I agree it's unlikely to be much use in a photo where the person is holding up the ID though, as you'll get a very low res image of the ID itself. Unless the ask was actually to provide a clear photo of the ID plus an addition photo holding the ID, in which case it makes more sense.
just do your business elsewhere.
*send them this pic and tell them you will be buying somewhere else
** who in ther right mind would give someone thier CC number , a photo of themselves and there passport over the net -unless you have been promised a stake in an african gold mine by a prince.
Last edited by pugster; 29th January 2021 at 19:39.
I wouldn’t be happy to send a pic with DL or Passport, seems absurd. Like you’ve said, additional CC checks could be carried out easily- if this was so important to them why not just pick up the phone and explain the reasoning behind it, an email can sometimes put peoples back up, I know it would for me.
Is it even GDPR compliant to request images of someone to purchase a watch? Someone must know.
It’s probably compliant depending on them having a clear policy including safe guards for storing the data. All this will have to be shared with the customer.
Can’t imagine they do or OP would know.
Well done OP for not engaging with this request
It’s in their T&C’s for click and collect
https://www.watches-of-switzerland.c...ck-and-collect
No No No...that's the position you need to assume to get on a ROLEX AD waiting list - the OP is buying an Omega!
Some day the roles will be reversed and these muppets will be jumping through hoops trying to get their sales again.
Got something similar with Chrono24 - after paying by CC to an escrow service - seller would not ship without ID with picture and birthdate. But they did not ask me to take a picture of myself! A bit strange but there you go.
btw - I had a friend pic up a watch for me as I was unable to get to the store (it was a WoS) - I sent them his passport as ID and an email authority - and they were fine with that.. Perhaps a phone conversation with WoS will sort this out Peter?
Martyn
Last edited by MartynJC (UK); 29th January 2021 at 20:07.
Is it?
No mention of taking a picture showing your ID and sending it to them.
I think it's easy to construe one from the other. With their click and collect you have to turn up in person with the card you used to make the purchase and with another form of ID such as a passport or driving licence. With their online purchases (above a certain value I gather) they have your card details and they ask for a picture of you with the same form of id as with click and collect.
You are not alone in this. I saw this on another forum:
“Update: I've cancelled the order! Not because I don't want to look at the watch but, due to having a value over £5000, the retailer have emailed me this morning to ask for photo verification - send a picture of me holding my driving licence/passport to verify. I know most might ask why but it's not something I'm comfortable doing. It annoys me a little as I have bought several pieces from them in the past but hey, these things happen. I phoned to change the order to click and collect at Meadowhall and I will take my documents with me but they still need the photo to do that and process the order to send it to the shop so, I cancelled it. I'll wait for shops to open up and go to try on in store. So, new purchase on hold for the time being. Maybe it'll turn out for the best as I will go and have a day trying on all of my shortlist and then take it from there. It's not like I have no watches to wear!”
FTFO!
Not a watch but I had something similar, when then retailer couldn’t give me satisfactory answers on how they would protect my sensitive data (GDPR) I also declined.
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Could it be because of the current situation people are buying more online and retailers are having to think of new ways to protect themselves?
Granted it probably wont do an awful lot but should the worse happen at least they can say that they took reasonable steps to confirm your identity before sending the watch.
Well, the way I look at it is that a £5000 order involves at least a £1000 in profit....for posting me a box. If they wish to privately do checks, fine by me. But asking me to send photos of private documents is out of order; how do I know where they might end up?
I hope on-line won’t degenerate into a harsh and suspicious culture. I will still buy the watch, but from my local dealer, when he reopens. Never did like chains....
how do you know where your card details might end up? Data protection I believe we call it. There's not an awful lot that someone can do with a photo of a driving licence over and above what they can do with your personal card details. I realise that some people aren't happy handing over details which is fine, in which case wait until the shops reopen.
I’d be worried that my photo holding an id could be used to commit fraud. Not by the retailer, but via a data breach.
It's generally cock-up rather than conspiracy in life. The explanation here may be that, as others have said, they currently require (for comprehensible reasons) photo ID so that the orderer and the person showing up to grab it are the same. And that someone in store has simply, idly, asked the same of you for a different kind of order. Not that that's a justification.
Feck that for a game of soldiers.
If you want my photo you’ll have to arrest me first.
Ridiculous.
I had this issue when I tried to purchase a Bell & Ross from Watchfinder 3 years ago. They wanted me to send a scanned copy of my passport or driving licence after I had paid online via Paypal.
They said it was to help reduce fraud.
Naturally I cancel the order as I didn’t seen the need to jump through hoops like a monkey for a store.
Since when did a retail store have the right / power to request such sensitive personal information of individuals.
Just a thought. Does everyone here expressing concern with sharing ID hand over a passport to a hotel? Travel agencies? Driving licence information to insurance companies?
If the roles are reversed and your compromised cards are used in a fraudulent purchase, would you be happy that these steps by the retailer/bank have prevented the fraudster from purchasing?
You make your choices and cancel the purchase as you see fit, I’m not sure I share the same levels of outrage at what seems a sensible step to validate an expensive purchase.
Sensible comment
Preventing fraud? Really? When I ordered the watch I gave my address and full credit card details. A simple check would have shown that I live at this address, have done so for years and am on the electoral register. A check on the credit card would have shown it as valid and that I’m in good standing,
What’s more, payment isn’t even due for several months, when the watch is actually available.
I’d prefer to deal with a company that shows a bit more respect for customers.
Last edited by paskinner; 30th January 2021 at 03:21.
I think you are missing the point the checks would of course validate the address and credit card but how does the retailer know the person giving the info is the card holder . Clumsy I agree but I think they are trying to confirm the person on the phone actually isn’t a scammer with the info .
Oh so angry ... how to drag a thread with all this rage and indignity over a sensible attempt to control fraud . I see so many pathetic complaints with over used language , outrageous , appalling , disgraceful ... the list goes on . None of those things apply it’s just a request ,if you don’t like then exercise your right as a consumer and jog on to the next retailer to make their life a misery ... Really just because you have a few quid to spend you think you can come on here and rubbish an entire business ?
Odd response - I’d be surprised if anyone with half a brain would comply with such a ridiculous request personally. In this day and age it’s pays to be careful with your ID and data protection. I wouldn’t risk it, if you feel differently that’s up to you. The ‘Having a few quid to spend’ is totally irrelevant.
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Half a brain ... I am not suggesting complying just stop making such a fuss and move on life’s too short for such angst ...
I have exercised my right. By shopping elsewhere. As for making retailers life ‘a misery’ ....how? WOS contacted me, asking if I wanted to reserve a new Speedmaster. I said yes, provided them with my full credit details and address. They then sent me confirmation and said I’d get the watch in three months. No problem at all. Plain and straightforward on both sides.
Only a week later did they contact me with all this stuff about fraud. No mention of it when they solicited my business. Their explanation is that they treat all customers like this. Fine, but I don’t want to be a customer then. Is that ok with you?
It’s fine with me I don’t care what you do ,as I said the best thing to do is exercise your right and purchase somewhere else . My comment was focusing on the level of intensity of opinion about something that you didn’t even comply with . Then come on and galvanise opinions about a business that will then turn away potential customers ... for what end ?
I am not looking for an argument I just don’t understand what drives such aggressively pitched comments over nothing really . If it was your business would you appreciate a quiet constructive comment or a forum based bashing ...? Are times not hard enough for retailers without the public bashing of a policy you don’t happen to agree with .
Just saying ....
Do you think your rage and indignation is a little more profound than the OP’s rage and indignation that you describe?
No rage here just fatigued seeing all the over hyped language over not a lot really ...
Yes a simple check would confirm that someone of that name lived at that address. Not necessarily that they were talking to that person though.
I think some people use online information including photos posted on social media to verify who people are.
I don’t think it’s a lack of respect for the customer to be honest, but obviously some would take the ‘how dare they ask me’ stance.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
I believe the lack of respect is when they inform the customer of the hoop they have to jump after having taken the card and personal details.
When you give your card details, you have mentally purchased the watch. Anything that then stops you from getting it will generate frustration.
They should inform them before, and they should also state the security measures they have to keep the data safe.
If they did that, the customer could choose to purchase from them, or not, and there wouldn't be any cause for any aggravation.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I can see your point but to me it's still like 'who cares?'. It wouldn't stop me buying something I wanted.
By refusing they probably think you have something to hide anyway and feel justified in asking!
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
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