Are you surprised your vendor has your credit card information stored from last year’s transaction?

  • Team Omega
  • July 1, 2011

This is a funny but true story.  Funny as long as your information has not been misused or compromised.

I deal with a vendor for our show tchotchkes every year.  Recently, I ordered a new design of tchotchkes and when it came to payment time, the vendor said she had all my information.  I was quite impressed since I would not have to repeat my contact information, phone numbers, address and so on.  I assumed that she was sending me an invoice.

Just when I was about to put the phone down, she asked me if the credit numbers can be verified. Verification of credit card numbers? I remembered using a card last year.  I also thought that I had changed the numbers. She repeated the numbers and they were indeed correct.  I have never met this person and now needed to convince her that she would be legally liable if the numbers were ever misused. To begin with, I told her that she was not supposed to write or store numbers anywhere. It was not a good practice to hold mine or any of her other customers’ credit card information.   I explained to her in as simple terms as possible the implications of a misused card.  I think she understood and said would immediately delete any information.  However, I was not completely convinced, so ended up getting a new card immediately.  This was one instance I accidentally came to know about.  I am not sure how many more vendors have such information written or stored on a central database.