Posted 3/24/2005 05:26:00 PM by Douglas

When you make a purchase with a credit card and your signature is required does anyone ever look at it? Perhaps if the charge was disputed, that signature would come under close scrutiny, but we all know the person behind the counter doesn't give a flying flip how or if you sign your name. Well this guy decided to perform an experiment to take the whole "signature required" paradigm to the extreme. I think it's hilarious, but maybe he's got too much time on his hands.

What is particularly infuriating about this is that the credit card companies are ripping off the entire world and we're not doing anything about it. If you have a combination debit/credit card and use it to make a purchase, the retailer is charged a different fee depending on whether you hit the "credit" or "debit" button. . . . for using the same damn card! Debit card transactions charge a flat rate between 75¢ and $1.50, where credit card transactions charge 3% of the sale. Where does this extra 3% come from? Everything you buy is marked up 3% so credit card companies (not the banks issuing them) can make billions of dollars a year for doing virtually nothing. Hardly seems fair.

So sign your credit card receipts "My Butt". Or better yet, don't use it at all.