I wouldn't have believed this...

[RitaZ.]

if it hadn't happened to me.

Here is the story...

I had a credit card with Macy's. That's past tense because I cancelled my account earlier today. Last week, I made a large purchase, which triggered a security alert on my account. I have had this happen to me before with our bank. They always call our house and our cell phones to get confirmation that we indeed made the purchases. I actually do appreciate it when this happens because it prevents any possible fraudulent charges on my accounts.

Anyway, I tried to make two purchases online with my Macy's credit card and they were declined. I figured that it was related to that large purchase, so I called Macy's. Sure enough, the rep confirmed that was the case. I was asked for the CVV on the back of the card and other personal information. No problem.

Then, the weirdness begins... I was asked a series of "security questions" to make sure that the card was in the possession of the right person. Now, these were not your typical "security" questions and definitely a first for me. It was a multiple choice test. The first question was about car ownership. I was given 4 choices of vehicles and had to choose the one that I had owned or currently own. Ok, I identified our van. Then, the rep asked me what year. In retrospect, I should have stopped answering the questions at that point, but I didn't. The next question was about addresses in which I've lived in the past (no time limit on that) or currently live at. I was given 4 different addresses to choose from and there was a 5th choice for none of the above. I didn't recognize any of the addresses given, so I chose none of the above. Then, I was asked the final question. I was given 4 phone numbers to choose from and identify the one that I've had in the past or currently have. There was a 5th choice for none of the above. I didn't recognize any of the numbers, so I chose #5. Then, the rep places me on hold. She comes back on the line and tells me that their credit card security department will contact me in 3 days and I can't use the card. So, it's obvious that I didn't pass "the test". I told the rep how ridiculous their "security" process was to decent customers like myself. She apologized profusely, but that was that.

After hanging up, I realized how ridiculous that whole process was. Here I'm, a decent and responsible customer, being treated like a criminal. Yes, I understand the purpose behind it, but their process is flawed. Evidently, "the computer" knows more than I do about my own life. I'm not certain how they went about retrieving my information, probably through credit checks. We know how reliable they can be.

Anyway, I don't need the aggravation. I don't need their credit card. So, I called back and cancelled the card. The rep told me that if I had waited 24 hours, I could have called back to answer a different set of questions. What a privilege!

[SandiH]

That's absolutely ridiculous!!! Good for you for canceling the card.

[Snow_White]

I would have done the same thing. Security is a good thing; DUMB security is a bad thing.

[lovetoscrap]

Geez! I still get freaked out when Dominos Pizza knows who I am, my address and my usual order the second they pick up the phone! I don't know what I would have done with all those questions.

[Tink_Or_Belle]

I got asked those security questions when I applied for a credit card recently... they told me that I missed 2 ... well one was in 1996 you had an auto loan from ford credit what was your monthly payment A B C or D ...

ok they don;t realize they are asking what a car payment was 11 years ago to someone who sometimes forgets what she had for lunch the day before.

another asked who financed my 1st homeloan... well I answered the people we pay now but the answer I guess must have been who we got the loan from before the 3 times it was sold to other banks.

I better get a copy of my credit report so I can know about my past

[Buckalew11]

I would not have believed it if it hadn't been you either! That's just crazy!!

Hope you can find (somewhere else) what you found at Macy's.

[Aimeedyan]

That is NUTS! Last time I looked at our credit report, there was wrong info on it. I'd fail if someone asked things off that!

Good for you for canceling!

[Charade]

We have a Macy's card and when I went to add my dfi to my account, they asked me very similar questions. One that was about my ex wife!!!

[RitaZ.]

Like I said, I've never heard of anything like this before today. When I told DH about it, he was in disbelief.

If Macy's objective is to lose customers, then they're on the right track.

[LadyZolt]

Don't answer any stupid questions -- I would have been mad to be asked things like that. You're trying to spend YOUR money, after all. Sounds like Macy's doesn't want it. Their loss!

Now, go out and get yourself an American Express card. I've had one for over 20 years -- if I lose it, they replace it within 24 hours. If something is charged on it and it wasn't by me, I don't pay. It covers things you do buy so if it breaks the next day, they replace it. When my DH was a rescue medic in the Coast Guard in Alaska and went out on an emergency flight to rescue someone, the weather was so bad they had to land in Anchorage -- and he'd left his wallet back at the base. At the hotel to spend the night, he had nothing -- not any ID or money or anything. He called AmEx, they asked him his name and what address the bill is sent to, and then got the desk clerk on the phone and covered DH's hotel stay and food for the night. And Macy's accepts AmEx, so you can order whatever you want.

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

[Cool-Beans]

I had the same run-in with the Disney Visa people. I flunked, too. I had no idea what the # of our P.O. Box for the family business was. I got it straightened out the next day, but when the damned cardholders can't pass their stupid tests, they've moved from being "secure" to insane.

[Traveliz]

Those are the same questions they ask when you get your free credit report online - I had trouble with a couple of the questions too.

Liz

[kctwinmommy]

I had to go through that multiple choice thing too when I applied for a card recently. I got a CC for The Children's Place about 2 months ago, but I have a fraud alert on my identity due to my new social security card being lost in the mail. I tried to apply online, but then got some message code that said I had to call to complete the process.

Now, this is just me, but I didn't mind them going through the series of questions. There are so many ways to get your information these days, so I was glad that they were being extremely cautious in issuing a new CC in my name.

[RitaZ.]

OMG! This is insane. I didn't know this was so common.

I've never been a fan of Macy's. They bought Burdines here in FL and their stores just haven't been the same. They stopped carrying brands that I really liked. My mom is the one that talked me into getting a Macy's credit card to get the extra savings when they have big sales. I mostly bought clothes for my boys. I don't carry a balance on the card. They simply don't care about losing my business. I don't care to give them any more of my money.

[PeterPanette]

What is up with Macy's? I just heard on Clark Howard last week, how Macy's sold their credit card customer list to Citibank. Accounts that had been paid off / closed for years and years. Then Citibank takes it upon themselves to automatically send each of those customers a new Citibank Visa! Without the customer's knowledge or permission! Aside from the security risk of sending a fully viable credit card through the mail to an address that may not be current after all these years, there are the credit concerns. Whenever a new account is opened, it drags your credit rating down for a while. Then, when you close the account, it brings your credit rating down temporarily. What are these folks supposed to do? I would be so angry!

I know how you feel about the strange questions, OP. We just opened a new checking / savings with a new bank. I had to answer a set of very unsettling questions in order to, in their words, prove that I was who I said I was. I had to give them the birthdate of my ex-husband, and choose the correct address of 2 different people, unrelated to me, whom I hadn't heard of or thought about in years! I was mildly freaked out, imagining what kind of bizarre FBI file they must have on me.