Amazon Gift Warning

[susiestar]

Jess wanted to buy an instant download cd from amazon. I chose the gift feature because I don't want to have it on my computer and I refuse to enter financial info on her computer. The gift feature seemed PERFECT, esp as we haven't been able to find the cd in stores around here.

No problem ordering it. She used the email and tried to download it.

It demanded a credit/debit card.

I used their help, which stinks worse than a skunk run over in an Oklahoma August heat wave. You have to search around the help forum or search for the right words to find the contact phone number and other ways to contact them. I finally got to their 'chat' help feature, after spending almost ten min on hold waiting for them to answer the phone.

Their latest software update requires financial info on ALL digital gifts. So if you are going to give your kids a gift of videos, music, or kindle books, they have to have credit card info to download it.

I am just so thankful that this happened with Jess and NOT on a gift we gave to our nephew or Wiz or my parents or inlaws. I would be incredibly embarrassed if they ahd to give financial info to receive a gift, even if they were not charged.

Jess was upset, so was I, an the person on the chat thingy didn't seem thrilled about it either. I cancelled the order and will not be buying the kndle fire I want for a while. I was going to order it on the first, but now I will wait. My biggest problem is that just about every 'avoid identity theft" thing I have seen says that if a gift asks for financial info then it is a red flag that the company was hacked or it isn't really the company you thought it was and they may be trying to steal your info for identity theft. That is what I thought had happened when J first came in asking for the info. Nope. It really was amazon, they just have lost their dang minds.

Anyway, I thought I would pass this on in case you were thinking about sending music, books or whatever to your kids, family, friends, whatever in the near future.

 

[nerfherder]

There has been at least one incident reported on the Techdirt website where a customer lost access to her digital purchases because her card expired. So yeah.

Now a kindle is still a good tool, if you simply download from other sites, use Calibre to convert and/or assist in stripping DRM coding, and just never hook said Kindle up to the Web.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Thanks for reminding me of all the reasons why I do NOT purchase on the net.
I buy goods I can pick up and carry, from bricks-and-mortar stores... yes, I will mail-order, but...
Virtual goods?
Not me.

I'm just a tech-head. What the blanketty do I know. Except... I do NOT trust other tech-heads.

 

[Lothlorien]

I was given a long explanation regarding this too. If Missy wants to purchase anything, even if she has $$$ on Amazon gift card, they HAVE to have a legit CC# on file. Their reasoning is because they have to know that you are legally able to purchase in the United States and that you are not trying to buy something out of the country. ??huh?? First off, when you register your kindle, it lets them know where you are at the time. Secondly, my son has an ipod and as long as he has $$$ on his iTunes gift card, he can buy whatever he wants. What I do for Missy's account, is that I put the card on when she buys something, then I immediately delete it. She's gone over her gift card amount and fortunately didn't cause me to bounce a payment. I also have a new app on there that only allows her access to the apps that I pick for her. It locks everything else out on the kindle unless I put my code in. Why can't I put paragraphs in this post?????

 

[susiestar]

Having seen my kids and husband hack through those programs that make you think you have deleted the info, from many different systems and programs designed to not let them get that info, I have an unbreakable rule that I will NEVER allow my kids to have our credit, debit, or any financial info on their computers. I trusted those things the wy you do, Loth, and even my non-techie child was able to get around them all on a consistent basis regardless of how 'secure' the program or system was/is supposed to be. It is one thing to use it on MY computer for MY purchases. I am the only one who uses my computer, ever. I didn't want the cd on my system because then each time she wants to put it on another card, mp3 player, whatever, it becomes something I get pestered over.


I can purchase digital books at B&N as gifts with-o having the giftee have to give financial info. Ditto many other companies.

This is NOT info they need to know you are a US citizen or where you are. in my opinion it is just an attempt to get info so that they can sell it and can send you spam, oh I mean ads. Their customer service has gone down substantially over the last few years and I am seriously rethinking the kindle fire that I want. I love husband's, but am not sure I want to ahve to deal with amazon. And that makes me sad because they often have some really great deals. If they reverse this, I will see.

I could maybe see asking for your info to be verified if you have had problems with your account with them, payments that bounced or you challenged a lot of charges. But to ask someone who is receiving a gift to give them your info? Out of line, rude, and I bet I am not the only parent of a tween/teen who refuses to give a credit card payment over the teen's computer or whatever. It is simply to easy to 'undelete' that info, and it takes a simple google search or two and you find directions to walk you through the undelete process.

 

[DammitJanet]

Well I dont have anyone else using my computer and I may see how this would work with my Nabi tablet considering I would have to buy the product then switch the app or book over to the child's section but my info would be only be on the parents part. The kid doesnt have my password so I dont see how they could get to my information.

 

[Lothlorien]

Susie, So true.....simply rebooting the system is the way they get around it, but that's why I delete my cc info after she/we make purchases....just in case she does that. My son has figured that out, but he's a different kid. She's the sneaky and impulsive kid.

 

[InsaneCdn]

teens are different animals

Ain't THAT the truth... especially when it comes to technology!