Really poor experience ordering from the forum store

[astroshotit]

HI all, wanted to share my experience trying to order something from the forum store. I have not had a a great experience trying to order some badges from the kdmwarehouse.com site.

As a birthday gift, my fiance wanted to order some new genesis badges for my G70, as my oem ones are flaking and not looking great these days. I wanted these badges, which my SO ordered: Glossy Black or Carbon Fiber Style Genesis Wing Badges and Emblems (All Generations)Generation 2 Glossy Black w/Dark Center

However, this is where it went downhill. First, she received an email saying that the purchase was flagged as fraud, and she would need to send a picture of the credit card AND a photo of her driver's license to prove she is the actual cardholder. We're in the middle of a move however, and her driver's license address doesn't match the name on the card, so they asked for a utility bill instead.... we haven't received a utility bill yet and won't until probably next month.

It's been super frustrating just to get these items purchased. Worst yet, they already charged the card, which to me sounds like the payment DID in fact go through, which makes the above story from kdmwarehouse not as credible to me.

Wanted to share my experience with everyone so you were aware. I feel like in 2024 this should be something most businesses would have figured out. Super frustrating.

edit by admin: My response

 

[Alfer]

Hope you didn't send any pictures of a credit card OR DL. Smells very fishy.

 

[Jhon]

Did you call, text or email Sal about this?
This site is on the up and up, and yours if the first complaint I have seen.
Some times, things do go wrong, but give the people a chance to fix it.
Hope it all works out for you.

 

[astroshotit]

Thanks, Jhon and Alfer. I'm hoping there was a bug in the system or part of the story I was missing so we can get the issue resolved.

 

[EdP]

HI all, wanted to share my experience trying to order something from the forum store. I have not had a a great experience trying to order some badges from the kdmwarehouse.com site.

As a birthday gift, my fiance wanted to order some new genesis badges for my G70, as my oem ones are flaking and not looking great these days. I wanted these badges, which my SO ordered: Glossy Black or Carbon Fiber Style Genesis Wing Badges and Emblems (All Generations)Generation 2 Glossy Black w/Dark Center

However, this is where it went downhill. First, she received an email saying that the purchase was flagged as fraud, and she would need to send a picture of the credit card AND a photo of her driver's license to prove she is the actual cardholder. We're in the middle of a move however, and her driver's license address doesn't match the name on the card, so they asked for a utility bill instead.... we haven't received a utility bill yet and won't until probably next month.

It's been super frustrating just to get these items purchased. Worst yet, they already charged the card, which to me sounds like the payment DID in fact go through, which makes the above story from kdmwarehouse not as credible to me.

Wanted to share my experience with everyone so you were aware. I feel like in 2024 this should be something most businesses would have figured out. Super frustrating.

What should they figure out? That credit card fraud exists?
Two possible scenarios. One, the credit card flagged it for some reason.
The other is that somehow your transaction did not go to the store but was snagged by a thief. Happens every day.
Rather than bash the business, why not contact Sal to see what the real problem is. Many here have bought with no problem.

 

[astroshotit]

What should they figure out? That credit card fraud exists?
Two possible scenarios. One, the credit card flagged it for some reason.
The other is that somehow your transaction did not go to the store but was snagged by a thief. Happens every day.
Rather than bash the business, why not contact Sal to see what the real problem is. Many here have bought with no problem.

Hey EdP, thanks for the reply. I'm not sure who Sal is, but if he's affiliated and would be a good resource to resolve this, I'd be more than happy to chat about it. Considering the store is advertised here and is "part" of the forum, I was hoping that someone here could help us get this sorted.

 

[Jhon]

Hey EdP, thanks for the reply. I'm not sure who Sal is, but if he's affiliated and would be a good resource to resolve this, I'd be more than happy to chat about it. Considering the store is advertised here and is "part" of the forum, I was hoping that someone here could help us get this sorted.

Sal is the owner of "Genesis forums" and KDM Warehouse He runs the show.
He will probably be in touch soon.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Each order I receive is given one of three fraud ratings:
- Low
- Medium
- High

The processor processes an order and charges the buyer's card.

If I receive either a medium or high notice of potential fraud, I need to verify that the actual card holder is the person making the purchase. Not somebody who found a wallet and decided to place an order. Fraud is extremely rampant these days. As proof of credit card ownership, in these cases, I require the following:

- A picture of the driver's license (the photo of the driver can be covered - and even the driver's license number can be covered) showing the same name and address as where the package is to be shipped.
- A picture of the credit card being used showing the last four digits of the card number used to place the order.

All of this is information I already have as the seller. The last four digits of the card (I don't see the rest) and the billing/shipping address for the order.

In this case, my assistant contacted the buyer with the following message:

Good morning! And thank you for the order, which is ready to ship. The payment processor has flagged this order for potential fraud. As a protection measure for you, the buyer, they're requiring us to ensure that the credit cardholder is the individual making the purchase - not somebody else.

If you’d like to continue with this order, a picture of your driver's license matching the name and billing address is needed (the photo of you can be covered) along with a picture of the Discover credit card you used showing the same name as the driver's license and last four digits, which should be [removed for this message].

If you prefer not to provide these details, we will be forced cancel the order. I do apologize for the inconvenience, but these are necessary steps with rampant fraud...

Danielle C at
KDM Warehouse dot com

P.S. Please note that we don't make these determinations on our own. There's a system within the processor that flags orders that may be fraudulent. In order to remain in good standing with the processor, which is an absolute must, we need to record the requested information in the event of a fraud claim. We strongly dislike doing this, but we must do it. It is a necessary evil.

In this instance, when our customer would not provide the requested photos because their driver's license did not match the address on their order after a recent move, we asked for a utility bill with the same name as the order and the delivery address. Again, not asking for any information we didn't already have.

Danielle made the following responses in the rest of the conversation - and hopefully it brings clarity to why we do this.

Yes, I will go ahead and cancel/refund the order. But please do understand that when a credit card processor suggests an order may be fraudulent, and we refuse to take the recommended action to protect the card holder, our reputation with the processor is damaged if a fraud claim is presented.

We don’t enjoy wrecking relationships before they begin, but this is a necessary evil these days. It’s a difficult predicament to be put in…

Thank you very much for this input. I am adding this to my notes so that we can more clearly understand the concerns of our customers. And we do really appreciate people giving us a shot as we’re not exactly the oldest name in the game.

To better explain, the processor charges the card when the order is placed. However, it also provides us a warning. More or less: “Hey. We charged the customer’s card but we’d like YOU to ensure that the person who placed the order isn’t somebody who simply found a wallet and placed an order”.

The credit card processor is happy to charge the card and earn their fee - but they leave the legwork to prove we’re doing the right thing (ensure the credit card holder placed the order) to us.

I'd like to know if other people feel this equates to a really poor experience. I'm always open to suggestions on how to improve processes. If anyone has any constructive criticism or ways where this process can be improved, please let me know.

 

[astroshotit]

Thanks for the response, Sal. I appreciate the insights into the relationship between processor and business.

It certainly felt like a strange ask at the time considering the online shopping we do on that card, and this is the first time we’ve ever encountered an ask for driver’s license info or utility bills.

To close the loop with readers on this issue, we cancelled the order and re-submitted with my card, and also sent a photo of my driver’s license just in case the issue came up again to prevent this from popping up. I made the payment through PayPal instead of their payment processor (manually inputting card info) for purchase protection from PayPal and so PayPal could independently verify it was a legitimate transaction.

I’m looking forward to receiving the product when it arrives.

Thank you again Sal for the response.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Thanks for the response, Sal. I appreciate the insights into the relationship between processor and business.

It certainly felt like a strange ask at the time considering the online shopping we do on that card, and this is the first time we’ve ever encountered an ask for driver’s license info or utility bills.

To close the loop with readers on this issue, we cancelled the order and re-submitted with my card, and also sent a photo of my driver’s license just in case the issue came up again to prevent this from popping up. I made the payment through PayPal instead of their payment processor (manually inputting card info) for purchase protection from PayPal and so PayPal could independently verify it was a legitimate transaction.

I’m looking forward to receiving the product when it arrives.

Thank you again Sal for the response.

Thank you. I do appreciate your trust and patronage. For this order, there was no medium or high warning - so all went smoothly. Your order ships today. Have a great day and a wonderful week ahead!

Sincerely,

Sal C.

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