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From: chk%alias%csri.toronto.edu@alias.uucp (C. Harald Koch)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Quirk With "The Universal Card"
Message-ID: <6353@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 12 Apr 90 17:58:22 GMT
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Reply-To: "C. Harald Koch" <chk%alias@csri.toronto.edu>
Organization: Alias Research Inc., Toronto ON Canada
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 251, Message 3 of 10


In article <6210@accuvax.nwu.edu> TELECOM Moderator writes:

>[Moderator's Note: Probably the customer service representative was
>'so haughty' because they perceived they were dealing with still
>another in the growing number of people who mistakenly believe the
>credit grantor *has* to give them credit no matter what. Credit
>grantors are entitled to set any criteria they please -- save certain
>illegal criteria -- and your options are to meet their criteria or do
>without their credit. Credit is a privilege, not an automatic right;
>and provided all applicants must meet the same requirements, there is
>no unlawful discrimination; i.e. you have no valid complaint. You
>chose not to identify yourself to their satisfaction.  PT]

[ While this does not have direct bearing on telephones, it is an
issue that has been brought up here a few times now. ]

In Canada it only legal to require a SIN (Social Insurance Number) for
things involving taxation or benefits from Revenue Canada (Canada
Pension Plan, Unemployment Insurance, etc). It is illegal to require a
SIN for any other purpose, including all credit applications (although
most companies have a SIN box on their forms).

I am not sure about the legality of requiring a social security number
for identification in the US, but for credit it is most certainly
unecessary and 'immoral'.

While I agree that a credit grantor does not have to give credit, they
certainly must have just cause to refuse you credit. If they do not
have a good reason, (and not giving your number is not a good reason)
then they are practicing discrimination, which I am lead to believe is
discouraged in the US... :-)


C. Harald Koch                        Alias Research, Inc., Toronto ON Canada
chk%alias@csri.utoronto.ca      chk@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu      chk@chk.mef.org