I am trying to order from UDC in the US. I am in Australia.
Today I received an email requesting my credit card details, photo id, a signature and a short statement be faxed to them as a “security” precaution. Is this normal? It does not seem very secure to be sending such sensitive information to be printed out on a machine where anyone walking past could see it.
They have not given me a fax number nor can I find one on their website. I am not suggesting this is a scam. Surely there must be a more efficient way of doing business.
You want to buy the item or not? They are asking for an Email and a Fax. What is so inefficient about that?
You are worrying about close to nothing. Have you not ever used your CC in person somewhere and signed your name on a slip? You are worrying about a small reputable company that has been in business for 10+ years.
Its actually pretty common for overseas purchases to have higher security requirements. International mail order fraud is a big problem and fraudulent purchases are not easy to pursue when it’s overseas. Many small mail order companies will not even do overseas orders.
Why not contact them with your concerns? Perhaps you can give some info, like your CC over the phone if that makes you feel better, and fax/email the other requested items.
Anyway ultimately it’s up to you to decide if you want to meet the requirements. I don’t think they are that outrageous or the information that ‘sensitive’ given that you most likely use your CC in all kinds of transactions.
It sounds suspicious to me. If anything, break up the information in separate posts/faxes. Don’t fax the stuff that doesn’t need to be faxed; it can be sent by email. But first, get confirmation from somebody there that this is what they require. Make sure the communication is coming from someone @unicycle.com and not some other email address.
Why are you ordering from Unicycle.com USA and not Unicycle.com Australia or Unicycle.com NZ? I ordered from USA just before the NZ one came online and I was stung by massive tax, shipping and importing fees, and I had to register myself with customs as an importer. I’m not sure if that was to do with the cost of goods I purchased- maybe that is why.
The guys at Unicycle.co.nz have been very helpful for me when I have wanted things I’ve seen on other countries websites- Unicycle.com and Unicycle.co.uk and they have done special orders every once in a while.
Surely they have a secure method of entering your credit card stuff that isn’t via email. Good luck if you end up doing your own importing thing.
NZ has a smaller export economy than Australia, importing $100 worth of consumer goods does more damage to NZ’s economy than the same amount being imported to Australia. That is why the government would try to deter people from importing by putting a large tax on imports. I am happy to pay for the shipping, the cost quoted seems reasonable.
I thought it would be easier to order from UDC USA as the product I wanted was on their website, all I would need to do is enter my delivery address and cc details (which I did). I did not see anything on the site regarding further
proof being required prior to ordering.
