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Re: Need RedHat 5.1 CD



On Thu, 8 Oct 1998, Reuven M. Lerner wrote:

> Why?  I called Visa CAL to find out, and discovered something
> interesting:
> 
> The refusal to do business via the Internet doesn't have anything to
> do with how you make the order, per se.  After all, how does Visa know
> whether you ordered via the Internet, phone, fax, or in person?
> 
> >From what the Visa CAL service people told me (and I use the word
> "service" very loosely), each purchase with a Visa card is described
> by a four-digit number.  There's one number for shoes, another for
> books, another for airline tickets -- and another one for Internet
> services.
> 
> So Visa CAL isn't blocking orders via the Internet.  Rather, they're
> blocking orders of Internet-related products!  I told them that this
> was ridiculous, and that I would probably change my card to Visa Alpha
> as a result.  (Little did they know that I had already changed over my
> personal card, and will change over my corporate card in the near
> future.)  
> 
> The service rep got upset with me, and started to tell me that these
> rules were obvious and well-known to Visa CAL customers for a long
> time now.  He didn't understand why I thought their method for weeding
> out Internet payments was foolish, but when he started threatening not
> to allow the payment, I decided to be quiet.

It would be interesting to know if this was a pointy headed bosses
decision to reduce the risk of net-fraud by blocking internet related
purchases. Reminds me of a certain legend about Russia's czar having a
road built that was ruler straight excepting for the loop where his august
finger held the ruler down while drawing the line...

Is it legal to open a bank account abroad and have a VISA card FROM THERE
? I think it is. And please don't publish the IQ of whoever it was who
made that decision, if you find it out. It would put the whole VISA
organisation to shame forever, and the truth may kill a few weak-hearted
people who trust them with their money. 

Peter