blue check, really? other options.

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RoseB

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scroll above and you'll find that i stated as much. suppliers running through blue check for age verification have no control over their policies. my experience sucked and neither blue check nor oasis vapes have made any motions to change my mind concerning either one of them, or any suppliers choosing blue check for age verification purposes. not a big loss for them and neither for me. but, i'd be interested to see how many other vapers have been tormented by the age verification process only to have been turned away or missed out on a sale they wanted to get in on. most transactions will no doubt be just like your's, but not all.
Just sharing my experience. I can see where the experience could be a royal pain in the rear. Hopefully it all gets sorted out.
 
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dperino

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and i appreciate it. the present blue check system may change over time and if it does i may change my mind. until then, i see no reason to throw my business in their direction, or to suppliers who use their services. from my perspective--especially given my experience--blue check is an early symptom of a much larger problem that's in the process of metastasizing. suppliers have been forced to change their business models, but not in a way that benefits vapers. they're going to have to figure out for themselves how to survive, but by rationalizing .... customer service they're going to discover increasingly more vapers going the diy route (and more overseas orders being placed as well), and customer loyalty will erode as a result. not all, but people considering the switch from analogs will also be discouraged from doing so because of the invasive nature of blue check's age verification process. the feds did a bang up job with the dinning regs.
 

Eskie

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I hope people aren't stupid enough to give out their SS#, even the last 4 digits.
Decoding Social Security Numbers in One Step
China gets all my money from this day going forward.

You realize that the request for the last 4 numbers of your SS # is part of the lookup validation to assure you're the correct John Doe, and already have access to that information?
 

skoony

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I for one will buy products I like from vendors no mater what age verification they
use. MY state ID has magnetic strips to read it. In the future a simple USB card reader
will probably interface with online vendors via your computer. It's the wave of the future
as the economy transitions to paperless cash system. I noticed this summer all the street
food vendors (even the hot dog cart) are accepting credit and debit cards using their
cell phones with card readers. There is no reason this technology can not be used for
ID's and work over the internet.

I am surprised that all online purchasing regardless of product doesn't already require
a valid ID.
Regards
Mike
 

Str8vision

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The company has been around for a couple of years. Unfortunately, the FDA is requiring proof of age before you can purchase online. So either you mail in a copy of your license to verify proof of age, or you're going to have to start putting up with online verification companies. Personally, I'd rather do it all online rather than sending a copy of my license.

I've been making NET for years and purchase the tobacco its made with from several online retailers here in the U.S. Most of these retailers use age verification services like "Veratad" that are so inconspicuous and discreet customers don't even realize their age has been verified for the purchase. I don't mind my age being verified for an online purchase, but "do mind" submitting unnecessary sensitive personal data to -small online vendors- to accomplish it.
 

Str8vision

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blue check states you only need to be verified one time and then you can purchase product from any vendor using their service. i'm still waiting for a reply in my case but doubt seriously that i'll receive one. because i haven't ordered anything using veritad i'm not sure, but i think i should check that issue out.

Information about Veritad from one of the retailers I've been doing business with for over a decade;

How does Veratad’s Age Verification work?
Veratad’s AgeMatch Age Verification services use multiple trusted data sources containing billions of public records to return an age validation based on the personal information you submit. This service is specifically designed to validate and protect your identity while maintaining the highest level of consumer privacy when processing online transactions.

What happens if I cannot be verified by the Age Verification process?
A small percentage of shoppers may not be verifiable due to limited availability of publicly available information in the age verification databases. If this happens, we will attempt to contact you via phone and email to verify your age. We typically require a copy of your driver’s license or some other form of government issued ID that verifies your date of birth.

I had no problem being "verified" without submitting an ID or any other sensitive data, of course I'm old and likely have -tons- of data floating around in public records so was easy to verify. I don't remember ever providing any information other than that required when originally opening the account with the retailer; name, address, phone#, date of birth and etc.. YMMV
 

mattiem

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I just tried to place an order and when it insisted on me posting my cell phone number I backed out of it. Said it needed to send my a verification code to be entered on the next step. I have never given out my cell number on-line and NEVER will. I get enough spam calls on my land line. I don't want them to get started on my cell. An option for sending/receiving the info needed by e-mail wasn't an option. Guess my on-line vape shopping just got stopped in its tracks :facepalm:
 

dperino

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if age verification processors, like blue check and veritad, require that some vapers provide a second government id then the purchaser looks to have a hard decision to make. looking up reddit ama's i notice that oasis vape provides customers with the alternative of not using blue check and just faxing/emailing a pic (face and id), because i wasn't aware of this option i don't know if this is still the case. going the direct route, instead of through a third-party, seems reasonable to me (as long as no other info is required such as an ssn). i don't have a beef with age verification. hell, we've been submitting to it for years in the case of tobacco and alcohol. but asking for other pertinent info beyond a state-issued id takes it to another level that i am not prepared to take, and doubt if i will ever be.

most important is there didn't seem to be a thread here (or at any of the other vapers' forums for that matter) addressing age verification. it's an important issue given that it only came about due to the new regs in texas that apparently forced online vendors to apply age verification for all transactions (not required for those living outside of the country). we can at least agree that its a necessary evil, but i also think that we have to decide for ourselves what it is that we are willing to go through in order to purchase product.

mattiem- have you considered getting a google voice account to use as a secondary number in this instance?
Str8vision - as far as age goes, i'm collecting rust as well. but consider what your reaction would have been had you been required to go through all of the other motions of proving age (which is exactly what i to do regardless of the fact that i'm 60).

the point is, these issues need to be discussed, and i'm glad to see there are a few willing to do so.
 
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mattiem

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clipped..
mattiem- have you considered getting a google voice account to use as a secondary number in this instance?
Str8vision - as far as age goes, i'm collecting rust as well. but consider what your reaction would have been had you been required to go through all of the other motions of proving age (which is exactly what i to do regardless of the fact that i'm 60).

the point is, these issues need to be discussed, and i'm glad to see there are a few willing to do so.
That was suggested to me on another thread and if I find that I really need something I will check it out. Thank you.
 

Str8vision

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......there didn't seem to be a thread here (or at any of the other vapers' forums for that matter) addressing age verification.

Not surprising since federal age verification requirements for vaping has only been in effect four days. As more and more people encounter difficulties, threads like this one will begin populating the forums.



......Str8vision - as far as age goes, i'm collecting rust as well. but consider what your reaction would have been had you been required to go through all of the other motions of proving age (which is exactly what i to do regardless of the fact that i'm 60).

Personally, I won't jump through hoops to prove age, wouldn't go to the trouble of creating a redacted pic of my drivers license and will never provide my S.S.# to anyone online. I'm familiar with online age verification services/methods because I've been purchasing tobacco online since it became available to do so. I've -never- been asked to provide any unusual or sensitive information from any online tobacco retailer so I know age verification can be accomplished without submitting a S.S. #, drivers license or cell #. Vape vendors who choose to require those items simply won't get any of my business. I can only take this rigid stance because I knew this type of nonsense was coming and prepared accordingly. +1 for stockpiling. One of the many advantages of having spent years learning how to become totally "self sufficient" while also stockpiling all the liquid nic and gear I'd ever need -BEFORE- the deeming went into effect. If I don't like the requirements, restrictions, prices, taxes or any other aspect of a purchase I can just void it. There's absolutely -nothing- I must obtain in order to continue vaping for the next few decades except 18650 batteries which I buy from a different industry.

mattiem- have you considered getting a google voice account to use as a secondary number in this instance?

-If- that would work in instances where a cell# is required for age verification, even I might consider doing so. Considering how many spam emails I got after opening accounts with certain vape vendors, there's -no way- I'd submit my real cell # to any of them. I don't get unsolicited sales calls/texts and would rather keep it that way.
 

dperino

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Not surprising since federal age verification requirements for vaping has only been in effect four days. As more and more people encounter difficulties, threads like this one will begin populating the forums.





Personally, I won't jump through hoops to prove age, wouldn't go to the trouble of creating a redacted pic of my drivers license and will never provide my S.S.# to anyone online. I'm familiar with online age verification services/methods because I've been purchasing tobacco online since it became available to do so. I've -never- been asked to provide any unusual or sensitive information from any online tobacco retailer so I know age verification can be accomplished without submitting a S.S. #, drivers license or cell #. Vape vendors who choose to require those items simply won't get any of my business. I can only take this rigid stance because I knew this type of nonsense was coming and prepared accordingly. +1 for stockpiling. One of the many advantages of having spent years learning how to become totally "self sufficient" while also stockpiling all the liquid nic and gear I'd ever need -BEFORE- the deeming went into effect. If I don't like the requirements, restrictions, prices, taxes or any other aspect of a purchase I can just void it. There's absolutely -nothing- I must obtain in order to continue vaping for the next few decades except 18650 batteries which I buy from a different industry.



-If- that would work in instances where a cell# is required for age verification, even I might consider doing so. Considering how many spam emails I got after opening accounts with certain vape vendors, there's -no way- I'd submit my real cell # to any of them. I don't get unsolicited sales calls/texts and would rather keep it that way.

well, there ya go :) once the verification process took a turn into the absurd, where i was going through all of their hoops and still being declined i said enough. i then contacted vendors i tended to order through who had signed up for blue check and informed them i would no longer do business with them as well. again, losing my business is not a big deal, but losing the business of numerous customers (if this ends up being the case) is bound to have an effect. making purchases locally takes care of most of the issue, as does going the diy route. in the final-final, i suppose, the new regs force both vapers and suppliers to become more discerning about how they wish to proceed. i can only speak for myself and have decided to go the diy route, which is a helluva lot cheaper anyway (at least for now).

google voice has sms capabilities so the user can receive text messages, not a problem there.
 
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mattiem

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My phone is hanging on the kitchen wall. It has a really-really hard time doin' selfies. :lol:

Besides Utah is a face-to face only state. So I doubt I'll be needing to do the online ID thingie.
As hard as it is for some to believe there really are some of us out here that have never taken a selfie :D
 

leftyandsparky

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As hard as it is for some to believe there really are some of us out here that have never taken a selfie :D
You probably have! Kodak with the flash bulb! I did when i was child! It wasn't called a selfie tho.
 

dperino

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I'll be honest I love using pp and I remember geting verified, long time ago with ebay. Anyway I wish we could make purchases online and use them. I still don't understand why I can't use them.

i haven't ordered vaping supplies through ebay so didn't know whether paypal was still enforcing their old rule on ecigs and such. have you recently tried ordering on ebay and paying through paypal? if people are buying product via ebay i wonder what age verification processes are instituted, if any.
 
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