Amazon & ID requirements on age restricted items

dwp44

I had a bottle of whisky delivered to my home address this week and the driver requested either a driver’s licence or a passport as a form of ID.

As I don’t drive, my passport was the only option. On showing him my passport, he took a brief glance at my passport photo before proceeding to note down one of the numbers on my passport, inputting it onto his handheld device. He had to glance up at my passport 4-6 times, as he noted whatever number he was inputting (so I doubt it was my year of birth!).

I wasn’t particularly comfortable with this and with hindsight I should have just refused (I also should have got the name of the delivery driver/ company etc). Afterwards the more I thought about it, the more concerned I became, and the more intrusive I found it to be. Surely just looking at my passport which of been suffice?

I complained to Amazon on the same day (questioning whether this was really necessary and how long would they hold this data for). Amazon have forwarded my complaint to the delivery company and I’m awaiting a response.  

In the past on previous orders for whisky from Amazon, I have just been asked to confirm my year of birth.

Has anyone had any similar experiences? Should I be concerned?

user1977

They presumably want a record to confirm (if anybody checks) that they did actually see ID. Nothing to be concerned about. 

powerful_Rogue

Would have been your date of birth.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GV3U7CYQYK5JUPCY

TimSynths

There is thread on Reddit about this- they even have to do it with chocolate liquors. Nature of the beast and you have nothing to worry about.

"Amazon asked for my date of birth when they dropped off my razors.

Is this a new thing?

Oh, and I am 50 and were wearing slippers."

Soot2006

Date of birth.  It's not unusual for people struggle with remembering numbers or even to struggle with reading, so finding the info, remembering part of it, finding it on the page again, etc ... All this can take a bit longer for some people and not anything to worry about.

Diamandis

Yup, it's just your date of birth they have to put in. I don't think there is even room for them to type anything but that.

pogofish

user1977 said:

They presumably want a record to confirm (if anybody checks) that they did actually see ID. Nothing to be concerned about. 

Amazon have a strong track record for sacking/ending contracts of drivers who "fail" to follow their ID requirements to the letter - even where common sense would dictate that the recipient is quite old enough. 

They have no idea if you are a test purchaser or one of those who reports every aspect of the entire transaction back to Amazon, so need to cover their own backsides.

And yes, they did this to my mother when I sent her a bottle for her birthday - a young 90-something at the time!

The whole ID thing with Amazon started a few years back when certain aspects of the press started running horror/moral-panic stories about first, teenagers ordering nasty-looking Rambo Knives and the like online and then hiring AirBnBs and ordering-in gallons of booze on their parent's accounts for parties.

The actual hard evidence of this being a significant problem was of course a bit lacking but Amazon reacted hard and fast to protect its "reputation"

The fairly recent change in the licencing regs that technically forces responsibility for breaches (but still allows a degree of common sense) on to the person doing the selling/delivery instead of their employers has led to a lot more businesses than just Amazon putting the wind-up their staff about the dire consequences of being prosecuted if they let an underager slip through but again, the actual instances of prosecution are few and IIRC mostly for major/very deliberate breaches, not the odd mistake.

Besides, this is an interpretation of a legal/regulatory issue, not consumer rights.

user1977

pogofish said:

user1977 said:

They presumably want a record to confirm (if anybody checks) that they did actually see ID. Nothing to be concerned about. 

Amazon have a strong track record for sacking/ending contracts of drivers who "fail" to follow their ID requirements to the letter - even where common sense would dictate that the recipient is quite old enough. 

They have no idea if you are a test purchaser or one of those who reports every aspect of the entire transaction back to Amazon, so need to cover their own backsides.

And Amazon are pretty clear when you place your order that ID will be needed, irrespective of how mature the recipient appears to be.

(as this is the Consumer Rights board, yes you have a right not to show them your ID - and they have a right not to hand over the booze and instead to give you a refund)

TELLIT01

The driver would probably have been noting the passport number and DOB as proof that they have checked.  If the recipient isn't willing to provide the required proof, they have to accept that they won't receive the goods.

molerat

BIL had a bottle delivered from Amazon yesterday - left in his post box !!

born_again

TimSynths said:

There is thread on Reddit about this- they even have to do it with chocolate liquors. Nature of the beast and you have nothing to worry about.

"Amazon asked for my date of birth when they dropped off my razors.

Is this a new thing?

Oh, and I am 50 and were wearing slippers."

Do they know that it was you who ordered them? No...

Only the same as the supermarket & getting age checked.