n/p Why would an oil company want our s.s.number???

[Karin]

We finally switched oil companies after 9 years with the same company. They were just getting worse and worse with their service. I came home one day and the truck had parked in my driveway!!!!!!!!! I called the office after speaking with the driver and told them I did NOT want the trucks parking in my driveway for our oil delivery. They can park on the street like they always have in the past. After dealing with VERY scary and RUDE oil delivery drivers I finally cancelled them. This one guy was so rude to me one day that I called the office and complained and that's when I cancelled them.

Now, fast forward to today. DH called a few places and upon recommendation from my neighbor we were going to use this one company. DH called to get an oil delivery for this week. Well, the sales guy asked dh for his ss # for a credit check?? DH told him he would not give it to him. The salesman's comment was. "Well, my hands are tied then". He would not take a credit card! I was floored! I wanted to call this man back and ask him if we could do a background check on all of their drivers that are coming to OUR home! I'm so not comfortable with giving out our ss#. I don't even have it on my license.

We called another company and all they asked for is our credit card. They will be coming tomorrow to deliver oil. That first company just lost a potential good customer.

[Jneidha]

We don't have oil either but the electric and water companies did ask for our ss numbers. They do credit checks and depending on what your credit is like they charge a deposit or not.

[writer4kids]

Karin, I have never had any utility companies request our SS#'s and we have moved around a lot. They have always required a deposit if we are new customers and then after we establish our business with them, they refund the deposit. If we were with the same company and moved, they didn't even ask for the deposit. I think you did the right thing. Christy

[Karin]

Thanks ladies,

It really floored me. With all the identity theft going on I get worried. One of the big newspapers in Boston accidently published subscribers credit card numbers Thank goodness I'm not a subscriber. Everyone involved had to cancel their credit cards!!!!

[writer4kids]

Ooooooh, that would REALLY tick me off!

[VMG]

Ugh! I know our cable company has dh's ss no. too. We always give out just his as it's been spread all over the place (it was also his college id no. as well as our old insurance id no. ) I hear you about the id theft thing. I always worry about drs offices too. I had to do it for our dentist as that's the way the insurance identifies you (although the no. is not on the card). It really ticks me off!

I hope you are happy with your new oil co. We used to have trouble too and our oil rep was a huge creep! They were really weird about their billing, like they based our use on the previous owner and we had to pay according to that for the first year.

That's horrible about the newspaper!

Verena

[Twins_Squared]

Hmmm, sounds peculiar to me!

We don't have oil (just SoCal Gas Co and our city's own water co.) and we've never had to give either a credit card or a social security number.