ID too new?!?!
 

As I was unpacking last night I came across the check-in slip from our hotel in Vegas. That reminded me of the check-in process and the exchange between a front desk clerk and a guest at the position next to me:

FDC: Checking in sir?
Tim: Yeah, I'm Tim xxxxxx from Chicago.
FDC: Okay, I see your reservation here. I need a credit card and a photo ID please.

Tim hands them over, the clerk places both on the ledge of the keyboard and starts typing.

FDC: Mr. xxxxxx do you have another form of ID?
Tim: What for? Isn't my driver license good enough?
FDC: Well sir, your license was recently issued and we need to see an ID that's at least 30 days old.
Tim: What are you talking about? I've never heard of such a thing! I just renewed my license last week.
FDC: But sir, it needs to be at least 30 days old...
Tim: Are you telling me that because I just renewed my license it's no good here even though I just rented a convertible Mustang with it with no problem whatsoever? Call me a manager, this is ridiculous!!!

FDC starts to dial the phone and by that time I had my stuff and left the front desk.

I've heard of merchants not taking checks from new accounts (check number 101 etc) but the way around that was to order checks with numbers starting at 1001. :rolleyes: But what's the deal with ID being too new? If it's expired, well, *maybe* I can see a point although if it's an expired license, the chances of the license holder having a different name are probably pretty slim.

But so long as the current date falls between the ID issue date (if there is one, my DL doesn't have one) and the expiry date then there should be no problems.

Unless the hotel had an ID requirement (like Starwood does), I'd have raised hell at that point alone.

I hope the guest managed to talk some sense into the manager instead of the idiot at the counter. What, does one become an un-person for 30 days every 4-7 years at this hotel??? :mad:

Would you mind telling us where you stayed?

Some states (VA used to be one; not sure if it still is) will not allow you to buy a gun if your ID is < 30 days old. At least with that one, I guess they are trying to stop people from crossing state lines, going to the DMV, getting a new license (with a fake utility bill as proof of residence), and buying a gun, then repeating in another state. I can't figure out HOW this is supposed to do ANYTHING at a hotel. :confused:

Now that I think of it, a guy at the local gun shop told me NM is the same way. Your ID needs to be at least 6 months old or you'll have to provide secondary proof of residency (6 month old water bill etc) in order to buy a handgun. Odd how you have to be here 6 months to *establish* residency but much longer to give it up in their eyes :mad: (taxes).

I'm fairly sure that all Vegas hotels require you show ID upon check-in. When we stayed at 4 different hotels up and down the Strip 2 years ago, every single one required ID. The all even went so far as to enter the ID number, name and address as shown on the ID into their computers. I assumed it was for marketing because we went to join the player's club at one hotel/casino and don't you know they already had my information in their system :(

There's your mistake right there. Figuring things out doesn't enter into this ID nonsense; it's for Security Reasons and nobody can argue with that :rolleyes: .

I imagine this 30-day thing is a local 'enhancement' to the requirement. If it was a chain hotel, I'd demand an explanation from HO.

An aside: several years back I was selected (as if) for an in-depth survey by a major chain. I didn't complete it (a principle of mine), but I remember the ID question being worded (similar if not exactly): "Would you be in favor of increasing hotel safety by showing photo identification at check in ?" Guess how many respondents would have answered in the negative :mad: ?
Not "do you think safety would be increased..." as if it was a given; but then I expect 90% would have said yes to that too.

Baaaa.

That is absolutely ridiculous.
I know for me that I sometimes have a problem with my id as LA just gives a sticker for the back of the license to renew it with a good driving record.
but i always show them the back where it says expires in 07
once at a bank they looked up in this book of id and liscenses whether or not LA extends licenses like that

Nevada generally requires ID to show proof of age if renting a room from a casino. Must be > 21.

on a side note.
at the Sempione Hotel in MXP (yeah ... YYZ run ;) ) rcs85551 needed to give his ID and they made a copy because he wanted to walk upstairs with me to get his stuff which was in my room :rolleyes:
they said to him: 'thats italian law'

Like this?
This was from the 2002 version of the book.
Full gallery here

The Driver License Guide Co sells them
http://driverslicenseguide.com/

This is pretty asinine.

Agree with the OP's comment about starting off checks with a higher number. Whenever I open a new account I always make sure to tell them not to start with check #101.

I just attempted to open a new account
 

but stopped the process when they refused to do anything but start the checks at 101. The checks would also show the date the account was opened. My old bank isn't all that bad by comparison.

Wow..... I'm only 20 and I have been renting rooms up and down the strip with only my US passport for the past year. No questions asked..... :o

When Jesse White was elected secretary of state in Illinois, his big thang on the campaign trail was to reduce the legendary delays and crappy service at the Illinois Department of Motor Vehicles. Many things could have done this. Firing do-nothing featherbedders and career bureaucrats in the state's employ? Nope. Hold his employees to a strict standard of customer service? Forget it. The solution was to provide renewal stickers by mail for drivers licenses, and license plate renewal by mail. Eliminate half the people at the DMV and the crappy service and do-nothing civil service employees seems somehow better.

--PP

Any if you have any unusual transaction and you are refused what you need, just walk outside and walk back in. Second time is usually the charm!

Like buying a car and NOT getting license plates for it

Back on topic, I can't tell you how many times a moat dragon will look at my expired license and then remember to look at the back for the renewal sticker.

Heh. I find it hard to believe this is an issue anymore. Never heard of refusing check 101, just the unnumbered, unpersonalized starter checks. And anyway, who is writing a lot of checks that this is a big problem?

Even so, who cares? Just accept the first checks if you must from the bank (I'd try to not get any from them if they are charging you for them) and then turn around and order a new batch from Checks In The Mail, Designer Checks, etc. and have them start with whatever number you want. They don't put the opening date on the checks either. And they're cheaper than ordering through the bank, generally.