The Costco customer had to clarify the situation with three company workers for 20 minutes and confirm that her mother did authorize the purchases
In a video shared on TikTok, one person claimed that Costco declined her mother’s card when making purchases due to “fraudulent activity” and apparently she is not the only person who has had this problem.
The video comes from creator Temo (@tvmoo_), who garnered over 1.9 million views for the short video.
@tvmoo_ on the phone for 20 min 3 ppl on the line to confirm that yes I’m at Costco and yes my mom authorizes the transaction like ??
The video in question includes a caption stating “When you use your mom’s Costco card and it gets declined for ‘fraudulent activity.'”
In the video, a cart full of Costco products is seen, and an automatic payment station with a phrase on the screen that reads “Hold on, help is on the way”, suggesting that the person was having trouble paying due to the card rejected.
The text that appears below the video tells a little more of the story. There, Temo wrote: “On the phone for 20 minutes, 3 people on the line to confirm that yes, I am at Costco, and that yes, my mom authorizes the transaction.”
Commentators were sympathetic to Temo’s experience. As she wrote one, “Costco did the same thing to me. I used my mom’s card and they rejected it. They are very strict about it. That’s why I prefer to go to Sam’s.”
“I was buying Goldfish (cookies) with my dad’s Costco card and they escorted me out and wouldn’t let me buy the Goldfish and flagged their account for fraud,” said another.
The video sparked a debate in the tiktokera community about the membership rules, including one user who claimed: “Guys, it’s $5 a month to have a membership and it’s worth it. pay one. There are rules for a reason, hahaha.
Per Costco’s membership policies, the primary membership holder is responsible for authorizing all charges and card ownership changes.
However, it is also mentioned that the primary cardholder can add “Additional Cards (members)” to his membership, which could allow other family members or friends to use the card.