Wow! I would feel the same, and would also buy elsewhere after telling them to forget it. Good grief! Their loss.

That’s asinine! I would’ve dropped them immediately if it wasn’t instant credit. Who needs that? I only have my one bank credit card...I have always assumed getting store cards wasn’t worth the trouble. Your story proves that!

PS...had my Calphalon since dh & I were married in ‘93! 😳😂

That seems very odd. You may want to look at your credit report and try to see if there is something going on; since the gist here seems to be about verifying identity, not creditworthiness. Usually retail credit extension is very quick. eg while you wait.

Kind of a funny story on that. When some cc companies first started using scoring and neural networks to automate their approvals, there was one company who told me a story about what happened when they got it down to a few seconds for their algorithm to make a decision. They ended up intentionally slowing down their systems, because both people who were approved and those who were denied were not entirely happy. Customers often felt offended, as though the lender "hadn't really thought about it."

I don't think it's just you. They're only questioning your identity and not your credit. A shame it's so slow, but it's really to protect you from someone opening a card in your name.

I always thought that store was creepy. I only bought something there once, and got grilled by cashier a bunch of times during a small $15 transaction to open a new account and save money on my purchase. And I was paying cash.

That was years ago, since then, have only been in twice, both times to return Amazon purchases,

I remember having to prove my identity to obtain credit of some sort after my divorce, but that was years ago. There is nothing untoward from any of the reporting bureaus that would cause this. And I can understand perhaps them wanting to see a form of ID, but a utility bill and my SS card? No freakin way. The letter they sent contained an email address, so I dropped them a line advising to cancel my application and told them why. They won't care, but it made me feel a bit better.

Oh, and I found the set of Calphalon I wanted on Ebay, brand new and still in the box, for much less than Kohl's would've been. Silver lining.

FWIW, I purchased a set of Calphalon from one of their outlet stores several years ago. The set included more pieces than we ever use for, IIRC, under $150. Also, while at Costco recently, I took a peek at their Kirkland cookware which I thought looked very nice. No glass lids with the clad stainless (10 pc, $200) but the hard anodized (12 pc, $125) includes glass lids.

We had to jump through some crazy hoops to transfer funds recently. I would imagine Kohl's issues have to do with I.D. verification.

ETA, I see you already found a set...yay!

It is about your identity. Perhaps you miss-typed something in you application, or someone has been trying to use your ID Info. It is a pia, but a false negative is better than someone else getting through the system using your information. I know someone who has a relative that has opened and maxed credit cards using their ID on more than one occasion. Because this person. Is family and the crime is at a felony level, they refuse to file a police report. It is not uncommon for the perpetrator to be family.

Personally, I would not do an online credit application, and I wonder if that had something to do with it? In store you would have probably had to show Id. I think utility bill is frequently asked for to show identity plus residence. You were smart to decline. I never, ever give out my SS number unless it is absolutely necessary.

I have credit monitoring that shows a couple of "dark web alerts" from two years ago for an email address I no longer own. It was a business email that doesn't exist anymore. Perhaps that bears looking into. Or not. I dunno.

Wow...I haven’t looked at cookware lately (ever, really, since we registered, lol) but the price has apparently come down a lot! When we got it, it wasn’t sold in sets, you bought it by the piece. I remember how excited I was when someone got us the big spaghetti pot! It used to be pretty expensive.

Yeah, I just paid $275 (tax included) for a 10 piece set of Calphalon Signature, which DH wanted since he insists on using his favorite metal utensils when he cooks (and he does most of that around here). I do remember when we bought our set 20 years ago, it felt like a big expenditure and think the prices have come down.

We have a Kohl's in the next town over. I have always thought it be be below the usual department stores. Yet, the prices are not that reasonable for the brands they carry.

That said I do get shorts online from Kohls.

A funny story: I was buying a jacket there that didn't have a ticket. instead of searching for a price, the cashier asked what I wanted to pay for it and we agree on a price. And, that is what she charged me.

Ugh, that stinks.

I was given a Kohl’s gift card by a relative for Christmas, and don‘t care for their clothes, etc, so ordered Oneida flatware. I am happy with it, but wouldn’t be if I’d had to deal with what you did! Glad you found a better deal. :)

I would freeze your credit now, to prevent Kohl's from accessing anything, should they decide to. I think places like Kohl's are more likely to be targets of scams by a certain type scammer....those who may be more aware of Kohls than say, Williams Sonoma or similar. They may have a high level of attempts to scam by people who think Kohl's is their store of choice and where they want to get their 'stuff'.

I've never, ever shopped Kohl's until recently when I was looking for a certain type of robe to wear to the pool and back (for my exercise class). The pool I use is only about a mile away, so I just wear my suit and a robe back and forth, so I can come home to shower and avoid the shower/locker room. They had exactly what I wanted; the robe was decent quality and arrived very quickly - much better than I expected.

Ocotillo, I would have done as you did. This does not feel right.

LOL Sounds to me like they have reason to think someone else has attempted to steal your stellar credit rating or identity. I did a similar thing with Target this year. Joke on me I didn't get the $40 off THAT purchase and ended up having to shop further than I ever would to get it. And I had to wait 15 days after getting the card, to get the stupid code that made the card usable That card is now getting cut up. PITB!!! Just gotta say all this worry about "credit rating" is TV generated. LET IT GO!!! Mine is in the upper 800s..and I DON'T CARE!!!

I've been through this kind of thing before and it is so frustrating! I would rather pay more for something from Amazon, in most cases not all, of course, just to make returns, or problems, easy.

I happen to like Kohl's and have had their credit card for years. I don't recall how I applied for it.

However, I am wondering if it's the current times we are in because I had a similar looney tunes story ( still going on actually) with Wayfair. and their credit card issued through Citibank.

I applied on line, was approved, and got my furniture. Apparently though the credit part of it never reflected that I moved 2 /12 years ago. I tried about 3 times to have them update the address ( mind you- I did get the merchandise at my house) for the credit card and they ( citibank) were very difficult and also said some garbage about not being able to verify my address.

I think it's not really Wayfair but Citibank that is messed up and then some. I wonder who handles Kohl's credit cards.

I was able to pay the balance so I am not too worried, but if I ever do get the actual card to learn my cc # I will see about canceling it. (or at least burning it.) Ain't got time for that.

Yeah, who cares about your credit rating? Unless of course someone needs credit. Good grief. God I wish they'd come up with an ignore feature here. I enjoy a lively debate but the constant belligerent yelling is so obnoxious.

I may be wrong, but I think Capitol One provides Kohl's credit cards, which is doubly odd since I have a Capitol One Venture Card that was, of course, instantly acquired online.

I do care about maintaining a high credit score. It doesn't have to matter to everyone, but it does to me. Maybe I'll want to purchase a high ticket item and make payments at 0% APR, which doesn't happen unless the credit score is high. We all economize as best suits our unique needs. Anyway, thanks for the commiseration and sharing of your own experiences. I'm filing this way away under "Next", and will just continue to use my established forms of payment for items, even if that means I miss out on promotional savings gimmicks.

Does applying for a credit card and then stopping mid-process affect your credit score? Just curious, I have no idea. I know I read that in fact you should not close accounts for cards you no longer use for some reason. I still have cards I never use for various department stores. I almost always use my Capitol One card for the rewards. I pay it off every month.

I'm wondering if there has been an excessive amount of fraud happening with their store cards? Seems like that would explain such demands for extra proof of identity.

I can't imagine why they would bother to single out individuals rather than have a broader policy.

And I thought the company was having some financial difficulties? Perhaps this is about their ability to get credit, not yours?

IMPE, Kohl's jacks up their prices then advertises discounts that still mostly wind up being no great bargain - which is why I don't shop there.

Those good credit scores also play onto your cost for car insurance and mortgage rates. And if you are a renter, they can also effect your security deposit. So, yeah, a good credit score is more then media hype.

The mere act of applying for a credit card and having your report pulled can impact your credit score.

I too use my Capitol One card for the rewards (and don't carry a balance, else it wouldn't make financial sense). Those rewards are nice for travel ... whenever we're able to travel normally, that is. I also have enough air miles via an AA card to get me to Europe and back ... again, once that's feasible.

The impact of credit inquiries on credit scores is actually not usually material.

That's true, Mtn. The effect is minimal and temporary. FICO says a hard inquiry can lower one's credit score by 5 points or less for a time. Mine went down 2 points due to Kohl's pull.

Yeah ... not really relevant given the scale.