Bad policy

[Willy]

More and more stores are adopting a policy of intrusive information collection of customers regarding their "return policy". If you must return a product for what ever reason and have no receipt they  now require your drivers licence which they take and enter all the information contained therein into their computer. I have encountered this on several occasions, and most recently at Miejer. I understand they must verify that the merchandise is theirs, however if the tags are still on the item/s that should be enough. They claim that by taking our personal information they can make sure that their employees are not committing fraud by making up phony names and pocketing the refund money. Keeping their employees honest is not the customers responibility and we should not have to fork over our personal info. so they can keep track of their help. What most people don't know is that there is an entire industry that buys and sells personal information and all companies or their sister companies sell this information. If more people refuse to give out their information and refuse to shop at stores that have this intrusive policy then maybe this practice will cease.

[Willy]

Almost everyone has had to make a return at sometime without a receipt. That is a large database of personal information. Where does that information go and how long is it kept. Answer, everywhere and forever. Does anyone understand why they get mail from companies they have never dealt with or how you can get calls from companies you have never dealt with. How can you go on line and find out an entire persons history. Google is now in the process of going down every street in the Country and photographing each house. When a search is done by a person's name the search will also show a photo of their house. Doesn't anyone else think this gathering of information has gone to far?

[Sweater Cows!]

We have recently been forced by our estimating system provider CCC Information Services to upgrade to the latest and greatest of their estimating systems. It is called CCC ONE.

 There are a variety of reasons I thoroughly loathe this new software. But the main factor is  that we no longer have control of our client data, it is "in the cloud" so to speak. (the other of the "BIG 3", Mitchell and Audatex are also going this direction).

In our old system we would load the software to our computer and did not need an interent connection, we recieved monthly updates via DVD. Customers data (name, address, VIN no. , phone, vehicle info and damage info ) was stored only on my hard drive. If the PC crashed and I hadn't backed up to tape or disk it was long gone.

 Now, each day the system connects to CCC servers in California for parts and labor & vehicle updates and any estimate I write could end up who knows where because everything is stored on their end not mine. (As i write estimates I have to click to save the data to CCC not my hard drive) the program is supposed to work if the internet goes down but I have to test that functionality yet.

 This leaves a whole plethora of info available from my customers to be extracted by CCC and forwarded or sold to whomever they desire.

 

It also leaves my computer open to them and my business data as well. Heck, they could even theoretically look at my web browsing data with the open port and find out i am a torch member and consider me a dissident. LOL!

But really, nothing is private anymore.

 

[AQUAMAN]

You're so funny Dagny, quite so toooooooooo....Willy.

[XLFD]

That would explain the new member asking me for parts and labor; I thought it was John Shay with another  FOIA reply, LOL. 

Let them know you're an insurgent, not a dissident.  With a little more training you can become an inlootenant.

[Willy]

I finally have the final proof that stores are gathering peoples personal information, not to protect the return policy from thievery but to hoard customers information and use it to sell or for other schemes unknown. I bought a small item at Best Buy, on my Best Buy credit card, which cost around $300 dollars. This item did not work properly so I returned it within a week with the receipt, my credit card and drivers license. I asked to have the charge for the item taken off my Best Buy credit card and did not want to exchange it for the same or similar item. The store would not take the item back unless I let them scan my drivers license into their computer. Needless to say I told them that no way they were going to put my drivers license information into their computers. Right in front of them was all the proof needed to show that this item was not stolen but they still insisted on trying to gather more of my personal information. To all of you who think stores aren't gathering information on customers but are only trying to make sure stolen items are not returned for money, this should be proof that you have been mistaken.

[XLFD]

Your argument is compelling, Willy, but I don't think it's concrete proof.  "Customer Service" people are often a lot like your typical Secretary of State clerks that have to follow a certain procedure or worry about getting canned for not doing so. 

 

The majority of these folks, I think, really don't care if you defer having them scan your license, but they also don't want to lose their job when they get grief from not following proper procedures.  They are looking out for themselves.  If you continued all the way up to the top executive with Best Buy and got no relief, I think you would be on to something. 

[Willy]

Your right about the sales person just doing their job, however, I talked to the store manager and was told that this is company policy. It doesn't matter how high in the organization I take my complaint because the policy started at the highest level. Companies are risking losing security minded customers. I have bought thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from Best Buy but this most recent purchase will be my last. Until people revolt against this type of intrusion, this invasion of privacy will only continue to get worse.