This is still an ongoing event, so there is no final conclusion at the end of this post, however so far my attentions has been drawn to two points 1) Our personal details are much more easily available than I’d thought, and 2) bad service just keeps slapping me on the ass. Even if I was into S&M this wouldn't be fun...
So I get home one day and receive a Truworths card in my mail. Wtf? People need to go through credit checks to get these cards... how the F did they get that information on me, as well as my home and post box address no less! Realization 1.
So I decide to write them a letter:
Dear Truworths,
>
> How did you get my personal information in order to send me a Truworths card?
> Unlike what you may think, I am indeed NOT delighted that I can now
> get clothing on credit from your stores. In fact I am ANGRY that you
> may 1) think that you can decide for me that I’d like a Truworths
> card, and 2) that you have means to access my personal information in
> order to send me a card!
>
> Of course I never need to use this card, however the fact remains that
> you have gained access to my personal information somehow and I demand
> to know how that is allowed. Should you be purchasing or sharing such
> information from other companies, I demand to know which ones so that
> I may take it up with them too. I feel that my privacy has been
> violated and I am absolutely appalled at your audacity to think that
> you can make decisions like this for people. I’ve shopped with you
> less than 5 times in my life, and this will make that the finite
> number of times that I will indeed shop with you.
Regards,
I think it was pretty clear what I wanted to know and why. Right?
So then why did I get this response back?
On Wed, Aug 26, 2009 at 9:29 AM, CallCentre
>
> Good day to you
>
> Thank you for your e-mail and for the opportunity to respond to you.
>
> Please supply me with your id number for me to check if we have sent you an account in the post.If we have ,then you have been selected as part of our ongoing strategy to identify people ,who we feel would see value in Truworths account offer and who conduct their retail accounts well.
>
> Hope to hear from your soon.
>
> Kind regards
> *I won't name her*
> Customer Service Consultant
SUrely. SURELY people should read and understand a letter before sending through a reply? What is the point of employing Customer service consultants if they don't provide any useful service?? Realization 2.
Of course, needing to point that out, I responded promptly:
Dear Truworths,
Please consider the response you have given me "you have been selected as part of our ongoing strategy to identify people, who we feel would see value in Truworths account offer and who conduct their retail accounts well", and relate that to my original complaint "I feel that my privacy has been violated and I am absolutely appalled at your audacity to think that you can make decisions like this for people." You have been completely unhelpful.
I certainly see no need to give you my id number; you already have it, along with my credit history, home and post box addresses. In case you want to check that I indeed have one of your cards, the number on the card that you have given me is xxx xxx xxxx xxxx. You can now link that to the rest of my life.
WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS HOW YOU HAVE ACCESS TO MY PERSONAL INFORMATION WITHOUT MY CONSENT IN ORDER TO "SELECT" ME AS A PART OF YOUR "ONGOING STRATEGY". I GAVE NO SUCH PERMISSION FOR YOU TO INCLUDE ME IN THIS STRATEGY!!! I REITERATE: I DEMAND TO KNOW HOW YOU GET ACCESS TO MY PERSONAL INFORMATION AND WHO YOU GET IT FROM. I ALSO DEMAND TO KNOW WHO ELSE HAS ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION!! I am appalled and disgusted at the audacity of your company to think that you can make decisions for people by including them in a "strategy".
And now I wait to hear back from them again.
Yes, I know I’m making a deal out of this. I Could really just break the card and chuck it away. But I’m really interested to know. who else has access to my personal details? Yes, we've all heard horror stories, and have obviously watched movies about bad guys or the FBI being able to either hack or are given authority to get your entire background. But there are few hackers who'd bother, and the FBI doesn't really pester us in this country, so I’ve never seriously thought much about my privacy issues unless I’m paying by credit card online - and then I’m assuming that they use really good encryption to keep my info there safe. But it appears that things like my id number and my home address are out there, floating about, ready to be used by anyone. This information could easily lead to everything else that I have on record. It is potentially very dangerous. It’s identity theft made easy!
And the service consultant simply says that I have been selected as part of a "strategy". Way to make Anyone want to shop there ever again.
Quit your job lady. There's got to be something else you're better at. Something you'd actually enjoy doing. I feel bad for you sitting behind that keyboard.
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