Last year about this time I bought a pair of Oakley sunglasses from the Sunglass Hut in the mall. Yesterday I received the Sunglass Hut Oakley summer catalog. I was suspicious because it was addressed directly to me (rather than resident), and it was for Oakleys (smells like customer profiling...).
But here's what upsets me:
I've included the text of the email that I sent to Sunglass Hut customer service in the extended entry.
What's sad (for them) is that I was about to buy a new pair to replace my last pair and I was probably going to go there this weekend. Now, I'll be looking elsewhere because I don't trust them.
Maybe I just need to start paying cash everywhere...
My email to Sunglass Hut:
Last year at about this time I purchased a pair of Oakley sunglasses from the Sunglass Hut store/kiosk in the Golden Triangle Mall in Denton, TX. Yesterday, I was surprised to receive a catalog in the mail from Sunglass Hut with the summer Oakley collection. This catalog was addressed directly to me.
I find this unacceptable because I never gave my personal information to Sunglass Hut. And even if I were to have done such a thing, I would *never* have given you permission to send me anything. I guard my privacy quite zealously. The only way that your company could have gotten my mailing address was through the credit card that I used to purchase the sunglasses.
If this is how poorly Sunglass Hut regards a customer's private information, I won't be doing business with you any more. Please let me know how my address was obtained and remove me from any of your mailing lists.
My address is:
< street address >
Denton, TX <zip>
Aubrey,
speaking as a former insider, I can tell you that Sunglass Hut does not have the technology to determine address from Credit card info. The only two ways in which they obtain addresses are 1) buying mailing lists (rarely) and 2) voluntarily obtaining customer information at point of purchase. They do this to make sure they have an in-store record of purchase in case you have a warranty claim within 1 year since no one holds onto a receipt for a year, and yes, to mail you catalogs up to 3 times a year (compare that to department stores and cataloguers!)
The names and addresses are compiled by the home office but are kept locally, that is, each store's database is not linked. They also do not sell their mailing lists and never have.
If you were to call the store you purchased the glasses at and ask them to send you a reprinted copy of your receipt, and if they have your address... then YOU gave it to them! That's the true test. If they don't have it, then they bought a list.
Check it out before pointing the finger and whining about your precious privacy. And tip your letter carrier. I'll bet he dreads coming to your house.
PS: I also don't undeerstand how, if you had given your address, receiving a catalog "violates your privacy", but those are your ghosts, not mine. Exhale already.
Posted by: Johanna at August 19, 2003 10:45 PMJohanna,
Just for the record, I'm reproducing the email I sent you here:
"I am always amused when someone accuses me of whining (especially when they're using my
web site to do it). If you'd actually read my article on this you'd see that I admitted that I
couldn't remember whether I'd given them the info. I don't see how I was being unreasonable.
And just why would my letter carrier dread coming to my place?"
It occurs to me now that I didn't make that point in this article.
Regardless of this, your tone suggests that you may not be such a "former" insider. How did you find this article? It's been off the front page for 2 1/2 months.
Posted by: Aubrey Turner at August 20, 2003 08:32 AMI sent you another email, and here's what I said:
****
In all fairness, I just realized that I made that point about not remembering in another article (http://www.aubreyturner.org/archives/002015.html).
Regardless, I am something of a privacy nut, and I don't like having my name sold. But I've come to this position over the last year, so it is possible that I gave them the info. In any event, I do not give out my address anymore, unless there's a darn good reason (and I no longer consider most retail sales to be reason enough).
The tone of your response also indicates that you think it's somehow rude or bad manners to value privacy. I assure you that it's possible to politely decline to give up personal information. And I certainly wouldn't take it out on my letter carrier.
Anyway, I suggest some rethinking of your personal biases in this area may also be in order before you accuse me of "whining".
***
Oh, and one final thing. Why does your Yahoo profile show you as male, yet you post under the name "Johanna", which seems female?
Posted by: Aubrey Turner at August 20, 2003 08:42 AM