08-19-2004, 07:23 AM | #1 (permalink) |
Insane
Location: Pacific NW
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Intrusive retail requests
Recently, I made a $250 purchase at the local CompUSA. After presenting my credit card, the clerk asks to see my drivers license. I assumed that he was matching my signature on both cards, however, he proceeded to key enter information from my license into the computer. When I asked him if he was copying information from my license he said yes. I then told him I didn't care to give out that type of personal information. He then informed me that the store is collecting driver license data in order to prove that I was asked to provide my ID. I told him that I didn't appreciate it and to please give me my cards back, as I would go to another store to make my purchase. He finally capitulated and erased the data he had entered so he could make the sell. All the while, nearby customers and staff are eyeballing me like I'm some kind of criminal, even though I was completely courteous and professional in every way. The clerk, who up to this point had been very friendly and gregarious, became cold and distant.
Why does any non law enforcement entity believe they can casually collect this type of information? This type of store "policy" is completely out of line.
__________________
"The gift of liberty is like that of a horse, handsome, strong, and high-spirited. In some it arouses a wish to ride; in many others, on the contrary, it increases the desire to walk." -- Massimo d'Azeglio |
08-19-2004, 07:40 AM | #2 (permalink) |
Getting it.
Super Moderator
Location: Lion City
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They have no right to that information... You were correct to request it not be collected.
The surley attitude is a direct result of you disrupting the flow of his (and the other customer's) day... You not only made his life miserable by making him make an exception for you you also underscored for everyone on line what stupid policy CompUSA has...
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"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke |
08-19-2004, 07:42 AM | #3 (permalink) |
Tilted Cat Head
Administrator
Location: Manhattan, NY
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I don't give up information easily... and because there are so many people who do ask for it, I have prepared already some "fake info", usually differnet names and addresses so that I can figure out who's selling my information.
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I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. |
08-19-2004, 07:51 AM | #4 (permalink) | |
Junkie
Moderator Emeritus
Location: Chicago
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Radio Shack used to ask for name address phone number, first born child and a drop of blood, they did that for years, and it's just recently they stopped that policy, due to customer complaints I'm sure, but I don't know why it took so long. A lot of regular stores will also ask for a phone number, and to confirm address... (the only thing I will volunteer is Zip code, which is sometimes used as confirmation on the credit card) otherwise -they aren't getting info from me.
__________________
Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.
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08-19-2004, 08:13 AM | #5 (permalink) | |
Insane
Location: Pacific NW
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Quote:
__________________
"The gift of liberty is like that of a horse, handsome, strong, and high-spirited. In some it arouses a wish to ride; in many others, on the contrary, it increases the desire to walk." -- Massimo d'Azeglio |
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08-19-2004, 08:16 AM | #6 (permalink) |
Wookie
Location: Howdy from Oklahoma
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It amazes me that the majority of people will sheepishly give up personal information.
I usually answer those requests quickly. "If you cannot complete the transaction without that information I wil go somewhere else." Usually works for me.
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Rehab is for quitters. Last edited by bullmoose; 08-19-2004 at 10:54 AM.. |
08-19-2004, 08:23 AM | #7 (permalink) |
Junkie
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Where am I?
...In the village What do you want? ...Information Whose side are you on? ...That Would Be Telling. We want information, information, information. You Won't Get It! By Hook Or By Crook, We Will! Who are you? ...The New Number Two Who is Number One? You Are Number Six. "I am not a number, I am a FREE MAN!"
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+++++++++++Boom! Last edited by tropple; 08-19-2004 at 08:25 AM.. |
08-19-2004, 09:19 AM | #8 (permalink) |
Psycho
Location: Portland, Oregon
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See, the one I like to hear is when my friend from Penn. comes over to Washington.
The stores ask for a zip code to "see what areas buy the most products from them". He then proceeds to give them a Penn. zip code, and when they ask where that's from, he tells them. I've only seen one person not erase the zip code after that.
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PC: Can you help me out here HK? HK-47: I'm 98% percent sure this miniature organic meatbag wants you to help find his fellow miniature organic meatbags. PC: And the other 2 percent? HK-47: The other 2 percent is that he is just looking for trouble and needs to be blasted, but that might be wishful thinking on my part. |
08-19-2004, 10:30 AM | #9 (permalink) | |
Tilted Cat Head
Administrator
Location: Manhattan, NY
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read this on MSN.com
link Quote:
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I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. |
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08-19-2004, 10:41 AM | #10 (permalink) | |
Banned
Location: i gotta go
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08-19-2004, 10:50 AM | #11 (permalink) | |
A Real American
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I do the same thing...I give them a Va zip instead of my Florida one but most of the time they don't ask where it's from. I don't buy anything with a check or credit card ever with the exception of groceries, pizza delivery and bill paying. I pay cash for all else.
__________________
I happen to like the words "fuck", "cock", "pussy", "tits", "cunt", "twat", "shit" and even "bitch". As long as I am not using them to describe you, don't go telling me whether or not I can/should use them...that is, if you want me to continue refraining from using them to describe you. ~Prince |
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08-19-2004, 10:58 AM | #12 (permalink) |
on fire
Location: Atlanta, GA
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It is amazing the kind of information that people will give out upon your request. When I worked at Gap we got a 1$ for every customer that we got to apply for a gap credit card... Now, when I asked people if the wanted to get a gap card and save 10% on their purchase, they would fill out all the info, SSN included and be approved or denied before they even knew that they were applying for a credit card.... Who gives out this kind of information if they are not applying for a creditcard?
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08-19-2004, 11:53 AM | #13 (permalink) |
lonely rolling star
Location: Seattle.
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I swear, I fucking hate when they ask you this shit.
At Toys R Us, they ALWAYS ask for your phone number. Usually, if there's a girl workin the register, I'll say "isn't it more traditional for me to ask for yours?" That usually shuts them up.
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"Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials." -Lin Yutang hearts, by d.a. |
08-19-2004, 12:13 PM | #15 (permalink) |
Here
Location: Denver City Denver
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Strangly enough you could have gotten him and the store in trouble. If a store needs that information they have to ask for it. They can'y simply ask for you license and start coping it down without any permission.
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heavy is the head that wears the crown |
08-19-2004, 12:22 PM | #16 (permalink) |
Beware the Mad Irish
Location: Wish I was on the N17...
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I've recently started scratching out the credit card number and the expiration date on paper receipt copies given at the time of sale (leaving the last 4 digits visible). The last four + transaction code and date are all the vendor needs to account for the sale. This (so I'm told) is a good thing for everyone to do to prevent your credit card number and exp. date from being horked. I've only had one ass hat complain about it and as a result he lost the sale. Everyone else has apparently collected their money just fine. I've certainly been billed correctly so apparently everyone is happy and I'm not leaving my VISA number every damn where.
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What are you willing to give up in order to get what you want? |
08-19-2004, 01:41 PM | #18 (permalink) | |
Junkie
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If it is a big purchase I don't mind them having my name, address, or phone number. I'm not good at keeping recipts in a place where I can find it and usually at those places you can take care of return/exchange stuff w/o the recipt if they have that info. I am careful about my SSN though. |
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08-19-2004, 02:25 PM | #20 (permalink) |
Upright
Location: The Arrogance Capital Of The Universe
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I just want to point out that I've never had a good experience with Comp USA in any way shape or form. Their prices suck, their return policy sucks, the employees are usually a bit condescending (even to someone like myself who knows exactly what I want and need when I go to a computer store), and the lines are ridiculous.
So yeah, fuck Comp USA. It doesn't surprise me that something like that happened there.
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First We Take Manhattan, Then We Take Berlin. |
08-19-2004, 02:51 PM | #22 (permalink) | |
Junkie
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08-19-2004, 04:04 PM | #23 (permalink) | |
Observant Ruminant
Location: Rich Wannabe Hippie Town
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I'm glad they've stopped. Maybe they aren't sending out that damned catalog anymore, or they no longer compile their own mailing lists. |
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08-19-2004, 05:29 PM | #24 (permalink) |
Insane
Location: Over here
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All CompUSSR has ever asked of me has been my ZIP code...every single time I'm there.
I always say "13085" and maintain poker face while the cashier tries to figure out why she has to type it in twice and press some "override" key. 13085 is a defunct ZIP code. The Lebanon, NY post office closed over 20 years ago. |
08-19-2004, 05:50 PM | #25 (permalink) |
Banned
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This is why my ID is in a clear window in my wallet. I flip it up so they can see it. The only thing they can punch in is my date of birth, and ONLY if i'm buying alcohol. Sometimes they'll ask that I take it out. I'll say sure, take it out, and hold it up for them. Usually they reach for it, and i withdraw it saying, "do you need to hold it in your hand to verify it?" If they insist, I let them know that if they enter anything into their keyboard, i'm going to make life very unhappy for them. Being shady about grabbing my info is bullshit.
Some people get cocky with their SSN because they watch too much 20/20 and they're clueless morons. If you're trying to sign up for some service which requires a credit check, you HAVE to give us your SSN for us to be able to perform the check. If you absolutely will not give it, then you pay a $250 deposit for activating without a SSN, or you just don't get service. That's the way it works. If you're going to be an asshole about it, you don't need the service that badly. |
08-19-2004, 06:01 PM | #26 (permalink) |
Happy as a hippo
Location: Southern California
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In defense of CompUSA (where I work as a saleswoman), don't get mad at the guy behind the counter because he's just doing his job. Even if it was a manager or a lead, they are just doing their jobs as well. Cashiers are instructed to take personal info in case you lose your receipt and come back in a while to return or exchange something. It just helps us take care of customers. You are perfectly entitled to tell them that you don't want them to take your info, then they wont. Granted, he should have asked and not taken the drivers license....
Oh and IShotAndyWarhol, we price match the lowest competator every time, our return policy is the same as other retailers, and you're probably right about the employees being condescending sometimes because usually every friggin customer that comes in doesn't know shit about computers. If they did, they would buy online where prices are better overall.
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"if anal sex could get a girl pregnant i'd be tits deep in child support" Arcane |
08-19-2004, 06:12 PM | #27 (permalink) | |
lost and found
Location: Berkeley
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Quote:
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"The idea that money doesn't buy you happiness is a lie put about by the rich, to stop the poor from killing them." -- Michael Caine |
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08-19-2004, 06:18 PM | #28 (permalink) |
Crazy
Location: upstate, NY
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As another employee of CompUSA right now, I'm gonna chime in with Storm. We might not have the world's best return policy or corporate policies, but I'll guarantee you that we have the most knowledgable staff of any major electronics store. At least 60% of the salesmen at our store are either in college for graduated from a technical field (CompSci, Computer Engineering, etc).
If we're arrogant, its probably because of the questions we get. I had a lady come in and ask for a firewire cable. I show her where they are and after further questioning she tells me its for a printer. Printers don't take firewire, only USB or parallel. Turns out she didn't recognie the square USB Type B connector and just assumed it was firewire. On the surface it seems like she knew what she was talking about, but she was really clueless. As far as our information policies go, I don't exactly agree with them, but I'm getting paid to enforce them. I don't personally work at a cash register, but any customer making a purchase over 400 dollars or so has to fill out their name/address/phone on a sales slip. I have no clue what they use this information for, with the exception that they claim not to do any direct marketing with it. I've only had a few customers complain, but if I tell them some line about warranty information (which i don't know if its true or not) usually calms them down. My one piece of advice to someone shopping there, don't go there to make a purchase unless you want to get the extended warranty. At least at my store, it'll make everyone's lives involved easier. |
08-19-2004, 06:27 PM | #29 (permalink) | |
Tone.
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Well, actually you don't. Several times I've had CompUSA refuse to price match something because "it's below our cost for it." Which tells me y'all are buying at the wrong places since Best Buy and Circuit City can apparantly sell it at a profit for less than you can buy it wholesale. |
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08-19-2004, 07:13 PM | #30 (permalink) |
beauty in the breakdown
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
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Glad to hear you refused it. While there could be pertinent reasons for them taking that info, I think I too would rather them not take it.
StormBerlin, I dont see too much of a problem in them being asked to take it, but I think they should ask first, and if refused, honor that. Being a pain or sneaky about it just makes people mad.
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"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." --Plato |
08-19-2004, 07:29 PM | #31 (permalink) |
I can't think of a good title
Location: East Bay Area, CA
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Pffft, that's nothing. On certain transactions, we take the customer's fingerprint along with their drivers license number, name and all that jazz.
I've never been asked for my SSN outside of my bank, maybe I just got lucky.
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The black wind howls... |
08-19-2004, 07:35 PM | #32 (permalink) | |
Banned
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For those who work in the place in question- you can defend your homeland if you wish, but the moral of the story was 1. that the guy was an asshole (to a CUSTOMER), AND a manager at that, and 2. that he was not asked or even told, the guy just started copying his personal info. He has no legal right to it, and is (by not asking) therefore stealing it, which is a legal issue. You can speak for what you do personally, but overall your policy inspires a very negative attitude in the employees because it forces them to ask a question which most people react negatively towards. You made this asinine policy of enforcing/pressuring it to the Nth degree, YOU deal with the shit fallout. |
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08-20-2004, 07:48 AM | #33 (permalink) | |
Insane
Location: Pacific NW
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Quote:
__________________
"The gift of liberty is like that of a horse, handsome, strong, and high-spirited. In some it arouses a wish to ride; in many others, on the contrary, it increases the desire to walk." -- Massimo d'Azeglio |
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08-20-2004, 08:03 AM | #34 (permalink) | |
Insane
Location: Pacific NW
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Quote:
__________________
"The gift of liberty is like that of a horse, handsome, strong, and high-spirited. In some it arouses a wish to ride; in many others, on the contrary, it increases the desire to walk." -- Massimo d'Azeglio |
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08-20-2004, 09:17 AM | #35 (permalink) | |
The sky calls to us ...
Super Moderator
Location: CT
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Quote:
The computer system still won't let you complete a return without putting in name and address info. The other thing you should know is that the store copy of reciepts has the full number and expiration date on it. Judging by my experience both working at Radio Shed and dumpster diving, these things don't get shredded or sent to company headquarters. Last edited by MSD; 08-20-2004 at 09:21 AM.. |
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08-20-2004, 09:27 AM | #36 (permalink) | |
Junkie
Moderator Emeritus
Location: Chicago
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Quote:
__________________
Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.
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08-20-2004, 09:47 AM | #37 (permalink) |
Junkie
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It's actually a law in Colorado, and I'm sure in many other states as well that the entire CC number cannot be printed on a receipt. I imagine the states that haven't caught on will do so soon though as identity theft continues to receive press.
As far as CompUSA goes, most of the time the clerk just enters the 80014 zip code that the store is located in, instead of bothering to ask me for the one that I actually live in. |
08-20-2004, 10:11 AM | #38 (permalink) |
Loser
Location: Scenic Drive
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I'm pretty stingy with my numbers, but the one that takes the cake in my book is "what is your birth date?" like there weren't a million other people born on that same day, but I guess that narrows the search somewhat. Recently at a "Lowes", a young female cashier asked my birthdate, and I told her that I was old enough that she could catch me if she wanted to...didn't go over worth a crap...
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08-20-2004, 12:02 PM | #40 (permalink) |
whoopity doo
Location: Seattle
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You're right, I would much rather not have them ask for proof and just accept that I am who I say I am. I am willing to deal with the backlash that is going to occur when somebody steals my credit card and goes on a spending spree, at least I know that my driver's license number is safe...
seriously, this is a security procedure implemented for both yours and their protection. That is what the DL# is for! Its a method of verification. Most places do the same thing when you write a check. Nobody will be able to access your bank accounts with that number or send you spam, or drain your retirement fund. If I were the clerk, I would have let you go ahead and go somewhere else.
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--size matters not-- yoda |
Tags |
intrusive, requests, retail |
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