currys asking for personel details

[postggj]

today i purchessed a hoover from currys, i went to pay and they asked for my name and postcode
i asked them why, there reply was it for the guarantee.
i said i have 12 months.
they said it was incase i lost the receipt.
i have heard some crap, but this takes the cake.
they refused to sell me the hoover unless i gave my details.
i walked out.

data is a valuble comodity these days, but is it legal for them to do this

[SharpmanTF1]

I read somewhere that it's all to do with marketing, they like to find out which postcodes are buying what and then they can gear their marketing strategies to those 'type of ppl'

I think you were right to tell them to stuff it. the only time they can reasonably ask for your details is when they sell you equipment relating to television (tv,sky box etc) they have to pass this information on to TV licencing ppl.

Just my opinion

Sharpman

[postggj]

i know companies make a hell of a lot of money selling peoples details to market research companies

[Nemesis_Drake]

Originally Posted by postggj

i know companies make a hell of a lot of money selling peoples details to market research companies

Don't worry...the DVLA will sell them all they have on you

[labrat]

sounds silly i know they do ask for that.

they can look it up on a system if you loose the reciet.

none technicly give them any old postcode and house number as long as you remember it they can look it up.

unfortunatly it is not a legal requirement to sell something for the asking price.

[gyzmo]

Unless it's being delivered just give them any old postcode. I use one for an ex employer.

And if they are inferring that they would refuse statutory rights because of no receipt then they have another thing coming....

[postggj]

the thing is
how can they refuse to serve me because i refuse to give them my details.
after all, its only a hoover

there must be a data protection issue

i give no one my details now,
i had four years of hell with id fraud

[gyzmo]

They can refuse to serve anyone they want (save discrimination). It is the customer who makes the offer to buy which the seller can accept or decline. Unfortunately its either accept it, lie, walk away and shop elsewhere or spend lots of time, probably in futility, arguing the toss.

I choose lie or shop elsewhere.

[Hobbie]

ASDA have started doing this, asking for a postcode when you reach the checkout, I asked the reason for this as I didn't require delivery.

She told me it was to collect information on how far people travel to each store.

To this I did supply "a" postcode, but that was all that was asked for, no name or house number. Still very cheeky I think.

[gyzmo]

Come to think about it, I remember when I started working in insurance (sales). The first questions we had to ask were full name and address. Other details, such as type of car, convictions etc - those more likely to determine the price and whether or not a quote could be given, were left to last.

It turned out that the reason was to capture as much demographic information as possible and, well, flog it on. Providing quotes and insurance seemed to be a secondary business.

that, btw, was Abbey National General Insurance Services Ltd (and before anyone from Abbey et al moans, the operations manager of ANGISL confirmed it to me!)

[Hobbie]

I thought the insurance companies took this information in order to give the quote as part of the quote was based on your address and the area the vehicle will be kept, high crime post code areas and such...

Although, It should always be assumed that any business will "share" your details (sell them more like) unless you opt out or the terms doesn't mention anything about it.

[JonCris]

Insurance quotes + your details are kept on a central data base & when you ask another insurer/broker for a quote the previous quotes & details WILL be compared.

If discovered by you the reason given is that's it's to help combat fraud which is of course bollocks it's so they can price fix

To emphasize my point just before you insurance comes up for renewal do you receive lots of unsolicited offers from other companies If so that's my point

[paulwlton]

Originally Posted by JonCris

Insurance quotes + your details are kept on a central data base & when you ask another insurer/broker for a quote the previous quotes & details WILL be compared.

If discovered by you the reason given is that's it's to help combat fraud which is of course bollocks it's so they can price fix

To emphasize my point just before you insurance comes up for renewal do you receive lots of unsolicited offers from other companies If so that's my point

Some time ago my other half filled a consumer questionair out consisting of questions relating to where we go for our holidays to what soap we purchase. Last month i requested all the information that experian hold on me, to my surprise the details my wife had given were recorded.

PW

[Hobbie]

It's a fact, information is worth money, people complete these surveys and free or receive a free pen.

The companies get this information and then bundle it all together.

An example of this would be a questionaire/survey containing questions such as what super market you use, what soap you use, if you have a contract or pay-as-you-go mobile etc...

The company receives back these questionaires/survey's bundle it all up, and sell on the information regarding mobile phone type to the companies with business in selling mobile phones, what soap you use to companies with interest in this etc...

I recall reading some time ago on the BBC's News site, that marketing information is worth anything upto £5 WITH personal information to a couple of pence if no personal information is available/included.

I once, would complete these questionaires/survey's, but now won't even share my name with anyone.

And the worst of all are the people in the streets collecting for charity, who stop you and think just because they flash a plastic ID photo card to you, that it is then safe you hand over your name/address/dob/bank/sortcode/account numbe and of course your mothers maiden name for security.

Any company who asks for my mothers maiden name "for security" I provide them with the companies own name, and explain my mothers maiden name has no bearing on me nor is it required for the running of my business.

Oh and whilst i'm on the subject, utility companies.... why do these people require your DOB and mothers maiden name?!? after all its not as if your going to get a birthday card from them.

[206eddy]

I too have come across this more than once recently. Most recent was after buys a couple of small items and getting cashback in Asda.

For any place that asks my details they get told this:

SW1A 2AJ house number 10!

[gyzmo]

Originally Posted by Hobbie

I thought the insurance companies took this information in order to give the quote as part of the quote was based on your address and the area the vehicle will be kept, high crime post code areas and such...

Although, It should always be assumed that any business will "share" your details (sell them more like) unless you opt out or the terms doesn't mention anything about it.

That is true. However the insurer was very selective in its criteria. We probably rejected more people than we took on.

If you awere not a middle aged person with a bog standard car you were unlikely to be insured (at least at a decent rate). Over time you could tell almost exactly who would get rejected.

We got a lot of people asking "I have such a car do you quote for it?". I used to be honest and say no or that it would be expensive, but we were supposed not to do that. Instead we were supposed to go through the entire quote even if we knew damned well we would not cover.

And to prove the point this also covered commercial vehicles which we were not licensed to provide cover for. Even so, if anyone asked if we covered vans, we were told not to say no (though I did anyway) and to go through the quote.

All to capture data. It was worth quite a lot of money to the company.