Consent To Use Information, Share Information, Consent Implied
Often when you order something, especially online, you pay a down payment or the item is sent with you verfying you will pay when billed. When you receive that invoice make sure you read every single word before you send off the funds. Too many people pay the bill as demanded and that's it. There often is more, and it could affect you for a long time to come. Like licence agreements for free and paid software, there is often a few little heavily weighted clauses slipped in there, often in the hopes you will not notice or not respond.
Here is a direct copy from an invoice received after purchasing an item from a reputable company listed by BBB and in good standing according to the most popular data.
It is understandable a company would want to notify you of future offers in hopes that you may continue to be a customer.
But to offer your information to non-affiliated companies has all kinds of possibilities. Most certainly you can predict increased junk mail, and online, increased spam. Notice that it says "your information". It does not say name and address, so is credit information and other securities you offer safe?
If you do not consent you must call or write to indicate otherwise. Very customer friendly. Are they operating in hopes you won't bother? Or that you won't read it? Interesting.
I could understand and even tolerate such action if there was a box to check if you wanted future notifications of 'their' offerings, and the wording specified what information would be shared.
My answer to this was to respond in writing "You do not have my permission to send future offers or share any information what-so-ever with any company, now or in the future, for any reason".
I think it is very poor policy for any company to imply they have permission to do so unless the customer responds in writing or by phone.
In this era of identity theft, spam and other less than ideal activities, it pays to read all material supplied word by word and interpret it carefully.
Update:
After about eight months I called their customer service and asked to be removed from their mailing list since there is no possible way I will ever be buying anythng from them again. I have been receiving approximately two unsolicited pieces of mail from them per week, sometimes more.
The advertising material includes everything from slick glossy four page brochures on up to catalogues multi-pages thick. This is a terrible waste of resources and doesn't improve our environment since all this goes straight to the recycle facilities.
I was told by the lady on the phone that she would honour my request and cancel, but it could take months for it to take effect because the advertising material comes from various companies all over. In the meantime the junk mail sent out by them has not reduced by any noticable amount.
Multiple companies? Looks like they paid real good attention to my written request not to share.
| ©2006