Forum Topic

Too Much Info Required in Shops- Nothing to Do with Brexit

Yesterday I went into Boss Kingston to buy a couple of shirts.  They didn’t have my husband’s size, so the assistant said they could order them for collection from the store in 3 days time.The assistant gave me her tablet and asked me to fill in the info where marked.  This was my Title, Name, Address, Mobile Number and finally my email address.  I filled it all in as required  until I got to my email address.  I asked why Boss needed this and the assistant replied to notify you when the order is in store.  I said but you have my phone number, you can ring me or I will just pop in next week.  She wouldn’t budge on this and nor did I, so I gave up.Am I wrong?  Does everyone just hand over all this information, except me?

Martine Guy ● 2623d26 Comments

I probably would give my email address. Then if any advertising emails started arriving, I would mark them as spam.

David Ainsworth ● 2623d

I completely agree with you Martine, as my wife can testify I can get really hacked off when people insist on this information. I never give anything except the bare minimum. I had a right old ding dong in Specsavers a few months ago when they wanted my home address for example!

Matt Palmer ● 2623d

Thank you both for the replies.  I just phoned Boss Customer Service.  Evidently they don’t need to have my mobile number, but they do need my email for security reasons.  For goods to be delivered to the store, the Boss Shop uses their online store.  We have shopped at Boss Sloane Square.  At that branch, they wanted us to join some sort of club which gave a discount.  For this they wanted my husband’s d.o.b.  too.  We didn’t bother.We had a similar experience at DFS New Malden.  To purchase a sofa, they wanted our email.  I refused to give it and the assistant, probably afraid to lose commission, gave in very reluctantly.

Martine Guy ● 2623d

There's a lot of unnecessary data collection.  With so many different methods of communication it is more complicated.  Everyone has their own preferred method.You can be bombarded (sorry targeted) when you walk through a shopping mall with your mobile phone with special offers from shops that you are walking past. It's creepy.It's interesting that a quarter of us are apparently digitally challenged.  It isn't only older people.

Philippa Bond ● 2623d

When I am asked to hand over d.o.b. for what appears to be no reason and I can’t avoid it, I change the date.

Martine Guy ● 2623d

Have you considered creating an email account just for purchasing items?

Adam Tripp ● 2623d

it is interesting how when you ask staff why the information is needed most don't know. I too dislike this automatic need for all our data when it doesn't seem to be absolutely necessary.

Maxine Campbell ● 2623d

Unless something needs to be delivered there is no need to give your address and telephone number. Just refuse to give it. Many companies that collect personal data in shops and online then sell it to other companies, which I found out from my own experience.

Sue Hammond ● 2623d

I agree with you Martine, although I'm more reluctant to had over my phone number than email address (of which I have several), and DOB must be justified (Pizza Express have an approximation of it so I can get the birthday offers). The minimum amount of data should be collected,  processed and justified, and be protected: it's good EU law now also enshrined in UK law by the 2018 DPA. The concern is not only spam but how well some of these organisations look after what they've collected: address, DoB, name, etc are very helpful in constructing fake identities. Hopefully a few large fines from the ICO and these organisations will think again about what they need ...

Michael Ixer ● 2623d

Boss have had to apologise for their former boss who made Brown Shirts for the Nazis and the Waffen SS uniforms.  Don't buy their stuff and don't give them your personal details.

Chantal Blake-Milton ● 2623d

If the data isn't important, I just make stuff up. I'm happy to keep my privacy, and the salesperson is happy to make the sale. I have a fake email for signing up to wifi too!I don't fill in customer service questionnaires any more, I just do what I need to interact and get served

Sean Hodges ● 2623d

Out of interest, has anyone here ever entered a competition lately?  I guess as these days competitions seem to be done by email or text these days, they will want to know all your personal info?  I wondered what happens nowadays do you get bombarded afterwards with texts and emails?

Martine Guy ● 2623d

"digitally challenged"What thing is that? I take it that it is not a reference to the sort of problem which I have with my left ring finger?

David Ainsworth ● 2623d

Sean, how do I fake an email address?  Eg, do I put something similar to my actual one, but change a couple of letters.Thank you

Martine Guy ● 2623d

Thank you, Chantal, that's useful information. Just googled HB. Anyway would not buy his clothes  - too expensive- only for the metropolitan elite.

Jane Carter ● 2623d

Probably best steer clear of Volkswagen then. Porsche and Opel too, I should think. And as for IBM ...

David Ainsworth ● 2623d

Jane, if you look at the Hugo Boss Online shop, there are some very expensive items, which there’s no way we buy. You will find Boss shirts  in John Lewis.  I googled to see what the general opinion was of Boss, this is what someone said “Boss is ubiquitous and mass market.  Pretty much any reasonably sized shopping centre in the US or Europe will sell Boss gear that alone precludes it from being high end”.

Martine Guy ● 2623d

No I never do,if they persist I just say I dont have a computer as I dont understand how to use them! (I do look old enough for that to be believable)

Pauline Evans ● 2623d

Strangely enough my German born mother, hounded out by the Nazis for the crime of being Jewish, maintained they still made to best products and continued to buy them after the  war. My father on the other hand, abused by the Japanese for 4 and a half years as a British POW, would not buy anything produced  by them, ever. Perhaps we can get back to the original premise of this thread, although to be fair I've forgotten what it was!

Lucille Grant ● 2623d

Pauline, I will have to try that, and say not everyone has a computer, which is true.

Martine Guy ● 2623d

Most of the places that require an email address are happy with any word in front of @gmail.com Obviously if they need to contact you as part of the transaction you need a genuine working email address, but it is so trivial to set one up in gmail you might as well have a spare one just for that purpose

Sean Hodges ● 2622d

Thanks for this advice, Sean.  I am very low tech! But this is useful to know.  I am completely left behind with things such as this.  Going back to my attempt to make a purchase, I should have gone into John Lewis Kingston afterwards as they probably had these shirts. It is really annoying to have to hand over personal information just to make a purchase.

Martine Guy ● 2622d

That's a good one.  Different dates of birth have to be remembered like all the different passwords...

Philippa Bond ● 2622d

This is worth listening to:Digital Future:  The New Underclasshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000823pIt is a growing problem as technology changes fast and can be very expensive.  It isn't just older people who are finding it too much of a challenge.

Philippa Bond ● 2622d

Whatever Hugo Boss' affiliations, he is dead, Just like Lord Rothermere, a fan of Hitler and publisher of the Daily Mail.What we need to look out for is not businesses which used to be owned by fascists in years gone by, but fascists. We do not need to look very far.

Michael Winstanley ● 2622d

"What we need to look out for is not businesses which used to be owned by fascists in years gone by, but fascists. We do not need to look very far."I have always liked the old Ronseal adverts, but really, whatever the label may say on the tin, it is actions which matter.

David Ainsworth ● 2621d