Stores sharing my ID with third parties to track returns?

mwhitman

Hey everyone, first post.

While reading on the internet (a dangerous practice, I know!), I came across some complaints about The Retail Equation, a company hired by several large retailers to track returns and exchanges to identify individuals that exhibit non-standard return behavior. Per the company's website (I can't link because I'm new ), that can even include purchases returned without the original receipt--something I'm sure we've all done.

Google turns up a lot of results on the matter, and a court case was filed against Best Buy for the practice(STEVEN SIEGLER V. BEST BUY CO.), but so far the it's still legal.

What are your thoughts? While I believe in retailers' freedom to make policies I think that something like this should be disclosed up front--even if it was outlined in the policy printed on the receipt, by that point the sale cannot be reversed without invoking the return policy.

Hintza

Is this relevant for the UK (at this time)?

duchy

Which UK retailers have hired them?
I presume the OP is aware that privacy and data protection laws very between countries and even if legal in the US would not be legal in the UK under the same circumstances.

Frankly anything that helps keeps prices from rising by preventing shrinkage probably has its merits too.

However perhaps the OP has posted to the wrong website looking at the company's location Corporate Headquarters Mailing Address:
PO Box 51373
Irvine, CA 92619-1373

Regional Offices:
Atlanta, GA
Berkley, CA
Cleveland, OH
Dallas, TX
Minneapolis, MN
Portland, OR
Sarasota, FL
Seattle, WA

zaax

Some buyers take the !!!! and use the returns like a hire shop ie uswe thme for a few weeks and then return the items.