RadioShack Puts Customer Data Up For Sale In Bankruptcy Auction

itwbennett writes For years, RadioShack made a habit of collecting customers' contact information at checkout. Now, the bankrupt retailer is putting that data on the auction block. A list of RadioShack assets for sale includes more than 65 million customer names and physical addresses, and 13 million email addresses. Bloomberg reports that the asset sale may include phone numbers and information on shopping habits as well. New York's Attorney General says his office will take 'appropriate action' if the data is handed over.

Comments

I feel better now...

[DoofusOfDeath]

For having either refused to give them my information, or giving them made up info. And they've just guaranteed that I do this with all other stores from which I make cash purchases.

This is why I don't join rewards programs.

[Anonymous Coward]

Because the reward is they SHIT ON YOUR PRIVACY..

Fuckedcompany

[SumDog]

Man this reminds me of news from the old fuckedcompany.com and internal memos days; companies selling all their hardware and forgetting they had customer data on hard drives.

Re:Hmmm

[Anonymous Coward]

Back in the days of COCOTs, buying a number pad dialer and a certain other electronic item would cause the local rat shack to deny the sale, refusing to help anyone trying to make a red box. Assuming you were dumb enough to give them a phone number for both transactions.

Re:Hmmm

[TWX]

Don't bother to make up a number. Say no, or tell them that it's unlisted. Retailers will either put in the store number, gobbledygook, or have a means to bypass that.

I don't give out personal information for no benefit to myself. I don't show my receipt at the door unless it's at a membership store where I could lose my account if I fail to do so (like Costco). I'm there to exchange cash for goods. I don't care about their attempts to do more.

Re:Appropriate action ?

[kuzb]

"Sorry to see the Shack gone"

I'm not. Radioshack was fucking horrible in the last 20 years. High pressure commission sales staff, shitty products, questionable sales practices all the while shutting down the sale of all the items that made the store a treasure for its electronics parts. They deserved to go under, and most of us are just wondering how the hell it didn't happen sooner.

Canadian Tire

[ArcadeMan]

If you return an item to Canadian Tire (for a refund, maybe exchanges too) they also ask for your phone number. I've learned that they do this to limit the number of returns you can do (which I think is probably illegal) so I always say I don't have a phone, only Internet. The cashier always end up using the store's own phone number instead.

Re:Hmmm

[BronsCon]

Ever since the checker at Fry's caught that one of my items (the smallest yet most expensive item on my ticket) was not in my bag, I'm more than happy to let them check. It's not always a loss-prevention, treat you like a criminal, measure. In fact, having talked to the checkers quite a bit when the store is slow, I've learned that they catch people leaving without what they paid for much more often than the other way round. At least at Fry's, it truly is a customer service initiative. And yes, cashiers do face consequences for not making sure the customer leaves their register with all of their purchases.