Defending Customer's Privacy
Defending The Customer’s Personal Data
Kanjuette Wakefield
Customer Relations and Servicing – 1
Professor Lori Wortylko
August 6, 2013
Defend an organization’s right to collect customer’s data. Should the company limit the use of this information? I am choosing to talk about Wal-Mart and the way they choose to protect the customer’s data that is collected when a customer uses a credit or debit card or a check at Wal-Mart. This establishment is here to protect the rights and concerns of every consumer who purchases products through either online or by buying items in the store. I know personally from being a regular shopper at Wal-Mart and from working there for about a month they are very concerned about advertising people’s personal information because they are trying to avoid lawsuits and unnecessary actions that can be taken against them. Wal-Mart is a people friendly atmosphere where a lot of people enjoy shopping because of all the products they sale and the reasonable prices that are affordable. Now when I was an employee at the establishment, Wal-Mart’s policy was to never ask questions that didn’t pertain to the customer like where do you work or have long have you been there. They were more concerned with ensuring the customer’s privacy and respect for them as a convenient shopper. From being a regular customer at Wal-Mart I do know some of the policies that are set in place to ensure the customer’s privacy. Let’s say for instance you purchase items with a debit or credit card you have to show your ID with a photo, but in some cases the customer service rep. doesn’t even ask. Now I have seen some customer service reps. writing information down but I couldn’t understand why. So I asked why do they need all of this information if you just viewed my ID, and I was told it was a store policy. I knew that information was incorrect so I would always challenge them and ask them the new policy and where it’s written.
Kanjuette Wakefield
Customer Relations and Servicing – 1
Professor Lori Wortylko
August 6, 2013
Defend an organization’s right to collect customer’s data. Should the company limit the use of this information? I am choosing to talk about Wal-Mart and the way they choose to protect the customer’s data that is collected when a customer uses a credit or debit card or a check at Wal-Mart. This establishment is here to protect the rights and concerns of every consumer who purchases products through either online or by buying items in the store. I know personally from being a regular shopper at Wal-Mart and from working there for about a month they are very concerned about advertising people’s personal information because they are trying to avoid lawsuits and unnecessary actions that can be taken against them. Wal-Mart is a people friendly atmosphere where a lot of people enjoy shopping because of all the products they sale and the reasonable prices that are affordable. Now when I was an employee at the establishment, Wal-Mart’s policy was to never ask questions that didn’t pertain to the customer like where do you work or have long have you been there. They were more concerned with ensuring the customer’s privacy and respect for them as a convenient shopper. From being a regular customer at Wal-Mart I do know some of the policies that are set in place to ensure the customer’s privacy. Let’s say for instance you purchase items with a debit or credit card you have to show your ID with a photo, but in some cases the customer service rep. doesn’t even ask. Now I have seen some customer service reps. writing information down but I couldn’t understand why. So I asked why do they need all of this information if you just viewed my ID, and I was told it was a store policy. I knew that information was incorrect so I would always challenge them and ask them the new policy and where it’s written.
References: SBA.GOV U.S.Small Business Administration, (ND) http://www.sba.gov/content/privacy-law Wal-Mart Culture, http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/working-at-walmart/culture (Odgers) Gibson, Pattie (2012) The World of Customer Service (3rd Edition) Cengage Learning