to ask why shops ask for personal details?

[FlouncyDoves]

Just returned an item of clothing that is too small for my newborn. Got a store voucher (which they didn’t want to do anyway?!).

Then asked for my name and address as it’s a return. I asked why and got a generic reply of ‘we ask for all returns).

Why is this? It annoys me at the companies etc ask for these details. And I made sure all the ‘newsletter’ options were off.

I always assumed it was to stop fraudulent returns/spot a pattern of returns. Of course you could just make details up though. But this is just my assumption, could be wrong.

Also, that is a terrible answer from the store!

Thieves often use returns to get cash. Money laundering is commonly done this way too and the same with cards which is why shops are often required by their internal rules and fraud rules only to refund money to the same card that bought the thing in the first place.

When I get asked I actually say “no, I don’t give out my personal details”. They usually look surprised but that’s the end of it.

I didn’t ask or want cash though. Quite happy for a voucher.

Just annoying I suppose. Like at an outlet centre when they ask for your postcode every time you buy something.

I work in retail and have always understood it is to spot a pattern of returns. People do shop lift and ask for money back or do all sorts of complicated purchases and then ask for refunds.

I had one customer over ten years who constantly bought stuff and asked for refunds, I was in charge of security at head office and the whole company knew they had to refer her to me, never quite managed to work out what she was doing but she eventually realised we were on to her.

But yes, it's perfectly possible to give a false address, no one is going to ask for proof unless you are a persistent refund requester.

I work in retail. It is data harvesting for marketing purposes. We absolutely hate asking for details so do feel free to politely decline to do so. Hopefully if more people politely decline then head office will stop setting ridiculous targets for data capture.

Like at an outlet centre when they ask for your postcode every time you buy something.

I just give them a false one.

Marketing....

It's useful information.... If they're a baby clothes store, they then know that hour postcode contains potential baby clothes customers

Loyalty cards are the same thing....

Waitrose free coffee... Is a very cheap way of knowing exactly what and when you purchase... This is gold dust to the supermarket

I've never had a definitive answer to a question I've had for a few years over what (if any) conditions a retailer may place on a cash refund. That is where the item was bought with cash, and is being returned under the CPA (formerly SGA) - s0 statutory refund ?

I'm curious because many years I bought a small item - £4 - from a shop cash. Clearly indicated in the receipt. It turned out to be wrongly packaged, so I returned it for a refund. The assistant refused to give me a refund without me giving my name and address, which I had decided I didn't want to give.

In the end I never got my money, as contacting head office resulted in the same response.

(Now DS has left home, and I have more time, I would certainly have issued a small claim for it - although that carries the interesting prospect that the store gets my details anyway).

I am aware that a card purchase has all sorts of conditions from the bank to protect the bank and retailer, and that a request for my address for a card refund is reasonable enough. But this was 4x£1 coins.

If they're a baby clothes store, they then know that hour postcode contains potential baby clothes customers

So I am glad "my" postcode is an office building near Reading station :)

Another reason is that it helps stops shop assistants making fraudulent returns and pocketing cash. I know of a couple of people who have been found guilty of this and one of the ways they discovered and were able to investigate was the number of refunds issued without an address.