Famous Footwear Brown Shoe Company wants to scan drivers license and maintain personal information when performing normal return in time Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Famous Footwear uses bait and switch for your personal information -
While returning merchandise in a timely manner with original receipt purchased with a credit card, I was told my drivers license had to be scanned and the information maintained in the company database in order to get a refund. This is a breach of privacy laws in our state. The company cannot break privacy laws by capturing personal information for a sale.
Why we will not shop at this store again:
On 11/25/09 I used a credit card to purchase boots from:
Famous Footwear
I wish to return them and have attempted on December 28, 2009 and January 18,2010. I presented the original receipt and credit card. The first time I tried to return, the sales person asked for my drivers license and proceeded to scan it. I was appalled at the cavalier breach of privacy. I was told the purchase could only be returned by inputting my drive license information.
Receipt states:
"We require a valid, government issued photo ID for all returns and exchanges. Purchase made between October 22, 2009 and December 24, 2009 may be returned or exchanged until January 30, 2010 and return information will be maintained in a company database. We reserve the right to limit or deny returns regardless of receipt."
The return stipulations appear on the receipt AFTER purchase. There is NO posting of terms at purchase point. I was told this procedure was to protect me, ..."someone might steel your bag with the shoes and try to return them." Obviously, these people
have a shop lifting problem, but that should not be the consumer's problem.
I have yet to receive a refund for the boots. I was told to mail them to another
address 2000 miles from me with no guarantee of refund or shipping costs paid.
I do not want my personal information in any database and you shouldn't either. Remember TJMaxx. Do not support companies that use this bait and switch policy for
your personal information.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Erin
Port Orchard,Washington,
United States of America
Before you buy, then, look closer!
#2UPDATE Employee
Sun, January 24, 2010
Just to let you know,
The reason the ID is scanned (and, actually, as the manager of that store may not know, can be just manually put in with expiration, #, and state) is for loss prevention. The only thing registered in the system is the ID number itself, and if there is an exceeding of returns with no receipt or even returns with one, it will simply show on the return screen (that the associate sees) that the shoes are "non-returnable".
In addition: If you look directly between the two registers (im assuming there are two... all the stores i have been in have just 2), there is a 5x8in (ish) display of the return policy. It states the same return policy as the receipt did, without the holiday time-frame.
As for the entire situation: The associate that told you the shipping information was pretty clever. You dont need your ID to send them in, and they do send you a check back from Brown Shoe Co.
My suggestion is to call the customer service line. They should be able to find a way to work things out so you get your refund.