Easier way to OPT OUT of Dell selling my private information

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Easier way to OPT OUT of Dell selling my private information

4310 points posted to Advertising and Marketing by ninefoot3 10/17/07 **IN PROGRESS**

I rec'd a brochure yesterday saying Dell and DFS were going to share my private info with other 3rd party companies for marketing purposes. Well, it said that in about 5,000 words or so. At the end is a box stating that I may opt-out of this by calling the number listed or writing a letter (including certain info) and send it to the listed address.

I chose to use the phone method. After being shoved around to a few people, I finally got someone who could help me 'opt-out'. This involved 'opening a case' as if I had a technical issue with my account.

My IdeaStorm suggestion, hey Dell, make it easier for us to OPT-OUT of your attempts to make money off of my personal information. What's the matter? Didn't make enough money off of my patronage to Dell products and the interest rates charged? Getting an extra $1 for my name, address and age information going to help Michael Dell get a new boat? C'mon!

While I'm disturbed that Dell wanted to sell me out, I'm more disturbed that Dell made it difficult for us to opt-out. A simple URL would have been nice. I know, that would make more people opt-out and Dell would have less names to sell. It's like a mail-in-rebate or the lack of a cancel button in the account information at freecreditreport.com, you HAVE to call, and since that's a pain in the neck, most people will sloth themselves into something they don't really want.

undead999 10/17/07	I would rather not have the option. it would be better if Dell didnt sell my information, that way they wouldnt need to ask me to opt-out
aikiwolfie 10/18/07	Yeah just don't sell any of my details. Ever!
ninefoot3 10/20/07	To add insult to injury, the following day, a Dell rep called me to discuss my decision to 'opt-out'. Had they spoken fluent English, I might have entertained the phone call. Maybe I should post the idea to IdeaStorm that Dell hire phone personnel that can speak clean English and quit out-sourcing it to 3rd world countries that probably can't afford a Dell computer in the first place.
a3_nm 10/23/07	I haven't promoted this idea yet because you did not indicate precise references to what you disagree with in Dell's conditions ("a brochure"?). Could you give a link to some page on Dell's website with the info? Thanks.
mabmab 10/25/07	This is my first post here. What do "points" mean? Will customer information sold/given/shared include my email? (have I already forfeited, to their marketing urges, my email -- which they didn't previously know, by logging on in here?) How will this increase i.d. theft risk to myself and all other Dell customers? I am deciding between 1721 and vostro1700 right now - is there any way to opt out, during purchase, to prevent this harvesting of my info? How much money do they get from such sale compared with their profit if I purchase a 17" laptop? Some time ago I already requested to receive their latest laptop sales booklets which arrive about once a month - what more do they want? I bought the only Dell I've ever owned in 2005 (an overheating inspiron 1150) -- will my personal information automatically be taken from sales? When is this going to begin happening; or, has it already started? This is the first I've heard about this - what notification(s) were ever published? That my 1150 would overheat was never told to me -- after a year of struggling with the problem I found out the reasons on Wikipedia. ABC/CBS/NBC TV were my sources to warn me about a sony-battery recall (mine was ok) -- Dell has never notified me of anything though I purchased directly on the internet. Do they ever provide purchasers with information or are we on our own all the time to accidentally find out about customer concerns?
petzymathuram 10/27/07	You mean recording calls and audtiting calls by third party in an outside world?
aikiwolfie 10/28/07	I think this issue is quite simple. Customers personal details should never be sold on to anybody ever. Personally I think it's a breach of trust.
petzymathuram 10/29/07	Suggestion for Dell: While the reps take calls sale calls/ DFS/ techsupport / customer care , let the team managers barge the calls then and there on the spot and give coaching for the team on the floor. Let the managers check out that each and every call is articulated in such a manner that all the essential parameters are covered. Recording the calls and sending it to a third party for monitoring is a really a very great risk. Let Dell itself hold all it's dealings Every possibility that the calls with financial dealings can easily be tracked because the Sequence Number of the calls will be simultaneously noted down in the Outsourcing software. It will surely impose a threat to the US customers There was a rule that we have to enter everything in the "tick sheet" (hard copy) while monitoring and not to use our notepads in the system is really a waste of time and a great risk. The scenario was really time consuming: Agent hearing the call - entering it in the tick sheet (hard copy) - Saving it in the thirdparty outsourcing software (similar to E-Talk Advisor) - saving it in E-talk Advisor (US Client software) - really time consuming FYI: whenever people come for auditing from outside , agents will be asked to hide their "tick sheets" by the manager and the entire set up. Preventing us to document anything on the system "notepad'. I am 100% sure the Dell clients and other auditors would have not known because whenever the clients were on the floor, the agents were forced to hide their tick sheets. Agents who were close to the managers and other top officials other than their bold misconduct, disposed off sale calls / other good calls as Error Records, juzz to catch up with the race of reaching first in production. The tech who audtis the maximum number of calls were given "Best performers award". Hence certain agents juzz disposed off the good calls as "Error Records". Inspite of the request by the Dell clients that General enquiry calls need to be audited with a note: -Why has the customer called up -What is that the customer is asking for General enquiry calls were turned as error records in between , then once again resumed after a good thrashing from the Dell end. I would really appreciate Dell clients like Raphael Martinez and other clients (dunno their name), who were imposing strict rules to keep a check on these....;) I think for a great and trustworthy company like Dell it is 100% sure that it can take care of itself other than seeking the help of "third party outsourcing".... Good Luck
jorge 10/29/07	Merged Comment originally posted 10/28/07 The best way is to never give them any real info or info thats totally wrong. You can sign up for one of those temporary phone numbers and have your computer sent to a UPS store (if you set something up with them) or a PO Box, buy a American Express Gift card or money order for the price of the computer to eliminate them tracking that as well. You can also buy from a reseller. I am assuming you really don't want your private info out there so those are the extreme solutions to those things, remember the name on the credit card does not have to match the name on the shipping label.
aikiwolfie 10/31/07	Measures that are far too extreme. If I was prepared to go to those lengths I'd just go to the shops and pay by cash.
jorge 10/31/07	Well its for those who are extremely concerned about that yet can't walk up to a shop and lay out the cash (remote rural areas).
jorge 10/31/07	Here's a new possibility? http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&artic...
bunkster 10/31/07	I they could only let you opt in instead of opting out. Oh wait they could make it workthaat way! I can't stand places that sell private info. Last time I talked to Dell Finance, some guy named Mike in India asked me for my So-Sec. I wasn't too happy about the prospect of some third world business with access to that info. Quite disturbing.
chewd 10/31/07	Well this is it, i love dells hardware, but if this is the way theyre going to treat me, theyll never get another dime from me. Screw you dell, screw you
andragon 11/01/07	Rediculous, like it even matters. Seriously, how is companies passing details for marketing reasons EVER going to seriously effect you? It's not as if you don't already get a pile of crud through the post anyway. There are far more important things to be concerned with than this. Chuh...i've already lost interest in this "idea"...more like a "whinge".
aikiwolfie 11/01/07	Are you serious? Lets talk about junk mail or identity fraud. Lets talk about credit card fraud. The more places your details are stored the more likely it is you will become a victim of these crimes. It wasn't that long ago TK-Max had it's servers hacked. The hackers got thousands of customers credit card details before anybody even noticed it was happening. Take a technology like chip'n'pin. Over the net or over the phone it's useless. Totally inept. We'd like to think everybody who worked for these companies were trust worthy. But they aren't. Dirty leads come from company insiders illegally passing on your details. They can easily cover their tracks because they're meant to be selling details anyway The practice of companies sharing your details carries with it some very serious implications.
chewd 11/01/07	andragon: if its no big deal, why dont you post your phone number on the forum here so we can discuss this further, i get off work about midnight, ill call you then.
partha_r 11/06/07	Petzy- I am responsible for the Global Quality teams for our contact centers and I work with our partners on call audits. Thank you for your suggestions (in your comments on 10/29) and we continue to listen for improved ways to coach our employees and improve the customer and employee experience. I would also like to assure you that our audit teams have stringent policies in place that demand high levels of confidentiality and data protection. This includes ensuring there is no capture of any customer information in either tick sheets or vendor tools. With the information that you have provided, I will work with our audit teams and ensure we continue to provide high confidentiality and data protection. Thanks again for your comments.
beth_m 11/06/07	I work for Dell Financial Services (DFS) and wanted to let the community know that we do have a process in place for customers to opt-out of having their information shared with third-party marketers. I’m also happy to share with the community details about the Dell Prefered Account privacy policy. First off, Dell and DFS don’t sell any customer information – we don’t have any rights to share information beyond our role as an account servicer. Here are the opt-out instructions from CIT Bank’s privacy policy: If you prefer that we not disclose your customer information to DFS (for its marketing purposes), Dell or non-affiliated third parties for their marketing purposes, call us at 1-800-283-2210 or write us at: P.O. Box 81575, Austin, TX 78708-1575. Please provide us with your name, address and account number. We can’t process your request without your account number. If your account is a joint account, any joint account holder may opt out on his/her own behalf and on behalf of other joint account holders. @ninefoot3 – what you received was the Dell Preferred Account privacy policy. CIT Bank is required to send out the Dell Preferred Account privacy policy on an annual basis, and this mailing is done every October. As the servicer for CIT Bank, DFS does this on the bank’s behalf in either statement inserts or as a direct mail to customers who are not receiving statements. In the privacy policy, the bank states that it can share information with Dell, and third party service providers that service the account (like credit bureaus, collect agencies and DFS for customer service). It also says that the bank can share information with DFS and third-party marketers to offer products and/or services the bank thinks customers would be interested in. The sharing with third-party marketers has an opt-out option. The toll-free number that customers have to call is also the DFS general customer service number. From what you’ve described, it appears that there may have been a misunderstanding on the part of the customer service representative with whom you spoke. It was appropriate for this representative to open a case about this issue because representatives located off shore are not given access to all systems. And lastly, the phone call a couple days later was a courtesy to see if the issue had been resolved. Thanks for your feedback here, and we’re very sorry for the confusion! You can contact DFS Customer Service if you have any questions, and I’ll be checking in on this thread if you have additional feedback. Here’s a link to the Dell Preferred Account Privacy Policy - www.dell.com/dfsprivacy.
jorge 11/06/07	Not so fast! There is no mention of what penalty Dell pays for breaching this privacy statement. As usual these privacy statements have no deterrent!
aikiwolfie 11/06/07	Oh dear more Dell peoples talking to us. Some sackings on the way! Only kidding. Thanks for the info Dell peoples.
ninefoot3 11/06/07	To the Dell reps: The phone number listed in the 'opt-out' section of the brochure stating that DFS or whoever wishes to share my information (sell it) with 3rd party companies (for any reason) DID NOT get me to someone who was able to help me in my decision to OPT OUT. I was given another phone number (which I scribbled on a scratch piece of paper I've since tossed into the trash) and when I called THAT number, I was passed to someone else and then passed to someone else who THEN opened a CASE. I'm Opting out, why should that be a 'case'? Doesn't Dell or DFS or CIT BANK have a simplified system for opting out when calling in? When I called the number, I spoke with DELL and DFS personnel, not with CIT Bank personnel. If this is a yearly mailing, then the system should have been fine tuned before I ever got my statement in the mail. I should not have had to talk to 4 Dell reps and be passed around like a joint at a rap concert. The 'follow-up' phone call was uncalled for (pardon the pun). I called the number, opted out... end of story. I didn't need anybody calling me at work to find out if I opted out. How in the h3ll am I supposed to know if I got 'opted out' or not? I don't have access to account info like that. When I log into my DFS account, I don't see 'opted out' notifications anywhere, so why call me to ask me if everything is O.K.? My suggestion (Idea) as simple. You put a link in the brochure I got. This link took me to a web page displaying the exact same info I rec'd on the brochure. Why not include an option on that same web page for me to OPT-OUT!!!!!!!!!!!??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!! Simple. I already stated why tho. If you make it hard or difficult for people to do, they just won't bother and you guys get your way in the end. I'm done buying from Dell. So, where's the ALREADY offered part? I didn't get a link yet. SO... how's it already offered. Prove me wrong. I titled this an EASIER WAY TO OPT-OUT.... then stated a website would be the easier way. SO... link me!
dell_admin1 11/06/07	Changed status to UNDER REVIEW.
dell_admin1 11/06/07	@ninefoot3 - thanks for the feedback. I've changed the tag from Already Offered to Under Review, given that we did not address your link suggestion. I'll get this back to the team for them to review and respond here.
jorge 11/06/07	Don't forget to get the text on what happens when they (Dell Employee) breaches the privacy policy stated by beth_m.
chewd 11/07/07	Dell needs to fire CIT bank. These people are abusing YOUR customers, and its costing YOU money! When i bought my notebooks i financed them through DFS simply so i wouldnt have to wait 6 months to save up... BIG mistake. After the sale CIT bank began calling me 2-3 times a week to sell me "credit protection" services. I responded to every call with "im not interested, please stop calling me" the rep would then lie about taking me off a list, or just hang up on me. I eventually had to change phone numbers to end this harassment! Now we have this flap about CIT wanting to sell my private information to 3rd parties. These wholesale consumer data distributors dont check backgrounds on their clients, they will sell your info to anyone with a buck.. Its not uncommon for fraudsters & con-men to use them to get the data they need for ID theft. My DFS (CIT bank) account has my SSC #, bank acct info, credit history, street address, and god knows what else... When i call DFS (CIT) to opt out of this nonsense they tell me the account is closed (i closed it 2 months after opening it because of the telemarketing harassment) and since its closed my info will not be shared, so it is not necessary to opt out. I dont trust them, and i dont believe them, i have already been lied to by DFS (CIT) phone reps nearly every time ive spoken to them, and if thats the case, why did i get this letter? but what other choice do i have but take them at their word?!? Anyway, CIT bank has driven me away from Dell permanently. Its almost time for upgrades & im already shopping your competitors, i wont waste my time with the Dell lineup so long as you guys have those thugs on your payroll.
beth_m 11/09/07	ninefoot3 - Thanks for clarifying the intent of this idea. Based on your feedback here, we have decided to add an online opt-out option to the Dell Financial Services Website next year, to make it easier for our DFS customers to tell us their preference for marketing information-sharing. We are working through the details right now, so we don't have an exact date for when the opt-out link will go live, but I will keep the community posted. We appreciate all your feedback!
jorge 11/09/07	The opt-out should override any pre-agreed info sharing agreement with any Dell partner, even Microsoft.
dell_admin1 11/09/07	Changed status to IN PROGRESS.
ninefoot3 11/09/07	Better idea... um, how about adding an option (for new customers) on the Credit Application so they don't have to suffer through this insulting ordeal? Next year isn't going to help the thousands of us who look at that brochure and wonder what Dell's intentions are. Now, I know you've stated this issue is with CIT, not DELL, but who cut the deal with CIT? I don't think CIT is the only financier who can offer Dell's customer base a line of credit. You'd think Dell would at least look for one that doesn't jack the interest rate up to 31.99% after I agreed to a card with 25% rate. ( i agreed to that high of a rate since I bought items with 18mo no interest promotions). Dell may be number 1 in computer sales, but remember, when armed with enough tranquilizer darts, we can take down an 800 lb. gorilla. I know Dell tries to keep pricing and system specs competitive and stay on top, but they seem to have forgotten the customer base they already have. Tighten up these creditor monsters before they kill of your most loyal of customers. Then again, maybe that's another idea. Thank you, however, for your attention to this issue. I just wish it would happen faster than 'next year'.
jorge 11/09/07	The deal with their current partners ends at the end of the year so they won't breach that agreement, and due to real politics they need to stop those kinds of deals because its causing other problems they don't want to deal with.
aikiwolfie 11/10/07	I have an even better idea. Why not allow customers to choose to opt-in to marketing. See how many actually take up that offer. Dell already does this with it's e-mail news letter. Why not just do it across the board?
ninefoot3 11/10/07	Aikiwolfie, since that will NEVER happen, the only way to stop the madness is to at least offer a method of opting out that everyone can do. Phone and mail is a joke in the information age, so having a webpage offering a few clicks to opt-out seems fair. It will also make people actually read what is sent to them. I feel for all of the people who rec'd the same brochure I did and ignored it as more 'boring' babble from Dell, DFS or CIT.
gretsch001 11/12/07	Well, it sounds like Dell has sunk to an all-time low as far as business ethics. Those who think that there should be an easy way to "opt out" of having the personal data peddled to unrelated 3rd parties simply have it backwards. First of all, Dell should NOT be trading or selling the personal information of its customers. Are they gettting so desperate that they need the 10 cents per name they sell? Second, if anything, Dell should be asking you BEFORE your name and personal information is sold to corporate America. Just a thought for some of the Dell customers who have chosen to purchase their computers through Dell's time payment plan.....I wonder how much and what type of personal data has been sold to third parties - enough for some unscrupulous individual to create stolen identities??? Please tell us Dell.
ninefoot3 11/15/07	If you'd read up on things, you'd be aware... http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/us/segments/dhs/dpa_privacy_policy that's the info in the brochure they send ya. I don't have it backwards... I agree, they shouldn't sell our info period, but they do. Our only defense (if you can call it that) is to opt-out and never do business with them again. Insulting someone on this forum is simply uncalled for. Shame on Dell for being in cahoots with a company that will use my info to market crap I don't want to me.
jorge 11/16/07	There is no consequences of violating that privacy policy, so its worthless.
aikiwolfie 11/16/07	Yeah I'd agree. If staff aren't bound by the policy then it's no good.
chewd 11/20/07	Hey Dell, ive got a couple dollars, why dont you sell me Michael Dell's home phone #, street address, bank account numbers and credit history? If he doesnt want me stalking him, he can always opt-out by calling 1-800-555-555 xt 1234 ask for Betty, between 1:25 and 1:30 on wednsdays.
olduvai 11/25/07	Sheesh. I'm glad I bought an Apple yesterday instead.
aikiwolfie 11/26/07	Crab apples or golden deliciouses?
petzymathuram 11/26/07	Oh the half bitten apples?
shapeshifter Jan 9	I agree I would think that its standard practice now to keep your customers information private.

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