Sorry, but I just have to get something off my chest. My wife and I were in Best Buy the other day to return something. We were prepared, having brought the receipt for the purchase and the credit card that was used to buy it. She was asked for her driver's license, which she understood to check ID, but they not only looked at it, but scanned its contents! Yep, there's a bar code on the back, and they scanned it!
Naturally, we were outraged! Why did they need the contents of her driver's license just to process a return? She was able to confirm that her credit card made the purchase. She was told that "that was their policy."
I then made an angry Tweet about it when we got back to the car, using a #BestBuy hashtag. Their customer service people, to their credit, responded quickly. However, this was their Tweeted response:
"To keep prices low for customers, we track returns utilizing customer ID, such as driver's licenses."
I responded that this was unacceptable! They did not need to make a copy in order to verify my wife's identity. Their receipts state that they do not guarantee their server security as far as being hacked. I expressed a concern that this could present a problem with identity theft. They responded:
"Did they actually make a physical copy or scan the license?"
Does this make a difference, I asked? They have her driver's license number and other personal information they are not entitled to! I received no further response.
My concern here is that it is an unnecessary invasion of privacy. I have purchased things from that store over the years, and yes they have checked my ID for my credit card. I have even thanked them for checking it to protect me from fraud. But they never once scanned the card. Why was this then done for a merchandise return?
I cannot in good conscience continue to shop at Best Buy because of this. This policy is outrageous and should not be tolerated. How many people return things after the holidays? Should they be forced to give up personal information in order to do so? What do you think? Leave a comment below.
