Mothercare Malaysia E-Newsletter:: Open Letter

Open letter Note to Mothercare Malaysia

Dear Mothercare Malaysia. 

Clean up your E-Newsletter registration please, seriously. 

All you the info you need for an E-Newsletter is an email address. 

Plus an option for VIP Members to tick a box to say they are a VIP 

and membership number according to card. 

That is it.That is all you need for an E-Newsletter

 If you want to do a customer survey. Do a proper one without it being a requirement for an E-NEWSLETTER. At least give your customer the option to not divulge private information when it is clearly NOT required. 

Regards,

A Mom, a Malaysian, a customer who just want to get an email notification.

To know the story behind this Open Letter/Note...read more below.

Mothercare, love them. Who doesn't really? Even if some of the items offered are priced slightly higher than what you can get elsewhere. Except if you are a VIP member, then good bargains are possible.

I did managed to spend RM800 within 3 months in Mothercare without purchasing big items like stroller or cot. Therefore, entitled to the VIP card therefore, entitled to their VIP discounts therefore, SHOULD have entitled me to early warnings notifications of Mothercare Members Sale. 

Have i ever gotten one? Nope. For some strange reason...never. I only been to Members sale because i coincidentally went into Mothercare when there was a sale going on. This..is no fun. 

Maybe i should send an emo-rant to their customer service? Sounding like this?::

"Why don't you send me SMSes Mothercare? No emails? No letters? Nothing Mothercare. Nothing to let me know there was a special sale for members going on?! Instead....I found out about the sale like....the...non...VIP...members. and shop at the prices of the REGULAR customers!  I want to buy toys at an increased 5-10% discount than others! SAD! so SAD!!! ....I have a VIP card with a some strangers baby on it for Barney's sake! WHYYYY???? I am dissapointed in you. Really am. "

Maybe my card will be cancelled after that....heh..or I'll be banned from ever using Mothercare Bangsar's nappy/feeding room ever again. 

In effort to self correct the situation without me going berserk at their customer service and being banned from using the ever important nappy/feeding/'i just need to hide' room, I filled in their E-Newsletter registration form on their website

Mothercare Malaysia sign-up E-newsletter

Imagine my surprise with the fields required that make me want to send an open letter to them.

Now all forms have their little *required areas to fill. What i don't get is some of the info that is REQUIRED for Mothercare Malaysia's E-Newsletter

1. filled my name. Simple enough.

2. Identification Card number..long pause at that...for an online registration that could be hacked by anyone, IC number is actually quite a private info to give. A lot of unpleasant things can be done with your IC number alone. It is like giving your credit card number. But its a risk that you sometimes have to take when you want to buy that vintage Chanel on Ebay. heh.

then it got really weird.

3. they asked for RACE! ...really? I have chosen in most time to skip this part whenever it is required in written forms (except government forms) but this is a required field. Why should it be required? Is it not enough you know that human beings are buying your products? Nope...must group us into races for some strange reason. Not good Mothercare. Not good.

4.they asked for INCOME! ...another required field. Seriously?? So i jolly well choose a random answer because its not like its going to come into Bank Negara's enquiries. 

Now Mothercare know my race, income and IC number. Its all very unnecessary for an E-Newsletter isn't it? I begin to wonder if there is some unethical targeted marketing going on. 

Mothercare marketing robots: "Lets just send promotions for this RM3000 stroller to this income group shall we? or..just to the Malay/Indian/Chinese for Raya/Dewali/CNY because Others don't need the promotions. Either they cant afford it...or they are the Other race." 

5. my home address.I'm a VIP member, even when I've already given ALL of the above, i haven't gotten anything have I? Now I'm registering for an E-Newsletter, you need my home address....WHY? All you need is my e-mail!!! E-MAIL! that. is. it. 

6. even though no red asterisk marker, you have to submit your mobile AND office phone number. Whether you want SMS notification or not. 

Are they really necessary? Those are all required info. Yes yes, all information provided will be 'protected'. But in this world and age, how 'protected' do you really feel when you give away your information to others? How many times in a month do you give out your phone number or email to others without even thinking?  

Now all these? For an E-Newsletter? Seriously? My home phone number and office phone number? (which i filled in 00000000 because it wont be submitted if its blank BTW). Are they really necessary? 

The answer is no, Mothercare.

Oh yes..somewhere in all those bullshit is 

7. request for an Email address. - almost forgot about that for an E-Newsletter registration cause i was derailed by everything else. Silly. Me.

Yes, I am aware that I can choose not to participate  in the registration. But the scrooge in me need to get the members discount during members sale somehow...sigh. If i STILL don't get a notification after filling my home address AND email AND mobile number, i will scream. 

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At all Mothercare counter. 

And to those that have seen and assisted in my demand for customer rights recently, you know I am not kidding.

PS: It is illegal to sell customers information but even banks have leaked personal phone numbers to stalkers (true personal story), how can you guarantee Mothercare is that protected?

PPS: Certain same information were NOT filled when registering 'offline' for my member's card even though its "required"