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"

Bibliophile dream

As i said in the last post, i like to divulge in a little house porn, which sadly includes furniture design porn. One post, ONE! by Liz about this bookcase (pic below) got me going through Google search results for types of bookcases and shelves that i dream about. 

Lizzie As A Mummy is looking for this bookcase

Seems familiar but can't remember where where I saw it.

What am i looking for? The list below basically covers what i want my home to look like. 

Be prepared..be very prepared, for looking at gorgeous bookshelves for the bibliophile in you.

For the kids (or the kid in you)

Lizzie might be looking for that bookcase. I found this one but just can't afford the shipping fee. 

 Ps: I waaaannnnt both! 

If anyone knows a carpenter than can make these, let me know.

 I dont have a home to put these but I am beyond caring

Perfect for those little tots to learn alphabets right? or for adults to remember the alphabets.

AAKKOSET Bookcase by Kawiya via I New Idea 

The tree of knowledge! Geddit? 

Hahaha this is made out of flexible steel btw to minimise environmental impact.

"A tree becomes a tree becomes a tree" by a Korean designer, Shwon Soh

Via AbigailPurcell

Bibliophile dream home

(the attainable kind)

Cute corner to store books.

Especially for a the dry kitchen area if you are a recipe books collector perhaps?

Via New Home Interior Design

Most likely to have this in my dry kitchen/family area

Via Apartment Therapy

 Curtained bookcase

Think having ceiling to floor bookcase looks too crowded when entertaining?

Hide them! But just having the curtains at the side look so stylish and adds much needed dash of colour to a neutral room. I like! Via Harrison House

Stair bookshelf.

Limited space? Try this. Although personally i don't like 'stepping on' books. I think its an Asian thing no? Stepping on books is like equivalent of stepping on knowledge. But its interesting concept and you can make it a storage space for other things. Via BoingBoing

Since stepping on books doesn't feel good to me, i prefer this. Storing books on ceiling rafters acting as shelves. Brilliant! Except being short would be a problem. sigh Via ApartmentTherapy

A simple bookshelf with big punctuations!!!

By Marcos Breder via I New Idea

Bookcase entryway

I just love this. Is this possible? So very possible. 

White room with a dash of black to accentuate the neutral and the colours from the books. 

via Patricia Grey You can find more photos at Patricia Grey's website

This is just the ultimate dream bookshelves arrangement.

Floor to ceiling with ladder to access top books. Ultimate. Another photo via Patricia Grey 

Now to have a house to put my bookcases and shelves in ....sigh

Mummylicious love for all things pretty

Randomly going blog surfing the usual suspects, I stumbled upon a close friend's post about her search for a house for investment. So naturally, looking at houses means looking at SHOWHOUSES! Collective UUhhhHHHHh now. 

Let me tell you a not so big secret. I love doing house porn.

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Don't get dirty minded la, I meant I just love looking at houses. Decorated houses, empty houses, friends houses and of course, show houses. Looking at every nook and cranny that has or has not been done. Thinking of possibilities. I have done this since I was in primary school...that means yes...breaking in into showhouses or empty unoccupied houses. Just so I could see the layout. And imagine how my house would be like. Even drawing housing blueprints and made them into a simple 2D doll houses. With self drawn cut out of paper dolls that were..3CM tall. That was my obsession during primary school.

If there is one biggest mistake in my life, is me not pursuing architecture degree.

Anyway I digress, as i got older, there are two websites I always look drool over their house designs and decorations ideas. 

1. Apartment Therapy which also includes Oh Dee Doh  and Re-Nest

Apartment Therapy "Saving the world, one room at a time"

For all general home designs ideas, from fixing things in rooms that need fixing to 

MORE HOUSE PORN!

OhDeeDoh "Home, Design, Children"

When I was pregnant, I seriously surf this page more than Apartment Therapy. It focus more on designing your home, your room with children in mind. 

Re-Nest "Abundant designs for green homes"

What to do with old spaghetti jars? What to do with packing crates? What to do with old doors?

Anything with green home designing can be answered here. And it is done with so much style, one wonders why more Malaysians don't go green and save tonnes on garbage. 

2. Design*Sponge with great before and after features. 

Design*Sponge

Perfect for self torture and DIY tips and how-tos

Today I kinda found 2 new ones

3. Patricia Gray an interior decorator with lots of samples of what your home could look like! Swoonn

Patricia Gray

4. Hooked On Houses ...another Design*Sponge-esque, another house porn lover. Rejoice!

Hooked On Houses

Go on, check them out and do a bit of house porn watching yourself :)

Also, introducing a new category for the blog that is 90% NOT baby related :: Home Designs

Alor Setar under water

We interupt our normal programming to bring the news: 

Malaysian Northern States are under water! Jeng jeng jeng..

Haih...i am being serious lah. Of course am not making fun of my own hometown, Alor Setar and also Daddylicious's hometown in Ketereh, Kelantan. 

Came into the office and my aunty was informing me, her (arwah mother's) house in JALAN SULTANAH! is under water. Based on the photos we were viewing, it is approximately under 3 feet of water. THAT IS A LOT OF WATER TO FLOOD JALAN SULTANAH! Waaah...

So you can guess my grandmother's, Baby PP great-grandmother's concern with her house, my 'kampung' at Bakar Bata, Alor Setar. Her place? Right next to Kedah River. 

Baby PP at 2 months old: first and only trip to Alor Setar

Short overnight visit to Nek Wan's place 

See how near the river is. I think the house is part of the river now.

Please pray that flood won't damage my grandmother's house.

Flooding has happened before but not to this extend when even Jalan Sultanah is under water. 

Poor grandmother....thank God she is in Kuala Lumpur at the moment or she would definitely be trying to save of her possessions BY HERSELF! ..yup she would try to lift everything to the second floor without asking for help because that is my grandmother. 'Ketegaq'...like the rest of her family...including me. sigh.

So far, family members in affected areas are in good spirits (especially those that are used to flooding), and all are safe. Lets pray for their continous safety and limited damages to their homes.

Celebrate with something new!

Finally! I have time to blog. The past month was busy busy with last minute birthday party planning mode. Trust me to be over ambitious but only started a month before. sigh....

And to celebrate Baby PP transaction from an infant to a TODDLER (!!!). Mummylicious Diary have a new design! yay!

...some tweaking is still required. for instance, lost my handwriting fonts for titles and etc. and the header needed to be resized and to change photos i think. Something is off there.

but what do you think of it so far? gimme comments!

sebenarnya...geram tengok design lama. tapi malas gila nak tukar. saja cari excuse. hehehe