Camping Supply Company Might Mkt305 Week 9 Discus
“Consumer Behavior Blog Post –Hey! Give me back my information! Is selling consumer information ethical?” Please respond to the following:
- Some companies sell consumer information to other companies. This practice is usually stated on the company’s disclosure form, indicating that it will share information with companies that it believes may be beneficial to you. In your blog post this week, take a position from either a consumer or business point of view and debate the ethics of selling consumer information to other companies.
- Your blog entry should be approximately two to three (2-3) paragraphs in length. Additionally, be sure to respond to the blog entries created by two (2) of your peers.
RESPOND TO THIS POST:
Flowers
RE: Week 9 Discussion
Imagine my dismay that I keep getting robo calls two and three times a day; and I don’t know how to stop them. I block them constantly only to find another number calling me about the same service. I am in a dark hole of endless calls. The machine is telling me that they are calling me about the information that I requested, that I never requested.
This occurred after I went on line and did an inquiry about refinancing my home. Next thing you know I have opted into robo call hell. They have managed to collect my preferences, demographics and contact information from me filling out one inquiry. The worse thing about this is I decided not to refinance my home and have no way of stopping this harassment. What’s unethical about this is the fact that I am being wrongly targeted for a service and the robot has no way of knowing I changed my mind. So this unfair and unjustified target marketing has turned into harassment. I just wish they put a human on the line so I can verbally let them know I don’t want their service and to opt me out.
AND THIS POST:
St Pierre
RE: Week 9 Discussion
As a consumer, I don’t like the fact that businesses sell information they have gathered about me to other businesses. If I wanted all that information out there, I would sell it myself and make the profit from it. If I’ve already given my business to a brand or company, they have made their money from my purchase, why should they be allowed to make more money off my information? Unfortunately, you don’t even need to make a purchase to have this happen. You may make an inquiry about car insurance and the next hour, your inbox is full of ads for car insurance companies trying to sell you on their brand.
From a business angle, selling your information can be very beneficial to the business and the consumer alike. Let’s imagine I buy a tent from Walmart, then Walmart sells that information to a business that sells camping supplies. The camping supply company might send special offers toward camping equipment. This is a great way for businesses to support each other. It may drive us nuts, but honestly it does work. Much like the things that Amazon tries to sell you by saying, other customers who bought this item, also bought these items. It can sometimes serve as a reminder that you may need something that is needed for a specific product to work.
I once bought a dash camera for my vehicle and it slipped my mind that I needed an SD card for the camera. I received an email shortly after the purchase for a special on SD cards