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PC Optimum tells customer her privacy may have been violated
March 16, 2018
10:49 am
Wayno
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January 10, 2018
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http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/.....-1.4577802
I have again posted another article about a Canadian Companies failure to properly protect their customer's information.

I want to highlight to forum members that it is always important to limit the amount and type of information that they give to 3rd parties because it increases the risk of identity theft.

This is the same organization, Loblaws/Shoppers that is requesting a copy of a driver's licence for the Loblaws $25 "Bread" Card.

BTW>>> Your informative comments are very welcome, and, I would very much appreciate and respectfully request if you could please focus your comments on the Topic I have posted.
I certainly do not want in any way to offend forum members with this request... I respect free speech. Thanks..sf-smilesf-smile

" Specifically, your account may have been combined with someone else's account," .. ... because of the error, it's possible that the other PC Optimum member may have accessed her name, address and phone number.
...It was another frustration for Curry, who, like many others, has been battling since February trying to recover points worth more than $200 that disappeared when she switched from PC Plus to PC Optimum in the wake of the rewards program merger.
.."It's definitely concerning because I don't know where my information is,"

regards,
Waynosf-laugh

March 16, 2018
5:01 pm
AltaRed
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Not sure how that could happen if one actually picked up a PC Optimum card in the store and had the cashier link the old and new account. Something seems quite odd in that process.

That said, the PC Optimum system is an awkward system, especially when an account can only be in one name and one has to 'invite' others in the same household to be part of the same PC Optimum account.

What I don't understand is why anyone has so many points? Redeem them in store every 20,000 points or so as a credit against one's grocery bill for example. We never carry more points balance than absolutely necessary.

March 17, 2018
7:47 pm
Loonie
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I can't figure it out either , but the letter clearly says the error happened in-store when starting the new card. Maybe the old card was slightly damaged so that the card reader didn't read it properly.

I agree there is no point in postponing redemption with these cards, as there are no tiered rewards. However, with the previous Shoppers Optimum card, there were tiered rewards, so it made sense to accumulate more, provided you could find enough to spend them on at SDM. I never could. However, many people, possibly including the customer in question, have relatively large balances on their new cards because of the transfer from Shoppers Optimum points.

March 18, 2018
3:16 pm
Norman1
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AltaRed said

That said, the PC Optimum system is an awkward system, especially when an account can only be in one name and one has to 'invite' others in the same household to be part of the same PC Optimum account.

Joining a PC Optimum household pools the accounts. There are still separate PC Optimum accounts. This is from their FAQ:

What is a Household?
As a PC Optimum member, you have the opportunity to pool your points with those of up to 9 other PC Optimum members, for a total of 10 members. This grouping is called a “Household.” All members of a Household can contribute points to the same total, and all members have the opportunity to redeem from that same points total, too. Don’t worry, you do not need to physically live with those who you Household PC Optimum points with to qualify for a Household.

When someone decides to leave a PC Optimum household, a portion of the points in the household leaves with the person's account:

What happens when someone leaves a Household?
When someone leaves a Household, they leave with their share of points, which are calculated based on their contributions less the household redemptions, which are deducted in proportion to your points balance regardless of who in the household is redeeming. The points amount will be shown to a member prior to leaving the household.

What I don't understand is why anyone has so many points? Redeem them in store every 20,000 points or so as a credit against one's grocery bill for example. We never carry more points balance than absolutely necessary. 

Some people like to accumulate points to redeem for something big. I guess they would like to gloat that they got that expensive something for free.

I think it is risky to accumulate points for years for a big item. The rewards program sponsor could devalue the points or even go bankrupt before one has accumulated the points for the item.

A better approach would be to redeem for $10 worth of groceries at a time and put the $10 saved aside into a jar or bank account.

Please write your comments in the forum.