Gift cards: the office of the privacy Commissioner will review the practices of Loblaw

Archival Photo, QMI Agency

QMI agency

Wednesday, 14 march 2018, 16:52

UPDATE
Wednesday, 14 march 2018, 16:52

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OTTAWA – The privacy Commissioner of Canada will focus on the practices of the grocer Loblaw, which asks for some customers, proof of identity before providing them with the gift card of $ 25 related to the price fixing cartel of the bread.

The federal agency has indicated that they have asked the food chain to more information on this topic, Wednesday, on his Twitter account.

In December last year, Loblaw and the manufacturer of bread Weston, admitted to having taken part in a scheme to inflate the price of bread, from 2002 to 2015.

In order to redeem themselves with consumers, Loblaw has decided to offer to all customers who request a gift card redeemable at the grocery stores of the group.

Before issuing the card, Loblaw asks customers to fill out a form with some basic information, such as their name, their address and their date of birth. However, several reports in the media have pointed out that some users were asked to provide documents proving their identity, such as a copy of their driving licence.

Loblaw has defended itself by saying that the practice was not all clients, that the requested documents were only used for identification purposes and that they would be destroyed.

“Our plan to distribute tens of millions of dollars is a prime target for scammers, and we want to ensure that the money ends up really in the hands of our customers,” said Kevin Groh, vice-president of corporate affairs and corporate communications, in a statement sent to QMI Agency.

The cost of the rebate program is estimated at between 75 and $100 million.