Some Canadians are concerned about being unable to delete their PC Optimum accounts, but a cybersecurity expert says the onus is on the organization.
Loblaws is under scrutiny by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) after a number of customers complained they’ve been unable to delete their PC Optimum accounts, according to reports.
PC Optimum is one of Canada’s largest retail loyalty programs and has more than 16 million active annual users, according to Loblaws’ 2023 annual report.
In June, Competition Bureau Canada obtained two court orders to also investigate Sobeys and Loblaws for their use of property controls.
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Loblaws told Now Toronto the deletion process shouldn’t be a long one.
“We have a process in place to close PC Optimum accounts as requested, generally within a few weeks and often much sooner than that. During the process, customers will receive an email acknowledging their request, and one confirming the closure. When calls and/or online requests for our customer service team are higher than normal, it may take a little longer for them to respond. We apologize to anyone who felt the timeline was unreasonable,” a spokesperson said in an email statement on Thursday.
The OPC oversees compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), which is the protection of personal information that is collected in electronic commerce, according to the Government of Canada.
However, many customers have shared their experiences attempting to cancel their PC Optimum card on Reddit.
One person said they have been trying to delete their account since May with no success.
“They appear to have kept my account open with an anonymous email address. No idea if they’ve actually deleted my data,” they posted.
“Wait, I thought the change to some anonymous email was them deleting it, wtf? So then mine has been in that state since April,” another person commented.
Many customers seem to be confused about what is happening with the status of their accounts.
“I take it that being able to see my account, even if the points are at 0 means the account is still active…I am still receiving emails. Does this mean the account is still active despite my being unable to access?” one person said.
“Deleted my credit card and optimum accounts in April. Confirmed closed. Requested all my personal info and data deleted back in May, received confirmation that month. Yesterday I got an email from PCid advertising their new PC-Pay service for online shopping (never shopped online with them before),” another Reddit user said.
Although customers are frustrated with how long the process has been taking, advocating directly with private organizations is one of the most effective steps they can take, according to Francis Syms, associate dean of information and communications technology, at Humber College.
Syms recommends people should still monitor their accounts and data to check for any signs of unauthorized use of personal information.
“If the organization is unresponsive or if there are concerns about how personal data is handled, report the issue to the Privacy Commissioner for investigation,” Syms told Now Toronto.
“Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Privacy Act (PIPEDA) mandates that personal information no longer required for its identified purpose should be destroyed, erased, or anonymized. Organizations must develop guidelines and implement procedures for this process,” Syms continued.
