Radioshack tries to guilt customers into giving charitable donations...

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Backgound: Radioshack has for awhile now been collecting charitable donations for LIVESTRONG, a Lance Armstrong founded charity that supports the fight against cancer. In most cases upon checking out, a customer will see a prompt on the card swipe machine asking them if they'd like to donate or not.

However, there have been many reports of customers who are getting charged for these donations despite never having agreed to them and being upset about it. (They only ask for a $1 donation, but it's a principle thing).

Today, Radioshack released a response to the allegations that they were being scummy with regards to the collecting of donations:

"Tens of thousands of customers have eagerly contributed to our point-of-sale collection for LIVESTRONG in just the first few weeks. As 100% of every $1 point-of-sale donation goes directly to LIVESTRONG, we believe it’s been tremendously successful so far. But RadioShack doesn’t intend for any customer to feel compelled to support the fight against cancer. It is a personal choice. We believe the directions are clear on the point-of-sale device, but we regret the few errors that apparently have occurred among the tens of thousands of contributions received so far. Customers who believe they’ve made the donation in error should simply contact us at customercare@radioshack.com or 1-800-THE-SHACK so that we can facilitate the refund process. And in the days ahead, we will use your feedback to remind our employees again about how to manage this process carefully and correctly. Thank you for bringing this to our attention." (bolding is mine)

That part I bolded, to me screams out "If you don't donate at our stores you are NOT wanting to join the fight against cancer and want people to die!"

And that right there means I will never shop at Radioshack again, I may even write them a nasty letter for that. I donate when I want, where I want and HOW I want. For them to assume that just because I won't give a buck to LIVESTRONG that I am a heartless douchebag is just plain wrong.

[Hobbs]

How does the bolded section draw that conclusion from you?

[Broomjockey]

"support the fight against cancer." If you don't donate, you want cancer to win. That's what the phrasing brings to mind.

[MadMike]

I'd be pissed too, but at the same time I think I'd be afraid of looking like an ass if I complained.

I guess that's the idea.

[dalesys]

Ah yes, the "When did you stop beating your..." phrasing.

[bainsidhe]

They could have worded it like "Radioshak doesn't intend for any customer to support our charity of choice". Instead they made it sound like non-supporters promote cancer.

I guess we're all just heartless bastards.

[Hyndis]

I'd be pissed too, but at the same time I think I'd be afraid of looking like an ass if I complained.

I guess that's the idea.

Its very effective too.

I recall there was a case in Australia some years back where a company was forced to provide refunds for some fiasco or other.

To avoid losing all of that money they sent checks to everyone. Printed on the checks was something obscene, like REBATE FOR YOUR PURCHASE OF HOT BOY ON BOY ACTION #27 VIDEO. In really big and obvious letters. Just making that up, but it was obscene and relating to taboo porn (at the time).

This was also before the era of ATM's that can deposit checks for you too, so you had to do that by hand at your bank.

Needless to say, a significant portion of the checks were never deposited, and thus, the company never had to pay out the refunds.

[Anthony K. S.]

there have been many reports of customers who are getting charged for these donations despite never having agreed to them and being upset about it. (They only ask for a $1 donation, but it's a principle thing)

<Hesitates>

Okay, look . . . I'm sorry, but in my experience, when people say, "It's not the money, it's the principle" . . . It's usually the money.

Yes, even one dollar.

"Tens of thousands of customers have eagerly contributed to our point-of-sale collection for LIVESTRONG in just the first few weeks. As 100% of every $1 point-of-sale donation goes directly to LIVESTRONG, we believe it’s been tremendously successful so far"

I like how Radio Shack makes it sound like they're doing this purely out of the goodness of their hearts, solely out of an altruistic desire to do good . . .

Face facts, folks. This is marketing.

Unless Radio Shack is donating money themselves as well, they're not sacrificing a thing.

The customers are the ones who are doing the good deeds, not Radio Shack.

All Radio Shack is doing is providing an opportunity for the customers to donate that money, something that Radio Shack is getting well-compensated for with an opportunity for them to improve their Corporate image.

"But RadioShack doesn’t intend for any customer to feel compelled to support the fight against cancer. It is a personal choice."

. . .

. . .

. . .

<Sigh>

That is a pretty cold-blooded - though admittedly shrewd - tactic for manipulating people's emotions and getting them to (1) donate money and (2) not complain if they wind up giving the dollar when they didn't intend to.

It's probably going to work, at least to some extent. But, as has been pointed out, it will likely anger some customers into not shopping at Radio Shack anymore.

Time will tell whether or not Radio Shack comes out ahead in this . . .

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Time will tell whether or not Radio Shack comes out ahead in this . . .

At the very least, they'll probably make a good chunk of change for LIVESTRONG.

The way that statement is worded, it's kinda hard to go through the trouble of contesting the charge without looking like a heartless asshole. I think a lot of people will just pay the dollar to keep their conscience clear.

Even though they absolutely shouldn't. Fraud shouldn't be okay because it's being done in the name of a cause you agree with, or at least can't bring yourself to disagree enough with.

And besides, LIVESTRONG is hardly the only cancer-fighting charity there is. If you buy certain pink-colored things, part of the proceeds goes to the Komen Foundation. That's still helping in the fight against cancer.

[AccountingDrone]

Can't pull the cancer card with me, been there, done that, lost internal organs and hair to it. I don't guilt.

[LillFilly]

I've seen the screens. I've donated. It's a yes or no button. People are so quick to push yes on those machines. And the cashier asks you out-loud. We've read so many stories about people not understanding the card swipe machines anyway. For crying out loud, it's a DOLLAR. I figure I have that much change under my car seat anyway. I think the wording sort of brings that to people's attention.

[Broomjockey]

For crying out loud, it's a DOLLAR.

I don't care if it's a damned penny. If I accidentally say yes, and I want it back, I don't want a pissy corporate guilt-trip over it.

[infinitemonkies]

I'm not a big fan of Radio Shack for reasons that are entirely unrelated to this, but in this case I believe them completely that they aren't charging people who don't agree to it. Everyone who got charged a buck got charged because they agreed to it, and they pushed the damned button themselves, and didn't realize it cause they didn't read.

At least once a day I have to re-do a transaction with a chip & pin card because when the machine says "Processing. Do not remove card" the customer removes the card. Then bitches about the machine screwing up.

[Andara Bledin]

First off, I do beleive that it's likely that every single charge is perfectly valid.

However, the guilt-trip in their language is pretty blunt and would definitely sour me to their corporation if their offerings were anything I had any interest in.

They could have said something like "If you don't want to join us in the fight against cancer" and had nearly the same impact without the negative connotations.

^-.-^

[Broomjockey]

They could have said something like "If you don't want to join us in the fight against cancer" and had nearly the same impact without the negative connotations.

^-.-^

Actually, your phrasing is still as bad as theirs was. The best phrasing would be something like "If our customers chose to support other charities instead." Thus leaving open the possibility that the customer is joining in a fight against something besides cancer, thus not making anyone look like a jackass for refusing to donate. Or they may chose to donate to a different cancer-research charity. It's not like Livestrong is the only cancer charity, and it's not like cancer is the only cause worth donating to.

First off, I do beleive that it's likely that every single charge is perfectly valid.

I don't. My definition of valid is thus: The customer freely, under no emotional duress, chose to make a donation.

This means the clerk cannot do it "for them," cannot guilt them in to it, the customer cannot do it accidentally by losing focus or not properly understanding the prompt. Under that definition, it's almost impossible that every single charge is valid.