As much as i enjoy supporting the underdog and for years have applauded the ad campaigns for the Apple Corporation that encourage the negative perspective of huge corporations like Microsoft, are they really any different? A fundamental screw-job for you and me as consumers that most manufacturers deploy is planned obsolescence. Some, usually those with an interest in business, might justify technological changes and suggest reports are just conspiracy theories, but are they? Ask yourself how many items have you purchased in the last decade are you still using? For instance, cell phones?
While the Microsoft Corporation have long been pros at wallet-milking, the Apple Corporation may be even better, seriously. The difference is that Apple is more creative at pointing the finger at Microsoft.
Politics, I mean, business as usual. And we get fooled again. But there is hope, we hope.
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
NFC
Now much of the world might think this is going to be about football, but noooooo, this is about near field communications - technology that turns your phone into your wallet and virtually does away with the need for credit cards or cash. If i had investment capital, I would be buying some stocks... 
Companies like ISIS will provide software, though i can see many jumping on that bandwagon once the hardware companies get going. The question is, will you, Lucy and Ricky Consumer, buy in.
The new technology is for electronic payments but not with a credit or debit card, rather, with your phone... Convenient, sure, but how secure is the question. What if you lose your phone, can you call it from another phone, download all it's information securely by entering some code in your new phone, and then push a button on your new phone to make your old phone self destruct?. Kind of like mission:impossible, but will passwords be enough protection? How about a fingerprint scanner, that should be a simple and secure addition.
So you have a way to wave your phone like a magic wand and create an electronic transaction. The next question is will merchants do their part? Are they going to invest in the hardware and software needed?
Of course they will, eventually, and so will you, eventually, when everyone is as sure as we can be that it is as safe and secure as the current system of monetary transaction, the credit or bank card. The question is how long will that be and more, from an investment perspective, which company will emerge as the leader in hardware and software production for the new NFC world.
Something to ponder if you've got money to invest.
So you have a way to wave your phone like a magic wand and create an electronic transaction. The next question is will merchants do their part? Are they going to invest in the hardware and software needed?
Something to ponder if you've got money to invest.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
ford fiesta and other failures
car buying sucks in many ways when money is an object (and remembering a time when money was almost no object brings a whistful smile, but that's another story for another horse of a different rider, or something like that), but car buying is much worse when there are no cars to choose from... take about a sellers market, sheeesh...
so i very well would have bought a ford fiesta se with auto and the 203a option package (just in case any ford dealers are savvy enough to be googling out there) and the blue with black/blue interior would likely have iced it, but there were none to be found in the country, apparently, and in their infinite wisdom to make the extra buck, the very few that were available were packaged for optimal profit for the car seller and not for the buyer...
research showed me that reliability aside (and while that would be a large set of dice to roll, i was ready to take that gamble), the new 2011 fiesta was the best bang for the buck in sub-compacts offering the best gas mileage and best options packages...
while honda and toyota may still have the best reliability and longevity ratings and resale value (though gm has the longest warranty), they've come down in stature in recent years and their cars themselves are no longer ranked in the top few of subcompacts... add to that the fact that their prices have risen above most of the other brands, especially when you compare the option packages... ford is the first manufacturer to offer the good options in the subcompact model and still brings the car in at a price under the bare bones models of the perennially most reliable foreign makers...
the 100,000 mile warranty gm offers almost had me going for the chevy aveo but it ranked fairly low on the scales i reviewed (for instance, using multiple other reports and this methodology) as did many other small cars that were at the top of the rankings for most of the last twenty years...
i decided there was no good reason to compromise on what i felt was the best car package for me for under $20,000 so i am tossing the $2000 i would have put as a down payment on the fiesta into the old cavalier which means no new car (read my lips) for at least a year or two or maybe few since the cavalier has just 82,000 miles on it and that means it should have another few years of low cost after these big repairs are done... as long as aamco does them right, that is...
maybe i'll actually clean and even paint the old flippantly casual automobile now :)
so i very well would have bought a ford fiesta se with auto and the 203a option package (just in case any ford dealers are savvy enough to be googling out there) and the blue with black/blue interior would likely have iced it, but there were none to be found in the country, apparently, and in their infinite wisdom to make the extra buck, the very few that were available were packaged for optimal profit for the car seller and not for the buyer...
research showed me that reliability aside (and while that would be a large set of dice to roll, i was ready to take that gamble), the new 2011 fiesta was the best bang for the buck in sub-compacts offering the best gas mileage and best options packages...
while honda and toyota may still have the best reliability and longevity ratings and resale value (though gm has the longest warranty), they've come down in stature in recent years and their cars themselves are no longer ranked in the top few of subcompacts... add to that the fact that their prices have risen above most of the other brands, especially when you compare the option packages... ford is the first manufacturer to offer the good options in the subcompact model and still brings the car in at a price under the bare bones models of the perennially most reliable foreign makers...
the 100,000 mile warranty gm offers almost had me going for the chevy aveo but it ranked fairly low on the scales i reviewed (for instance, using multiple other reports and this methodology) as did many other small cars that were at the top of the rankings for most of the last twenty years...
i decided there was no good reason to compromise on what i felt was the best car package for me for under $20,000 so i am tossing the $2000 i would have put as a down payment on the fiesta into the old cavalier which means no new car (read my lips) for at least a year or two or maybe few since the cavalier has just 82,000 miles on it and that means it should have another few years of low cost after these big repairs are done... as long as aamco does them right, that is...
maybe i'll actually clean and even paint the old flippantly casual automobile now :)
Sunday, April 4, 2010
ATT does not care
in early March ATT sent me an email telling me they were deleting all my web pages that have been on their server for almost ten years and i had to transfer my account before march 31 to save the pages and emails addresses that i've had since the nineties...
so i followed the email instructions and transferred my account and it took eight hours on the phone with at least a dozen different customer service people, tech support people, supervisors, and managers and was transferred more over and over and had to explain the same problem over and over (email would not work after i followed their instructions) and was cut off or hung up on at least a half dozen times and finally the last techie i spoke to fixed the problem in less than two minutes after eight hours of run around) and then i went to download the web pages and found them gone...
i didn't have another eight hours to deal with their ridiculous left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing corporate structure, so i went back another day to the website to try to get help and found my account no longer was valid and in the fine print it said "if you transfer your account before saving your web pages, you are shit out of luck"...
ok, so it said the equivalent in more legaleze (which is more obscene, if you have ethics), but the bottom line is the pages were blocked... i wrote to ATT on every website they have, including corporate, and then sent back form emails promising to respond to my concerns (and emphasizing the return address on the emails were not valid in big "DO NOT REPLY" letters), but no response and the march 31 deadline has passed and the written gardens, my thousands of web pages and years of writings, both pouring my personal heart out and creative rhymes and images and more, all gone...
that is why, instead of trying the ATT u-verse, i am giving bright house a chance now after more than a decade of staying loyal to ATT wireless and internet services... ATT does not care... the rest of corporate america probably cares just as none, but ATT has taken up my time just to insult my intelligence and screw me and destroy my creativity and work once too often...
consumer beware... ATT has become too big, has too many departments, and the lack of organization within their organization prevents them from providing reliable service and makes it virtually impossible to resolve the problems that their lack of organization creates...
choose another company...
so i followed the email instructions and transferred my account and it took eight hours on the phone with at least a dozen different customer service people, tech support people, supervisors, and managers and was transferred more over and over and had to explain the same problem over and over (email would not work after i followed their instructions) and was cut off or hung up on at least a half dozen times and finally the last techie i spoke to fixed the problem in less than two minutes after eight hours of run around) and then i went to download the web pages and found them gone...
i didn't have another eight hours to deal with their ridiculous left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing corporate structure, so i went back another day to the website to try to get help and found my account no longer was valid and in the fine print it said "if you transfer your account before saving your web pages, you are shit out of luck"...
ok, so it said the equivalent in more legaleze (which is more obscene, if you have ethics), but the bottom line is the pages were blocked... i wrote to ATT on every website they have, including corporate, and then sent back form emails promising to respond to my concerns (and emphasizing the return address on the emails were not valid in big "DO NOT REPLY" letters), but no response and the march 31 deadline has passed and the written gardens, my thousands of web pages and years of writings, both pouring my personal heart out and creative rhymes and images and more, all gone...
that is why, instead of trying the ATT u-verse, i am giving bright house a chance now after more than a decade of staying loyal to ATT wireless and internet services... ATT does not care... the rest of corporate america probably cares just as none, but ATT has taken up my time just to insult my intelligence and screw me and destroy my creativity and work once too often...
consumer beware... ATT has become too big, has too many departments, and the lack of organization within their organization prevents them from providing reliable service and makes it virtually impossible to resolve the problems that their lack of organization creates...
choose another company...
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
bright house, not so
more like dark house as the internet connection, promised to be 20mbps and touted to be upwards of 30-50mbps has not given me much more than my 2-3mbps that i got with my att aircard and tonight, there is an inability to stay connected to the internet and limited connectivity, down to under 100kbps at times when it does stay connected...
so i might be moving on to att u-verse next, but since the bright house tech said he credited my account for a month of free service, i'll give bright house another month... i was going to cancel the aircard, but i am very glad i did not do that yet... at least the tech was courteous and apologetic...
try try again...
so i might be moving on to att u-verse next, but since the bright house tech said he credited my account for a month of free service, i'll give bright house another month... i was going to cancel the aircard, but i am very glad i did not do that yet... at least the tech was courteous and apologetic...
try try again...
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Dear Mr President
so I wrote to the president...
yes, the U.S. president...
wonder what the response will be...
There is a forwarded email making the rounds about the President and Congress not participating in the new health care plan. My first thought was "why?" but of course, realistically, if you can afford better care you buy better care. While that is rational, the next thought lead me to question the philosophy and direction of America in these current times.
It has been said that American companies produce inferior products, drugs, technology, to sell in the third world because they do not know any better and have no choice but to buy the inferior products.
Is the government, are our elected officials treating American citizens like the people of a third world country?
I understand the health care bill is geared to provide health care for the millions who do not have it, but what feels wrong is that government officials still get better treatment than the people they represent.
If elected government officials had to accept the same health care that all Americans are offered, they would have real incentive to pass a fair and adequate health care plan that provides the best health care in the world for all Amercians.
Unless the leaders of the U.S.A. no longer want to lead the world.
I would appreciate to know what our leaders think about this.
ric
407-325-1482
yes, the U.S. president...
wonder what the response will be...
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
conversations with congreff
ok, today it is congress, he senate, specifically, who inspire me to ponder our consumer culture and the product, propaganda and doublespeak... the ability to use words to placate and say things that sound right or soothing or encouraging, but never actually address an issue or a questions, never actually providing a solution... i asked my local senator to address the corruption and unfairnes in government and bug business, especially the banking industry... note how quickly he drops others names and talks about what others are proposing and the potential consequences of others actions, but doesn't take any responsibility or provide a single concrete idea himself... action?... change?... real leadership?... not in this guy... this was his response:
rah rah rah, but what are you actually going to do other than make speeches about how challenging the issue is and how more study is needed, more study by congress, paid for by tax dollars, your money, my money, to study study study, but not change anything... in fact, the corruption and unfairness, the divide between rich and poor, and the mistakes just get worse... and is procrastination part of the cause?...
this is what my esteemed senator responded to:
Below is a response to the recent comments I received from you:
Dear Mr. Candor:
Thank you for your correspondence regarding consumer financial protection. I appreciate hearing from you and would like to respond to your concerns.
As you know, President Barack Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner have released their proposal for financial regulatory reform. Among other things, the Obama Administration proposes the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency that would have broad authority over the regulation of financial products and services. Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) is currently developing the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2009, which is a financial regulatory reform bill before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. In addition, Congress is working on legislation to address issues related to the banking industry that proposes several ideas for financial reform. Some of these ideas include stricter regulation on banks, as well as a single federal bank regulator in an effort to try and increase accountability and end unnecessary overlap.
The financial crisis of 2008 nearly ruined the financial markets in the United States and threatened the global economy. In addition, the failure of many financial institutions and the collapse of the stock market left many Americans with severely impacted retirement accounts. It is vitally important that we thoroughly evaluate where our laws and regulations broke down to ensure that such a disaster never happens again. These are very complex industries affecting citizens and businesses, throughout our country, so we need to be careful to reform and strengthen the system in a way that does not impose undue burdens on American businesses. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to get it right.
It is an honor and privilege to serve the people of the great State of Florida in the United States Senate. I take great pride in being a native Floridian, and I look forward to the tremendous opportunity to better the lives of all Floridians. I assure you I will work hard to represent our state to the best of my ability in the U.S. Senate. If I can be of any help to you, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Very truly yours,
George S. LeMieux
United States Senator
**Note: PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS E-MAIL. If you would like to reply to this message, please contact me through my website at http://lemieux.senate.gov.
GL/nyb
rah rah rah, but what are you actually going to do other than make speeches about how challenging the issue is and how more study is needed, more study by congress, paid for by tax dollars, your money, my money, to study study study, but not change anything... in fact, the corruption and unfairness, the divide between rich and poor, and the mistakes just get worse... and is procrastination part of the cause?...
this is what my esteemed senator responded to:
rah!
* No more bailouts: No bank should ever again be bailed out by taxpayers, so make sure no bank is "too big to fail." That goes for all corporations. Taxpayers should not be forced to bail out companies that are mismanaged. Let the millions come from the corporate executive salaries first.
* Reduce family debt: Make sure minimum loan payments cover some principal as well as interest, so people can actually pay down their debts. Fairness is not only morally right, it is good economic sense.
* Stop the legalese: Require mortgages, loan contracts and credit card terms be written simply and clearly so you don't need to be a lawyer to understand your rights and responsibilities. Do this before things get so bad that people start looking for radical change as they have in so many countries throughout history, including our own origins.
* End the 'quick profit' mentality: Pay brokers and bankers based on the long-term performance and quality of the loans they make. End 'keep the fee, pass on the risk.' There must be a reasonable salary and profit cap on business if the gap between the elite 1% and the rest of us is to stop widening. History tells us what happens when the gap gets too wide. Don't repeat the same mistakes.
* Curb the gambling: Limit the bets that banks can make, including the private side-bets that are not even reported. All transactions should be reported by law. Who's money is it, anyway?
* Don't leave consumer protection in the hands of those who failed to do it. Accountability,. You are accountable to hold bankers and corporations accountable, That is a large part of your job. Voters are accountable to hold you accountable to do your job.
* Lobbyists might pay for your cushions, but voters hire you can fire you. Listen to the voters before they lose any more faith jn the government and look for other means to create a fair and equitable society.
* Revolution does not come suddenly in the night, it is born and fed by continued mistakes by government in the light of day. I am witnessing the fall of the American Dream. The flaws of capitalism are becoming more glaring every year. It is time for a bold new enlightened approach to capitalism and government that brings us closer to the ideal of for the people, by the people, equality, and an equitable sharing of the wealth.
* I implore you to learn from the history of Rome, France, England, and other empires and live up to the ideals, hopes, and dreams of our founding fathers before it is too late.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
legalized identity theft
your credit card company might be selling your identity right now and you'd had to read the fine print in their privacy policy to find out what they are doing and that you must call and tell them you don't want them to because they automatically do it unless you find out how to stop them...
of course they are not making it easy for you and they are not advertising what they are doing, but you can read one of the ways your identity can be stolen or sold in the privacy policy for Paypal and their bank, GE Money Bank... I emphasized the potential for identity theft, or at least for SPAM that you might never connect with Paypal or GE, and we can note that the state of Vermont has a law that does not allow Paypal or GE to do what they do... too bad other states aren't protecting your consumer rights and privacy and money the way Vermont is...
take this:
in other words, SPAM... Paypal and GE team up to sell your personal information, interests, buying habits, financial worth, credit information, and who knows what else to people/companies that want to sell you stuff unless you tell them not to... don't take my word for it, read their words:
and can you really opt-out once you've given your presonal information to Paypal?... well, here's what they say:
in other words, they will continue using the information they have to send you SPAM and they are not responsible for the other companies who use the information they sold during the several weeks it takes for them to comply with your request that they stop selling your information for profit to SPAMMERS...
it does get worse...
in other words, you can opt-out, cancel your account, and they will continue doing what they do... retain information about you and share it with GE affiliates who will continue to SPAM you...
read the entire "privacy" policy here
of course they are not making it easy for you and they are not advertising what they are doing, but you can read one of the ways your identity can be stolen or sold in the privacy policy for Paypal and their bank, GE Money Bank... I emphasized the potential for identity theft, or at least for SPAM that you might never connect with Paypal or GE, and we can note that the state of Vermont has a law that does not allow Paypal or GE to do what they do... too bad other states aren't protecting your consumer rights and privacy and money the way Vermont is...
take this:
"Third Parties, Who are Interested in Offering Special Products or Services to You"
in other words, SPAM... Paypal and GE team up to sell your personal information, interests, buying habits, financial worth, credit information, and who knows what else to people/companies that want to sell you stuff unless you tell them not to... don't take my word for it, read their words:
"For example, we may disclose information to financial services providers offering products such as insurance, mortgages or loans, and nonfinancial companies offering consumer products and services. We may disclose name, address and telephone numbers, as well as Credit Card Account purchase and performance history."
and can you really opt-out once you've given your presonal information to Paypal?... well, here's what they say:
Please understand that, even if you opt out as described above, we will continue to share information with PayPal, Inc. and its affiliates, joint marketing partners and service providers as described in this policy, and as otherwise permitted by law. And we will continue to share information that identifies you, and about your transactions and experiences with us, with companies within the GE Family.
• We will process your request promptly. However, it may take us several weeks to ensure that all records are updated with your preference. In the interim, you may continue to be included in programs as described above. Also, after your request is processed, you may still be contacted by our affiliates and/or other companies based on their own information.
in other words, they will continue using the information they have to send you SPAM and they are not responsible for the other companies who use the information they sold during the several weeks it takes for them to comply with your request that they stop selling your information for profit to SPAMMERS...
it does get worse...
If you decide to close your Credit Card Account or become an inactive customer, or if we close or suspend your Credit Card Account, we will continue to adhere to the privacy policies and practices described in this notice to the extent we retain information about you.
in other words, you can opt-out, cancel your account, and they will continue doing what they do... retain information about you and share it with GE affiliates who will continue to SPAM you...
read the entire "privacy" policy here
This Privacy Policy
PayPal Plus Credit Card and PayPal Buyer Credit
GE Money Bank
Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy describes our information collection and sharing practices of GE Money Bank ("we" or "us"). Please read carefully. This Policy applies only to current and former customers and applicants in their relationships with us relating to our PayPal Plus Credit Card and PayPal Buyer Credit (each may be referred to as an "Credit Card Account") and does not apply to any other credit accounts you may have with us or to your PayPal Account.
Information We Collect — We collect personally identifiable information about you (such as your address, phone number, social security number, mother's maiden name and transaction information about items purchased, payments and payment method), for identification, account management, servicing and marketing purposes. We obtain information about you directly from you (such as on application forms), through your use of our products and services, and in some cases, from third parties (such as credit bureaus and demographic firms). Occasionally, we may also collect information about you online using "cookies" (small pieces of data stored by your Internet browser on your computer) or other technology that may be used to remember passwords for you, to track your website usage with us, and to provide you with customized content, among other things.
Information We Share with Others — We may use and share all of the information we collect, subject to applicable law, with the following (these examples are not intended to be all-inclusive):
• PayPal, Inc. and its Affiliates, for use in connection with the PayPal Plus Credit Card and PayPal Buyer Credit programs and as otherwise permitted by law. They may use this information to update their records, to provide you with notices of special promotions and other tailored offerings, to answer questions about your Credit Card Account and perform other PayPal Plus Credit Card and PayPal Buyer Credit program functions or for other purposes permitted by law. They may use their affiliates, licensees, or third party service providers (such as modeling and database companies) to assist them in any of these activities.
• Service Providers, (including our affiliates) to assist us in servicing Credit Card Accounts, like preparing billing statements and promotional materials, and responding to customer inquiries. We also may use marketing firms, such as modeling companies, to assist us in our own marketing efforts. We also provide information to merchants who accept the Credit Card Account, for purposes such as authorizing and processing transactions.
• Financial Institutions with Whom We Jointly Offer Financial Products, such as loan products or credit insurance. If your billing address is in Vermont, this information will be limited to your name and contact information, and transaction and experience information on your Credit Card Account.
• Our Affiliates, Who are Other Companies in the General Electric Company Corporate Family ("GE Family"), for servicing or marketing purposes, subject to your right to opt out of sharing of credit eligibility information, such as certain information from credit bureaus and your application, as provided in the It's Your Choice section below. And, subject to your right to opt out, our affiliates also may use information from us concerning your credit eligibility, and your transactions and experience with us, to send you marketing solicitations about products and services.
• Third Parties, Who are Interested in Offering Special Products or Services to You, subject to your right to opt out as provided in the It's Your Choice section. For example, we may disclose information to financial services providers offering products such as insurance, mortgages or loans, and nonfinancial companies offering consumer products and services. We may disclose name, address and telephone numbers, as well as Credit Card Account purchase and performance history.
• Others: We report Credit Card Account information, such as credit limit, balances and payment information, to credit bureaus. In addition, we may buy and sell assets, lines of business and/or Credit Card Accounts. When this occurs, customer information generally is disclosed to bidders and is one of the transferred business assets. We also disclose information about you to third parties in certain other circumstances, as permitted by law.
It's Your Choice — You have the right to opt out of our sharing of information with certain third parties, as described below. To opt out please call us toll-free at 1-866-571-3013, or write to us at P.O. Box 981400, El Paso, TX 79998-1400. If you have previously informed us of your preference, you do not need to do so again.
Please do not share information about me with companies outside the GE Family, other than with PayPal, Inc. and its affiliates for use in connection with PayPal Plus Credit Card and PayPal Buyer Credit programs and as otherwise permitted by law. Please do not share with companies within the GE Family information you use to determine my eligibility for credit. And please do not allow companies within the GE Family to solicit me for products and services based on transaction, experience or credit eligibility information they receive from you.
Important Notes About Your Choice
•Please understand that, even if you opt out as described above, we will continue to share information with PayPal, Inc. and its affiliates, joint marketing partners and service providers as described in this policy, and as otherwise permitted by law. And we will continue to share information that identifies you , and about your transactions and experiences with us, with companies within the GE Family.
• We will process your request promptly. However, it may take us several weeks to ensure that all records are updated with your preference. In the interim, you may continue to be included in programs as described above.< Also, after your request is processed, you may still be contacted by our affiliates and/or other companies based on their own information.
• Even if you opt out, we will continue to provide you with billing inserts and mail notices of special offers and new benefits.
• Vermont Residents: If (and while) your billing address is in Vermont, we will treat your Credit Card Account as if you had exercised the opt-out choice described above and you do not need to contact us in order to opt out. If you move from Vermont and you wish to restrict us from sharing information about you as provided in this Policy, you must then contact us to exercise the opt-out choice described above.
Our Security Procedures - We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards to guard nonpublic personal information about you. We limit access to personal and Credit Card Account information to those employees and agents who assist us in providing products and services to you. We also require third parties to whom we disclose nonpublic personal information to adhere to this Privacy Policy and to establish information security procedures.
Your Access to Information - We provide you access to information about your Credit Card Account by providing you with monthly billing statements outlining your transactions, finance charges, and other Credit Card Account information, and by providing customer service representatives to answer your questions.
How This Policy Applies to You - The examples contained in this Privacy Policy are illustrations only, and are not intended to be all-inclusive. If you decide to close your Credit Card Account or become an inactive customer, or if we close or suspend your Credit Card Account, we will continue to adhere to the privacy policies and practices described in this notice to the extent we retain information about you. We may amend this Privacy Policy at any time, and we will inform you of changes as required by law. You may have other privacy protections under state laws and we will comply with applicable state laws when we disclose information about you. This Privacy Policy applies only to the consumer PayPal Plus Credit Card and PayPal Buyer Credit of GE Money Bank and does not apply to any other credit accounts you may have with us, and replaces our previous disclosures to you about our information practices relating to your Credit Card Account.
GE Money Bank
Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy describes our information collection and sharing practices of GE Money Bank ("we" or "us"). Please read carefully. This Policy applies only to current and former customers and applicants in their relationships with us relating to our PayPal Plus Credit Card and PayPal Buyer Credit (each may be referred to as an "Credit Card Account") and does not apply to any other credit accounts you may have with us or to your PayPal Account.
Information We Collect — We collect personally identifiable information about you (such as your address, phone number, social security number, mother's maiden name and transaction information about items purchased, payments and payment method), for identification, account management, servicing and marketing purposes. We obtain information about you directly from you (such as on application forms), through your use of our products and services, and in some cases, from third parties (such as credit bureaus and demographic firms). Occasionally, we may also collect information about you online using "cookies" (small pieces of data stored by your Internet browser on your computer) or other technology that may be used to remember passwords for you, to track your website usage with us, and to provide you with customized content, among other things.
Information We Share with Others — We may use and share all of the information we collect, subject to applicable law, with the following (these examples are not intended to be all-inclusive):
• PayPal, Inc. and its Affiliates, for use in connection with the PayPal Plus Credit Card and PayPal Buyer Credit programs and as otherwise permitted by law. They may use this information to update their records, to provide you with notices of special promotions and other tailored offerings, to answer questions about your Credit Card Account and perform other PayPal Plus Credit Card and PayPal Buyer Credit program functions or for other purposes permitted by law. They may use their affiliates, licensees, or third party service providers (such as modeling and database companies) to assist them in any of these activities.
• Service Providers, (including our affiliates) to assist us in servicing Credit Card Accounts, like preparing billing statements and promotional materials, and responding to customer inquiries. We also may use marketing firms, such as modeling companies, to assist us in our own marketing efforts. We also provide information to merchants who accept the Credit Card Account, for purposes such as authorizing and processing transactions.
• Financial Institutions with Whom We Jointly Offer Financial Products, such as loan products or credit insurance. If your billing address is in Vermont, this information will be limited to your name and contact information, and transaction and experience information on your Credit Card Account.
• Our Affiliates, Who are Other Companies in the General Electric Company Corporate Family ("GE Family"), for servicing or marketing purposes, subject to your right to opt out of sharing of credit eligibility information, such as certain information from credit bureaus and your application, as provided in the It's Your Choice section below. And, subject to your right to opt out, our affiliates also may use information from us concerning your credit eligibility, and your transactions and experience with us, to send you marketing solicitations about products and services.
• Third Parties, Who are Interested in Offering Special Products or Services to You, subject to your right to opt out as provided in the It's Your Choice section. For example, we may disclose information to financial services providers offering products such as insurance, mortgages or loans, and nonfinancial companies offering consumer products and services. We may disclose name, address and telephone numbers, as well as Credit Card Account purchase and performance history.
• Others: We report Credit Card Account information, such as credit limit, balances and payment information, to credit bureaus. In addition, we may buy and sell assets, lines of business and/or Credit Card Accounts. When this occurs, customer information generally is disclosed to bidders and is one of the transferred business assets. We also disclose information about you to third parties in certain other circumstances, as permitted by law.
It's Your Choice — You have the right to opt out of our sharing of information with certain third parties, as described below. To opt out please call us toll-free at 1-866-571-3013, or write to us at P.O. Box 981400, El Paso, TX 79998-1400. If you have previously informed us of your preference, you do not need to do so again.
Please do not share information about me with companies outside the GE Family, other than with PayPal, Inc. and its affiliates for use in connection with PayPal Plus Credit Card and PayPal Buyer Credit programs and as otherwise permitted by law. Please do not share with companies within the GE Family information you use to determine my eligibility for credit. And please do not allow companies within the GE Family to solicit me for products and services based on transaction, experience or credit eligibility information they receive from you.
Important Notes About Your Choice
•Please understand that, even if you opt out as described above, we will continue to share information with PayPal, Inc. and its affiliates, joint marketing partners and service providers as described in this policy, and as otherwise permitted by law. And we will continue to share information that identifies you , and about your transactions and experiences with us, with companies within the GE Family.
• We will process your request promptly. However, it may take us several weeks to ensure that all records are updated with your preference. In the interim, you may continue to be included in programs as described above.< Also, after your request is processed, you may still be contacted by our affiliates and/or other companies based on their own information.
• Even if you opt out, we will continue to provide you with billing inserts and mail notices of special offers and new benefits.
• Vermont Residents: If (and while) your billing address is in Vermont, we will treat your Credit Card Account as if you had exercised the opt-out choice described above and you do not need to contact us in order to opt out. If you move from Vermont and you wish to restrict us from sharing information about you as provided in this Policy, you must then contact us to exercise the opt-out choice described above.
Our Security Procedures - We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards to guard nonpublic personal information about you. We limit access to personal and Credit Card Account information to those employees and agents who assist us in providing products and services to you. We also require third parties to whom we disclose nonpublic personal information to adhere to this Privacy Policy and to establish information security procedures.
Your Access to Information - We provide you access to information about your Credit Card Account by providing you with monthly billing statements outlining your transactions, finance charges, and other Credit Card Account information, and by providing customer service representatives to answer your questions.
How This Policy Applies to You - The examples contained in this Privacy Policy are illustrations only, and are not intended to be all-inclusive. If you decide to close your Credit Card Account or become an inactive customer, or if we close or suspend your Credit Card Account, we will continue to adhere to the privacy policies and practices described in this notice to the extent we retain information about you. We may amend this Privacy Policy at any time, and we will inform you of changes as required by law. You may have other privacy protections under state laws and we will comply with applicable state laws when we disclose information about you. This Privacy Policy applies only to the consumer PayPal Plus Credit Card and PayPal Buyer Credit of GE Money Bank and does not apply to any other credit accounts you may have with us, and replaces our previous disclosures to you about our information practices relating to your Credit Card Account.
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