DEBRIS.COMgood for a laugh, or possibly an aneurysm

I bought some stereo gear from AudioAdvisor recently. At every transaction, I clearly specified that my personal data was not to be shared with anyone. Every sales and service rep cheerfully complied with this request, confirming that my name had been marked “private” in the database.

Today I got some audiophile junk in the mail. This was the second or third piece, and I was finally incensed enough to follow up: as a first step, I called the junk-mailer and asked that my name be removed from the mailing list. I read him the numbers off the back of the catalog, and he said, “oh, you’re not on our list — we rented your name and address from AudioAdvisor.” Err, what?

A call to AudioAdvisor revealed a fatal problem: within their customer service database, my name was already marked “do not sell.” The AA rep was mystified. “Hmm, if your name is marked private, you’d think we wouldn’t sell it.” Indeed. He offered his profound apologies. I offered to take my future business elsewhere.

So, if you’re shopping for stereo or home-theater equipment, I make this recommendation: if you are concerned about the privacy of your personal data, do not do business with Audio Advisor. They do not respect your privacy. Apparently they’d rather make a fast buck pawning your name and address to anyone who asks, than comply with their own privacy policy (which begins, “Audio Advisor, Inc. respects the privacy of all of our visitors and customers.”).

I concede that it’s possible that someone in their IT department made a mistake, or that a software glitch is responsible for my data getting out. But in the end, the result is the same — Audio Advisor makes promises they cannot keep.

Caveat emptor.