I created an account with a NSW retailer (with a physical Sydney store, ABN, Pty Ltd, etc) with a promise of free shipping on an item. It was a ruse and there was no free shipping. I asked the retailer numerous times to delete my account but there has been no response and my account is still there. Is there a way to force them to remove my details via government agency or another organisation? Thanks, GreenLego
Dear GreenLego,
Do you mean they won’t remove you from their digital mailing list? Or are you trying to cancel your online account? If it’s the latter, you should be able to do this yourself. Just log into your account and look around for the option to delete it. (If you can’t remember your login password, there should be an option to have it sent to the email address you signed up with.)
If it’s not clear how to delete your account, head to justdelete.me and type the site’s URL into the search bar. It will then take you straight to the store’s deactivation page so you can remove your account.
For digital newsletters and mailing lists, merchants must provide a functional and legitimate ‘unsubscribe’ facility by law. As explained on the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) website, the ‘unsubscribe’ feature needs to satisfy the following:
- It must remain functional for at least 30 days after the original message was sent
- it must allow the unsubscribe message to be sent to whoever authorised the sending of the message, not necessarily any third party that sent it on their behalf
- unsubscribe instructions must be presented in a clear and conspicuous way
- a request to unsubscribe must be honoured within five working days
- unsubscribing must be at low cost, or no cost, to the user (for example, in the case of SMS unsubscribe facilities, a 1800-telephone number would be acceptable).
If the site refuses to cooperate, you can contact ACMA and report the issue here. Good luck!
Cheers
Lifehacker
Lovehacker is a weekly relationship and sex column where our resident Agony Aunt answers your questions. Need help? Drop a comment below or email [email protected].
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