We are concerned that a New Zealand Post household survey does not clearly state that filling in the form is entirely voluntary.
In fact, the survey which is entitled “An opportunity to win,” only reveals the voluntary nature of it in the small print under Guidance Notes.
We have had a number of concerned subscribers contacting us, thinking that because it comes from NZ Post they must fill out the form.
On top of that some questions relate to a householder’s partner, including asking for their birth date, and the only security around that is that you are supposed to have asked them first.
We appreciate that NZ Post is collecting the information so it can sell it to businesses here and overseas who want to target their advertising messages, but it should be upfront about this.
NZ Post is in a powerful position to collect the data. It would have been better to call its survey exactly that rather than disguising it as "An opportunity to win”.
Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff has also expressed concern about the survey, saying people are confused about whether they must complete it or not.
Tell us what you think.
Member Comments
Got a question or comment on this topic? Share your views and experiences with other Consumer members...
To add a comment you need to be a member of consumer.org.nz. Login or Join.
Read what our members have to say close
To save money on essentials and make buying decisions easy, you can't go past Consumer. We're proud to have over 65,000 members all enjoying our independent information online or in Consumer magazine.
Here's what some of them say...
"Just wanted to let you know that I find your site excellent! Easy to find my way around, everything at my fingertips - just a click away.
I only took out a 3 month membership as I wasn't sure but it is actually really easy to use and if I want it on paper I can print the
reports. Thanks again".
Denise Watkinson - Waitakere
"My mother (74) got a renewal letter from her insurance company for her car insurance, wanting $570. After reading
your article on car insurance, I contacted one of the companies you recommended, who quoted her $318 for the same
level of cover. I just wanted to stay thank you very much for your article, as it has saved my mother a substantial amount of money".
Adrian Lane - Kapiti Coast
"I've been a member to the magazine since 1997 and enjoy reading it a lot. I've found lots of helpful information on different issues...
Thank you for being so helpful".
Peter Kovalenko - Porirua
"I have been a member of the Consumer NZ for 20 or more years and have enjoyed much reliable advice.
I turn to their tests before making significant purchases".
Lyndal Print – Auckland
Join Consumer now and make your decisions easy on a huge range of products and services
- Over 500 reports, plus interactive tools and calculators
- Independent advice from NZ's trusted source of information
- Join over 65,000 members who help us get all NZers a fairer deal
from just $28
I found the survey outrageous and feel Consumer's and the Privacy Commissioner's admonishments are far too muted.
NZ Post are simply gaining information to sell to companies who will then spam those who've handed over their info. What's more they've deviously concealed this info in the small print.
In the online world this kind of approach is very clearly labelled spam. It should be labelled spam here too. It is unacceptable.
It's amazing how low and devious a State owned company can get when they are desperately trying to maintain a healthy dividend for the Government. And presumably ensure the executive's bonuses ?
I sincerely hope that most, or all, of these "surveys" end up being trashed, so that NZ POST is given a strong message to get out of our private lives.
A random document arrives in the post asking for all manner of personal details about me and my family... I didn't even wait to read about selling my information to 3rd parties before it ended up in the recycling.
We get enough unsolicited junk as it is. Filling in this form will just end up filling your mailbox, email account and voicemail for more rubbish.
I am very disappointed in NZ Post about this.
My wife and I debated whether or not we should spend the hour required to fill it in. The personal income questions and the small print "we will pass this info on to 3rd parties" helped us make up our minds.
I saw the survey and immediately threw it out because it wasn't clear to me what it was for.
In fact it seemed to suggest that they would pass on my response to other companies - I'm going to fill that out... yeah right..
I am a lawyer and I wrote to NZ Post to ask them to change an address for a client. NZ Post then sent them an offer of a credit card.
These days peopel have enough problems with credit without unsolicited offers from NZ Post.
They should not use info they have from a place to do another thing.