Communicate Your Success

Jonathan Richardson March 30th, 2007

As I give regular presentations on how to prevent identity theft, I expect to be ahead of the curve on understanding how to safeguard against ID thieves. But even if I didn’t know a single thing about it, I’d still laugh at the statement from a recent TJX press release regarding the company’s loss of what turns out to be 45 million credit and debit card numbers.

In standard quasi-apology form, the company states it regrets the inconvenience and that “TJX will also provide information for customers on its website, www.tjx.com, including tips on preventing credit and debit card fraud and other steps customers may take to protect their personal information.” I’d suggest that first on the list should be “Don’t buy anything from a TJX company unless you’re using cash, because it’s our fault your information was compromised in 2003 – 2006.”

If I sound bitter, it’s because I am. I was one of TJ’s lucky customers that received a letter from my bank stating my account could be compromised. I will never shop at TJ Maxx again, even with cash.

There is more to a shopping experience than just the storefront. Customer experience starts at the store but carries through to actions made by nearly every employee within an organization. As communicators, we should remember to regularly consult with other departments within our organization to be prepared for this type of negative situation. When practicing for a crisis, ask other employees what’s being done to prevent that crisis from ever happening. In TJX’s case, the fact that the company was storing certain consumer information, which may have run contrary to VISA’s Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, should have raised a warning flag about possible issues regarding network intrusions.

So goodbye TJ Maxx. I’ll miss your great deals and wide selection, but I’m just not down with any brand that suggests a credit check after every purchase.

• Customer Relations , Public Relations , Business , PR