Protecting consumer rights and maintaining confidence
How Tchibo protects customer data from unauthorised access.
Tchibo takes the greatest care in processing coffee and selecting the consumer goods with which it provides a new experience every week. And Tchibo also operates with the greatest possible care when it comes to dealing with customer data. We apply the highest security standards to the processing of orders, placed for instance through tchibo.de. Tchibo implements all necessary measures to protect personal data, such as addresses and bank details, from unauthorised access.
In the wake of the constant expansion of the internet and the growing numbers of people performing their day-to-day activities online, data volumes are increasing. Many people are becoming increasingly prepared to publish extensive information on themselves, for instance on social media platforms. This implies greater risks for users, and companies have a growing responsibility to protect consumer rights and customer data. In the light of the constantly and rapidly changing conditions in this area, we consider it one of our principal tasks to meet legal requirements and to go above and beyond consumer protection law where this is in the interests of our customers.
Regular employee training – one of our data protection officer’s many tasks
We are committed to raising awareness of data protection among all our employees, from members of the Management Board to administrative staff. We know that the trust our customers place in Tchibo is the basis of our business success. We conduct regular training sessions to inform employees of recent developments in the field of data protection, such as new laws and regulations as well as judgements handed down by the highest courts. Our data protection officer ensures that all departments comply with data protection regulations in their daily activities.
At Tchibo, data protection is a matter for management
Our data protection officer has developed a comprehensive data protection system which allows us to respond directly to any changes such as amendments in the law. We have already set up cross-departmental working groups and appointed data protection representatives at department level. This system ensures that all business processes are supported in this respect and monitored.
In 2010 we expanded our data protection system to all national subsidiaries and implemented it at all levels of management. Our internal Tchibo core team, consisting of lawyers and consumer and data protection experts, supports the data protection officer in assessing the various issues. In this way, our data protection system helps us to consider all issues relating to customer rights from the outset when we develop new business ideas.
Other important measures we initiated in 2010:
- We incorporated our commitment to data protection into our Code of Conduct.
- We updated our Privacy Protection Policy in June 2010. It is posted on the Tchibo website and gives our customers detailed information about what happens to their data. We want to explain our approach to customer data with an appropriate level of transparency and as comprehensibly as possible.
- Additionally, we reviewed all our advertising activities and strategies for data protection issues and amended them to comply with new requirements. We introduced, for instance, the “double opt-in” system with regard to our newsletter: All customers have to confirm twice that they would like to subscribe to our newsletter. This process helps us and our customers to take confident action. Our “PrivatCard Premium” credit card, as well as other customer loyalty initiatives and advertising material, were also developed in close coordination with the data protection officer.