New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra took to Twitter on Thursday to post a compliant against sporting brand Decathlon for violating her "right to privacy and consumer law" after she was asked for her mobile number and email ID at a store in Delhi.
In her Twitter post, Mahua Moitra narrated her experience as she visited the Decathlon store at Ansal Plaza in Delhi-NCR on Thursday. The TMC MP said she bought a pair of trousers for her father and was asked to provide her phone number and email address at the billing counter.
"Want to buy my dad trousers for Rs 1499 in CASH at Decathlon India Ansal Plaza and manager insists I need to put in my mobile number and email ID to purchase. Sorry Decathlon India, you are violating privacy laws and consumer laws by insisting on this," Mahua Moitra tweeted.
After her post went viral, Mahua Moitra tweeted a screenshot of a text she received from a Supreme Court lawyer. The Supreme Court lawyer told her to ask the store to add one of their employee's phone numbers and let her go.
"Don't give your mobile number to Decathlon. Ask them to reconfigure the system," an excerpt from the text read.
In the same tweet, Moitra said the manager had "finally put in his number and got me out of store (with dad’s trousers)". "But Decathlon India needs to reconfigure now," she tweeted.
In another tweet, the TMC leader claimed that it was only the Indian arm of Decathlon that asks for personal details.
"I always buy stuff in UK from Decathlon UK and they never ask for mobile number and only for email if one wants paperless receipt. So clearly only Indian arm wants to fool customers here. Not nice Decathlon India," Moitra said.
Decathlon usually replies to consumers tweeting issues. However, it is yet to respond to Moitra's tweets.
Moitra's tweets triggered a slew of reactions from leaders and citizens who encountered similar issue.
"No need to give your number or email ID. You can ask them to give it in writing to you on the company letter head that they will NOT sell you the trousers without your personal data! See how they fall in place !!" said Tehseen Poonawalla, an entrepreneur and social activist.