So I check my email today and I get this strange message as you will see below. I am curious if anybody else recieved anything like this after they bought their MINI. My dealer swears they dont sell or give out our info. When I emailed the sender they said they get their info from MINI directly! You have got to be kidding me! I cant find anything in my contract about them having the right to sell my info. I find this disturbing. Anybody get something else similar to this....

From: Strategic Vision, Inc.
10725 Tierrasanta Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92124
(800) 528-3299

Dear (redacted: My full name was here)



Congratulations on your new MINI COOPER!



On behalf of the manufactures who built it, we want to know how satisfied you are with your new vehicle. By taking the time to complete this survey, you'll be helping to shape the future of the cars and trucks you drive. Strategic Vision is a leading product design and marketing consultant to the Automotive Industry. Our awards for Total Quality, Total Value and Delight have become a standard by which consumers and manufacturers judge the performance and improvement of the automotive industry. Your responses will help determine winners of Strategic Vision's 2008 Total Quality Awards™, which will be announced publicly. Results will also be available to consumers on our website.



When you complete your survey, you'll be entered in a drawing to win one of the following prizes:

 

Odds are good they did not get your info from MINI. I assume you've registered your vehicle, and obtained insurance? Most states' vehicle registration data is public record and, depending on your insurance company's privacy policy, it may have come from there. Also, did you buy an extended warranty? What is that company's privacy policy? Where did you finance the car? What is their policy? Etc., etc, etc...

 

lookds like a scam and waste of time

 

Yeah - what (he/she) said...I'll bet it's from vehicle registration or 3rd party warranty or something. What's odd about that, though, is that I don't think veh reg asks for email addresses......? Is there a security alert bureau you can notify?

 

I did not think they would get it from MINI even thought they said they did.

Finanaced through MINI (got a great Rate),
No extended warrenty, My state only shares the info if you Opt in(go Arizona),
My Auto insurance is not the culprit (my agent knows I will personally sign up everybody in his office for **** and I opted out a while ago)

I did get the extended maintenance but again....I actually read the contract and saw nothing about them selling or giving out my info. Hum.....

 

Good point. Vehicle registration doesn't require e-mail address...

My experience was that I bought my Mini used from a (local) dealer that I found online - I corresponded with them via email. To this day I still get spam from extended warranty companies. Now I always use a Gmail (or hotmail or yahoo) account to initiate these types of inquiries.

 

I never use my real email for stuff like this. I have been in IT for over 10 years so if there is anybody who knows ow to keep myself hidden on the net, it would be me. You can only find out as much about me on the net as I let you :-)

I will have to do some research on the company and find out who owns them and have some fun :-)

 

Did you sign up for any test drives with any other dealership? I did for a Volvo test drive YEARS ago, and I've been getting mucho emails from them and associates. Hmm...Did they use your full name? (Middle, too?) If you don't usually use it like that (how many of us actually say, HI, MY NAME IS FIRST MIDDLE LAST?) maybe you can figure it out that way...?

 

No info given for a test drive. I have honestly thought of all the normal ways to get the info. they had First name, Middle intial, and Last name. i never put my middle initial on anything unless it is a "legal" doc.

Anyway...here is what I found out. I am going to gowith Bogus only becasue the registration info is not quite right. the funny thing is the current registars LLC is based in my home town...again...makes me think it is my dealer.

Strategic Visions claims to have done business with BMW among others....

http://www.strategicvision.com/clients.php

And the registration info...

Administrative Contact : HARE, ALEX ** cv9vw9uc29s@networksolutionsprivateregistration.co m ATTN: STRATEGICVISION.COM c/o Network Solutions P.O. Box 447 Herndon, VA 20172-0447 Phone: 570-708-8780 Technical Contact : STRATEGIC VISION d87yb76b3fq@networksolutionsprivateregistration.co m ATTN: STRATEGICVISION.COM c/o Network Solutions P.O. Box 447 Herndon, VA 20172-0447 Phone: 570-708-8780 Record expires on 02-Jan-2015 Record created on 16-Jun-2004 Database last updated on 12-Oct-2006 Domain servers in listed order:Manage DNS NS.RACKSPACE.COM 69.20.95.4 NS2.RACKSPACE.COM 65.61.188.4

 

That is really pretty fishy, and it definitely sounds like the dealer.

The only other thing I'd suggest is to double check all the papers you filled in at the dealer when you got the car. You may have been one of those "lucky" few (one in 10000 buyers!) chosen to do a survey based on the car purchase.

 

Time to have a talk to the dealer....this is strike 2 for them. they still have not returned my Credit card deposit on my car.... Here is the disclaimer on their emails...and yes, I have already doen the opt out.

************************************************** ******************

Penske Automotive Group and its affiliates will never sell, rent,

or share your email address. If you would like your name removed

from our mailing list, include the Name of the Dealership in the

subject line and send your request to optout@penskeautomotive.com

or simply reply to this message with the word “remove” in the

subject line. This email and any files transmitted with it are
confidential and intended solely for use of the individual or entity

to whom they are addressed. Please delete all copies if you are not

the intended recipient.

************************************************** ******************

 

Go get 'em! And let us know - I've never encountered anybody personally who had this happen...nor who had such a strong argument. Good luck!

 

I got exactly the same one this afternoon. The only people who know my name, email and new MINI model is either the dealer or the owner's lounge.

 

...and MINIUSA. The dealer may not have shared the info(as they said), but your info will go to MINIUSA and they may have "shared" the info. If that company has had dealings with BMW, they also have had dealings with MINI.

 

MINI usa is basically still MINI aren't they or are they independantly owned? If they are indepenedant they had to get the info from the MINI or the dealer. Right?

 

I've bought 3 MINIs and several BMWs new from dealers (5 different dealers, actually) and I've gotten a strategic visions survey from each of them, although the first several were by mail.

 

I got the same survey/email yesterday too, didn't give too much thought as to how they got my email. I did give my email to the dealer and MINI Financial and have gotten many of these types of surveys before, it's really not that sinister. I actually started doing the survey, but about 5 questions in, it really seemed directed more at mainstream SUV/truck/domestic car owners. I felt like it really didn't apply to the MINI buying experience so I stopped right there. Typically, on any new car I've bought in the last decade, I will get at least 3-4 surveys by mail as well.

 

I guess my problem is the giving way or selling of my information when both MINI and dealer clearly stated they would never do this.

Its the consumer rights activist in me :-) What can I say...LOL

If others are getting it, I am guessing it is coming from MINI. Oh well....thanks for the info all.