TMC's Mahua Moitra questions Decathlon for 'violating privacy and consumer laws'

Sporting brand Decathlon has been recently targeted by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Twitter. The MP has posted a complaint about Decathlon on the social media platform citing her experience on visiting the Decathlon store at Delhi’s Ansal Plaza.

According to the MP’s tweets, she bought a pair of trousers for her father from the Decathlon store and was then asked to provide her phone number and email address at the billing counter. Unwilling to do so, Moitra raised her voice against the brand’s move to violate privacy laws and consumer laws.

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Tweeting directly from store, Mahua said, “Want to buy my dad trousers for Rs 1499 in CASH at @Decathlon_India Ansal Plaza & manager insists I need to put in my mobile number & email ID to purchase. Sorry @Decathlon_India, you are violating privacy laws & consumer laws by insisting on this. Am at store currently”.

The complaint tweet went viral on Twitter as netizens gave mixed reactions upon knowing the incident. While some claimed that Moitra just wanted to show off her visit to the UK, others supported her speaking against a rightful cause.

Many people stated that they had faced similar issue in the past. A Twitter user said, “Yes I also faced this some time back, I told the floor manager either you take cash and give me product without number and email or I leave, they took the cash and said we don't miss use your number or email. I said maybe but still I don't want to give, my choice.”

Yes i also faced this some time back , i told the floor manager either you take cash and give me product without number and email or i leave , they took the cash and said we don't mis use your number or email. I said maybe but still i don't want to give, my choice.

— Pranay Merchant (@Lamore_Marchand) April 28, 2022

Post tweeting this complaint, Moitra shared a text that showed her a way to resolve the issue temporarily. The solution came from a Supreme Court lawyer, who told her to ask the store to add one of their employee’s phone numbers and let her go.

Received this message from a top lawyer at the Supreme Court just now. The sweet manager finally put in his number & got me out of store (with dad’s trousers) But @Decathlon_India needs to reconfigure now. pic.twitter.com/Ez4OxGDuJJ

— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) April 28, 2022

Thereafter, she tweeted that the manager had “finally put in his number & got me out of store (with dad’s trousers). But @Decathlon_India needs to reconfigure now.”

While Moitra appreciated the manager’s response upon the situation, she surely didn’t like her experience at Decathlon.