Rogers now has bouncers checking customer IDs outside its Toronto stores
Rogers is making negative headlines for yet another time this summer, this time for a policy at its retail storefronts that people are finding extremely strange and off-putting.
Anyone planning to go to a Rogers location in Canada to get a new phone, resolve an issue with their plan or bill, or even just grab a charger or other accessory may find they have to show photo identification before being let in the door, depending on the location.
Must have been a lot of angry Roger's customers after that snafu earlier summer and now they're afraid for their employees.
— Jestergirl ⚡️❄️🌪🌤 (@Tollerlover05) September 8, 2022
I would hope we're better than to attack employees.
It's apparently among multiple moves the company has made lately to help improve safety and cut down on armed robberies, shoplifting, fraud and other crimes in-store, however, it's something people are calling discriminatory and unnecessary as they engage with security measures at various outposts in Ontario, including in Toronto.
While outrage is particularly strong right now, many online are saying that their local Rogers store has been keeping doors locked for some time now, buzzing customers in one-by-one, though the identification aspect may be a new development.
"The Rogers in the Stockyards has been doing that since the pandemic began. I thought they all did that," one person said on Thursday in a Reddit thread on the topic.
"Same with the one on Danforth. Not really a big deal — I've been in a few times and it only takes an extra 30 seconds," another added.
If they're checking govt ID at the door are they recording that information & what are they doing w/it? Sorry I won't be entering any Rogers store. It's bad enough that I had to provide my driver's license number to sign up for their crappy internet. Wouldn't have done it except
— Peel Injured Workers (@PeelIWG) September 8, 2022
Still others are calling it a bold strategy that will likely deter customers and not end up paying off in the end.
"This is just one more reason to not be a Rogers customer," one individual pointed out.
It appears that some stores have signage about the rule, while others do not. It is unclear what a customer is expected to do if they don't have valid government-issued photo ID on them, aside from simply going home.
And, some employees don't seem to be trained properly on the new rule, as per a CTV News story that detailed one Toronto customer's experience getting turned away from a store in Chatham, Ontario despite showing ID, allegedly because they weren't from the local area.
But this only prevents them from robbing potential new customers. Existing ones continue to get robbed.
— 20:20Hindsight 🚴♂️🇨🇦 (@Cmartoronto) September 8, 2022
The policy comes while the telecom giant struggles to recover its reputation after July's massive outage that shut down debit machines, brought cities to a standstill and made the brand the target of not just righteous ire and boycotts, but jokes and memes.
