This attempt to delete my account started on 10 Dec 2024 after
receiving notice from them that they were charging me an annual
renewal fee of $21.15. I hadn't used this account in over a year,
so I tried to delete it. Here's what it took:
* Login to your account and goto https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/privacyrequest
* Click on "Please submit this form"
* Click on "Start Deletion Request"
* Fill in your first and last name, and email address. Skip the optional comment field.
* Click on "Review Request"
* Check the box that says you are a human
* Click on "Submit Request"
* Your request has been submitted. Wait for an email with a link in it to verify your email address. Click on the link.
* This takes you to a web page where you can "Finalize Your request". On this page you will be asked to receive a text or call at the phone # they have on file for you. Select the appropriate method, and click on "Send".
* Wait to receive their "privacy request verification code", and enter it into the appropriate field
* Click "Verify"
* The expected response is "Success!". Now choose one of two questions
"What is the subtotal of your recent order?" OR
"What is the order date of your most recent order?"
You might have to dig a bit to find either answer. You can find this from their website under "https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/myaccount/orders", although as in my case, you might wonder if you can count a cancelled order as the last one? I guessed yes.
Fill in the correct answer.
* Check the box saying that you aren't lying to them.
* Click on "Submit"
* The next page says that "Your personal data access request has been submitted successfully. You should hear back within 45 days."
* On 21 Dec 2024, they emailed me to say
"We are unable to delete your information at this time. We are required to keep all order related information for one year for tax, fraud, and business processing purposes. Unfortunately, we cannot facilitate any system-wide deletion requests if there is an order on your account within this timeframe."
My most recent transaction that was not a renewal was 4 Jan 2023. Perhaps they are counting renewals as a transaction in which case, because they occur annually, according to their "wait one year" requirement, I will never be able to delete my account. read more