Veteran Canadian musician Wolf Hassel has vowed never to shop at a Loblaw-owned store again after the grocer demanded he prove he is who he claims to be.
Hassel, bassist for bands like Sheriff and Frozen Ghost, had applied for the $25 Loblaw rebate stemming from the company’s price-fixing admission last year.
Instead of receiving the card, though, he was asked to provide a copy of his driver’s license or utility bill to verify his identity.
“No more information,” Hassel replied. “If that is a problem....keep your money.
“Just know that I will never drop a dime in a Loblaws or affiliate again, and I will spend a lifetime relating my story in the darkest of terms to anyone that will listen.”
In an email, Loblaw told Hassel: “There are various triggers that might lead our administrators to ask for ID, like large numbers of registrations from a single address, multiple requests under a single or similar name, irregularities in a registration, and many others.”
The company said Hassel can “submit another form of current documentation that confirms that your name and residential address match the information provided on your registration form” and promised it “will not be used for any purpose other than to verify your eligibility to receive a $25 Loblaw Card and will be destroyed as soon as the verification is complete.”
FROM CTV NEWS: Customers Upset Loblaw Demanding Proof Of ID
Hassel, who shared his email exchange on social media, responded that he is the only person with his name at his address and the only person there to register for the rebate.
“Ironically enough, I don't have a compromised set of ethics that would allow me to get in line twice,” he said. “I find this amusing, that my ethics are questioned, but Loblaws has no problem with colluding and fixing prices for decades.”
Loblaw has come under fire for demanding proof of identity from customers who registered for the $25 card.
After performing with Sheriff – who had hits like “When I’m With You” – Hassel and bandmate Arnold Lanni formed Frozen Ghost, which won a Juno Award and had hits like “Should I See," “Pauper in Paradise” and “Dream Come True.”
Hassel then joined Alias (“More Than Words Can Say”).