I am a kind of person who never shares his/her phone number unless it is absolutely necessary and yet I get bombarded with a zillion sms and sales call trying to selling me almost everything under the sun.
Recently I found a dirty tactic used by Club Mahindra in the Central Mall, Bangalore. They have a pre-paid parking and the patrons are expected to pay for the parking before entering. This enterprising agent would be right next to the collection booth and would ask for your phone number and name. Hence giving an illusion that it is to ensure that the mall authorities could reach you in case of any issue/incident with your car. My friend just happened to peep into the form where he was entering the data to see a small logo of Club Mahindra. He raised a huge issue and tore few of his forms and pamphlets, however I don’t think that would have deterred him from not continuing his pursuit.
Similarly they have a lucky draw scheme in which everybody is a winner. They would say that you have won a 2 nights stay in one of their remote properties. However the fine print translates into the fact that one has to make a reservations atleast 2 months in advance, plus it has to be a week day of the off season. Also they would charge a 1000/- per night for water and electricity (I don’t consume so much water and electricity for the entire month).