Coles Mobile Sends Email to Catch Connect Customers

browser on 19/03/2025 - 13:18
Last edited 19/03/2025 - 15:31

Received multiple emails from Catch Connect ([email protected]) to complete a survey, have not been with them for a long time, was wondering why but didn't think much of it, may be they want to win back customers, who knows.

Then received an email from Coles Mobile ([email protected]), where we have active services, saying the survey emails were incorrectly sent and they can be disregarded. Explanation was they used the wrong mailing list.

Sounds like they injected Coles Mobile customer emails into a Catch Connect template, or emails are correct but used the wrong template. The stuff up suggests Catch Connect (owned by Wesfarmers) and Coles Mobile (owned by Coles Group) use the same backend with some sort of multi-brand configurations. Coles Group was spun off from Wesfarmers in 2018.

Anyway, with Catch ceasing operating end of April, while Catch Connect will continue, maybe soon they will merge into Coles Mobile to simplify product offerings. (Woolworths didn't see the need to establish a MyDeal Connect brand.)

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Comments

  • geekcohen on 19/03/2025 - 13:35

    Just sounds like another marketing stuff up at Wesfarmers, they have done it a bit in the past and then go "oh, sorry, we mad a boo boo".

    • MrThing on 19/03/2025 - 13:52

      westfarmers dont own coles

      • geekcohen on 19/03/2025 - 13:55

        They would still somewhat intertwined and I still bet their marketing departments are the same. Just publicly, they are seperated. Probably because of some tax or financial beneift.

        • MrThing on 19/03/2025 - 14:15
          +1

          yeah, no

          • geekcohen on 19/03/2025 - 15:10

            @MrThing: Then why would Catch (owned by Wesfarmers) be emailing Coles Mobile customers if they are separate? How would data get mixed up if they are separate? Coincidence??

            • browser on 19/03/2025 - 15:34
              +2

              @geekcohen: They probably still have some ties, at lease operational-wise. Would be a bigger problem if they are total separate but have access to each others customer data.

      • jv on 19/03/2025 - 16:20

        farmers dont own coles

        definitely true…

  • Duckie2hh on 19/03/2025 - 13:44
    +2

    Who left the intern to press "send".

  • bdl on 19/03/2025 - 14:21
    +1

    You caught a Coles Connect

  • Mikefr on 19/03/2025 - 15:18
    -2

    Maybe to do with catch.com.au April closure somehow?
    “ Wesfarmers has announced that the online retailer Catch.com.au will cease trading and selling products as of April 30, 2025, citing increased competition in the Australian e-commerce sector and financial losses.”

    • geekcohen on 19/03/2025 - 15:52
      +1

      Has nothing to do with it since Catch Connect is seperate and will continue to operate post catch.com.au closure.

  • bobokingdom on 19/03/2025 - 15:50

    I think they were both owned and operated by Optus. :) Their dashboard, web portal are very similar except one is blue and the other is red.

    • geekcohen on 19/03/2025 - 15:51
      +3

      They won't be owned by Optus. They both use the Optus network, hence the similarities of the dashboards.

      • bobokingdom on 19/03/2025 - 16:09

        Why not? Look at this: https://colesmobile.com.au/home/page/our-policies (click on fair go policy). https://colesmobile.com.au/home/page/our-policies (Click on Fair Go policy)…they don't even bother to change their brands.

        • geekcohen on 19/03/2025 - 16:22

          I think you mean https://catchconnect.com.au/home/page/our-policies

          There is probably some legal compliance element related to mentioning the Optus Network because they are technology the core provider and Coles/Catch are just a reseller. But they are not owned by Optus, they onsell a phone server through the Optus network. Just like Woolies and Aldi using the Telstra network.

          • dm02 on 19/03/2025 - 19:06

            @geekcohen: Check out my comment below, they definitely seem to be owned by Optus.

            • geekcohen on 20/03/2025 - 05:42

              @dm02: Okay, for arguments sake, lets say they are then. How does that explain the marketing email stuff up?

              • dm02 on 20/03/2025 - 10:33
                +1

                @geekcohen: The fact that they're both owned by Optus explains the marketing email stuff up. I'd imagine they must've accidentally done a mail merge using the wrong template. I'd find it hard to believe that Coles has access to Catch's email templates, or Catch has access to Coles' customer database.

    • browser on 19/03/2025 - 17:34

      They are MVNOs using Optus, Amaysim is another example.

      • bobokingdom on 19/03/2025 - 17:59
        +3

        Amaysim is 100% owned by Optus. Coles Mobiles is a brand of Optus, also owned by Optus (https://colesmobile.com.au/home/page/privacy). CatchConnect is "partnership" between Catch and Optus, i.e. Optus also owns it (even it is not 100% ownership) https://catchconnect.com.au/home/page/our-policies (check their Privacy Policy. Catch doesn't even store the user info as it is stored on Optus). Kogan Mobile is 100% Vodafone.. Kogan get a % "commision" from Vodafone…but everything is Vodafone.

        (As you can see in this post, Coles Mobiles and Catch Connect even share the customer database.)

        • dm02 on 19/03/2025 - 19:06
          +2

          You're exactly right from what I can tell.

          The TIO website lists Coles Mobile and Catch Connect with Optus's complaints webpage and PO Box.

          The Coles Mobile Consumer Terms are also the same as the Optus Consumer Terms. As in, it's the exact same document.

          The Optus Privacy Policy lists Coles Mobile and Catch Connect as "Optus businesses".

        • RotundPolarBear on 19/03/2025 - 19:49

          Great detective work!

        • larndis on 20/03/2025 - 12:36

          So then, in regards to the survey emails, sounds like it's an Optus stuff-up rather than a Westfarmers or Coles stuff-up

          • browser on 28/03/2025 - 14:30

            @larndis: The explanation says:

            Coles Mobile and Catch Connect are agents of Optus and use the same communication platform and the email was sent in error using the incorrect mailing list. Please disregard that email.

  • browser on 28/03/2025 - 14:31

    Activated a Coles Mobile service today, it actually says "Catch Connect" but all the branding is Coles. :D

    • Neoika on 30/03/2025 - 11:07

      Of course, otherwise Optus data breach would not have occurred.

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