Do we have any legal brains out there...

[Grease Monkey]

Does anyone have any legel experience in the data protection act? Working in IT i ought to know, but sadly my IT skills far outstrip my legal ones.

8 months ago we changed our phone number and went ex directory as, despite being on the TPS, we were getting hundreds of cold marketing calls.

All has been fine until this week we've had 2 calls in as many days. Both callers got told to bugger off only after they'd disclosed their employers names. (Just keep asking 'Who do you work for?' non stop until they tell you or hang up!)

Anyhow, i know i have the right to write to them and ask them to remove my number from their database, BUT do i have a right to know where they got it from, so i can write to them, and so on and so on, until i found out which 'soon to be in lots of grief' company sold my phone number without my consent to a marketing list?

[plod]

Well you wont know unless you ask. I'd contact TPS again and see how the calls might have been made.

The absurdity of course is that Data Protection may prevent anyone telling you how your number was gained in the first place...

[Purple AK]

GM. We went Ex Dir for this very reason but still get the odd call When pressed with "how did you get this number" they normally hang up, but most say that they use random dialing. Another option is to set your phone to not except witheld/private no's, which is fine unless you have friends/family/work that uses ex dir no's. Personally I just use them to vent as many expleatives as the day requires After all they are hardly going to report you

[gareth08]

Originally Posted by Grease Monkey

Does anyone have any legel experience in the data protection act? Working in IT i ought to know, but sadly my IT skills far outstrip my legal ones.

8 months ago we changed our phone number and went ex directory as, despite being on the TPS, we were getting hundreds of cold marketing calls.

All has been fine until this week we've had 2 calls in as many days. Both callers got told to bugger off only after they'd disclosed their employers names. (Just keep asking 'Who do you work for?' non stop until they tell you or hang up!)

Anyhow, i know i have the right to write to them and ask them to remove my number from their database, BUT do i have a right to know where they got it from, so i can write to them, and so on and so on, until i found out which 'soon to be in lots of grief' company sold my phone number without my consent to a marketing list?

If I answer the phone (which is quite rare) in the evening when most of these calls come instead of the usual hello etc I normally just answer with " sittingbourne CID can I help you".
That usually results in the phone being put down rather quickly unless it's someone who knows me

[shadow]

Not even a day after we had a phoneline put in when we moved, that we got a cold call, asked them how they got my ..kin number as I had just got it conected... they said random number generator. Registered with TPS straight after.
This weekend I got 2 calls withing 10 mins on SUNDAY AT 8AM!!!! FFS! Told them where to insert their waste of space jobs!

Be interested to hear how you get on.

<ooh, 383 posts, everywhere I look lately I see 383. Its an ohmen... hmm 383 stroker.... >

[jonbillings]

Don't forget that if you have "checked" whether you can get broadband by typing your number into one of the number checkers on the web you have raised your head above the parapet. We are ex-directory, and even had BT then ringing us up to offer "a great deal on broadband".............

[Grease Monkey]

Jon,

Yup, same with us. Less than a week after complaining to BT about the cold calls and changing our number to go ex directory, we get a cold call.

from


You guessed, BT themselves. bas***ds!

[stevee8]

On the other side of the coin...we've been registered on the TPS for a few years now and seldom get a cold call. For us, it works well.

[dingocooke]

Guys, there is another way, when they call:

'Hello this Sanjit from Powergen etc etc'
I say 'hang on Ill get the houseowner for you'
I put the phone on the table and just leave it, every so often I pick it up and say
'sorry for the delay your call is important to him hes just coming'
Some of the eejits hang on for ages, its sooo funny..aaannnnd your stopping them making 1/2 a dozen more calls too!!

Makes me laugh anyway..

[chrtos]

I just ask them how they got my details and ask them if they are aware they are in contravention of section (select any letter from A-Z) paragraph (any letter you like) of the data protection act, amazing how fast they hang up and they never call back.

Never had anyone say that's boll*** yet

Cheers

Chris