Grrr......Data Protection Act
Discussion
Okay so i call BT as we have no phone signal, not my line but my bossess (who is out all day).
All i need to know is whether there is a fault on the line or a problem with the account.
"sorry sir i can't tell you which it is"
aarghhhh.....like i'm going to be able to do a day of the jackel type identity fraund of knowing whether or not its a faulty line or account.
It seams quoting the data protection act is a get aout clause for people having to apply a bit of common sense...retards......
All i need to know is whether there is a fault on the line or a problem with the account.
"sorry sir i can't tell you which it is"
aarghhhh.....like i'm going to be able to do a day of the jackel type identity fraund of knowing whether or not its a faulty line or account.
It seams quoting the data protection act is a get aout clause for people having to apply a bit of common sense...retards......
I had a similar problem with a useless call centre borg wanting to speak to the "person who pays the bill" I just told them that my mum was actually deaf (which she isn't but they don't need to know that) and couldn't speak to them and they grudgingly spewed out the required information.
Yep, the DPA is used to cover all sorts of ills and poor customer service - because "it protects the customer". Which is utter crap and basically shows a complete lack of knowledge and intelligence on behalf of the company.
Even the Police resorted to this as part of the Huntley murders - and he got fired as a result. Mainly because he was talking crap too....
Even the Police resorted to this as part of the Huntley murders - and he got fired as a result. Mainly because he was talking crap too....
They can tell you information like that as far as i know, its just some dumb call centre person not knowing teh rules. Try again.
As i understand it they can tell you certain factual elements, but not detailed issues that are beholden to personal information. Asking whether the fault is down to them or you is answerable in DPA AFAIK.
I have just been through all this due to problems with my girlfriends mobile (shes abroad) and eventually range teh complaints line and got through to someone who used a bit of common sense - its probably in breach of the DPA, but as i could answer all of the security questions on the account details, and had valid reasons for calling AND wasn't asking anything pertinent to my girlfriends private life, then they had to let me see part of the info i required. The difference was, i spoke to someone who knoew the deal rather than the call centre plebs i was getting p'd off with...
They usually just DPA to fob you off for easy life IMO.
As i understand it they can tell you certain factual elements, but not detailed issues that are beholden to personal information. Asking whether the fault is down to them or you is answerable in DPA AFAIK.
I have just been through all this due to problems with my girlfriends mobile (shes abroad) and eventually range teh complaints line and got through to someone who used a bit of common sense - its probably in breach of the DPA, but as i could answer all of the security questions on the account details, and had valid reasons for calling AND wasn't asking anything pertinent to my girlfriends private life, then they had to let me see part of the info i required. The difference was, i spoke to someone who knoew the deal rather than the call centre plebs i was getting p'd off with...
They usually just DPA to fob you off for easy life IMO.
off_again said:
Yep, the DPA is used to cover all sorts of ills and poor customer service - because "it protects the customer". Which is utter crap and basically shows a complete lack of knowledge and intelligence on behalf of the company.
Even the Police resorted to this as part of the Huntley murders - and he got fired as a result. Mainly because he was talking crap too....
There's a certain pensions/life insurance company that is using this bollocks to avoid having to pay out on my Dad's policy - basically even though my Mum has power-of-attorney they are refusing to talk to her. Wankers...
I get it pretty often, a customer walks in to my dealership on a Sunday afternoon. Their PX is on finance so we need a settlement figure to be able to calculate the payments on their new one, unfortunately most of the big finance houses don't work Sundays and if they do they aren't open the same hours as we do.
So the customer has to go away and come Monday morning I ring (as an example) Vauxhall Finance and ask for a settlement figure. The first thing they ask is if I am a vauxhall dealer (I'm not), when I tell them I'm not they tell me that under the DPA they can't give me a settlement figure unless I'm the customer. If I were to ring straight back however and quote a Vauxhall dealer code they are only too happy to discuss a settlement.
How does that work? I doubt very much the DPA has an exemption for Vauxhall dealers, more likely that the finance company are trying to stop me taking their customers to my finance company.
So the customer has to go away and come Monday morning I ring (as an example) Vauxhall Finance and ask for a settlement figure. The first thing they ask is if I am a vauxhall dealer (I'm not), when I tell them I'm not they tell me that under the DPA they can't give me a settlement figure unless I'm the customer. If I were to ring straight back however and quote a Vauxhall dealer code they are only too happy to discuss a settlement.
How does that work? I doubt very much the DPA has an exemption for Vauxhall dealers, more likely that the finance company are trying to stop me taking their customers to my finance company.
markmullen said:
How does that work? I doubt very much the DPA has an exemption for Vauxhall dealers, more likely that the finance company are trying to stop me taking their customers to my finance company.
More like the agreement your customer signed allows Vauxhall Finance to share info between firms in it's group, including the dealer network.
One optician has been sued under DPA for telling wife that husbands spex are ready for collection. It later turns out they are in the middle of divorce and he didn't want her to know how much he spent on his new spex. Incedentally the optician lost the case, it was ruled a breach of DPA.
During the summer we switched our mortgage over to Virgin One - so far so good.
The house and mortage is jointly in my own and Mrs kinkys names - as you expect from a typical married couple owning their own house ......
I got a house insurance quote from Virgin a few months ago - and they quoted a good price - so I said we'd contact them nearer the time.
Well that time is now - so Mrs. K phoned them to get them to re-quote ..... and they would not - because of the DPA, and the fact that I originally called them - even though the mortgage is in both our names and we both own the house. They told her I would have to phone them to say it would be ok for them to speak to her.
Suffice to say - we did not progress it and have sayed with our last ins. company.
K
The house and mortage is jointly in my own and Mrs kinkys names - as you expect from a typical married couple owning their own house ......
I got a house insurance quote from Virgin a few months ago - and they quoted a good price - so I said we'd contact them nearer the time.
Well that time is now - so Mrs. K phoned them to get them to re-quote ..... and they would not - because of the DPA, and the fact that I originally called them - even though the mortgage is in both our names and we both own the house. They told her I would have to phone them to say it would be ok for them to speak to her.
Suffice to say - we did not progress it and have sayed with our last ins. company.
K
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