Data Privacy

You may have noticed a lot of emails telling you that the new rules coming into effect soon.

I wonder if these changes will apply to the DVLA, stopping them giving out your name and address to anyone you asks and is prepared to cough up a couple of quid for the data??

I wonder

I am getting an avalanche of e-mails from organisations, some of which I have never even heard of let alone subscribed to, asking me to check my account settings before the 28th May and the new privacy laws coming into effect.

Since they assure me that if I don't check before this date they will be forced to delete all my records, I can't see where the scam is in this but feel there must be one. Why otherwise would they e-mail me ?  I have always been very, very careful who I give private details to either by post,phone or online.

Peter Brown wrote:

They are contacting you because they do have some information on you and by law they must tell you by 28th May.  There are very severe financial penalties that can be imposed on a company that doesn't comply with this new Data Protection Regulation.

Yes, I understand that but, since many of these organisations are ones which I certainly have had no contact with- indeed have not even heard of- and they have not had contact with me either up to now, then this information must have come from a very few sources ,( bank, credit card company, DVLA etc) which I have always trusted to keep it to themselves.  If, as they say, I have an account with them then why have they not been e-mailing me with offers or communicated with me before now ?  I can't help feeling that there are fishing operations here.

I have had the expected letters from my banks etc, which are all very kosher These are not.

If you don't know these companies, don't respond. If they are legitimate, after 25 May they will delete your details. If they are not legitimate, by not responding you won't have veryfied a live Email account.

PLOUGHLIN wrote:If you don't know these companies, don't respond. If they are legitimate, after 25 May they will delete your details. If they are not legitimate, by not responding you won't have veryfied a live Email account.

That I understand and am not responding. What intrigues me is what they hope to gain by emailing me and, given that it seems like a fishing ( not phishing..) operation on their part, why the relevant regulatory body is not on the case as I can’t be the only one targetted.

I'm hoping they're true to their word about not being able to contact me in future.

Since buying a new Toyota in 2014, I received constant emails, from both Toyota and from my dealership, offering deals on new cars, used cars and servicing packages etc.

I got sick of 'unsubscribing' only to receive more emails the following week and eventually emailed both customer services, asking that my details be removed from their database. 

My dealership emails stopped a few months ago, but I'm still getting them from Toyota. I marked them as 'Junk', which is where the last few automatically end up, but I still see that they're there, when I occasionally check my junk folder for genuine emails.

I found one in there from Toyota last week asking me to update my preferences, otherwise they won't be able to send me any more deals or offers 

Could be worse.

I only walked past Dunelm the other day, and about five minutes later I got a message on my phone telling me I could win £250 if I did a survey to say how much I enjoyed my visit.

Also had one from Skoda after a service last week, so on both surveys I rated every box with a zero. Then at the end when it asked for comments I said the service was excellent - but the otherwise pleasant experience was totally ruined by their stupid intrusive survey.

Doubt if it will make the slightest difference, but worth a try!

Gromit wrote:

I only walked past Dunelm the other day, and about five minutes later I got a message on my phone telling me I could win £250 if I did a survey to say how much I enjoyed my visit.

!

Interesting...yesterday I bought a voucher from an M&S about 70 miles from home, the first time I have visited there. . I paid by credit card but did not give email or phone number or any other information. Last night a message on my mobile phone inviting me to rate my experience mentioning that specific branch. I can only think that, for once, my mobile phone was switched on when I went into the shop and so was the GPS data part of it. They must have been able to get my mobile number from that limited contact. I find that a bit too intrusive.

We got some nice emails from Waitrose today asking if we still wanted them to keep in contact with us. Nice except we don't shop in Waitrose, never have, or had eamils from them but they obviously have access to our email addresses. I'm guessing it's been passed on from one of their "sister" companies, bit naughty.

Just got the latest email on data privacy from our friends in CA at Google explaining how open their policy is. Why do I feel like I've just shaken hands with a con man (person ) 

Just like Grommet and Quilter I started receiving messages from Google about places that I have passed. I looked on the internet (other search engines are available) and then followed the instructions to turn it off with the map app on the phone. So far it has worked.

Get a Windows Phone.

Not saying they are good but there are so few nobody bothers to work out how to interrogate one.


What gets me is the emails seem to indicate that I should WANT to be pestered by them.

A few years ago we bought a brand new LR Freelander. Within weeks we had flyers inviting us to new car sales events. How many people are going to buy a new car when they have just bought one. I think these companies should pay a waste disposal surcharge when they have leaflets distributed.