Personal Data disclosure by Marstons

[BankFodder]

"They have got to be respectful to the sensitivity of the issue," a spokeswoman said.

BBC NEWS | Business | Bailiff admits to privacy blunder

 

 

I think that this statement from the Information Commissioner's office shows their very halfhearted attitude to the protection of personal data.

 

They seem to be suggesting that compliance with Data Protection/Human Rights legislation is merely a matter of showing sensitivty. This is itself an entirely insensitive and inappropriate remark from an Office which shojld know a lot better.

[Ekko26]

Can anyone help me please? I have recently received an email from this website about a breach of Data protection from a company called Marstons, i have then received an email from Marstons apologising for this.

I have not seen the original email at all, which concerns me as i have had 3 weeks off from work and the email has been delivered to my work email.

 

During this period i have been getting phone calls at work, citing my name and date of birth and asking my colleagues for information about me but refusing to give their details?? This is starting to get really embarrassing.

 

I dont know who they are or what they want and have never seen the original email? I have debts but they are all being paid and i am in regular contact with them.....

 

Any advice?

[BankFodder]

If you received the apology at your private email then you probably were sent the original email to your private address too. It would be difficult to explain how else you would receive the apology to your private address.

 

Look through this thread for suggestions about complaining. You shold certainly complain the Information Commissioner immediately and also to trading standards.

 

You need somehow to access your work email to check if the original messge was sent there - but it probably wasn't.

 

If you can discover who is calling you at work, you shold make an immediate complaint to the trading standards and also send them our template letter requiring them to stop calling. If you can show that these calls are somehow connected with Marston's email then come back here and let us know. This seems unlikley to me.

[sillygirl1]

Odds on it is Samedaycash/Wonga calling, they told me they were my bank and wanted my details (I'd changed banks a while ago and they didn't have any new details), told them I would go in the branch to confirm anything rather than on the phone.

 

Check your email because it will be the same one they used originally.

 

I found it odd that the Information Commissioner's spokesman on the BBC link hadn't had any complaints, maybe they just picked one out of thin air...

[geministar2007]

ha well at least we made BBC.... lol. Something has to be done to stop these people though. Not just an oh we are sorry.

 

I still have not received an appology. As long as they leave me alone i am happy. There is no chance i am paying 2 DCA's for one debt!!! Lol

 

Good work everyone.

[Poor-Credit Borrower]

Thank you for your comments sillygirl1, you sound very sensible actually. Although I replied to their (Marston's) email, obviously complaining about all our email addresses showing, I declined to 'confirm' my name, address and a contact telephone number. In response to my email, they have written another email with two attachements (which are, in fact, identical) saying that they can confirm they are instructed by the above mentioned companies SameDayCash.co.uk and Wonga.com) regarding the outstanding amount. They say "all previous companies are no longer under instruction from Quickbridge Limited, SameDayCash.co.uk or Wonga.com". I'm not sure whether to believe them on the strength of an email attachment. It mentions no amount owing and no account number in the attachment.

On the plus side they have apologised for the distress caused by disclosing all these email addresses to everyone else, and I quote the following:

"We are currently investigating our email processes and upon completion our staff will undertake any necessary training to ensure that this inadvertent release of group email addresses does not happen again."

However, not sure what to do by the 'debt' being managed by them - perhaps I could phone them up and ask them to send me a hard copy. Even if it was being managed by them, the original debt is being managed a DM company - which, as it so happens, I am contemplating changing to the CCCS or Payplan.

Thank you, as ever, for your input too BankFodder.

Edited December 11, 2008 by Poor-Credit Borrower
Slight spelling mistake

[geministar2007]

poor credit......

 

I have received no further emails from them.

 

I have had it confirmed by my DMP that Credit Resource solutions are still dealing with this debt. Credit Resource have also confirm that they have not sold my debt and i am to continue paying them my monthly installments.

 

All sounds very suspect to me. Where is the letter from the acting DCA that the debt has been sold, i have had enough of them so i know that is the usual process.

[spurious]

These jokers just sent me a 'Letter Before Action' threatening that someone will "visit the property" to "discuss repayment". Aside from everything else wrong with people representing themselves as bailiffs doing this in connection with accounts that have never been to court, they also totally ignored a CCA request made previously.

 

Surely they can't just continue to act in such an unlawful way? I'll certainly be making complaints to OFT and TS, but I doubt they'll do much and meanwhile this bunch of clowns get to carry on intimidating people. It's not right.