Carphone warehouse collecting your personal information by deception

[Damon098]

Just been to purchase a payg mobile from The Carphone warehouse at the point of sale I was asked by the salesperson for my name and full address.

I told him that I was not happy giving him my personal details

 

He informed me that it was a legal requirement and could not sell me the phone without it

 

I later found out that this was not true,

 

when I phoned them to complain they tried brushing me of with excuses why they ask for this information infront of everyone in the shop

all of which I poked wholes in, he agreed that it was not a legal requirement but for their sales leads

 

I asked if I was on their mailing list now they ansewered that I was

I pointed out that in their own literature it said I should be given the option to opt out of recieving sales and marketing from them.

 

I told them I wanted off their list.

The chap asked me to confirm my DoB for data protection reasons before he could proceed

I told him I had not given them my DoB but apparently they still had it and it was correct.

 

If you enter into a phone contract you need to give them the necessary information

But for anything else including payg mobiles you don't

 

SO BEWARE this company are collecting your personal information by deception which they can and do sell on to third parties without your explicit permission

[ashmk]

A friend of mine signed upto Talk talk who were at the time hand in hand with Carphone warehouse. He used a fake surname for his talk talk package and made a point to make sure he opted out of all spam. It only took a month or so for the junk phonecalls and mail to start arriving in that surname. The only possible source was Talk talk selling on the details without permission. It is totally impossible for it to have come from anywhere else.

 

So it seems they are not just collecting but also selling your details without your permission.

[rick89]

Thanks for the heads up. Cheeky beggers!

[sparx]

A friend of mine signed upto Talk talk who were at the time hand in hand with Carphone warehouse. He used a fake surname for his talk talk package and made a point to make sure he opted out of all spam. It only took a month or so for the junk phonecalls and mail to start arriving in that surname. The only possible source was Talk talk selling on the details without permission. It is totally impossible for it to have come from anywhere else.

 

So it seems they are not just collecting but also selling your details without your permission.

 

With some email providers (Gmail) you can prefix (or append) a tag with a + - which means that you can instantly see who has sold your email address on!

[mattyprice4004]

I worked in carphone's head office for 2 years, the information is taken for ease of warranty fault logging and to keep a history of what a consumer is buying - to make sure they're not boxbreaking.

 

If you don't like it, buy elsewhere.

[fka32]

wow, buy somewhere else. I wonder why you are not working there anymore?? Well your salesmen and women should not LIE and say that it is a legal requirement, it is not.

[MARTIN3030]

This is a Consumer site and practices such as this should be made known to others.

Buying elsewhere is of course always an option,and my guess is that people WILL once they read things like this.

[Damon098]

I worked in carphone's head office for 2 years, the information is taken for ease of warranty fault logging and to keep a history of what a consumer is buying - to make sure they're not boxbreaking.

 

If you don't like it, buy elsewhere.

 

All would be valid resons except for the fact that carphone warehoue already had any necessary information when they took payment from my card.

 

If I purchase goods anywhere else I am not given the the third degree so why should carphone warehouse.

 

So I asked and the answer that came back was carphone warehouse are not allowed by law to use the information gained in the transaction due to data protection act (big fines)

 

However if I give them the information ( even if they lie to get me to give them the information) they can and will use that information as they please unless you object

 

If I was some sort of criminal I would use cash and lie about my identity

 

Matalan ask you for your personal details when you start shopping there but at least they are up front in regards to what they are using that information for and you have a choice on wether you want to shop there

 

So I am very sorry but your argument just does not hold up

[MARTIN3030]

It seems a practice that is common.

Many online stores ask you for your telephone numbers even Argos do this if you do a reserve.

We know that even the credit reference agencies are selling lists for target markets-it is big business.

[Damon098]

It seems a practice that is common.

Many online stores ask you for your telephone numbers even Argos do this if you do a reserve.

We know that even the credit reference agencies are selling lists for target markets-it is big business.

 

Unfortuantley your right and its our fault as consumers for allowing it

 

What is really annoying is the fact that a lot of the time the choice to share information is couched in such away that people feel they have no choice but to share their personal information even if the reality is that there is no need for companies you are dealing with to have it

 

Data protection law is very clear on what a company can and cannot do with your personal data and these laws are flouted by companies every second of every day and the law cannot do anything except in extreme cases because how do you prove that company A has sold your data to company B when the Data protection act stops you from gainng that information

 

I did not know about the credit reference agencies selling your information surely this is a breach of the Data protection act

 

The only way they should be able to gain your information is if you apply for credit and at which point you agree that whoever you are applying for credit with can share your information with the credit reference agency to check your credit worthiness at no point do I ever remember agreeing that the credit refernce agency could use my personal information for anything other than for checking my credit worthiness

 

We are told by the goverment to protect our personal information

but seem to turn a blind eye to companies illegally using our information

[MARTIN3030]

http://www.callcredit.co.uk/

[MARTIN3030]

http://conversation.which.co.uk/money/credit-card-reference-agencies-financial-details/

[Damon098]

It's truly frightening to see how we as a society allow the private sector to flout or just ignore the data protection act

because its virtually impossible to prove they have done wrong.

But we jump all over the public sector for every lapse because they are auditable and it is easy to prove their mistakes

[MARTIN3030]

Would be interesting for someone to write to them and ask for a list of who they had passed/shared/or sold your data to.

Obv they are exempt from a FOI request.....if they werent,I suspect there would be some startlers.

[mattyprice4004]

wow, buy somewhere else. I wonder why you are not working there anymore?? Well your salesmen and women should not LIE and say that it is a legal requirement, it is not.

 

Before you get smart, I left to run my 2 businesses and have proceeded to be very successful in both of my respective fields. Also, what other answer did you expect? I recommend you refuse to give them information? Because if you did that, they would refuse to sell to you point blank - thus meaning you would have to shop elsewhere. Hence my answer.

 

All would be valid resons except for the fact that carphone warehoue already had any necessary information when they took payment from my card.

 

If I purchase goods anywhere else I am not given the the third degree so why should carphone warehouse.

 

So I asked and the answer that came back was carphone warehouse are not allowed by law to use the information gained in the transaction due to data protection act (big fines)

 

However if I give them the information ( even if they lie to get me to give them the information) they can and will use that information as they please unless you object

 

If I was some sort of criminal I would use cash and lie about my identity

 

Matalan ask you for your personal details when you start shopping there but at least they are up front in regards to what they are using that information for and you have a choice on wether you want to shop there

 

So I am very sorry but your argument just does not hold up

 

Not my argument, it's the company's stance. If you don't like it, complain to them and not me. If enough complain they will have to do something about it.