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So yesterday I received an email from an estate agent. He addressed me by name, said that properties were selling well in my area, and that they were doing free valuations next week... and would I like to take advantage of this, as I'd bought my house (which he listed the exact address for) four years ago and may be considering a move?
I found this weirdly unsettling, as I'd never done business with this agent (who are a genuine local estate agent), and I always make sure that I don't give companies permission to share my details with third parties - yet somehow he'd got my name, address and email address. So I asked how he'd obtained my details, and he admitted that he'd bought them.
So, someone, somewhere, has passed on and sold my details. I've asked for the name of the company that sold my details, as I'm pretty sure that somebody, somewhere, has breached the Data Protection act. Has anyone else in the STW Hive Mind experienced similar?
I'm amazed that's the first time you've had unsolicited mail addressed to you by name, been getting junk mail like this every week for the last 20 years! Worst ones are credit card application forms already partially completed with my details...
You could make a SAR?
Think a SAR tells you everything they know about you, not necessarily how they got the info.
Mrs Toast - Member
So, someone, somewhere, has passed on and sold my details. I've asked for the name of the company that sold my details, as I'm pretty sure that somebody, somewhere, has breached the Data Protection act. Has anyone else in the STW Hive Mind experienced similar?
Don't get too upset because it's the norm now.
Got my details passed all over because I said yes to something when buying car insurance ... I got people calling me wanting to sell me this and that ...
Data Protection etc ... will not protect you forever. One will get in and then, bang, your information is sold all over.
Name and shame on Twitter? Do they belong to a 'professional association' ? If so report them. Get on to the MD/General Manager and kick a$$.
We're already opted out of open electoral register, always have been, which is one of the things that made it even more 'WTF?'. I religiously make sure that I opt out of having my details passed onto 'carefully selected third parties', so it was a bit bizarre getting a marketing email that knows my name and, more worryingly, exact home address.
The estate agents have let me know the name of the company who sold them my details, so let's see what happens next!
Did you you tick the little box to opt out of such things?
It was in the small print.
they belong to a 'professional association' ? If so report them. Get on to the MD/General Manager and kick a$$.
I'm not blaming the estate agent, as they bought the details from a company that sells on people's details - these are only supposed to be the details of people who haven't opted out, however. The fault is whichever company gave them my details.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised - years ago, when I was a student and worked at Game, we'd encourage people to sign up for the reward card. I'd always point out the opt out box, and, when entering the details, always made sure that their wishes were respected. My manager told me to stop pointing out the opt out, and flat out ignored it whenever he entered the details himself - apparently it was because selling the details of reward card customers was quite profitable. :/
EA were complicit, don't let them get away with it.
you tick the little box to opt out of such things?It was in the small print
I always tick/untick, depending on whether the small print is an opt out or opt in. 😉
Maybe you got mixed up? 😀
I'd report Drac for making a sexist remark, well out of order!
Maybe you got mixed up?
Oooh, you little...! 😆
I'm wondering if it was anything to do with the PSN hack last year - the email they've got isn't one I give out that often (but all my my addresses forward to the same box), so there's a limited number of suspects, one of which is PSN. :/
Well, if nothing else you can sign up the EA for all manner of mailing lists now 😈
I wouldn't blame the EA - yet. From their POV, they may have just bought a list of names/addresses of people who they believed had opted in to having such advertising sent to them. It's the people who gave your address to the EA that you need to have a go at first - and that's assuming you didn't tick the wrong box somewhere!
steaming turd on the entrance to their office. Its the only cair thing to do.
Sign up the estate agent for a few interesting internet dating sites using his work email...
Job done.
People wouldn't collect and sell this stuff if muppets like the EA weren't so bloody rude they thought it was ok to cold call or spam strangers.
Isn't land ownership a matter of public record anyway?
Email addresses aren't.