Anyone else getting text spam from D.I.D Electrical?

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After the salesperson puts the phone number in to text for delivery he is asked does the customer wish to recieve texts of a promotional nature. Most of them just click ok without asking because if they dont click yes the customer doesnt get the text for delivery and has to call the store.

Sizzler

Has anybody complained to the DPC about it? Just curious what their take is on it. I had heard they got truckloads of complaints so will be interested to see what they do.

Paulw

Jaxxon Helpful Bullfighting wrote: »

After the salesperson puts the phone number in to text for delivery he is asked does the customer wish to recieve texts of a promotional nature. Most of them just click ok without asking because if they dont click yes the customer doesnt get the text for delivery and has to call the store.

But that is not permitted. The salesperson, and hence DID, are then in the wrong. It sounds like a flaw in their IT systems.

You must expressly give permission for your number to be used for marketing purposes.

I've made a complaint to DID (no response to my email), and also logged a complaint with DPC (complaint is being dealt with and acknowledged).

daheff

knighted_1 wrote: »

but you had to physically type in your e mail address on there website and the terms are clearly laid out -so just cause you didnt read the conditions ,you are jumping on the bandwagon here slating them ,for something that is your fault - people should wake up to reality

no...i've never typed my email address into their website..

seagull wrote:

knighted_1 seems to be operating on the basis that everyone who received one of these texts made their purchase online. How obviously is it on their website that they may use your details for future promotions? Do they have any way of opting out?

How many people receiving texts made their purchase online, and how many bought in store? If you bought in store and received the spam text from DID, did whoever took your details make any mention that your phone details might be used to send you spam?[/quite]

i didnt buy my stuff from them online (i wouldn't buy big ticket items online-i like to see what i'm buying) .. i bought applainces in their lucan store about 2 years ago..any details i gave them was for contacting me regarding deliveries...i was never informed that i would be sent advertising info nor given the option to opt out...thats the bit that annoys me most

seagull

I guess knighted_1's theory has just been shot down in flames. We have a number of people who did not buy online, did not give permission in the store for promotional texts to be sent to them, and received these messages. Definitely a breach of data protection.

lynchie

Yeah, I got it too, never bought online. Did buy a TV for my parents about 2 years ago. They asked for my mobile number so they could send me a text 2 hours before delivery so that somebody could be there. Dont remember them saying my number would be used for any other purpose except that.

knighted_1

QUESTION- why are vodaphone and o2 allowed contact you with offers or new services?

ANSWER - because you are there customer and they are legaly allowed to contact there customers

QUESTION -did DID electrical do anything different

ANSWER - no


QUESTION- did DID electrical offer you an opt out service?

ANSWER - yes they did


does this simplify things for all you special needs learners

i cant believe some of you have made it this far in life with your negativity

NEXT QUESTION - have any of you got any more contact from the controversial english service that was used to send the sale offers ?

ANSWER- no

why dont you all channel your energies into somerhing worthwhile insted of moaning like little kids about your mobile recieving a text message

Sizzler

knighted_1 wrote: »

QUESTION- why are vodaphone and o2 allowed contact you with offers or new services?

Never got one tbh.

knighted_1 wrote: »

QUESTION -did DID electrical do anything different

ANSWER - no

Wrong answer and poxy comparison. o2 & Voda presumably have an ongoing relationship with you be it by virtue of a contract or an implied contract, ie you purchase credit from them. How many people do you know with an ongoing contract with an electrical store :rolleyes:

knighted_1 wrote: »

QUESTION- did DID electrical offer you an opt out service?

ANSWER - yes they did

Were you there? Real answer = They did in their hoop. I gave the in store sales guy my contact number for the delivery day, the aul we'll deliver between 1-4pm trick, makes sense for them to have your contact number no? The sales guy did not reel off a yes / no script about the DP act and how my mobile number would be used 2 years later, funny that?

knighted_1 wrote: »

NEXT QUESTION - have any of you got any more contact from the controversial english service that was used to send the sale offers ?

ANSWER- no

No, probably because A) DID dont have back to back sales in the space of a fortnight & If this forum is anything to go by the level of complaints they got you would imagine there has to be at least one DID employee with gumption to realise it was ill advised.

knighted_1 wrote: »

why dont you all channel your energies into somerhing worthwhile insted of moaning like little kids about your mobile recieving a text message

I am going off to have a chat with my 8 year old brother to ask him how many times he has moaned about getting random SMS's, I'll let you know how I get on

MOH

knighted_1 wrote: »

QUESTION- why are vodaphone and o2 allowed contact you with offers or new services?

ANSWER - because you are there customer and they are legaly allowed to contact there customers

QUESTION -did DID electrical do anything different

ANSWER - no

Um, yes, actually.
They contacted former customers - just because you buy something somewhere once doesn't mean you're now in the 'customer-for-life' club and can be contacted about anything they decide at any point in the future. With vodaphone/O2 you're a current customer. And even then I'm pretty sure you'd have needed to opt in.

QUESTION- did DID electrical offer you an opt out service?

ANSWER - yes they did

Doesn't seem to be working if they did

does this simplify things for all you special needs learners

i cant believe some of you have made it this far in life with your negativity

Abusing other posters, great logical argument there.

why dont you all channel your energies into somerhing worthwhile insted of moaning like little kids about your mobile recieving a text message

While you spend all your energy getting upset at a text message that other people received?!

daheff

knighted_1 wrote: »

QUESTION- did DID electrical offer you an opt out service?

ANSWER - yes they did

Wrong...no they didnt. In fact they never mentioned that this may happen. If they had I would have (and always do) opted out

daheff

did anybody hear anything back from the DP commissioner?

seagull

I don't think benighted_1 has a very good grasp of the issue here. The issue is that the company has breached the data protection act. I'm not happy with the idea of a company using details that they request for one purpose for something completely different. The simple fact is that they did not ask for the details for the purpose of sending promotional offers, and so it is illegal for them to use them for this. There was no opt out for people in store. They were asked for their mobile number for the express reason of being contacted if there were any issues with the delivery. That is the reason that was given, there was no mention of keeping it for sending promotions. There goes your opt-out argument.

Paulw

I got a response today from the Data Protection Commissioner -

I refer further to your recent complaint to this Office concerning your receipt of an unsolicited direct marketing text message from DID Electrical. Yours was one of a number of complaints which we received about this matter.

Since the matter came to our attention we have carried out a full investigation. I am pleased to tell you that DID Electrical has taken the matter very seriously and has cooperated fully with our investigation. DID has undertaken to take the following remedial steps:

All customer telephone numbers, including yours, which were used in the
recent text message promotion will be permanently deleted from its
files/server.
Following deletion, the telephone numbers will no longer be available to
the company for use thereafter for marketing or for any other purpose.
DID will obtain written confirmation from the third party company whose
technical infrastructure it used to send the text messages that the
telephone numbers have not been retained by that company.
DID Electrical will draft a new data retention policy in relation to
personal data. This policy will outline the timeframe around which
personal data records shall be allowed to be retained on its internal
database prior to deletion on the expiry of that timeframe.

In terms of bringing your complaint to a satisfactory conclusion, we raised with DID Electrical the possibility of arranging an amicable resolution.
Section 10(1) of the Data Protection Acts obliges the Data Protection Commissioner to attempt to arrange for an amicable resolution of a complaint in the first instance. DID Electrical has indicated its willingness to reach an amicable resolution of the complaints to this Office. In that regard, it firstly wants to state that in its text messaging campaign it wished to cause no harm or grievances by its actions either to yourself or to others. Accordingly, it conveys its apologies for any inconvenience caused to you. In addition, and in order to demonstrate DID Electrical's acknowledgement of the grievances caused by its text messaging campaign, it proposes to make a charitable donation of €50,000 as a gesture of goodwill, to a reputable Irish charity.

If you wish to object to the amicable resolution on offer from DID Electrical, please contact me by the close of business on Thursday 14 August, 2008. If we do not hear from you by that date, we will close the complaint file and instruct DID Electrical to proceed with making the charitable donation.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.

I'm happy enough with that. A win for the good guys this time, and a nice slap on the wrist for DID.

lorweld

Yeah and the €50 000 donation is a nice gesture!

Bluehair

Got the same response. Good result and well done to everyone who followed it up with the Data Commissioner too. Hopefully knighted_1 will have learned something about privacy and data protection from this. The commissioner provides an excellent service and if it wasn't for them applying these laws our phones would be going every few minutes with spam.

seagull

lorweld wrote: »

Yeah and the €50 000 donation is a nice gesture!

I suspect it's more along the lines of trying to avoid a fine, or a larger payout. It would be interesting to know how many texts they sent out. Imagine everyone who'd received them decided to ask for a nominal €10. It might add up to a good chunk of money.

Bluehair

seagull wrote: »

I suspect it's more along the lines of trying to avoid a fine, or a larger payout. It would be interesting to know how many texts they sent out. Imagine everyone who'd received them decided to ask for a nominal €10. It might add up to a good chunk of money.

Correct. They could be fined a significant amount per text so DIDs solicitor obviously reckoned the charitible donation would help to secure the 'amicable resolution' route and end it there. I've already emailed the DC back saying I'm happy enough with that and thanking them for following it up. Job done.

dsane1

Hi all a good result i think ,now what about king communications sending similiar text messages about their latest offers .Do the same rules apply as they are a vodafone agent ?

Sizzler

dsane1 wrote: »

Hi all a good result i think ,now what about king communications sending similiar text messages about their latest offers .Do the same rules apply as they are a vodafone agent ?

Yes. Same rules apply.

I got the email too from the DPC yesterday and am delighted with the outcome, I hope it makes the press too.

Nice gesture for what will hopefully be a very deserving charity