Where did An Post get my private details from ?

RedRockets

Okay. I have always paid my tv license. Always.

I have recently bought a new property and due to renovations never put a tv in. I am still renovating by the way. The tv inspector must have called while I was out as I recieved a letter saying there was no record of a tv license for this address. When I get a tv I will get the license. No Problem. A few reminder letters have come.

Anyway, today I recieve another letter but this letter was different as today it has my name on it as opposed to " the occupant". I did not meet this inspector nor did I give my name.

My name is currenty associated with this addrees with the revenue,bank, esb and bord gais. (The rest is on my to do list). And I was looking more closely today. I only have a partial address i.e not the full address (obviously imputted wrong with the esb) and it is this partial address that an post has used on the letter. Also I have been paying my esb bills through an post.

The address on the an post letter and my esb bills addresses match up perfectly whilst the revenue and gas do not.

So can anyone tell me as this leads me to believe :

Are an post gathering data through bill payers at their post office and cross referencing it with their own tv license datadase ?

or are esb sharing details with an post ?

Again, I have no problem paying the tv license I am just concerned about my details being passed around from one company to another. Surely there is a privacy issue here.

Looking forward to your answers.

edit : Old address is on Electoral Register.
edit: Never met the postman

snubbleste

Write to the Data Protection Commissioner about your extreme concern on the issue.

MarkR

Disgruntled ex dog?

tricky D

It's actually a very simple method. The postman, noticing a new name at the address which has no licence recorded against it, gets it from letters sent to your address and updates their TV licence collection database as collecting the information is within their remit. Nothing to do with bills or raiding 3rd party databases so no Data Protection issue arises.

opinion guy

Here I was thinking An Post needed to know where people lived in order to deliver their post to them !?!?:rolleyes:

ScumLord

I heard they have agents going around the country that know where everybody lives.

bnt

Ever voted in an Irish election? You're on the Electoral Register.

AnonoBoy

Best thread in a long time.

Well played newbie.

mikemac1

Tell them you no speaky da inglis

Micky Dolenz

Becuase they are sneaky fcuks is why. One called to my door and asked what my neighbours name was. I told him cos I'm a bit of a fcuker like that.

Shryke

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

Becuase they are sneaky fcuks is why. One called to my door and asked what my neighbours name was. I told him cos I'm a bit of a fcuker like that.

You fcuker.

WoollyRedHat

Your best bet is to kidnap the postman and interrogate him. And if the milkman comes kidnap him too. Now if the Tv licence inspector comes, don't bother kidnapping him, just shoot him.

hardCopy

This does actually raise some interesting questions.

Should An Post be allowed to use their geo-location database to aid in TV Licence collection?

If the contract for TV Licence collection was awarded to another company, would they or should they have access to the same database?

anewme

tricky D wrote: »

It's actually a very simple method. The postman, noticing a new name at the address which has no licence recorded against it, gets it from letters sent to your address and updates their TV licence collection database as collecting the information is within their remit. Nothing to do with bills or raiding 3rd party databases so no Data Protection issue arises.

This is illegal and they are not allowed to do that under data protection law. It is more likely they asked a neighbour or maybe the bins. In my sister's estate in West Dublin last year, someone reported a weird sinister person to the Gardai for rooting around and sneaking around peoples houses and their bins. Turns out to be the TV licence inspector getting the names from the bin labels, lol!!!!

girl in the striped socks

Why don't you contact the tv inspector & ask him to call to your house to see that there is no tv installed there.
Also you can transfer your licence to another address if it's not out of date.

tricky D

anewme wrote: »

This is illegal and they are not allowed to do that under data protection law.

Nope, that's what they do along with the statutory declaration form method.

Gummy Panda

girl in the striped socks wrote: »

Why don't you contact the tv inspector & ask him to call to your house to see that there is no tv installed there, then beat him with a sack of door knobs

FYP

girl in the striped socks

Gummy Panda wrote: »

girl in the striped socks wrote: »

Why don't you contact the tv inspector & ask him to call to your house to see that there is no tv installed there, then beat him with a sack of door knobs

FYP

They can get a bit touchy about things like that. No sense of humour.

Wacker The Attacker

They've heard all the excuses

slimjimmc

hardCopy wrote: »

This does actually raise some interesting questions.

Should An Post be allowed to use their geo-location database to aid in TV Licence collection?

If the contract for TV Licence collection was awarded to another company, would they or should they have access to the same database?

Data protection law allows for personally identifiable data to be used for identifying and collecting monies owed to the State. I expect the TV licence falls under that category regardless of who is awarded the contract.

ejmaztec

Wacker The Attacker wrote: »

They've heard all the excuses

What about "I can't pay it because I'm dead"?

anewme

I am telling you they are not allowed to do that. There was a big hoo ha a couple of years ago when rumours were circulating that they (An Post) were going to get lists from Sky, Cablelink, upc...and it never happened.

To catch you, they have to call to your home and speak to you ie that you or someone were at such address with no TV Licence but the apparatus as they call it. They only have to catch you once...but they do have to catch you.

A person I know has no TV Licence for almost 20 years and has never been caught. Mixture of not being in and if caught at door, not giving name.

shockwave

You're not obliged to give your name if he asks, just tell him to fcuk off.

RedRockets

opinion guy wrote: »

Here I was thinking An Post needed to know where people lived in order to deliver their post to them !?!?:rolleyes:

You have to buy something off a company before they know your address ??

Gummy Panda

Tell him to piss off

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wBCFK8j51U

monkeypants

anewme wrote: »

It is more likely they asked a neighbour or maybe the bins.

I'm safe then, my bins would never admit to anything.

crazy cabbage

I thought that it was a brodcasting licience now. Have to pay even if you have a radio or anything.

Mixture of not being in and if caught at door, not giving name.

This is 100%. you never have to give you name to anyone except the garda and even then you have to be charged with something. Just say that 'i have the right to remain annomonos'. There is nothing they can do

bit late now that they have your name though. I would just ring them up and ask how they got your details and give out **** to them

anewme

monkeypants wrote: »

I'm safe then, my bins would never admit to anything.

They might put it in writing though if he manhandled them

JustAThought

Hmm ; interesting. Had exactly this conversation with ESB " Electric Ireland" today. Went like this;

Them; " so please give us your phone number & email so we can update our records & for security reasons"
Me ; " no, I don't want to give this information to you. If you want to get in touch you can write. Plus I don't trust that you won't give this to the government for any new taxes they decide to impose. I don't trust them, or you"
Them " it's not us /electric ireland they get the names from it's ESB networks; we're different; we're Electric Ireland "
Me:" wern't you called ESB until a few months ago? I don't trust you or the government; I'm not giving you any more personal information you have enough already to bill me efficiently"

< click >

sassyj

anewme wrote: »

I am telling you they are not allowed to do that. There was a big hoo ha a couple of years ago when rumours were circulating that they (An Post) were going to get lists from Sky, Cablelink, upc...and it never happened.

To catch you, they have to call to your home and speak to you ie that you or someone were at such address with no TV Licence but the apparatus as they call it. They only have to catch you once...but they do have to catch you.

A person I know has no TV Licence for almost 20 years and has never been caught. Mixture of not being in and if caught at door, not giving name.

Not true, Sky, UPC do give details for TV licence . Someone above has already pointed out there is an exception in the DPA regarding collecting monies owed to government etc. Have seen a few threads on boards.ie about this.

hoochis

They got your info from the postman. My partner works as a postlady and she is asked at least once a year by the tv inspector to update their records.

anewme

sassyj wrote: »

Not true, Sky, UPC do give details for TV licence . Someone above has already pointed out there is an exception in the DPA regarding collecting monies owed to government etc. Have seen a few threads on boards.ie about this.

No they are not allowed to do it from UPC. If they did, they would not have to send letters to "the occupier" they would just have to match the databases. As I said a person I know has had no licence for 20 years and has never recived a letter in his name, only the occupier.

Please see Wiki link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licensing_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland

Someone also said they get the information from that Statutory Declaration thing...is anyone seriously going to send one of those back?

My Mum never had a TV Licence either and if the Inspector called, she just said, ah you cant be too careful, you could be anyone and Im not giving my details to anyone at the door. Another guy asked her who lived next door, what is their name, she just said, oh you will need to come back and speak to them yourself.

Since becoming an OAP, she gets a Licence. The other day she said, when I had no Licence the feckers were always knocking at the door looking for it. Since I got it, not one of them has called, lol Had to explain they know she has one!!!

Lapin

OP, you ask a very legitimate question.

Only problem is, you asked it in After Hours.

The wrong place to go it you want a very legitimate answer.

Pottler

hardCopy wrote: »

This does actually raise some interesting questions.

Should An Post be allowed to use their geo-location database to aid in TV Licence collection?

If the contract for TV Licence collection was awarded to another company, would they or should they have access to the same database?

ya wah?

Oracle

I paid a bill once at a Post Office counter. I noticed at the time the the counter person was writing something down while I paid, I wondered what it was. A week later a TV licence guy appeared at the door. It was obvious he got my address from the person at the Post Office.

I thought the whole thing was very sneaky and underhand. Also probably against data protection rules. Now if I ever pay a bill at the Post Office I only hand in the Giro payment part without my address on it. I also wouldn't use MyBills.ie bill pay service either.

notnumber

Never see tv inspector jobs advertised where do they hire these guys from?
ex-taliban maybe?

Oracle

notnumber wrote: »

Never see tv inspector jobs advertised where do they hire these guys from? ex-taliban maybe?

In my case I'd say he was the partner of the woman on the Post Office counter. :rolleyes: