Guide Dog Ireland & CBM Begging Letters?

Slunk

Im not sure if this is the right place but in the last two days I have received separate letters personally addressed to me from Guide Dogs Ireland and CBM looking for money for starving africans. Both letter are in the exact same format and design so Im assuming they are the one company. Has anyone else got these letters? They were in the Irish Independant last week too.
What I really want to know is where they got my details. I emailed Guide Dogs Ireland yesterday but no response yet. Is there any official body I can complain to about this unsolicited begging?

cookie1977

Voting register?

keithclancy

Slunk wrote: »

Im not sure if this is the right place but in the last two days I have received separate letters personally addressed to me from Guide Dogs Ireland and CBM looking for money for starving africans. Both letter are in the exact same format and design so Im assuming they are the one company. Has anyone else got these letters? They were in the Irish Independant last week too.
What I really want to know is where they got my details. I emailed Guide Dogs Ireland yesterday but no response yet. Is there any official body I can complain to about this unsolicited begging?

Is it that big a deal, both worthy causes.

If your not interested then just stick it in the recycling.

Slunk

They have enough advertising around the place with information for me to donate if I choose to. What I'm more concerned about is where they got my details. Not a hope they are getting a donation off me now. Ill choose who and what I give to.

slimjimmc

Slunk wrote: »

They have enough advertising around the place with information for me to donate if I choose to. What I'm more concerned about is where they got my details. Not a hope they are getting a donation off me now. Ill choose who and what I give to.

You may be listed on the Edited Register of Electors which can be used for direct marketing.

You can check here

Slunk

Thanks for that link slimjim . Some useful information there. The businesses in question will be getting mail of their own now.

Edit. It seems I'm on the edited list. Now to get off it.

vicwatson

Slunk wrote: »

Im not sure if this is the right place but in the last two days I have received separate letters personally addressed to me from Guide Dogs Ireland and CBM looking for money for starving africans. Both letter are in the exact same format and design so Im assuming they are the one company. Has anyone else got these letters? They were in the Irish Independant last week too.
What I really want to know is where they got my details. I emailed Guide Dogs Ireland yesterday but no response yet. Is there any official body I can complain to about this unsolicited begging?

I got this irish Guide Dogs one yesterday too.

I put the letter back in the self addressed envelope and did not affix a stamp.

On the letter I advised them to take my details off their database (don't know where they got them - NOT from the register of electors anyway)and then also advised them that they had my name and address spelled wrong also !!:rolleyes:

vicwatson

Got another one today from "The Folio Society" addressed from Southall in England - anyone else get this?

These three have all come from the same list somehow as there are errors in my name and address and it's the same errors across all three, even though two were posted from Monaghan and one from Southall, England.

Would love to know where they are getting the (incorrect) info from?

My details on the register of electors are correct so they cannot be getting it from there & am no on the Edited list.

I emailed Guide Dogs Ireland yesterday but no response yet. Is there any official body I can complain to about this unsolicited begging?

Did you get any reply OP?

eirator

vicwatson wrote: »

..
Would love to know where they are getting the (incorrect) info from?

My details on the register of electors are correct so they cannot be getting it from there & am no on the Edited list.


Did you get any reply OP?

Did you sign up for anything for example a mobile phone contract recently (thats just an example) where someone wrote down the details you gave them incorrectly or so badly they couldn't be read correctly?

readytosnap

Slunk wrote: »

Im not sure if this is the right place but in the last two days I have received separate letters personally addressed to me from Guide Dogs Ireland and CBM looking for money for starving africans.

why would guide dogs be looking for money for starving africans?

Slunk

Two seperate letters from the same company. One for guide dogs. One for the Africans.
Got a reply today which was vague to say the least.

Apologies for the late reply. We teamed up with a number of organisations to help us with this campaign, where we were able to contact some of their customers, that they thought may be interested in sponsoring Puppy Preston

I have been removed from their database anyway after I sent a letter with information from one of the links posted above

Also for anyone who wants to opt out of the edited register. Check if your on it from the link posted above. If you are you can email franchise@dublincity.ie with your details and ask to be removed.

d9oiu2wk07blr5

Does anyone know how long it takes for your name to be removed from the edited register? Two individuals from the co.co came around to validate the register during the Summer (July I think) and I am still listed on the register.

coylemj

Javier Teeny Racquet wrote: »

Does anyone know how long it takes for your name to be removed from the edited register? Two individuals from the co.co came around to validate the register during the Summer (July I think) and I am still listed on the register.

I think the rollover is normally February.

vicwatson

eirator wrote: »

Did you sign up for anything for example a mobile phone contract recently (thats just an example) where someone wrote down the details you gave them incorrectly or so badly they couldn't be read correctly?

No definitely not.

vicwatson

Apologies for the late reply. We teamed up with a number of organisations to help us with this campaign, where we were able to contact some of their customers, that they thought may be interested in sponsoring Puppy Preston

I'd be going back to ask them who exactly they gave your details to and where exactly did they get your details from.

So called reputable charities should not be behaving like this. I made a decent donation to medicins sans frontiers the time of Haiti and within weeks began to get letters from other, well known, charities looking for donations, with my address in same format as I used for the donation. I dug into it and after denials, they eventually admitted that they shared likely mailing addresses with other charities (they thought I would be interested!). I'm sure this must infringe data protection legislation. Anyway I made a fuss and they promised to take my name off their mailing list and the shared list. They must have, as the begging letters stopped.

I rather think that many charities are more businesses than 'charities'.

vicwatson

I agree there certainly could be a breach of Data Protection laws. I hate when you donate to some charities and they start sending on a load of sh1te in the post - KEEP the money in the charity and don't be sending me on glossy brochures - keep the costs down !!

Slunk

Just received another one from RNLI lifeboats. Taking the piss now. I'm gonna email thwm back and ask for a definite answer as to where they got my details.

ncmc

Whatever about letters, I got a phone call from a hospital charity to my home phone at 8pm the other evening when I was eating my dinner. It came from an Irish mobile number, if it had been withheld I wouldn’t have answered. I was so annoyed, I forgot to ask where he got my number.

I understand that times are tough for charities, but calling me at 8pm is a sure way to ensure I will never donate to your charity.

Slunk

OK, Guide Dogs Ireland replied to me and they got my details from Bill Moss, who manage marketing lists. The very helpful lady in Guide Dogs Ireland has already forwarded my information to Bill Moss asking for them to be removed from their database. Hope this helps

On Bill Moss website there is a logo for Irish Direct Marketing Association. If you go to their website you can print out a page and sign it, post it back to them and you should be removed from all direct marketing lists.

Slunk

Father just got a call from someone looking for donations to temple street. Got his details from a company called demographic Ireland. Getting mighty pissed off with these ***** now

vicwatson

Got one from RNL.I last week. I've been told that National Geographic are selling their names and addresses to a company called Proximity who in turn sell them on to any Joe Bloggs.

More on this soon....

vicwatson

Slunk wrote: »

OK, Guide Dogs Ireland replied to me and they got my details from Bill Moss, who manage marketing lists. The very helpful lady in Guide Dogs Ireland has already forwarded my information to Bill Moss asking for them to be removed from their database. Hope this helps

On Bill Moss website there is a logo for Irish Direct Marketing Association. If you go to their website you can print out a page and sign it, post it back to them and you should be removed from all direct marketing lists.

Where are Bill Moss getting the names and addresses from, do you subscribe to National Geographic by any chance?

There is one big culprit behind this and I'm determined to find out who.

eirator

vicwatson wrote: »

Where are Bill Moss getting the names and addresses from, do you subscribe to National Geographic by any chance?

There is one big culprit behind this and I'm determined to find out who.

You gotta love google, take two names you think don't go together and whats the first thing google comes up with

http://www.bill-moss.com/consumer/publications_nationalGeo.asp

Time magzine is another one who has sold its lists http://www.bill-moss.com/consumer/publications.asp

And some others http://www.bill-moss.com/consumer/misc.asp .

Slunk

vicwatson wrote: »

Slunk wrote: »

OK, Guide Dogs Ireland replied to me and they got my details from Bill Moss, who manage marketing lists. The very helpful lady in Guide Dogs Ireland has already forwarded my information to Bill Moss asking for them to be removed from their database. Hope this helps

On Bill Moss website there is a logo for Irish Direct Marketing Association. If you go to their website you can print out a page and sign it, post it back to them and you should be removed from all direct marketing lists.

Where are Bill Moss getting the names and addresses from, do you subscribe to National Geographic by any chance?

There is one big culprit behind this and I'm determined to find out who.

Seems it is Nat Geo. I'm pretty sure this is unathourised sharing of my info as I always look out for little check boxes etc for this soul reason. Going to send a letter to proximity too with the paragraph stating the law regarding removal from these lists.

vicwatson

See here too -

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=81070763

Worztron

Hi.

My father setup a direct debit with Concern a while back. He is constantly getting a barrage of begging letters from what seems like almost every charity under the sun (I can only presume that Concern handed out the info - or am I wrong?). Should he put "Return to Sender" on them? He is still keeping the DD with Concern.

Thanks.

quaalude

Slunk wrote: »

Irish Direct Marketing Association. If you go to their website you can print out a page and sign it, post it back to them and you should be removed from all direct marketing lists.

Thanks for the info, Slunk.
Here's a link to the form: http://www.idma.ie/assets/files/2012%20Docs/IDMA%20MPS%202012.pdf

pontia

goes to show you give nothing to charity,all a marketing ploy,for those who give check out the salaries of charity ceo,s.make you think twice