Avoid Screwfix - Data Protection breaches

arbitrajeu

I recently placed a purchase with Screwfix and found that when it was delivered the enclosed invoice was not mine, but that of a certain young lady from the Isle of Man. Alarmed, I contacted Screwfix' CS whose reaction was blase - "Oh yes, that sometimes happens when the printer runs out of ink". WHAT?!! What kind of an outfit is this? I shred EVERY piece of documentation with my name and address on it and GOODNESS KNOWS who has my details now, courtesy of this shoddy outfit?

I will be contacting the Data Protection Registrar, and also encouraging the lady whose details I received to lodge a similar complaint.

I'm sure Screwfix won't miss my business, but I intend to ensure no unknowing individual is similarly affected by their slapdash behaviours. My internet campaign starts here.

tomstickland

Get a life.

Your name and address isn't exactly going to allow a major fraud to be perpetuated. Such data is freely available on the internet.

moneysavingplumber

When my printer runs out of ink it just stops prinitng and has never printed the name and address of any women from the Isle of Man. I'll have to get onto Screwfix and find out what printer they have :rotfl: .

Fraserca

YOUNG lady from the Isle of Man - Remarkable what information you can glean from an invoice......

Oh and bye the way your birthday is 1st December

kforshaw

I also wonder whether a certain Yank managed to get their $967 item!

headcovers

tomstickland wrote:

Get a life.

Your name and address isn't exactly going to allow a major fraud to be perpetuated. Such data is freely available on the internet.

That's really rude....whether you feel that the OP's personal information has been exposed to security fraud or not, he only came on to express concern and warn other like-minded people that there may be something wrong with their procedures.

If you can't say something helpful or at the very least polite, don't post at all!

Pink.

Hi everyone,

Can we please keep this thread on topic and please remember to be nice to all moneysavers.

Thanks,

Pink

Fraserca

With respect Pink-Winged.
The original post invited the response. This is a wonderful forum in many ways but surely it can't be allowed for postings to be made without criticism? Especially where it is a matter of opinion as to whether the complaint was justified.

In my view one simple clerical error doesn't justify a public enquiry.
I am more worried than most about data protection and abuse but this is way down the scale. If it had happened more than once or the poster was asking if others had the same problem then OK.
However my impression is that the complaint is being repeated here as part of a campaign

weekendwarrior

These thing happen, I once got a solicitors letter and that contained very important info regarding a court case that was meant for someone else.

I never spat my dummy out though, I just shredded it and forgot about it.

Good luck with your internet campaign.

You may also like to help stop animal cruelty as well-

Here

monkey_writer

...and sign this petition to stop a block of flats being built on the Folkestone pleasure gardens without a public enquiry:

http://www.sosfolkestone.info/

Debt_Free_Chick

Ian_Griffiths wrote:

Regardless of how much fraud is about to happen, that is actually a bit shaky from a legal perspective and the Data Protection Registrar will be interested I'm sure. Screwfix are under a legal obligation to protect the integrity of data which they hold, and to ensure that it is not disclosed unlawfully. The printer ink reason doesn't really excuse much.

All Screwfix (and any other registered Data Controller) has to do is to demonstrate that they have good procedures to protect data. The odd mistake due to human error doesn't amount to a data protection breach.

I think we've all got a little over-sensitive since the Data Protection legislation - remember, it's there to protect us. Before that, we had nothing.

But it seems that any teeny-eeny mistake is an excuse for some people to go around spouting about "their rights".

As has been mentioned ... your name & address is hardly secret. If you're not ex-directory, it's in the phone book. And the electoral roll is available for public inspection, too.

Best to try and keep these things in perspective and to save one's energy for real problems