TV licence and data protection

dodger1

My elderly mother (89) who I visit each Saturday has received a letter saying details were being forwarded to enforcement officers. It would appear that she hadn't shown us a couple of previous letters.

No problem thinks I, and I take the letter away to phone the licensing authority to sort out a free over 75s TV licence. Almost as soon as I phone a very officious woman starts quoting the data protection act saying they can't help me unless my mother is with me and tells the woman she can speak to me. I'm not asking for information from them I'm trying to give them information to sort out the problem. I tell officious person this (still being polite) and officious woman says thankyou and puts the phone down.

Well she may be correct about the data protection but there was no need for that. So here is how to get around the data protection act problem. I went next door to my lady neighbour who was more than happy to be my "mother" for 5 minutes. I phoned the licensing authority again, tell them again the problem and again they want to speak to my mother. No problem says I and pass the phone to my new "mother". They didn't ask anything other than could they sort the problem out with her son. New "mother" says yes, hands the phone to me and I sort the problem out.

Sorry for the long winded detail, but my question is, why have a Data Protection Act that doesn't protect. Yes I may have broken the law but I don't care as it has meant my elderly mother no longer needs to worry.

codger

The "licensing authority" is not what you think it is.

It's a profit-driven bunch of commercial outfits, including PR companies, that have been brought together (with Government's help) to con the public into believing it's some kind of quasi-judicial body when actually it's a means for the BBC to collect licence fee revenue (because the BBC isn't allowed to collect itself.)

The attitude of arrogance you met with is no different to the attitude of arrogance that characterises this bunch's "enforcement arm" or the kind of TV adverts it recently ran that were so Orwellian they had to be withdrawn.

The woman you spoke to was an officious jobsworth who could as easily have listened to reason as not. Data protection regs do come into this but there are too many overpaid half-wits out there who hide behind the Act in order to ego-trip, obstruct, or bully.

Methinks you were excessively courteous to the brusque daft cow you spoke to. I certainly wouldn't have been.

sporedude

To be honest I think what you did was fraud, That person was only doing their job, Maybe I'll try that little "Trick" of yours when I call a bank, See how far it gets me.

bigoggy2007

To be honest I think what you did was fraud

maybe, but it was clever. well done with geting one over them:T:T

the_rottweiler

sporedude wrote: »

To be honest I think what you did was fraud, That person was only doing their job, Maybe I'll try that little "Trick" of yours when I call a bank, See how far it gets me.

I did this when ds2 called me and said he lost his wallet and he wanted me to cancel his card. Bank didnt want to talk to me, so I said he has just walked in the door and put ds1 on the phone. Voila, card cancelled.:T

Valli

and previous posters won't have been the only peopke who have used a person of the correct gender to pass information on. 'nuff said!

It makes me laugh when I get called by the CSA who then go through all this 'before I can deal with you' carp...
I tell them 'hang on you called me how do I know who YOU are?' and we have some quite amusing little chats LOL

fid1892

To be honest, I would imagin things like this goes on all the time, and it is not only the public getting one over on the company concerned.

At a certain bReAkdown Centre where I used to work, if someone wanted to complain to a Manager, the par for the course response was to put them on hold and pass the headset to the person sitting to your right, who had a temporary promotion.

sporedude

Lol! Im sure I seen that in a movie with Simon Pegg, Just swap headsets and the fun begins xD

williham

Yeah my Mum pays for my phone contract so when I want to upgrade I put my girlfriend on the phone. They ask date of birth and address to confirm it's her. Obviously I told her I was going to do it and she doesn't mind.
Sometimes I wish I had a girly voice.

Canvey

When people call me and demand that I answer their security questions, I ask them for their DOB and postcode etc. If its good enough for them.......:D

Crazy_Jamie

I had a great phone call recently with someone claiming to be from Halifax calling me up:

"Is that Mr XXXXXXX?" (she used my full name)
"Yes"
"My name is XXXXX from Halifax, I'm just calling to get some feedback from you regarding recent services that you have used from Halifax, do you have a few minutes to talk?"
"Yes" (I genuinely did- I was waiting for a train)
"Alright, can I just confirm that you are the only Mr XXXXXXX living at your address?" (again using full name)
"I am"
"And just so I can confirm that I am speaking to you I just need some information. It is not account details or anything like that, just basic information to verify that you are Mr XXXXXXX. Can you confirm your date of birth and postcode for me?"
"No, I can't."
"Can I ask why not?"
"Yes, you called me. You clearly already know my name and mobile number, so you know it is me."
"But you could have a son with the same name." (!)
"Alright, two things wrong with that. First of all, if you know my date of birth you know I am not physically old enough to have a son who could pass as me. And second of all, do you think my son wouldn't know my address and postcode?"
"I appreciate what you're saying, but this is a Data Protection issue."
"It is not a data protection issue."
"I'm afraid it is, sir."
"Well I am telling you it is not. You called me for feedback on your services. You are not revealing any information to me. Therefore it is not a data protection issue. In fact, you are the only one who has asked me for sensitive information. I have asked you for nothing. And while we're at it, I have no way of knowing who you are, because I certainly don't recognise the number that you called me from."

She eventually hung up. It does mildly irritate me when people throw the word 'Data Protection' around as a catch all excuse.