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Old phone bills

Hi.

I've had a search for this question but had no luck trying to find an answer. I'm having a dispute with a mobile phone provider where the particular issue ranges from now but goes back as far as 2006. They say they only have records going back to April 2009. I have the old bills, but out of interest how long do they actually store records for. Are they required under the dpa to store records for a certain amount of time.

Excuse this simple question. They keep giving me conflicting information on whether they do or don't.

Thanks all

Comments

  • Under DPA legislation it states that data must not be kept for longer than is necessary so I'm guessing the length of time necessary for keeping bills will be more to do with tax laws than anything else although from my last job I thought there was a requirement to keep invoices for about 6 or 7 years (we ended up with pallet loads of them!).
    IF they still have copies of your bills from before 2009 they'll most likely be archived away rather than stored on their live system taking up room in a live database and you should be able to request them under DPA legislation although there would most likely be a £10 admin fee for this.
  • Wintermute wrote: »
    Under DPA legislation it states that data must not be kept for longer than is necessary so I'm guessing the length of time necessary for keeping bills will be more to do with tax laws than anything else although from my last job I thought there was a requirement to keep invoices for about 6 or 7 years (we ended up with pallet loads of them!).
    IF they still have copies of your bills from before 2009 they'll most likely be archived away rather than stored on their live system taking up room in a live database and you should be able to request them under DPA legislation although there would most likely be a £10 admin fee for this.

    Thanks, that correlates with what one of their customer service representatives told me. Upon starting a complaint with them this suddenly wasn't an option.
  • Thanks, that correlates with what one of their customer service representatives told me. Upon starting a complaint with them this suddenly wasn't an option.
    If you make a "subject access request" under the data protection act they're required to provide you with the data they hold on you, they can charge a fee, I think it's generally £10 for most places. They can't withold information from you simply because you're making a complaint against them so it's still an option, the request will most likely need to be made in writing, check your mobile providers website, look around the bottom in their privacy policy or T&C as there will be an address you can write to.
  • Wintermute wrote: »
    If you make a "subject access request" under the data protection act they're required to provide you with the data they hold on you, they can charge a fee, I think it's generally £10 for most places. They can't withold information from you simply because you're making a complaint against them so it's still an option, the request will most likely need to be made in writing, check your mobile providers website, look around the bottom in their privacy policy or T&C as there will be an address you can write to.

    Thanks for this advice. Really useful.
  • Buzby
    Buzby Posts: 8,275 Forumite
    However, this does not cover call itemisation (which is seldom held for more than 6 months). Similarly, your inovices will sow on your SAR as amounts billed, not any breakdown of where the amounts came from. Just as well you archived yours!
  • Buzby wrote: »
    However, this does not cover call itemisation (which is seldom held for more than 6 months). Similarly, your inovices will sow on your SAR as amounts billed, not any breakdown of where the amounts came from. Just as well you archived yours!
    It really depends on which operator you're with, I'm with O2 and I can actually log into the website and see itemised bills dating back to the start of my contract (Sept 2009), I just checked and I didn't realise I'd been charged 10p for data roaming back then :rotfl:

    If you're going to make the subject access request you'll have to specify what data you're requesting, if this is a dispute regarding some sort of add-on or insurance that you've been billed for by all means ask for your previous bills, but also ask for the date that was added which they should have some way to provide and a copy of any notes on your account.

    If it is a situation where you feel you've been billed for something for 4 years that you didn't agree upon then you may be struggle to get a full refund as it is your responsibility to check what you're paying for. If you renewed your contract during this period you may also struggle as you generally get a written contract which should state what you're paying for.

    Good luck!
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