Watchdog

Kite2010

Hi all

Just a heads up (although if this has been posted before sorry), but it looks like Watchdog is featuring every bodies favourite scammers next week (29-3)

"3/8. Anne Robinson, Matt Allwright and Chris Hollins examine how private parking companies can buy motorists' personal details."

Keep an eye out as it will most likely change and be featured this week or a following week's episode if something more juicier comes up (or they can't get the BPA monkey to appear)

Hopefully it will feature another lovely lawyer saying that the parking tickets are worthless pieces of paper and makes another paper airplane, and not some lawyer whom is in the pay of the BPA to say that the tickets are real, the PPCs take lots of people to court (dream-court that is) and win big payouts.

Stephen_Leak

If only "Watchdog" hadn't gained such a reputation for being, how can I put this delicately, "non-factual". They have no interest in protecting the consumer, only their viewing figures. They will do whatever it takes to make a good story.

I was in BT customer services from the start of unauthorised Premium Rate "adult entertainment" calls and during the Barry Cryer case.

Put me and Anne Robinson in the same room, and one of us would leave in a ambulance and the other one in a police car. I cannot forgive her for her part in causing all of us so much unnecessary stress and especially for one colleague's mental breakdown.

trisontana

They have just shown a preview of the programme which mentioned the DVLA selling information to PPCs who have broken the law. They included a picture of OPC who were found guilty and fined £30,000 but were allowed access to the DVLA list within a very short time of being banned by them.

give_them_FA

DVLA are only looking after fellow crooks. They are bigger scammers than the PPCs, operate on a far larger scale.

peter_the_piper

At least they only ask £2.50, pity it did not go up in the budget.

robredz

Recording set!

give_them_FA

peter_the_piper wrote: »

At least they only ask £2.50, pity it did not go up in the budget.

Why?

If it had, all the scammers would instantly be asking for an extra double whatever the increase had been, pleading "increased overheads".

You are not dealing with reputable companies here!

halibut2209

Didn't they do this last year?

newfoundglory

I am still confused as to how the DVLA can get away with this.

i was reading this: http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/data/legal.aspx

I like to think I am fairly familiar with data protection issues, but I just can't grasp how they can get away with just releasing this data.

I don't believe we (the public) have given permission for processing of data to be carried out in this way - the only other possible exemption to the first data protection principle (data must be processed fairly and lawfully) would seem to have to be that there exists a legal obligation for the DVLA to do so (not sure what this might be)

The regulations mentioned by DVLA are in harmony with the data protection legislation where the police and law enforcement are concerned, but seem to be contrary for anyone else and the "reasonable cause" argument seems weak at best.

Unfortunately, the DVLA have a vested interest in releasing the data - as they make ££££ out of it!

newfoundglory

Well, no - Because it would be more expensive for them to have to get a court order to get the data released (and far more inconvenient)

Stephen_Leak

give_them_FA wrote: »

DVLA are only looking after fellow crooks. They are bigger scammers than the PPCs, operate on a far larger scale.

Allow me to play "devil's advocate" here. What difference does it make whether a PPC gets the registered keepers details from the DVLA or not? It doesn't make their deception and extortion attempts any less illegal. So, in a way, aren't the DVLA scamming the scammers?