Unwanted calls from AA finance database

Keep_it_safe

In recent years my wife and I have held investments with Birmingham Midshires and with the AA. All have been closed since last year. In every investment with any company we ALWAYS decline marketing or other spam. We are listed under the Telephone Preference Service.

Twice this year, the second occasion being on Tuesday this week, I have had phone calls trying to sell me AA breakdown insurance. Both callers said they were calling me ‘because I had a connection with the AA’.

I have asked AA data protection to explain how their breakdown sales centre has been able to access their financial customer database in order to make unwanted and illegal sales calls. I hope the myriads of worldwide hackers and cyber criminals find it more difficult.

The_AA_Company_Representative

Hello, if you would like to email the details to [EMAIL="chat@theaa.com"]chat@theaa.com[/EMAIL] including reference FOR38385 we can have your details removed from our Marketing Database. Regards, The AA

Keep_it_safe

Thank you for your offer but I have made formal request to your Data Protection Officer asking how breakdown salesmen have been able to access my confidential details on your financial arm's database. I shall then raise this matter with the Information commissioner. If your salesmen find access to confidential data so easy, no doubt the hackers will too.

Chyna-s

Any update to this?

fluffnutter

Companies will argue that your being a customer of one arm is enough to be fair game to another part of the organisation. Your details won't be deemed confidential (within the organisation) and will be readily available to the sales team. If you sign up with anyone, for anything, your details are automatically added to the marketing database unless you specifically opt out (which never seems to be something you can do at time of register, unfortunately; only afterwards when they're already spamming you).

Until the ICO grows a pair of bollox and actually really comes down on this sort of thing with meaningful fines, then it will continue.

Keep_it_safe

fluffnutter, I agree with your comments. Having given the AA three weeks to reply to my second letter, which included copies of the application forms which had no reference to marketing, I have completed the ICO complaints procedure. Yesterday I made a formal complaint to the ICO with copies of all correspondence. I'll keep you posted.

Oddly enough our breakdown insurance came around last week. No prizes for guessing who we didn't go with ...

Keep_it_safe

The day after lodging a formal complaint with the ICO I received another letter from the AA referring to their terms and conditions which state that new customers are opted-in to receiving AA group spam unless they write for a refusal form, complete and return it. The AA evidently thinks it appropriate for any Tom, !!!!!! or Harriet in their breakdown sales centre to access their financial customer list although many people have security concerns which go beyond online banking.

The AA does do not explain why I received a second sales call in March when two months previously I had left the first caller in no possible doubt that I objected to such calls.

The terms and conditions state that: “We will not retain your personal information for longer than necessary for the maintenance your account (sic) or for legal or regulatory requirements.” Even if I had given permission, our investment matured on January 3 2013 and I have asked why the AA call centre were still using my personal data weeks afterwards.

Is it any wonder that trust in the financial services "industry" has never been lower?

JaniceJohnson

There's a chance you're finding every other way to block excess calls it usually is an app on the cell phone or something different. But there isn't a any benefit in this cause this particular app will help you block one particular number or perhaps mdn in the past. Then whenever they will phone you from another it's not possible to stop these individuals or have to waste your time and energy in hindering them.