How much can a company charge you to access your personal information?

hankkosovo

I've been told by my car insurance it's going to cost £20 to get a copy of the phone records, but a quick google says the maximum they can charge is £10, is this right?

wealdroam

hankkosovo wrote: »

I've been told by my car insurance it's going to cost £20 to get a copy of the phone records, but a quick google says the maximum they can charge is £10, is this right?

You are right.

See here: http://www.ico.org.uk/for_the_public/personal_information

hankkosovo

wealdroam wrote: »

You are right.

See here: http://www.ico.org.uk/for_the_public/personal_information

I've spoke to two separate people at the insurance, and both said they chafe £20. I mentioned to the second guy that I thought the max they could charge legally was £10 and he said I was wrong, they could charge whatever they deemed reasonable. How can they do that?

dzug1

Perhaps you are asking for the wrong thing - AIUI you ask for the information they hold on you. That isn't the same as specifically asking for phone records. Bit like asking a bank for old statements for which they will charge

SuperHan

I don't know how legal it was, but my doctor charged me £20 to get all my records as they were held on 2 different mediums, so I had to pay the £10 twice. At the time I was in a rush for the information so paid up, but it may well have been a legitimate reason that is also
Coming in to play here?

wealdroam

hankkosovo wrote: »

I've spoke to two separate people at the insurance, and both said they chafe £20. I mentioned to the second guy that I thought the max they could charge legally was £10 and he said I was wrong, they could charge whatever they deemed reasonable. How can they do that?

I am not sure what more you want... and I mean that in the nicest way.

I have supplied you with information from the ICO which clearly states that £10 is the maximum charge.

That webpage explains how to go about getting the information from your insurer.

I would suggest you write to them, using a sample letter on that webpage, enclosing a cheque for £10.

hankkosovo

wealdroam wrote: »

I am not sure what more you want... and I mean that in the nicest way.

I have supplied you with information from the ICO which clearly states that £10 is the maximum charge.

That webpage explains how to go about getting the information from your insurer.

I would suggest you write to them, using a sample letter on that webpage, enclosing a cheque for £10.

No disrespect taken, I was just wondering if anyone knew how they could legally charge £20.

wealdroam

SuperHan wrote: »

I don't know how legal it was, but my doctor charged me £20 to get all my records as they were held on 2 different mediums, so I had to pay the £10 twice. At the time I was in a rush for the information so paid up, but it may well have been a legitimate reason that is also
Coming in to play here?

Health records are slightly different.

See that webpage I linked to earlier.

hankkosovo

SuperHan wrote: »

I don't know how legal it was, but my doctor charged me £20 to get all my records as they were held on 2 different mediums, so I had to pay the £10 twice. At the time I was in a rush for the information so paid up, but it may well have been a legitimate reason that is also
Coming in to play here?

I think for medical records they can charge up to £50, that might be why it was £20.

ILW

Do phone recordings fall under the heading of "information"?

earthstorm

wealdroam wrote: »

I am not sure what more you want... and I mean that in the nicest way.

I have supplied you with information from the ICO which clearly states that £10 is the maximum charge.

That webpage explains how to go about getting the information from your insurer.

I would suggest you write to them, using a sample letter on that webpage, enclosing a cheque for £10.

from the ICO

Can I access my personal information?

You have the right to get a copy of the information that is held about you. This is known as a subject access request.
This right of subject access means that you can make a request under the Data Protection Act to any organisation processing your personal data. The Act calls these organisations ‘data controllers’.

but asking for a copy of a phone conversation is not information held about you