Can Bing Ads do this?

pdoherty76

My mum has an account with bing ads. She has decided she wants it completely gone and her details removed.


She contacted them by email (the email address that is registered on the account) and requested it be closed. They have said that they will not close it unless they can speak to her on the phone. In fact, they have claimed that data protection laws mean they MUST speak to her on the phone before they can close the account.


Now this sounds like the biggest bunch of BS that I have ever heard. Firstly, she didn't have to speak to them on the phone to set the account up. Secondly, she could easily have been someone who doesn't have a phone, or someone who couldn't use a phone for medical reasons.


Surely if she instructs them in writing to close the account then they must do so?

pdoherty76

Just to add:


When my mum goes into the settings in her account, there is a section for contact preferences in which she has instructed Bing Ads not to contact her by phone. There is a box to tick if you agree to be contacted by phone and she left it unticked from the beginning. So even the initial contract set up when she joined Bing Ads says that they will agree not to phone her!

wealdroam

pdoherty76 wrote: »

My mum has an account with bing ads. She has decided she wants it completely gone and her details removed.


She contacted them by email (the email address that is registered on the account) and requested it be closed. They have said that they will not close it unless they can speak to her on the phone. In fact, they have claimed that data protection laws mean they MUST speak to her on the phone before they can close the account.


Now this sounds like the biggest bunch of BS that I have ever heard. Firstly, she didn't have to speak to them on the phone to set the account up. Secondly, she could easily have been someone who doesn't have a phone, or someone who couldn't use a phone for medical reasons.


Surely if she instructs them in writing to close the account then they must do so?

Why not get your mother to follow the process described here:

To delete an account

pdoherty76

wealdroam wrote: »

Why not get your mother to follow the cancellation process described here:

To delete an account

Because that doesn't delete her account.


It simply deletes actual advertising campaigns within Bing ads. Her account still exists.


They have confirmed that only they can close the account but they are refusing to do so because she won't ring them.

powerful_Rogue

Seems perfectly reasonable to me. They want to confirm your mothers identity. For all they know she could be a rival company that has hacked her account and trying to close the account down.

(Text removed by MSE Forum Team)

pdoherty76

I will repeat the question.


Can Bing Ads legally demand that somebody speaks to them on the phone and has to listen to their hard sell to keep the account open, or do companies have to close accounts under data protection if it is given in writing.

DCFC79

Its just a phonecall

pdoherty76

If the bit in bold were true then the woman with the rival company could simply pretend to be my mum on the phone.


In fact, my mum ringing them is surely less secure than the request in writing via email, which is definitely coming from the email account that is registered to the bing ads account.


The reason they want her to ring is so that their retentions department can persuade her not to leave. My mum is under no obligation to hear this sales pitch. She unticked the "contact by phone" box when she set up the account. They have no right to insist that she speak to them on the phone.


If you are here just to troll then I will be popping you on ignore.


I have started this thread to find out if someone more knowledgable than me knows the legal position. Your opinion is not really of interest to me.

powerful_Rogue

pdoherty76 wrote: »

I will repeat the question.


Can Bing Ads legally demand that somebody speaks to them on the phone and has to listen to their hard sell to keep the account open, or do companies have to close accounts under data protection if it is given in writing.

Your not just asking them to close the account though - as if you was the link a few posts up would be suffice.

You are infact asking them to remove all of your mothers details, which is asking for something completely different. As such, Bing will be taking additional steps to confirm her identity.

Bing can quite easily say that under the DPA they need to retain her details because of previous transactions. As long as its held for no longer then is reasonably necessary, then there is no breach.

As I previosuly asked, why all the fuss when this can be resolved with one phone call?

powerful_Rogue

pdoherty76 wrote: »

If the bit in bold were true then the woman with the rival company could simply pretend to be my mum on the phone.


In fact, my mum ringing them is surely less secure than the request in writing via email, which is definitely coming from the email account that is registered to the bing ads account.


The reason they want her to ring is so that their retentions department can persuade her not to leave. My mum is under no obligation to hear this sales pitch. She unticked the "contact by phone" box when she set up the account. They have no right to insist that she speak to them on the phone.


If you are here just to troll then I will be popping you on ignore.


I have started this thread to find out if someone more knowledgable than me knows the legal position. Your opinion is not really of interest to me.

Trolling? You asked a question and im giving you an answer. Just because you dont like that answer dosent make me a troll.

Email accounts can be hacked. When your mother phones up they can ask her questions about the account to prove her identity.

The box she unticked "contact by phone" was in regards to Bing contacting her by phone, not the other way round! If she dosent want the "hard sales pitch", simply say politely but firmly that she isnt interested.

whatmichaelsays

pdoherty76 wrote: »

I will repeat the question.


Can Bing Ads legally demand that somebody speaks to them on the phone and has to listen to their hard sell to keep the account open, or do companies have to close accounts under data protection if it is given in writing.

There is nothing in law to prevent Bing from having such cancellation terms. If Bing want to only offer cancellation by phone, they can.

I believe something is coming to force companies to have a method of cancellation that is the same as sign-up (ie, if you sign up online, you can cancel online) but that is a long way away.

And I'd agree with the above poster - your mum would be pretty miffed if someone purporting to be her could get in touch with Bing and have the account closed without her knowledge.