SAR (Subject Access Request) advice, please?

Bunny_Gee

I know that my telecommunications provider has been overcharging me but not by how much and over what period.

So I sent them a SAR but they have replied with a form for me to fill in (example was attached but MSE won't let me link to it, as a new member of the forum).

They say I must complete it and return it to their "Legal Team", directly.

1) Do I have to complete their (somewhat limiting) form or can I insist they respond to my formal SAR, as earlier provided, the receipt of which they have acknowledged?

2) Is it for me to approach their legal team or is it for them to pass the request over to it?

Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

[Deleted User]

How is their form "somewhat limiting" exactly?

By law they have to provide all information they have kept on file for you, without any provisos.

Did you pay them the £10 fee?

Bunny_Gee

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

How is their form "somewhat limiting" exactly?

By law they have to provide all information they have kept on file for you, without any provisos.

Did you pay them the £10 fee?

Wish I could upload it, so you can see. They call it a "SUBJECT ACCESS REQUEST FORM" so I guess they must get quite a few applications. There is a section asking if I am, or have ever been, one of their employees (I haven't/am not but they could find that out for themselves).

It asks me to be absolutely specific about the exact documents and time periods of each, I require (I want THEM to tell ME that), else why would I be bothering with the request and why, given that they are charging me for the service (the £10 you alluded to), why should I do their work for them? My SAR requested ALL documents relating to me etc., etc.

Their form provides insufficient space to list details of documents required (I know I could use another continuation sheet, but I've already detailed what I want - everything - in my original SAR).

Am tempted to decline the offer to complete their "form" and say so, in writing, along with a repeat request to deal with my initial request within 40 days of that document's date.

I don't want to be unnecessarily difficult but suspect they wish to be and I don't owe them a thing whilst they owe me stacks.

What do you think? :undecided

[Deleted User]

Bunny_Gee wrote: »

What do you think? :undecided

I think you should just complete the form so that your request can be actioned as efficiently as possible. If they were to simply send you "everything", you'd have to still do "all the work" identifying where you might have cause to complain.

I fail to see how this is "limiting"?

How would they know what periods you want to know about if you don't know yourself?

Do note that they are only required to provide information they have kept on file , they are not required to provide documents which no longer exist or have been deleted/destroyed in line with data protection.

If you have no documentary evidence, why are you so sure that you have been overcharged in the first place?

Bunny_Gee

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

I think you should just complete the form so that your request can be actioned as efficiently as possible. If they were to simply send you "everything", you'd have to still do "all the work" identifying where you might have cause to complain.

I fail to see how this is "limiting"?

How would they know what periods you want to know about if you don't know yourself?

Do note that they are only required to provide information they have kept on file , they are not required to provide documents which no longer exist or have been deleted/destroyed in line with data protection.

If you have no documentary evidence, why are you so sure that you have been overcharged in the first place?

No idea what I did to upset you. Just asked for a little advice, not supercilious lecturing.

Please leave this topic alone as you have clearly made your mind up to be anything but helpful.

Thanks for nothing.

[Deleted User]

Bunny_Gee wrote: »

Just asked for a little advice, not supercilious lecturing.


Thanks for nothing.

Why have you conveniently ignored all my questions which would have clarified exactly what you hope to achieve?

You obviously only want responses which say what you want to hear...
Just fill in the form and look for the evidence you require in whatever you get back.

If you attempt to obstruct them by not sending their form, it will be self defeating.

You can't force them to somehow send you evidence of "overcharging" if you don't actually know what you are asking for.

Nothing personal, but I think your £10 fee will be wasted. This is largely because I don't think you fully understand what a SAR is or what you are actually entitled to request.

Bunny_Gee

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

Why have you conveniently ignored all my questions which would have clarified exactly what you hope to achieve?

You obviously only want responses which say what you want to hear...
Just fill in the form and look for the evidence you require in whatever you get back.

If you attempt to obstruct them by not sending their form, it will be self defeating.

You can't force them to somehow send you evidence of "overcharging" if you don't actually know what you are asking for.

Nothing personal, but I think your £10 fee will be wasted. This is largely because I don't think you fully understand what a SAR is or what you are actually entitled to request.

I asked you to leave this topic alone as you appear wholly unqualified, as well as disinclined, to help.

You have made no attempt to answer the two simple questions requiring equally simple "yes or no" answers (fluffed out if appropriate), that I asked.

You instead asked me, rather vague and supercilious, questions.

You further contradict yourself in that you stated "By law they have to provide all information they have kept on file for you, without any provisos" yet separately say "How would they know what periods you want to know about if you don't know yourself?".

You seem rather uppity for someone offering mere opinion and conjecture, rather than actualities.

So, please stay away and allow someone better equipped to answer the questions in my initial post, should they feel so inclined.

Thank you.

[Deleted User]

Bunny_Gee wrote: »

I asked you to leave this topic alone as you appear wholly unqualified,

It's a public forum over which you have no such control.

I recommend you use the "ignore" function, if you don't find my opinion useful.

Personal attacks really won't encourage other users to respond.

How can you know how "qualified"( or not) I am?

Xbigman

It sounds like VM are trying to avoid the cost of sending you everything by asking you if you want something specific.
You could write 'all' in the spaces provided but you might be better off asking for details of the services they provided and the dates they provided them. Then look at you bank statements to see what they charged. That should give you a starting point.



Darren

[Deleted User]

Xbigman wrote: »

It sounds like VM are trying to avoid the cost

Virgin Media wasn't mentioned?

Bunny_Gee

Xbigman wrote: »

It sounds like VM are trying to avoid the cost of sending you everything by asking you if you want something specific.
You could write 'all' in the spaces provided but you might be better off asking for details of the services they provided and the dates they provided them. Then look at you bank statements to see what they charged. That should give you a starting point.



Darren

Thanks for the good advice.

Very much appreciated. :beer: