Llyyds Bank 'cannot' stop sending mail for someone who no longer lives at my address

135

Comments

  • Zanderman
    Zanderman Posts: 4,854 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    born_again wrote: »
    I seemed to have missed something.

    Where has this whole "Debt" come from?

    OP made no mention of the letters being about a debt. In fact they made no mention to what they were about.

    Definitely missing something - no-one has suggested this is anything to do with debt.

    One person referenced a similar(ish) issue with getting phone calls about a debt that wasn't theirs but that's all.
  • 18cc
    18cc Posts: 2,120 Forumite
    Under the Data Protection Act, if you receive mail addressed to you, a company must stop sending it if you ask it to.

    As the letters are being sent to your home but addressed to another person, you could cite the data protection principle that requires personal information to be accurate. If it refuses to update your information the company will be breaching the Data Protection Act and you can report it to the Information Commissioner's Office.

    You can also register the names on the correspondence with the Mailing Preference Service to help stop the unwanted mail. The MPS is a free service that removes consumer details from company mailing lists. You can register a previous occupant or another name to whom the letters are addressed. It can take up to four months for the letters to stop.

    If after four months you are still receiving unsolicited material, you can escalate a complaint and the MPS will intervene on your behalf. It will then work with the company to come to a solution.

    As a last resort, the MPS can report the company to the Advertising Standards Authority, which can issue a sanction if it fails to comply. However, an MPS spokesman said this was rare because firms usually co-operated.
  • JuicyJesus
    JuicyJesus Posts: 3,831 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    18cc wrote: »
    As the letters are being sent to your home but addressed to another person, you could cite the data protection principle that requires personal information to be accurate. If it refuses to update your information the company will be breaching the Data Protection Act and you can report it to the Information Commissioner's Office.

    The issue is that this is not OP's information to be kept accurate, it's not OP's information to update and there is no provision for someone else to complain about the inaccuracy of someone else's data. The reasons that you can't call a bank and say "stop sending someone else's statements to the address you have on file for them" are fairly obvious.
    You can also register the names on the correspondence with the Mailing Preference Service to help stop the unwanted mail. The MPS is a free service that removes consumer details from company mailing lists. You can register a previous occupant or another name to whom the letters are addressed. It can take up to four months for the letters to stop.

    The MPS is only for junk mail - that is, marketing communications to someone who is not presently a customer of a firm. These are not. These are a bank sending correspondence to its customer's last known - and advised - address. This isn't caught by the MPS.

    The correct answer is for OP to stop caring and just keep putting them in the postbox or bin as they feel appropriate. It is a standard part of living in a house that someone else has lived in.
    urs sinserly,
    ~~joosy jeezus~~
  • BoGoF
    BoGoF Posts: 7,098 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    18cc wrote: »
    Under the Data Protection Act, if you receive mail addressed to you, a company must stop sending it if you ask it to.

    As the letters are being sent to your home but addressed to another person, you could cite the data protection principle that requires personal information to be accurate. If it refuses to update your information the company will be breaching the Data Protection Act and you can report it to the Information Commissioner's Office.

    You can also register the names on the correspondence with the Mailing Preference Service to help stop the unwanted mail. The MPS is a free service that removes consumer details from company mailing lists. You can register a previous occupant or another name to whom the letters are addressed. It can take up to four months for the letters to stop.

    If after four months you are still receiving unsolicited material, you can escalate a complaint and the MPS will intervene on your behalf. It will then work with the company to come to a solution.

    As a last resort, the MPS can report the company to the Advertising Standards Authority, which can issue a sanction if it fails to comply. However, an MPS spokesman said this was rare because firms usually co-operated.

    This response should be filed under U for Utter Twaddle.

    I really don't know how all these 'anxious' people get through the day.

    Wait till they hear that the virus that originated in China has reached these shores.
  • Socajam
    Socajam Posts: 1,238 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    BoGoF wrote: »
    This response should be filed under U for Utter Twaddle.

    I really don't know how all these 'anxious' people get through the day.

    Wait till they hear that the virus that originated in China has reached these shores.

    Thanks for making me laugh.
    It's so true what will all those "anxious" people do when the Chinese virus really reach our shores.
    It seems the slightest thin and people become so anxious that they cannot cope with life.
    Yesterday someone had a person try their door which was locked, one would have thought that someone actually entered their home and was standing their watching them.
    We need to create an "island" for all anxious people, that way they can drive each other mad.
  • Carrot007
    Carrot007 Posts: 4,534 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Well desipite what everyone says it is a GDPR violation, just not one that they have been set up to deal with or thought about.


    Try scanning every letter recieved and posting in on twitter copying them in and use #GDPRViolation until they do something.
  • Nick_C
    Nick_C Posts: 7,571 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Home Insurance Hacker!
    OP, totally sympathise and had the same problem.

    I've been at my present address for nearly five years. I was returning mail to the sender for four years.

    Nearly a year ago, I contacted Lloyds Complaints Team as I was still receiving mail for the previous occupier. I didn't want to open the mail, and wasn't sure whether it was from Lloyds or TSB (as they share a return address for mortgages). I spoke to a complaints investigator who sent me a SAE. I forwarded the mail to him. He promised me he would find out where the mail was coming from and stop it. The complaint was closed.

    In November, I got a further letter for the previous occupier which I opened in error. It was regarding a Lloyds Mortgage.

    Now I was concerned that Lloyds appeared to think this person, who they have given a mortgage to, is still living at my property. I was concerned this could create a financial association. I was concerned it could affect my own credit record. I was concerned it could be mortgage fraud.

    I made a further complaint to Lloyds. I raised these concerns, the inconvenience being caused by having to return their letters, and my data protection concerns. They paid me £100 compensation! (I am a Lloyds customer.) They confirmed that they do have the correct address for their customer. The mortgage is for his new address but he applied while still at the property which I own.

    In late December, I received another letter from Lloyds for someone who used to live here many years ago. I again opened it in error, and it was regarding a savings account. I contacted the complaints team again and they are investigating. (Although I complained to the Mortgage team and they have now passed it to a savings team.)

    It would appear that Lloyds are systematically failing to deal properly with returned mail.
  • 18cc
    18cc Posts: 2,120 Forumite
    I will forward your twaddle comment to the Daily Telegraph sorry should have put the reference in my original post

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/ask-a-money-expert/barclaycard-keeps-sending-credit-card-offers-to-someone-who-has/
  • born_again
    born_again Posts: 19,893 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Fifth Anniversary Name Dropper
    Carrot007 wrote: »
    Well desipite what everyone says it is a GDPR violation

    In what way?

    It is the last know place of residence of the customer. How can company be held responsible for a customer not updating their details?
    Life in the slow lane
  • Carrot007
    Carrot007 Posts: 4,534 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 23 January 2020 at 9:28PM
    born_again wrote: »
    In what way?

    It is the last know place of residence of the customer. How can company be held responsible for a customer not updating their details?


    In the way that after being advised they are sending personal information to the wrong person t hey continue to do so.


    It all in the regulations. Yes they are not expecting it from someone who is not there customer but the regulations do not specify they can ignore non customers. And they can check if they like by sending a test letter and asking for details in it before removing if they consider foul play.


    They can remove the address as they have none. I understand why they would not want to. But proved it is incorrect they have no choice under the regulations.


    Now me I could not care less about postal mail but have had it from someone a few miles away who insisnts for some reason on putting down my phone number for everything he signs up from. I know his address and everything now becuase security is lax when they expect it yo be you! however as long as I stop phone calls I am happy and so far I have. I am unsure if he does it because he is a tool who does not want phone calls and so uses the same wrong one all the time or is just simple and thinks it actually is his phone number (taxi calls would suggest the simple option).
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