Does Lebara think it does not have to comply with GDPR etc

Keruge

My understanding of GDPR is that if I opt out of marketing then a company is supposed to stop sending me marketing messages. Service messages are fine.

Since Lebara stopped taking payments and demoted me to PAYG it has been bombarding me with texts and emails, I got fed up with this as they seemed to arrive at all hours and it was just too much so I tried to opt OUT.

On the phone I replied STOP which I gather companies are supposed to take as an opt out, it then said "message undeliverable", I think this goes against some code of practice.

When the next one came I coped it and sent it to 7726 which went to Vodaphone who confirmed the receipt. That did the trick on the texts, but the emails kept on coming (previously every text was sent to both SMS and email).

Then after logging into the Lebara Portal I found a page to opt out of Marketing Messages that was not showing me opted out despite me having opted out and taken a screenshot.

So from that day the emails stopped coming.

Then I get my PAC code and my phone is suddenly getting calls from Lebara, at least 3 a day, I have read that is them trying to offer me some deal to stay with them, but that is marketing.

Now I am ported away, with another provider and still they are calling.

At what point will these guys respect the GDPR and law?

I was going to go back with another MSE deal in a few weeks or sooner, but if someone does a better deal I might just take it. If I move to Tesco and buy a £5 pack online I gather it will keep the line active for at least 180 days as long as I receive the odd call on it.

Maybe that is what I will do, Lebara would have had my deal and I would have probably been lazy so not bothered to jump, that is what happened last time and I ended up with them for over a year. In fact I gather they did not take my payment because of a problem with Paypal, having an expired debit card. That is strange because I thought I had registered the debt card directly as I rarely use Paypal these days.

If they had just been patient and represented 14 days later then they would have been paid, but they ended the deal. So I reckon they lost about £15 plus the loss of business for the next year or so.

Woodstok2000

GDPR is powerful, but there are limits and exceptions. Legitimate interest is a valid reason for companies to call, but they still have to stop if you ask them.

Registering with TPS should also stop most calls. The main issue is that a lot of companies outsource their marketing, so you might have 4 or 5 companies working 'on behalf of' the main provider. You then need to specifically inform each of those companies to stop calling before you'll be left alone.

Complaining to the ICO always helps too!

Keruge

TBH I hate the legit interest argument, I was astonished to find just how big some of those cookie widget companies are and how some of them are effectively funded by the myriad of 500+ data "partners".

I have found some which make it easy to object legit interest and others that make it impossible

What I also found interesting was how the big ones allow the website to hide those options so the same tool can be deliberately difficult by hiding options.

The way I see it is that why would you trust a company that says I hear your choice but I am going to share your data anyway.

These "partner" companies are often about re-connecting you to the profile they made on you.

You can hide a lot but if you have a visitor who you allow to use your wifi it is all for nothing.

What I like about the ICO is they are one of the few services where you can speak to real people and they do not record your calls.

t0rt0ise

Ignoring the calls is a mistake. If you actually answer a call from them and say you're not interested in a new deal they will slam the phone down so quickly and you will never hear from them again.

JSmithy45AD

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81898463#Comment_81898463

I'd answer one politely and ask them to remove me from their list.

Keruge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81898463#Comment_81898463

I don't agree with your assertion that it would be a mistake to ignore the calls.

That would go against decades of advice about scammers do not engage, do not click on links and so on.

When a company, even a big and respected company like Lebara starts behaving like a scammer then you treat them as a scammer, you record the incidents, report them to anti spam platforms and you make a complaint to the ICO.

When the scammers call from India as featured in scambaiter videos on you tube would you politely ask them to go away? NO

If you answer a call from a number that is not known to you then you risk it being a call that tests the number is in operation so put in a call back list for a scam funnel. That is one reason I do not answer calls where I do not know the number.

Even when I have looked it up on who called me etc why should I spend my time engaging with a company I already gave an opportunity to trade with me but they declined to be competitive. The spam messages are derisory offers compared to what they offer on MSE and MSE get commission on those referrals.

I heard that there was a code of conduct not to contact people if they had started the exit process by issuing a PAC code, maybe that was on broadband, but calling me after I had already transferred and considering I had opted out of all marketing calls, not on.

I was going to jump back to Lebara and still might considering the signal I am getting, but they need to feel some pain, they are not above the law. If a company does not follow the law on one thing when one wonders what other laws it is willing to break. Is it prepared to sell my data for example or is it prepared to do far worse?

It is their own reputation they are playing with.

jimjames

If I move to Tesco and buy a £5 pack online I gather it will keep the line active for at least 180 days as long as I receive the odd call on it.

My understanding is that you need to MAKE a call or send SMS not receive one in order to remain active.