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Database accuracy.....?


Userlevel 2
I have tried to phone on 7777 and live chat - both are busy.

I received a letter this morning addressed to a certain 'Amanda Coe' with my full address. There is no one at this address by that name. The letter goes on to talk about a complaint raised with yourselves by Amanda in November 2018 with regard to additional charges on the account. The issue ref that is quoted in the letter is 102507607. The letter goes on to say that you have tried contacting Amand on her mobile - and then quotes my mobile number.
So you appear to have my account (you have my address and my mobile number) confused with a person called Amanda Coe - although the letter is signed by someone 'pp'd' as Miss Amanda Coe ... so have you confused who wrote the letter with the recipient?
I personally don't recall opening an issue with yourselves in November 2018 - and have checked my bills around that date and they all appear to be for just the standard charge - no additonal charges anyway.

Maybe someone can explain who the letter is for and why it has been sent to me?

If my address and/or phone number is attached to another 'unknown' account, can I also respectfully request that you correct your database as soon as possible.
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Best answer by Mohammed 30 May 2019, 17:29

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18 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +10

Hello @steveTu,

This sounds like an odd one indeed.

I've moved your topic to the Ask a question section of the Community in this instance.

We'd like to get to the bottom of what has happened here.

Could you send us an email 

We'll need your:

  • Full name
  • Full address with postcode
  • Mobile number
  • Date of birth

Once confirmed, we'll get this looked into as soon as possible.

Mohammed

Userlevel 2
@Mohammed
I'm not keen on sending full details via an insecure medium like EMail - especially as it may be already be that someone may have my details. How secure is your private messaging system?

Regards,
Steve T
Userlevel 2
Badge +6
Hi Steve, we're not able to use private messaging to discuss account matters unfortunately but we would like to speak with you so if you can send us your contact number only via email, we'll arrange for someone to call you to discuss this instead.

Our email system is secure but can offer this as an alternative to you if you prefer.

-Phil
Userlevel 2
@Phil
OK - I'll EMail you my account number - but I do/will not answer security on incoming calls.

EMail is not secure. Your EMail server may be secured, but EMail is intrinsically unsecure.
Userlevel 2
Badge +6
Thank you Steve.

-Phil
Userlevel 2
Should have said in the original post ...the letter was headed from Dixons/Carphone (I've called them as well and they apparently don't have an Amanda Coe at my address registered)....
Badge +10
@steveTu

In light of the new information I personally would make a copy of the letter and send the original one back to the return address on the letter by registered or tracked post with a covering letter stating what you have mentioned in your first post. Then the department that wrote it can rectify their mistake...

From past experience in matters relating to mis information it is always best to make complaints in writing so there is a paper trial.

In hindsight you should have sent the letter back unopened marked not at this address, the advice royal mail give regarding mis addressed mail is just that. Never open mail not addressed to you unless you are authorised to do so, can be classed as tampering with the mail, however only if you are looking to gain, cause grief or fraud from such (think your in the clear).
Userlevel 2
@terrywebbs, @Phil
AFAIK Dixons is ID. All my original sign up Emails from ID came from Carphone. So the logo IMHO is neither here nor there (as I don't know under what banner iD would contact me anyway).
I have had this on umpteen occasions now with different companies - my problem is that my street name appears TWICE in my town - so I get letters with my address (including post code) and other peoples names. In the past I did as you said and re posted as 'unknown at this address'. Then after we started receiving phone calls on the landline (how on earth did they get my phone number)from debt collection agencies I started to contact the sending companies (by googling the return address) and informing them they had a problem. The issue is that debt collection goes by address - as can credit rating as well. So someone using my address can adversely affect me.
9 times out of 10 the people I called said they couldn't do anything because of 'data protection' - and I didn't own the account that had the wrong address! Even though under data protection the company is obliged to correct data errors if they are pointed out to them.
In this case I initially called Dixons and they said it was nothing to do with them (they didn't have an Amanda Coe at my address/post code) - so I opened the letter to see if it was a marketing mail (ie Dixons wouldn't have the address but a marketing company may) and given Dixons earlier denial, contacted iD - ie the only company that could have my mobile number quoted in the letter.
Either Dixons or iD (ie the same company) may have a systematic issue with their data that needs to be fixed - if not your account may have the same problem and you may not yet be aware.
Badge +10
@steveTu
Catch 22 under the data protection act, your data appears on an other named account.

Personally I think you should make a claim with the official data protection body here
https://ico.org.uk

That site makes for an interesting sunday afternoon reading the countless number of UK companies failing to keep records straight.
Userlevel 2
@terrywebbs
...been there, done it.... Like most 'enforcement' agencies they're a bit toothless whe you give them a case. Maybe they're ok for billing issues but my experience is that in other situations they shy away from doing owt.
I contacted the ICO when Barclays had my data (they were the ones who passed my adreess to a debt collection agency) and the ICO refused to force Barclyas to remove my details from their database - even though they agreed Barclays DB was in error. Odd really, as with all the vetting the banks are supposed to do on accounts, how anyone could have used a false address still baffles me unless they doctored utility bills - and that alone should have been sufficient to force the issue I thought. But what is then scary if if the account holder then uses online billing they can go to the next 'supplier' waving the bill / statement they have from the previous 'false' account that then 'proves' their address. Frightening eh?
Badge +10
@steveTu
shred everything ... frightening yeah!

DVLA just as bad, things need tightening up and we need to get back control soon.
Userlevel 2
@terrywebbs
If UK gov really think they can control Huawei (Or IBM, Apple, Samsung etc for that matter) then they are living in cloud cuckoo land. The software from the big companies is riven with bugs anyway, let alone intentional back doors in hardware, firmware and software.
Security is insane - I have lost count of companies calling me and asking me to provide security over the phone when they've called me. Barking - especially when every Tom, Dick and 'Arry is spoofing phone numbers nowadays. And when I refuse they don't see that they're the ones with a broken protocol. Like above - asking for my full account details (especially ironic on a thread about someone potentially having my account details, including my mobile phone number) to be sent via EMail.
As for data protection - it's meant to protect the user - NOT the company.....

Sorry, must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.
Badge +10
@steveTu
Don't get me started on back doors..... Microsoft is one big bleep.

Yeah completely barking, Natwest tried that telephone security check trick, I too also refused to give them any information as they could have been anybody, I said you tell me the answers, your the one calling me!! Come to think of it I never did get that loan hahahaha.

I woke up, that's enough to get me wound up, so no apologies needed.

If you exist someone will either fake, copy or hack you, been happening for centuries.
Technologies are just making it easier, and on that note I hope your personal data remains intact and accurate, best of luck.
Userlevel 2
@Phil
I received a letter (to me - so at least that part was correct) from Dixons Carphone this morning - and that jogged my memory to chase this issue. Is there any feedback as to why you (as it now appears that iD do indeed send letters under the Dixons banner) sent a letter addressed to Amanda Coe (and apparently pp'd by her) at my address, quoting my mobile number and a complaint that I don't recall making?
@Phil
Any update on this? Any news as to why you wrote to an unknown person at my address quoting my mobile number?

PS.. I have had to create a new forum user, as when I try to login under steveTu, the login process just loops back to the log in screen. No error is thrown (ie the credentials appear to be ok - I can prove that as if I change the password it does throw an error). I'll raise a separate issue for this.
@Phil

Anything? Any update?

Can you please let me know why you wrote to Amanda Coe at my address quoting my mobile number.

Thanks.
Userlevel 6
Badge +10
Hi @steveTu2,

We're sorry for any delays in response. We have picked this up with our higher level complaints team, and we expect them to be in touch with you directly soon. It won't be through this forum and likely either via email or over the phone.

Ryan
Userlevel 2
@annoyed
I was contacted by the 'CEO' team That lead to umpteen Emails going back and forward and a few missed calls on both sides.
The upshot was that the CEO team after 10 days of alleged investigation said they hadn't even seen a copy of the letter Dixons Carphone had sent (ie the one that caused this thread). Insanity. Their 'story' (if I have got this right) was that someone was going to write me a letter, so had my details on screen, but then realised that the issue they were going to write to me about needed to be handled by a different department. so moved on to the next issue they had to deal with. Inadvertently, they then moved on to that next issue and wrote to the next person without refreshing their screen, so using my address details.

I tried to explain to the CEO team that that didn't make sense - as I never then received the 'letter' that the person was allegedly going to write to me - unless they were trying to say that the second letter from Dixons Carphone warehouse was that letter - and in that case the details in that letter were blatantly wrong (see thread https://community.idmobile.co.uk/general-chat-46/sms-text-to-bt-landline-ii-the-fun-sequel-31023 that follows on from https://community.idmobile.co.uk/general-chat-46/sms-text-to-bt-landline-29486)

The Email conversation with the CEO team finished with...
From Me to CEO Team:

xxxxxxx,
This is insane. I repeat, YOU (DC) contacted me. I did not ask for you (DC) to send me incorrect and allegedly misaddressed letters. If YOU (DC) send letters and take days doing investigations, then I would presume that you have all the 'facts' to hand. How on earth can you investigate anything and provide an explanation if you don't know what it is you're investigating in the first place? Asking the customer what the issue actually was two to three months after sending letters that gave DC's judgement on the issues, and after a protracted period of EMail correspondence, is pretty poor don't you think?

But, just for your edification, the two issues are covered here:
https://community.idmobile.co.uk/ask-a-question-18/database-accuracy-30946 - DC's letter of 25th May refers to this?
and
https://community.idmobile.co.uk/general-chat-46/sms-text-to-bt-landline-29486 - DC's letter of 13th June refers to this?
That gives you all the details.

Regards,

In reply to:
On Wed, 2019-08-14 at 16:08 +0000, FSescalations@cpwplc.com wrote:
Dear xxxxxxx

Thank you for your email.

You state that the letter response does not answer your complaint in regards to your BT issue, however you are not willing to explain to me what the exact issue is, due to this, we are unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, we will issue you with a deadlock letter within the next 7 days, please don't hesitate to take your complaint up with the Ombudsman.

Kind regards,

XXXXXXXX
CEO Team
Carphone Warehouse

This only covers a small part of the conversation - the full conversation is avalable should anyone be interested.

I didn't bother going to the Ombudsman, as I had already progressed the issues through them (presumably a fact that the CEO team was unaware of even after all their investigations).

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