The Marketing Data Consultancy – complaint about direct marketing
December 2012
This complaint from a business related to a data order for approximately 25,000 records of email addresses and telephone numbers for residential landlords. The Marketing Data Consultancy had bought the data from a supplier and provided it in good faith to the complainant.
It was clear that there had been a breakdown in communication between the two parties and responses to the complainant’s concerns had been slow (9.32). However, by the company’s own admission, some of the data involved was not accurate and up-to-date (5.37), and statements made as to the verification of the data were misleading because some of the data had not been sufficiently checked (6.6).
The company had informed the Commission that it would normally verify and check all of its records in-house. In this case the company had relied on assurances from a data supplier it had not previously dealt with. It now recognised and assured the Commission that further due diligence on its data suppliers would be undertaken in future, in order to ensure that any data supplied is accurate and verifiable.
The business concerned was not a member of the DMA but listed on the List Warranty Register and therefore bound by the regulations of the DMA’s Direct Marketing Code of Practice.
