Direct Marketing Commission - Enforcing Higher Industry Standards

Are you receiving unaddressed mail?

Unwanted mail

Have you been receiving unwanted marketing mail?
Have you been receiving unwanted junk mail?
Do you want to stop receiving junk mail?
Do you want to stop receiving marketing mail?
Are you unable to unsubscribe from marketing mail?
Are you unable to unsubscribe from junk mail?

If you are receiving unwanted marketing mail (sometimes called ‘junk mail’) you can contact the Mailing Preference Service (MPS) and register not to receive marketing mail in future. Your details will then be added to the MPS list.

If you are receiving mail addressed to a person who no longer lives at your address you can also register that person as ‘no longer at this address’ and mailings should cease.

If you are receiving unsolicited marketing mail from a DMA member company, and you have already asked them to stop and they have not complied with your wishes, then contact the DMC  using our online complaints form.  We would need you to provide a full copy of the mailing in question including the envelope. The envelope is important as it often has a code on it which helps the mailer identify the source of your name and address. You can send this to The Direct Marketing Commission, DMA House, 70 Margaret Street,London W1W 8SS.  If your mailing is not from a DMA member then you could contact the Advertising Standards Authority or the Information Commissioners Office.  

Unaddressed mail

Have you been receiving unaddressed mail to your home?
Do you want to stop receiving unaddressed mail?
Are you still receiving unaddressed mail after registering with the Royal Mail Opt-Out Service?

If you want to stop receiving this type of mail you can contact the company in question and request that they stop sending you the mail.  Alternatively, you can contact the DMA’s Your Choice Scheme as those companies that are members of the DMA agree to abide by the expressed wishes of householders who do not wish to receive unaddressed material through their letterbox.  For details on how householders can exercise Your Choice and ask distribution companies to stop the delivery of unaddressed mail to their homes, please contact the DMA by letter, fax, telephone or e-mail and ask for details of the Your Choice Preference Service for Unaddressed Mail.

You can also register free of charge with the Royal Mail opt out service.

It is important to realise, however, that this opt out service only relates to unaddressed mail. Royal Mail is still legally obliged to deliver all addressed mail, which includes mail that is addressed “To the Occupier” (or with any other generic recipient information), as well as mail that is personally addressed to a consumer by name. Consumers should also note that it is not possible for Royal Mail to separate material you don’t want from material that you do want, such as advertising offers or leaflets from Central and Local Government and other public bodies.

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Are you having a problem making contact with the company?

Are you have a problem with a delivery?

Are you not receiving a refund?

Do you have issues with goods that you have not received?

Making Contact

Is a company not replying to your emails?
Is a company not replying to your letters?
Is a company not returning your calls?
Is a company not answering your calls?
Have you experienced rude customer service on the phone?
Has a company kept you on hold for an unreasonable length of time?
Have you been given unhelpful or contradictory advice by a customer services agent?
Are you unable to get through to a company on the phone?

Everyone is entitled to receive prompt, efficient and courteous customer service at all times whether that be on the phone, via email or post. Companies have a duty to ensure that there are adequate administrative processes in place so that their customers can contact them easily and that they can deal with any enquiries promptly – normally within five days.

If you have been marketed directly and then experienced poor customer service such as rudeness, not having your calls, letters or emails returned or answered, being given unhelpful or contradictory advice or being kept waiting on the phone for long periods of time, you can complain to the DMC using our online complaints form .

If the company you are complaining about is not a member of the DMA, you can complain to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) if the matter relates to issues such as order fulfilment or use of data that are covered under their Advertising Codes or you can contact Consumer Direct for further advice.

Delivery

Has an item you’ve ordered online not been delivered?
Has an item you’ve ordered in a catalogue not been delivered?
Has an item you’ve ordered over the phone not been delivered?
Has an item you’ve ordered via the red button not been delivered?
Has an item you’ve ordered by mail-order not been delivered?
Have you had to wait an unreasonable time for an item you’ve ordered online to be delivered?
Have you had to wait an unreasonable time for an item you’ve ordered from a catalogue to be delivered?
Have you had to wait an unreasonable time for an item you’ve ordered via the red button to be delivered?
Have you had to wait an unreasonable time for an item you’ve ordered via mail-order to be delivered?
Have you had to wait an unreasonable time for an item you’ve ordered on the phone to be delivered?
Have you wanted to cancel a delayed order for something ordered online but not been given the option?
Have you wanted to cancel a delayed order for something ordered from a catalogue but not been given the option?

If you have been marketed directly and experienced any problems with the delivery of products that you have ordered, you can complain to the DMC using our online complaints form.

If the company you are complaining about is not a member of the DMA, you can complain to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) if the matter relates to issues such as order fulfilment or use of data that are covered under their Advertising Codes or you can contact Consumer Direct for further advice.

Refunds

Have you been unable to claim a money back guarantee?
Have you been refused a refund for goods ordered?
Have you been refused a refund for faulty or damaged goods?
Do you think you are entitled to a refund for goods ordered online?
Do you think you are entitled to a refund for goods ordered via the red button?
Do you think you are entitled to a refund for goods ordered on the phone?
Do you think you are entitled to a refund for goods ordered in a catalogue?
Do you think you are entitled to a refund for goods ordered via mail-order?

If you have not received goods that you have ordered and a substitute has not been provided, you are entitled to a full refund of all money you may have paid in advance.

You are also entitled to a refund if the company has given an unconditional money-back guarantee  and you have returned the goods within a reasonable period.

If you are forced to return goods to a company because they are damaged or faulty when you receive them, the company has an obligation to cover the cost of postage and packaging. If you have returned goods to a company but they say that they have not received them, provided you can provide proof of posting, you are still entitled to a full refund.

If you feel that you are entitled to a refund and are experiencing any problems with a particular company, and you have been marketed directly, you can complain to the DMC using our online complaints form .

If the company you are complaining about is not a member of the DMA, you can complain to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) if the matter relates to issues such as order fulfilment or use of data that are covered under their Advertising Codes or you can contact Consumer Direct for further advice.

Goods Not Ordered

Have you been sent goods that you did not order?
Have you been asked to pay for goods that you didn’t order?
Have you received unsolicited goods?
Have you unwittingly ordered goods from a company?

Have you received goods from a company even though you haven’t ordered them? Sometimes consumers may receive goods from a company and are asked to make a payment even though they haven’t knowingly asked for them. These are called unsolicited goods.

It is against the law to send goods to your address and demand payment without first having received an instruction to do so.

It is sometimes the case that people have unwittingly ordered goods because they don’t fully understand the terms of obligation when they join mail order or online schemes. It is therefore very important to read the small print and to be careful about which agreements you are signing up to when you tick a box on a website.

If you have been marketed directly and think that you received unsolicited goods, you can complain to the DMC using our online complaints form.

If the company you are complaining about is not a member of the DMA, you can complain to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) if the matter relates to issues such as order fulfilment or use of data that are covered under their Advertising Codes or you can contact Consumer Direct for further advice.

More info: essaylab.org

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Have you been receiving silent calls?

Have you been receiving unwanted marketing calls?

Silent calls

Have you been receiving silent calls?
Have you answered calls and found no one at the end of the line?
Do you want to stop silent calls?
What are silent calls?

Do you HP2-B103 sometimes pick up the phone and hear silence? These so called ‘silent calls’ can be the result of companies using technology to make marketing calls to potential customers.

The automated system is sometimes set to work too quickly so that when the person HP2-B112 answers the phone, there is nobody there to speak to you and the line goes dead. This can be both frustrating and instrusive. A system can also use AMD (Answer Machine Detect) technology which can sometimes decide that a call has been answered by an answer machine when in fact it is answered by a person.

If the call is abandoned as a result of either of the two above reasons, companies are obliged to play a brief recorded message within two seconds of the call being answered. The message must contain the identity of the company and details of a no charge number that the recipient can contact to decline further calls.

If you have been having problems with silent calls from DMA members, you can complain to the DMC using our online complaints form.

You could, in addition, contact the Office of Communications  (OFCOM).

Unwanted Marketing Calls

Have you been receiving unwanted marketing calls?
Have you been receiving unwanted sales calls?
Do you want to stop receiving marketing calls?
Do you want to stop receiving sales calls?
Have you been receiving calls for someone who doesn’t live at your address?
Do you want to stop marketing calls for someone who doesn’t live at your address?
Are you receiving unwanted telemarketing calls from companies who are trying to sell you something which you do not want to purchase?

If you are receiving unwanted marketing calls, you can contact the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and register not to receive sales or marketing calls. Your details will then be added to the TPS list which makes it illegal for a company to call you for marketing services in the future.  Registration is free and once you are registered you should stop receiving calls after 28 days.

If you are receiving unwanted marketing calls, you can register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) to record your preference not to receive sales or marketing calls. Your details will then be added to the TPS list which makes it unlawful for a company to call you for marketing purposes in the future. The TPS offers a complaint handling service: enforcement is undertaken by the Information Commissioners Office.

If you have additional concerns about the DMA member in question (for example, complaints about their customer service) then you can complain to the DMC using our online complaints form.

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How to Unsubscribe

Are you receiving unwanted marketing emails?

Are you unable to unsubscribe from marketing emails?

Are you receiving unwanted marketing text messages?

Are you unable to unsubscribe from marketing texts?

Email

Have you been receiving unwanted marketing emails?
Have you been receiving unwanted sales emails?
Do you want to stop receiving marketing emails?
Do you want to stop receiving sales emails?
Are you unable to unsubscribe from marketing emails?
Are you unable to unsubscribe from sales emails?
Are you still receiving marketing emails after unsubscribing?
Are you still receiving sales emails after unsubscribing?

Organisations in the UK and throughout the European Union are only allowed to send you unsolicited email marketing or text you if you have originally given them permission to do so or if you have been a recent customer.  By law, companies must 9A0-090 always give you the option to opt out of receiving unwanted emails.  Companies are obliged to provide a working unsubscribe mechanism, such as a return email address to which you can send unsubscribe requests.

If you are receiving emails from a DMA member without your consent, you are unable to unsubscribe, or you think that your contact details may have been passed on by a third party without your consent, you can complain to the DMC using our online complaints form.

You may, in addition, if the company you are complaining about is not a member of the DMA, complain to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) if the matter relates to specific areas that are covered by their Advertising Codes or the Information Commissioners Office.

Data

Are you receiving emails from companies without your consent?
Are you receiving text messages from companies without your consent?
Are you unable to unsubscribe from a text message service?
Do you think your personal data may have been wrongfully passed on to companies?
Do you think your personal data may have been passed on without your consent?

Organisations in the UK and throughout the European Union are only allowed to send you unsolicited email marketing or text you if you have originally given them permission to do so or if you have been a recent customer.  You are entitled to withdraw your permission at any point and every commercial email or text should by law offer you the opportunity to ‘unsubscribe’.

If you are receiving emails from companies without your consent, or think that your contact details may have been passed on by a third party without your consent, you can complain to the DMC using our online complaints form.

If you are receiving emails from a DMA member without your consent, you are unable to unsubscribe, or you think that your contact details may have been passed on by a third party without your consent, you can complain to the DMC using our online complaints form.

You may, in addition, if the company you are complaining about is not a member of the DMA, complain to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) if the matter relates to specific areas that are covered by their Advertising Codes or the Information Commissioners Office.

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BT has warned customers that they should be on their guard after phone scams involving HP2-E58 people who claim to be calling from the company.

The scammers are calling up customers and warning them that their account is in arrears and then asking for card or bank details in order to settle the account. If the customer refuses or asks for proof, the scammers offer to prove who they are by disconnecting the phone line immediately.

Once the customer puts the phone down, the scammer stays connected to their HP2-K28 line, which gives the impression that it no longer works. Evidence has shown this type of scam has been happening all over the country.

At the DMC, we would advise consumers not to give out any banking details over the phone unless you know exactly who you are dealing with.

If you have suffered a scam like this, then you should contact OFCOM or Consumer Direct.

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