Direct Marketing Commission - Enforcing Higher Industry Standards

Data & Marketing Commission | Enforcing Higher Industry Standards

LinkDirect – complaint about direct marketing

October 20th 2010

This door to door complaint related to a claim by a business that their leaflet to 16302 properties was not delivered satisfactorily.  All parties had undertaken back-checking and it was clear that some evidence had been provided to show delivery had taken place, though there were differences in the data and in the timeframes over which this was collected.  The Commission recognised that 100% delivery cannot be guaranteed and a number of factors can affect recall of an item. These include who is interviewed and the timing and performance of the checking and the nature of item, and its design and impact.

Based on the materials available, the Commission did not feel it could uphold a breach of the Code relating to conduct and contract fulfilment.  The Commission did however, note the critical importance of advice given to the client at the outset about back-checking practice and were assured that this was an area which would be reviewed by the member company to ensure client expectations were effectively managed.

If you believe a DMA member is in breach of the Direct Marketing Code of Practice then contact the Direct Marketing Commission – you can alert us to an issue you see here.