FAQs
Check out our most commonly asked questions.
Anyone can complain to the Data & Marketing Commission free of charge either through our online complaints form or by contacting us directly at dm@dmcommission.com.
The Data & Marketing Commission (DMC),
1st Floor, Rapier House,
40-46 Lamb’s Conduit Street,
London, WC1N 3LJ
Telephone: 020 7291 3350
The DMA’s preference services build trust and transparency with customers by providing individuals with control over how their data is used in the mail, telephone and fax channels. By offering individuals choice and control over their data, the preference services protect the industry from onerous legislation and build trust between customers and responsible marketers.
The DMA is the only business organisation in the UK with a consumer protection division, reinforcing the customer first principles enshrined in the DMA Code. Adherence to the preference services is a requirement of the DMA Code and in the case of TPS it is a legal requirement.
By screening against the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), Corporate TPS (CTPS), Mailing Preference Service (MPS), Baby Mailing Preference Service (BMPS) and Fax Preference Service (FPS) businesses ensure compliance with data protection laws and avoid contacting individuals who have opted out.
The Mailing Preference Service (MPS) was founded by the DMA in 1983 to offer customers transparency, choice and control over how their data is used by marketers. It is the UK’s official “do not mail list” and enables individuals to opt out of unsolicited, personally addressed advertising mail.
The Baby Mailing Preference Service (BMPS) is a sensitive, specialist “do not mail” file which enables bereaved parents or carers to opt out of receiving baby-related advertising mail following the loss of a child. Having a BMPS licence demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to ethical marketing and sensitivity in customer communications.
The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is the UK’s only official ‘Do Not Call’ register for landlines and mobile numbers and since 1999 has been operated under contract from the Information Commissioner’s Office. It allows people and businesses to opt out of unsolicited live sales and marketing calls. Doing so enables individuals to express their preferences, giving them control, and building trust.
If your complaint falls within the remit of the Data & Marketing Association’s (DMA) Code, then we will contact the subject of your complaint setting out the grounds on which it has been made, attaching the correspondence you have sent and requesting a response. In instances where a company does not respond or where the Secretariat considers that the complaint warrants a formal investigation, the case will be presented to the Board of Commissioners for adjudication. Further details of the complaint process can be found here.
The DMA is the UK’s trade association for the data and marketing industry. Its vision is a data & marketing industry where every organisation takes a ‘customer-first’ approach. As the voice of the data & marketing industry, its responsibility is to prove the responsible and innovative use of data in marketing drives business growth. It sets the standards for the good of marketers, and most importantly, customers.
The Data & Marketing Commission (DMC) is the body which oversees and enforces the DMA Code. The Code is an ethical framework that sets the standards for the data and marketing industry. All DMA members should adhere to the Code, demonstrating their commitment to build trust and drive effectiveness in marketing. The Code and DMC aim to ensure companies observe the highest standards of integrity and trade fairly with their customers and with each other, and we do this by investigating complaints against members of the DMA, and scrutinising data driven marketing issues and practices.
The DMC investigates and adjudicates on reported breaches of the Code by DMA members. If the complaint is not covered by the Code, it will be referred to another relevant organisation.
If a complaint is upheld following adjudication, the DMC has a range of sanctions that it may consider, including the following:
These include:
• A formal recommendation to the DMA.
• A formal visit to the member by the DMA.
• A formal undertaking from the member to comply with the standards set out in the Code.
• A formal undertaking by the member to carry out specific changes in processes, procedures, management or other arrangements to remedy and/or prevent a repeat of the breach/breaches.
The DMC may make a recommendation to the DMA that a member be suspended from DMA membership or have their membership cancelled in cases where the DMC thinks this is necessary and proportionate.
The DMC may refer a member to relevant law enforcement and consumer protection bodies, and will co-operate, including the provision of relevant information, with that organisation as appropriate.