Of course, if they were bit more on the ball, they could go to the local
library and get the names of all the people in the street from the electoral
register - after all, political parties will be calling in the next few
weeks with the same information.
I don't imagine that sort of outfit to be quite so sophisticated.
Nick Landau
----- Original Message -----
From: "Karen Waite" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2006 9:20 AM
Subject: Re: [data-protection] You're not going to believe this
> Hi Sue
>
> Quite honestly I had more ears on what the monsters where doing inside
> the house without me there! Had to take pity on the guy though, someone
> had already taken his front teeth....
>
> Makes you aware of how easy it would be to twist the Act though and
> have home owners handing over their details all over the place. He even
> put his hand on his heart and promised that if we didn't use the I had
> his word that he would bin my details. Yeah right....
>
> Oh I must be feeling very cynical this morning.... :-)
>
> Karen
>
> Karen Waite
> Corporate Records Manager
> Cornwall IT Services
> Megashed
> Royal Cornwall Hospital
> Truro. Cornwall. TR1 3LJ
>
> Ph: 01872 254500
> Fax: 01872 254508
> email: [log in to unmask]
>
>
>>>> HOWLETT Sue L <[log in to unmask]> 10/04/2006 09:09:00 >>>
>
> Karen
> You are more polite than I would have been especially when you
> normally
> get "Hello Darling is your husband home" or "Alright love" They
> usually
> leave my property ashen faced, and the dog helps LOL, but thanks for
> sharing
> Regards.
> Sue
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: This list is for those interested in Data Protection issues
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Karen Waite
> Sent: 10 April 2006 09:00
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [data-protection] You're not going to believe this
>
> Dear Colleagues
>
> I thought I'd start our Monday off with a bit of Ridleys "believe it
> or
> not".
>
> I had a knock on my front door last week and opened it to find a very
> civilian looking young twenties-something guy with his front teeth
> missing (just giving you the flavour). He was holding what looked to
> be
> a stack of flyers in his hand. Home alone with my two young toddlers
> I
> was on high alert anyway. He said he was offering home renovations
> internally or externally. Of some interest as we'd been looking for
> such a business, I stepped out into the driveway shutting the door and
> children behind me in house.
>
> I indicated a cautious interest so I got the big spiel, if a bit of a
> wet one, and he immediately asked for all my details so someone could
> call us back later that evening. To which I flatly refused. More
> spiel
> so I pointed to a house along the road who had the sort of thing we're
> looking to doing, to which he immediately said they couldn't that type
> of thing. Now, I started getting a bit sus as it was not a major
> piece
> of work at all. Again he waved his flyer around and asked for my
> details. Again I refused, but I reached out and touched one of his
> flyers to pull of his bundle and said, "I tell you what, you give me
> one
> of these flyers and we'll call your company ourselves and get some
> information" to which he pulled them away out of my hands saying he
> can't hand the flyers out (!!!).
>
> So I said, right then are you in the phone book, to which he said no
> as
> well. Laughing and smiling the whole time he tried repeatedly to get
> my
> details to which I said no each time and finally "are you trying to
> tell
> me as a company out to sell a product you're not going to give me one
> of
> your flyers, you're not in the phonebook, YET you want me to hand over
> all my details so you can "call" me later??? Are you serious???".
>
> To which he replied - and this is what this fine tale has been
> building
> up to dear colleagues - he turned around and actually said to me
> <you're
> gonna love this>: "I know I know, but there are some laws around to
> sort
> of protect information you know and I know of them so I can't give
> you
> any information about our business."
>
> Once my jaw picked up of the ground I snorted and gave him a hard
> stare
> and asked if he would be referring to the Data Protection Act to which
> he nodded profusely with another BIG SMILE. I said something back to
> the affect of, are you aware that the DPA legislation is for personal
> information about individuals and to my knowledge it doesn't concern
> big
> business but is there to protect the civilian.
>
> To which his smile dropped and he said I am obviously a smart lady who
> is finding him bit dodgy <to which I raised an eyebrow at him but said
> nothing> and said, just for me he'll give me one of his flyers which
> he
> is NOT allowed to do and will probably get into to trouble for, shoved
> the flyer into my hand, and flew out the driveway at a mile a minute.
> I
> went in a locked up the house.
>
> Thing is I think he was legit, being Cornwall there is a woeful lack
> of
> professionalism in local businesses and door knocking is common, but I
> can't believe that door knocking to drum up business is now putting
> the
> homeowner on the defensive as though WE are invading THEIR privacy!!!
>
>
> I thought I must share this new twist and interpretation of the law
> with my DPA colleagues. Obviously it shows a vulnerability that if a
> homeowner is not as aware of the law they would hand over all their
> personal details believing this person and the DPA is there to protect
> big business. Shiester or legit? Hard to tell. But he lost me when
> 1)
> he "couldn't " give me a flyer 2) insisted he could only take my own
> personal/property details 3) not in the phone book yet been "around
> for
> years" 4) and badly spouted the DPA to me.
>
> Welcome to Monday..... forgive the length anything less would have
> been
> misleading.
>
> Karen
>
> Karen Waite
> Corporate Records Manager
> Cornwall IT Services
> Megashed
> Royal Cornwall Hospital
> Truro. Cornwall. TR1 3LJ
>
> Ph: 01872 254500
> Fax: 01872 254508
> email: [log in to unmask]
>
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