News and updates

Avalon Direct Ltd fined £80,000

Article added:  16/04/2019

For those of you who’ve been living under a rock for the last 12 months or so, this case is primarily about Consent (or lack thereof).

Avalon Direct Ltd (previously Plan my Funeral Avalon Ltd) first came to the attention of the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) as a result of an article in the Mail on Sunday dated 19^th November 2017.

… Read the full article

Creating and using marketing lists

Article added:  25/02/2019

You should check the origin and accuracy of bought-in lists. You should screen call lists against the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), and only use bought-in lists for email, text or recorded calls with very specific consent.

For in-house marketing lists, use opt-in boxes wherever possible. Specify consent to marketing by email, text, fax, telephone or by automated call. Ask for specific consent also if you want to pass details to other companies and make sure you name or describe those companies.

… Read the full article

Alistar Green Legal Services Ltd fined £80,000

Article added:  31/01/2019

Alistar Green Legal Services Ltd was registered with Companies House in October 2016. By March 2017 both the ICO and TPS were receiving complaints from consumers about calls they had received.

No business commences trading on day 1, so in all likelihood, they would have started trading a few months later. That would mean that the business started to get complaints almost immediately. That’s not a good way to start any business

… Read the full article

Managers now liable for TPS breaches?

Article added:  24/01/2019

It’s safe to presume regardless of your job title that you tend to accept and obey the instructions of your superiors (senior mangers, directors) right? What if following those instructions could make you personally liable for the company’s actions?

It’s not a new concept. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has had similar powers for quite some time. Well now the Information Commissioners Office has it too.

… Read the full article

Direct Marketing Association withdraws TPS Protect app

Article added:  14/01/2019

Do you know what the TPS Protect app is? Well if the answer to that is no, then you’re not alone.

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) launched the app in August 2017 in conjunction with First Orion.

… Read the full article

Directors could be personally liable now for TPS breaches

Article added:  17/12/2018

Back in May 2017 year we reported on the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) plans to make Company Directors personally liable when they make nuisance calls or send nuisance text or automated voice messages in breach of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). PECR sets out the legal parameters for electronic direct marketing in the UK and covers testing automated voice, email and calling people registered on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) register.

… Read the full article

The latest fines from ICO and why you should be interested

Article added:  10/12/2018

For many, the actions of the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) are either boring or not relevant or so they think.

When I first started in business it was acceptable to get most of your ’industry information’ from fellow business contacts. Someone, somewhere was always deep into the rules and regulations and passing their knowledge into the food chain of information that we all tapped into. As the years have moved on so too has that process.

… Read the full article

DM Design Bedrooms Ltd fined £160,000 by the ICO

Article added:  23/11/2018

This is the second fine for this business. They were also fined in 2013, see DM Design fined £90,000 in March 2013.

Glasgow based DM Design Bedrooms Ltd have been fined £160,000 by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) for contact numbers registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

… Read the full article

Solartech North East Ltd fined £90,000 by the ICO

Article added:  23/11/2018

Trading under the brand name Hometech Home Improvements, Middlesbrough based Solartech North East Ltd have been fined £90,000 by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) for calling numbers registered on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) register.

Solartech first came to the attention of the ICO whilst advertising itself as a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), but its main activity now is windows, doors and roofing.

… Read the full article

Secure Home Systems Ltd fined £80,000 by the ICO

Article added:  31/10/2018

West Midlands based Secure Home Systems Ltd has been fined £80,000 by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) for calling consumers registered on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

Secure Home Systems provides home security solutions ranging from alarm systems and panic buttons to 24 hour monitoring services.

… Read the full article

ACT Response Ltd fined £140,000 by the ICO

Article added:  30/10/2018

Cleveland based ACT Response Ltd have been fined £140,000 by the ICO for calling data taken from a telephone directory and failing to screen it against the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) register beforehand.

The Information Commissioner (ICO) received a high number of complaints about the company, although the exact number wasn’t specified.

… Read the full article

Fed up with GDPR yet? – Third Party Data Agreements

Article added:  30/09/2018

The amount of emails and calls about GDPR is endless. On the one hand we have to know this stuff, but on the other hand we want to strangle the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) for taking on board something that is forcing the average business owner to become a compliance expert.

GDPR is complicated for the best of us.

… Read the full article

Oaklands Assist UK Ltd fined £150,000

Article added:  26/09/2018

Manchester based Oaklands Assist UK Ltd has been fined £150,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for making thousands of nuisance direct marketing phone calls to numbers register on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

In what some might see as a rather short period of time (May to July 2017), Oaklands Assist UK Ltd made 63,724 calls to people registered with the TPS.

… Read the full article

Everything DM Ltd fined £60,000

Article added:  04/09/2018

Long established Marketingfile Ltd (now Everything DM Ltd) has been fined £60,000 by the ICO for breaches of the Privacy Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

The Privacy Electronic Communications Regulations govern Telephone Preference Service (TPS) screening.

Everything DM Ltd first came to the attention of the ICO as a result of an investigation conducted by Which? Magazine into early pension release schemes. Which? Ran two articles on early pension release entitled....

… Read the full article

TPS, CTPS or both? That’s the question.

Article added:  14/08/2018

We get customers regularly asking whether or not they should be screening against just the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), just the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS) or both? So we thought we’d clarify the differences.

Both registers perform the same task, but for two distinctly different sets of telephone numbers.

Here we explain what each register is, the differences between them and why you might want to screen against both even though you legally don’t have to.

… Read the full article

AMS Marketing Ltd fined £100,000

Article added:  27/07/2018

East Sussex based AMS Marketing Ltd has been fined by the ICO £100,000 for calling numbers registered on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) register.

AMS Marketing Ltd first came to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) attention when the number of consumer complaints associated with one of their telephone numbers put them on the ICO’s Monthly Threat Assessment list.

… Read the full article

Our Vault Ltd fined £70,000

Article added:  18/06/2018

Our Vault Ltd was generating leads for its sister company, and FCA regulated business, ST&R Ltd.

Our Vault Ltd conducted survey calls and supplied leads off the back of the surveys to ST&R Ltd. The Commissioner was keen to point out “It is clear, from a review by the Commissioner of call recordings and scripts provided by OVL, that the calls are aimed at promoting ST&R’s products under the guise of research.”

… Read the full article

Horizon Windows Ltd - ICO Enforcement Notice

Article added:  18/06/2018

Sometimes it’s difficult to work out just how many complaints will get you on the radar of the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). Well Horizon Windows Ltd got there for 104 complaints made against them for calling numbers registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) between January 2016 and January 2017. That’s an average of 8 complaints a month.

… Read the full article

GDPR and TPS Screening - Made Easy

Article added:  08/06/2018

GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation and is the new Data Protection regulations that came into law on 25th May 2018.

It’s essentially stricter than the Data Protection (DPA) Act 1998 it replaces.

Companies have been flouting the DPA for many years, growing lazy and managing their data in ways designed solely not to create problems or complaints. GDPR now places many of these businesses in a potentially difficult situation as failure to comply with GDPR has lots of potential consequences.

… Read the full article

IAG Nationwide Ltd fined £100,000

Article added:  25/04/2018

Compliance these days is a nightmare on so many different levels, but it can be frustrating to those businesses trying to do things properly to be faced with competition from companies like IAG Nationwide Ltd who, or so it would appear, adopt aggressive telemarketing tactics, hide their identity, don’t operate proper Do Not Call (DNC) procedures and break the rules on calling people registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

… Read the full article

Energy Saving Centre Ltd fined £120,000

Article added:  16/04/2018

Bradford based Energy Saving Centre has been fined £250,000 for breaching the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) rules.

Energy Saving Centre also trades under the brands Energiglass, Energisaver and Energy Care.

… Read the full article

Approved Green Energy Solutions fined £150,000

Article added:  16/04/2018

West Yorkshire based Approved Green Energy Solutions (a trading name of Mr Alex Goldthorpe) has been fined £150,000 by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) for calling consumers registered on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

… Read the full article

Check a single number against the TPS

Article added:  25/09/2017

You’ve told us that uploading a file simply to check one or two numbers is a pain and we understand that, so we’ve now given you the ability to check a single number straight on-screen.

Simply enter a number and get an immediate on-screen response with the results of your check and, if you need it, the ability to print a Certificate of Audit right there and then.

… Read the full article

Your Money Rights Ltd fined £350,000 for sending automated calls

Article added:  22/09/2017

Darlington based Your Money Rights Ltd, have been fined £350,000 by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) for sending automated calls to consumers.

Automated calls are regulated under the Privacy Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR - pronounced “peck-ra”). Sending calls is perfectly legal, but only if you have the proper consent from the recipients.

… Read the full article

True Telecom fined £85,000 for TPS complaints

Article added:  14/09/2017

Dartford based telecoms company True Telecom Ltd has been fined £85,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for making calls to consumers registered on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS)

Between 6 April 2015 and 27 April 2017, the TPS received 201 complaints (that averages about 8 complaints per month) from consumers about calls from True Telecom, despite having been registered on the TPS.

… Read the full article

Safestyle UK fined £70,000 for TPS complaints

Article added:  13/09/2017

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) issued a fine of £70,000 to H.P.A.S. t/a Safestyle UK reminding companies making direct marketing calls to people registered with the Telephone Preference Service is “off limits“.

H.P.A.S. Ltd (trading as Safestyle UK) broke the law when they called people who were registered with TPS, although it may not be quite as clear cut to some of you.

… Read the full article

Virgo Home Improvements fined £80,000 for TPS complaints in ICO crackdown

Article added:  11/09/2017

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) issued a fine of £80,000 to Laura Anderson Ltd t/a Virgo Home Improvements reminding companies making direct marketing calls to people registered with the Telephone Preference Service is “off limits“.

The warning comes as the ICO issues fines totalling £150,000 to two firms based in Bradford that, between them, sparked hundreds of complaints.

… Read the full article

Download TPS Certificates of Audit

Article added:  04/09/2017

You can already download a proof of screening certificate when you screen a file with TPS Services. These certificates are designed to keep a log to demonstrate that a particular file has been screened against the TPS and/or CTPS registers and to help call centres and brokers provide a ’proof of TPS screening’ back to their clients.

In addition to file based certificates, you can now print a certificate for a specific number.

… Read the full article

Home Logic UK Ltd Fined £50,000 for calling numbers on the TPS

Article added:  30/08/2017

Home Logic UK Ltd, based in Hampshire, has been fined by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for making calls without screening against the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

Between 1 April 2015 and 31 July 2016, the TPS received 136 complaints from consumers about calls from the domestic energy saving company, despite having been registered with the TPS for at least 28 days.

… Read the full article

Download your TPS history searches

Article added:  28/08/2017

Once you've screened your data, you can now search it and download your results to a CSV file.

This feature should help with passing information internally within your organisation when there is a complaint to investigate or to external bodies such as auditors, or compliance teams.

… Read the full article

TPS History Search - New Feature

Article added:  21/08/2017

The burden of Data Compliance is ever increasing. When a business receives a complaint from the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) it can be often relate to an alleged call made many months in the past. This leaves businesses having to check through countless files to see if they did in fact screen the number or not.

Well TPS Services has launched a new feature that will store the history on all the numbers you’ve checked (if you opt to do so) and allow you to run searches on your number check history for up to 12 months.

… Read the full article

Changing your telephone number when making sales calls

Article added:  16/06/2017

In an effort to increase sales, some dialler companies offer their customers a solution where the company’s CLI is changed to the same CLI as the number being called.

For example, if your business is based in Birmingham and you call a number in London beginning 0207 then the dialler would dial the number showing a CLI beginning with 0207.

… Read the full article

How to prove you’re TPS Checking

Article added:  05/06/2017

How we use data has been under intense scrutiny by every regulator since the end of 2015. Since that time, the word has spread and many companies are learning that there’s more due diligence required when buying and using data than they realised.

You simply cannot buy ‘anything’ from ‘anyone’, at least not anymore.

… Read the full article

Is the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) fit for purpose?

Article added:  25/05/2017

There have been many critics of the TPS over the last year or so, but are they right to complain that the “TPS doesn’t work”?

The TPS does not physically block calls and it’s this misunderstanding that causes many people to complain about its so called ineffectiveness.

… Read the full article

Brighter Home Solutions fined £50,000 for TPS complaints.

Article added:  22/05/2017

Brighter Home Solutions Ltd, an Essex based double-glazing company, have been fined £50,000 by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) for making calls without screening against the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

Between 4^th January 2016 – 26^th August 2016 the ICO received 187 complaints, 160 directly to the TPS, from consumers complaining about being called whilst on the TPS, but also about being misled by the call itself- in many cases Brighter Home Solutions presented a false number, making it look like they were calling from a local number.

… Read the full article

Fake TPS Calls - The promises to stop nuisance calls

Article added:  09/05/2017

If you’re struggling with nuisance calls you might be tempted to turn to one of the many commercial companies that promise to help, but be wary of the exaggerated and sometimes fake promises these companies will make to you.

Almost all of us have had our evenings interrupted by nuisance calls to switch our utility provider, get a better mobile phone deal or to reclaim our PPI. Signing up to the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is meant to stop unsolicited marketing calls, but it has its limitations.

… Read the full article

Making company directors personally liable

Article added:  04/05/2017

The Unsolicited Marketing Communications (Company Directors) Bill, which is the Bill that was proposing to make Directors personally liable for breaches of the Privacy Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), has “fallen” at the close of Parliament today (3rd May 2017).

Although the Digital Economy Bill was passed on the 27th April 2017, which put the ICO’s Guidance on Direct Marketing on a statutory footing, the director’s liabilities Bill was dropped, at least for now. This means that the fear factor of personal fines for company directors has for the time being gone away.

… Read the full article

What is "TPS online UK ECOM"?

Article added:  11/03/2017

For years now, consumers have been confused by the appearance of transactions on their bank and credit card statements showing “TPS online UK ECOM”.

What it is

TPS online UK ECOM is in fact The Perfume Shop (online, in the UK and ECOM stands for “Ecommerce“). So if you have TPS Online UK ECOM on your bank or credit card statement, the chances are that you’ve made a purchase from the Perfume Shop recently.

… Read the full article

Digitonomy Ltd fined £120,000 for unsolicited texts

Article added:  17/02/2017

Chester based Digitonomy Ltd has been fined by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) for sending unsolicited text messages.

This is yet another fine levied by the ICO for a common lack of understanding about what consent is required to contact people by text message (which applies equally to email and calling numbers registered on the Telephone Preference Service).

… Read the full article

The Data Supply Company Ltd fined £20,000 by the ICO

Article added:  07/02/2017

This is an unusual case, The Data Supply Company Ltd is the first list broker to be fined for selling data used in a text campaign by another company.

An ICO investigation found The Data Supply Company had sold more than 580,000 records containing people’s details to a company that then used that data to send text messages. This resulted in 21,000 spam texts being sent by the firm who bought the information and result in 174 complaints.

The company is a list broker, one of the key focus areas of the ICO at present.

… Read the full article

LAD Media Ltd fined £50,000 for unsolicited text messages

Article added:  06/02/2017

Bury based LAD Media Ltd have been fined by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).

LAD Media are a lead generation and data brokerage company, two of the data related business areas most recently being targeted by the ICO.

Over a 2 month period between early January 2016 and early March 2016, the ICO received 158 complaints about the company sending unsolicited direct marketing messages.

… Read the full article

IT Protect Fined £40,000 for TPS Breaches and more

Article added:  24/01/2017

IT Protect Ltd have been fined £40,000 by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) for, amongst other things, 122 complaints made to the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

IT protect Ltd was operating a business selling Call Blocking solutions. Companies offering call blocking solutions have been growing in numbers over the last couple of years.

… Read the full article

Assist Law Ltd Fined £30,000 for TPS Complaints.

Article added:  11/11/2016

Assist Law Ltd have been fined £30,000 for making calls to consumers registered on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) despite assurances from its suppliers that the data was opted in.

Between April 2015 and April 2016, the TPS received a total of 99 complaints, 84 directly to the TPS and 15 to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).

Over a 13 month period that amounted to just over 7 complaints a month. On the face of it that may not seem like a lot, however, it was enough to prompt the ICO to launch an investigation.

… Read the full article

Nouveau Finance Ltd fined £70,000 by the ICO for 92 complaints.

Article added:  07/11/2016

Ninety Two (92) complaints, that’s all it took to land Nouveau Finance Ltd in hot water with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) for spamming.

Although the fine related to spam texts, it could just as easily have been email or automated voice messages. The law applies in exactly the same way.

Nouveau Finance Ltd sent around 2.2 million illegal marketing text messages over a six month period advertising a loan matching service to generate loan leads.

… Read the full article

Directors to be personally fined for nuisance calls

Article added:  24/10/2016

The Privacy Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) first came into force in December 2003. Since then there have been 4 amendments.

Now a 5^th amendment planned for early 2017 will make Directors personally liable for breaches under PECR.

The proposal suggests that from Spring 2017 up to two directors can be fined up to £500,000 each meaning a total of £1 million in personal fines for PECR breaches.

… Read the full article

Ocean Finance fined £130,000 for unsolicited text messages

Article added:  29/09/2016

This is a very common problem in the marketing industry.

Ocean Finance organised with a company to send text messages that it thought were ok to send, because its supplier said so, and ended up with a £130,000 fine from the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).

What Ocean Finance didn’t realise, neither do many other companies both small and large, is that if you send texts, emails or automated voice messages your business is responsible for the sending regardless of whether you use your own data or data supplied by a third party.

… Read the full article

Omega Marketing Services Ltd Fined £60,000 for TPS Breaches

Article added:  08/09/2016

Glasgow based Omega Marketing Services Ltd has been fined £60,000 by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) for calling people registered on the TPS.

Omega Marketing Services Ltd made 1.6 million nuisance calls to sell solar panels and other green energy saving equipment.

Although the company was only created in October 2015, within weeks it was on the ICO’s radar with a large number of complaints being received from consumers.

… Read the full article

Vincent Bond & Co Ltd fined £40,000 for unsolicited texts

Article added:  05/09/2016

London based Vincent Bond & Co Ltd has been fined £40,000 by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) for sending unsolicited text messages.

Between the period 11th May 2014 and 14th December 2015 Vincent Bond & Co Ltd sent 346,162 text messages via a supplier who was introducing leads to the company.

… Read the full article

Working with Foreign Call Centres and the TPS

Article added:  01/09/2016

Many of us will have worked with, heard of or received a call from a foreign call centre at some point in time. We know they exist, we know people use them, but has your business ever been tempted to use one?

Here are some helpful tips on the Do’s and Don’ts when using a foreign call centre and what you need to know about the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

The TPS is a central opt out register whereby individuals can register their wish not to receive unsolicited sales and marketing telephone calls. It is a legal requirement that companies do not make such calls to numbers registered on the TPS.

… Read the full article

Advanced VoIP Solutions Ltd fined £180,000

Article added:  11/06/2016

Cheshire based Advanced VoIP Solutions Ltd has been fined £180,000 by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) for sending automated voice messages to consumers.

The £180,000 monetary penalty notice was issued to Advanced VoIP Solutions Ltd as a result of an ICO investigation prompted by 6,381 complaints.

… Read the full article

Firm behind thousands of spam texts fined by ICO

Article added:  10/06/2016

Quigley and Carter Ltd, a Manchester based company, has been fined £80,000 by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) for sending spam text messages.

The text messages led to over 2,600 complaints and sparked an ICO investigation.

Stephen Eckersley, ICO head of enforcement, said:

“People were left annoyed, angered and upset by these texts. The rules around electronic marketing messages are simple and there for a very good reason – to protect people’s privacy rights and stop unwanted phone calls, texts and emails.”

… Read the full article

TPS Registrations By SMS

Article added:  09/06/2016

From 27th May 2016 people will be able to register their mobile numbers on the TPS by texting the word “TPS” followed by their email address to 85095. This has caused an obvious surge in registrations with some days seeing a tenfold increase and the highest day a whopping one hundred times the normal daily registrations.

With registration increases like this, will there be any data left to call?

… Read the full article

Central Compensation Office Ltd ordered to stop bothering people with nuisance calls

Article added:  08/06/2016

Central Compensation Office Ltd, based in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire with its registered office in Bury, has been caught calling people registered on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

Calling people registered on the TPS without their express permission is against the law.

… Read the full article

Check Point Claims Ltd fined £250,000

Article added:  19/05/2016

It’s hardly new news nowadays, but the claims industry is still coming to terms with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) ruling last year about what consent is needed before you can engage in electronic marketing (text, email and automated voice).

From the consumer’s point of view, this fine is another victory for consumer protection, but from the industry’s point of view it’s another example of closing the door after the horse has bolted.

… Read the full article

Cold callers must display CLI

Article added:  26/04/2016

CLI stands for “Caller Line Identification”, in other words your phone number.

Whether you feel that showing your CLI when you’re making calls is a good or a bad thing, the fact is that the decision has been made and legislation is on its way to force companies making calls to show a valid CLI or else face the wrath of OFCOM and the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).

… Read the full article

Wales named as UK’s hot spot for cold calling

Article added:  05/04/2016

When you think of Wales, you probably think of Snowdonia, zip lining or white water rafting. However, for some, they think call centres...

...and when you think of call centres, you probably think of places like India, South Africa or the Philippines; at least that’s where most people think all of our call centres have moved to.

However, when it comes to telemarketing complaints, Swansea is in fact the UK’s Cold Call hot spot.

… Read the full article

Advice Direct Ltd fined £20,000 for calling numbers on the TPS

Article added:  01/04/2016

Advice Direct Ltd, trading as National Workers Office, has been fined £20,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for calling people registered on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and for not maintaining a proper Do Not Call (DNC) list.

Advice Direct Ltd was offering to help people claim compensation for Hearing Loss as part of an Industrial Accident Claim.

… Read the full article

Direct Choice Home Improvements Ltd fined £50,000

Article added:  31/03/2016

If you work in an environment that involves cold calling you could be forgiven for thinking that the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) is not a reasonable regulator. However, this case is a testimony to just how reasonable the ICO can actually be.

As far back as June 2014 Direct Choice Home Improvements Ltd were given notice that complaints had been received, but no further action would be taken. However, one year later in May 2015 the company was in the Telephone Preference Services (TPS) top 20 of complaints and then again in July, September and November 2015.

… Read the full article

Falcon & Pointer fined £175,000 for making automated calls

Article added:  28/03/2016

Falcon and Pointer, which had its MOJ licence revoked by the Claims Management Regulator in January 2016, told the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) that it had stopped making automated calls in June 2015. However, an investigation discovered that it continued to make a further two million automated calls during July and August 2015.

Some of these automated calls were made in the early hours of the morning demonstrating a complete lack of control by either Falcon & Pointer themselves or their supplier. In all likelihood, the supplier was based overseas and submitted the automated calls to be sent during the wrong time zone, which resulted in calls being received by consumers at all hours of the day and night.

… Read the full article

FEP Heatcare Ltd Fined £180,000

Article added:  19/03/2016

FEP Heatcare Ltd made over 2.5 million automated recorded calls promoting the company’s products and services putting them at the top of the ICO’s compliant list.

Although the company withheld its number, ICO investigators were still able to trace the calls to the Glasgow-based company.

… Read the full article

Have you been scammed into paying to register on the TPS?

Article added:  17/03/2016

If you’ve been receiving lots of nuisance calls then you may have been tempted to take up the services of one of a number of commercial companies who promise to help, but should you?

The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is law, but much to the disappointment and misunderstanding of consumers it does not physically prevent companies from calling them.

Contrary to some of the popular press, registering on the TPS does work. Where it falls down is that the TPS does not apply to foreign companies and of course, where have many of the UK’s call centres gone? Abroad!

… Read the full article

Have you purchased any data recently? Then you should read this.

Article added:  15/03/2016

There was a time (probably right up until August 2015^*) when you could just simply buy data from a data broker and not worry about it. There was a sense of trust and understanding between data seller and data purchaser. Well that’s changing.

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) are clamping down, some might say getting their act together, and this could impact you and your business.

… Read the full article

ICO fines MP David Lammy £5,000 for voice broadcasting

Article added:  15/03/2016

There was a time when people though that charities and political parties alike were considered to be immune from the rules governing cold calling.

However, a recent fine issued by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) to David Lammy MP shows that’s not the case.

David Lammy organised for nearly 36,000 automated calls to be sent over a two day period playing a recorded message that urged people to back his campaign to be the Labour party candidate for the Mayor of London.

… Read the full article

Prodial Ltd fined £350,000 for automated calls.

Article added:  04/03/2016

A West Sussex based lead generation company, responsible for over 46 million automated nuisance calls, has been fined £350,000 by the Information Commission’s Office (ICO).

The ICO received over 1,000 complaints about automated calls relating to Payment Protection Insurance (PPI). Complainants complained about receiving multiple calls which often carried no opt-out or live operator options effectively rendering consumers unable to stop them.

Brighton-based Prodial Ltd was operating out of a residential property and also hiding its identity by withholding its telephone number when making calls, which made it harder for people to report them.

… Read the full article

Direct Security Marketing Ltd fined £70,000

Article added:  17/02/2016

Dudley based Direct Security Marketing Ltd made nearly 40,000 automated calls in a single broadcast in just one day in an attempt to sell burglar alarms. Worryingly, 9,775 of these calls were made between 1am and 6am in the morning!

The ICO received 49 complaints from consumers about calls received by them on 24th August 2015. So it seems that a single attempt at what might have been a new marketing method caused the company many problems. Who knows how they came across this marketing method or who sold it to them, but between the company and their supplier no one seemed to be aware of their obligations under the law.

… Read the full article

MYIML Ltd fined £80,000 for calling TPS-registered subscribers

Article added:  15/02/2016

MYIML operates a lead generation business calling consumers to sell solar panels and other green energy saving solutions.

MYIML first came to the attention of the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) in November 2013 after it received a number of consumer complaints. It should have ended there, but MYIML continued to generate more TPS complaints.

… Read the full article

TPS services launches Proof of Screening Certificates

Article added:  23/01/2016

Many of our clients have asked us to provide proof that they have screened their files against the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) in order that they can evidence the fact to both clients and regulators that TPS screening has taken place.

So with this in mind, TPS Services has now created a Certificate of Audit to evidence that a file has been TPS screened. You can pass these Certificates on to your clients to evidence that you have screened their files.

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Zahier Hussain t/a National Advice Clinic fined £850,000

Article added:  03/12/2015

Zahier Hussain, trading under several business identities including the Industrial Hearing Clinic, the National Advice Clinic and the Central Compensation Office, has been fined £850,000 by the Claims Management Regulator (CMR).

The TPS received nearly 2,000 complaints against the company prompting an investigation into the company's business practices and leading to the biggest fine to date from the Claims Management Regulator (MOJ) for a Claims Management Company (CMC).

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ICO writes to 1,000 data companies

Article added:  22/11/2015

The ICO is taking the unprecedented step of writing to over 1,000 data suppliers as part of its ongoing battle against nuisance calls.

The ICO believes that data companies play an important role in the compilation and trade of names, addresses and telephone numbers which in turn feeds the nuisance calls industry.

When companies register for their Data Protection licence, they are required to identify if they trade in personal data. The ICO will be using this information to contact those companies.

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Cold Call Elimination Ltd fined £75,000 for calling numbers on the TPS.

Article added:  29/09/2015

The ICO has fined Cold Call Elimination Ltd £75,000 for making unsolicited marketing calls to sell cold call blocking devices.

Vince Costa-Barnett, Director of TPS Services said:

The total number of TPS complaints received against the company between the 14 June 2013 and 31st March 2015 was 382. That's the equivalent to £196 per complaint or around £3,500 per month. Judging by the last set of accounts filed at Companies House, it would seem that the fine is such a high price to pay that the company may not be able to afford it. Whatever business they thought they were trying to build, this fine probably just ended it. Stark reality for companies breaching TPS regulations.

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MOJ fines The Hearing Clinic £220,000 for TPS Breaches

Article added:  21/09/2015

Aurangzeb Iqbal (CRM 31218) trading as The Hearing Clinic (formerly trading under www.thehearingclinic.co) has been fined £220,000 by the Claims Management Regulator (MOJ) for calling people registered on the TPS.

The fine is the first to be issued by the Claims Management Regulator (the MOJ) since the government changed the law in December 2014 to introduce the fining power. Firms found breaching the regulator’s rules of conduct now face fines of up to 20% of their annual turnover, as well as having their trading licence suspended or removed.

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Point One Marketing Ltd Fined £50,000 for TPS Breaches

Article added:  18/08/2015

Point One Marketing Ltd (formerly Conservo Digital Ltd) has been fined £50,000 for 731 TPS breaches over a 14 month period (1st Feb 2014 - 31st March 2015) so that's £68.40 per breach or £3,571 per month.

The ICO received a number of complaints from TPS registered consumers saying:

• they had asked not to be called again, but that Point One Marketing had called them again anyway
• high pressure sales tactics
• sales staff were rude
• sales staff wouldn't tell consumers where they got their details from
• in some cases sales staff called the same number multiple times the same day

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Amber UPVC Fabrications fined £50,000 by ICO for cold calling

Article added:  27/05/2015

Vince Costa-Barnett, Director of TPS Services said:

“This case is a little old now, but somehow it slipped through the net and missed our news blog. Ordinarily, having missed it at the time, we'd just pass it over. However, it's absolutely relevant to the changes that came into play on 6th April 2015 as regards:”

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Direct Assist Ltd fined £80,000 for TPS Breaches

Article added:  01/04/2015

Direct Assist Ltd (a personal injury claims company) has been fined £80,000 by the ICO for making direct marketing calls to people without their consent.

An ICO investigation discovered Direct Assist instructed its staff to deliberately use phone numbers from lists they knew included people on the TPS and they did not screen them before calling.

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ICO raids call centre in Hove

Article added:  12/03/2015

Today, the ICO raided a call centre in Hove, Sussex thought to be responsible for making millions of nuisance calls.

It's believed that the business was using automatic dialling technology up to six million recorded telephone calls a day about Debt Management or Payment Protection Insurance (PPI). The calls were made anonymously by withholding the senders ID, were without consent and in such a way as to make it impossible to opt out of receiving them.

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New rules affecting cold calling coming 6th April 2015

Article added:  10/03/2015

On 6th April this year the ICO will get some new powers following a recent announcement by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that it will make it easier for the ICO to take action against companies making nuisance calls and sending spam texts.

The ICO currently has the power to issue monetary penalties of up to £500,000, but to do so requires them prove ‘substantial damage or distress’. We won't bore you with what that means, but the point is that test will no longer apply and businesses can now expect the ICO to be levying fines pretty much when it feels like it. With no formal threshold in place, it seems that the ICO will have to use its 'discretion'. If you've ever dealt with a regulator, you'll understand when we say 'discretion' rarely seems to fall on the side of the business!

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PLT Anti-Marketing Ltd charges to 'block calls' still trading, despite government attempts to close it down.

Article added:  03/03/2015

Attempts to close down PLT Anti-Marketing Ltd, which charges £4 a month to stop junk mail and block unwanted calls, is still caught up in a legal wrangle with the UK Government.

PLT Anti Marketing wants to be allowed to tell customers that it uses the free services (TPS and MPS) to block unwanted mail and calls – but not that the services are available for free. It wants to be able to continue deceiving consumers into paying for a service that is not only free, but intended to be free.

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Kwik Fix Plumbers fined £90,000 for harassing elderly victims with nuisance calls

Article added:  22/01/2015

Kwik Fix Plumbers Ltd (formerly Boiler Shield Ltd) of Croydon have been fined £90,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for making nuisance calls harassing vulnerable individuals. In several cases, the calls resulted in older people paying for boiler insurance it appeared they didn’t need.

Kwik Fix Plumbers Ltd had 214 complaints to the ICO and the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). The complaints were received between 1^st July 2013 and 31^st March 2014. The recipients of the calls were already registered with the TPS and had not previously consented to being called by the company. However, Kwik Fix Plumbers Ltd continued to contact these people in breach of the law.

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Nuisance Calls and Texts Task Force update

Article added:  16/12/2014

“This report takes a bit of reading, but if you have a team making outbound sales or marketing calls then I would urge you to spare the time and read it. You need to pay attention to the potential changes that are being discussed at the moment and how they might affect you and your business.”

Vince Costa-Barnett, Director TPS Services

The Nuisance Calls and Texts Task Force report Consent and Lead Generation was convened by Which? at the request of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), following the publication of the DCMS Nuisance Calls Action Plan in March 2014.

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ICO gears up for aggressive fine campaign in 2015 - Part 2

Article added:  20/11/2014

In Part 1 we made you aware of the impending changes to the way in which fines for breaching TPS regulations were going to operate. Now we cover the kind of action that the ICO can take against your business if you fail to operate proper call screening procedures.

The problem

Where a consumer feels that they have received an unwanted marketing call, they can register their concern with the ICO by phone or online. The ICO has a dedicated team that considers complaints, investigates breaches and can take formal enforcement action against those organisations or individuals who breach them.

… Read the full article

ICO gears up for aggressive fine campaign in 2015 - Part 1

Article added:  14/11/2014

The ICO is seeking to lower the legal threshold at which it can issue a fine to organisations contravening the TPS and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). This will cover direct marketing calls (live and automated), SMS text messages as well as fax messages and marketing emails.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is leading the consultation as it has ownership of the PECR, whilst the ICO has enforcement responsibility and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has policy responsibility for Data Protection.

… Read the full article

EMC Advisory Services Limited fined £70,000 for breaching TPS

Article added:  01/10/2014

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a £70,000 fine to EMC Advisory Services Limited, a Devon based marketing firm, for making calls to people registered on the Telephone Preference Services (TPS).

The company was responsible for 630 complaints to the ICO and the TPS between 1^st March 2013 and 28^th February 2014. So to be clear, that’s only 52 complaints per month which probably equates to a tiny fraction of the calls made by the company, but resulted in a fine equating to £195 per complaint.

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ICO orders Welsh company to stop making nuisance calls

Article added:  08/09/2014

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has served Camarthen-based direct marketing company Winchester and Deakin Ltd (also trading as Rapid Legal and Scarlet Reclaim) with an enforcement notice ordering them to stop making nuisance calls.

The move comes after an investigation discovered they had made unsolicited marketing calls to people who had registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) or who had asked not to be contacted and for whom Winchester and Deakin Ltd had not properly screened their data against the TPS or an internal Do Not Call (DNC) list prior to making those calls.

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Reactiv Media fined £50,000 for breaching the TPS

Article added:  30/07/2014

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has served digital marketing company Reactiv Media Limited with a £50,000 fine after an investigation discovered they had made unsolicited marketing calls to people who had registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

Between the period November 2012 and December 2013 the TPS received 481 complaints from individuals who had received unsolicited calls from Reactiv Media Limited despite being registered with the TPS. The ICO also received 120 complaints.

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Just how effective is Telephone Preference Service (TPS)?

Article added:  24/07/2014

Regardless of what people claim, signing up to the Telephone Preference Service does reduce the number of unsolicited live marketing or sales calls consumers receive by around one third and that's according to a recent report released by OFCOM.

The TPS is a free service for consumers enabling them to opt-out of receiving unsolicited live sales or marketing calls. Organisations are not supposed to make calls to consumers or companies who have signed up to the TPS register, unless they have given their prior consent. Some rogue companies ignore these rules, which is why some consumers registered with the TPS continue to receive nuisance marketing calls.

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Lord Faulks QC announces large fines faced by rogue claims firms bombarding people with nuisance calls.

Article added:  29/06/2014

Plans to increase the level of fines levied on firms that make nuisance calls have been given the go-ahead by the government.

Companies could face fines of up to 20% of their annual turnover for gathering information by the use of unsolicited calls and texts.

… Read the full article

‘Stop now’ order issued to Glasgow marketing company.

Article added:  16/06/2014

A marketing company based in Paisley, Glasgow has been ordered by The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to stop bombarding the public with nuisance marketing calls.

DC Marketing Limited made the calls to try and get people to purchase solar panels partly financed by the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund. An ICO investigation found the company also frequently gave a false name to avoid detection.

… Read the full article

Man down! ADMAR Online hangs up its hat

Article added:  15/05/2014

Wragby-based data services specialists ADMAR online is set to close. The firm has been trading for close to 25 years, providing a data bureau service. However, at a meeting of its directors held on Tuesday May 6^th they decided that it should close. The ADMAR website will be shut down as early as the week commencing 12^th May 2014.

… Read the full article

Crackdown on nuisance calls promised

Article added:  01/04/2014

Firms which break the rules could face fines of up to 20% of their annual turnover

The wheels are in motion that could soon make it easier to fine firms that pester members of the public with nuisance calls, including breaches of the Telephone Preference Service (the Government back solution to stopping unwanted sales calls for consumers and businesses alike).

… Read the full article

Apple Group Holdings Ltd fined £36,000 by Trading Standards

Article added:  24/03/2014

The UK has recently seen yet more enforcement activity against companies breaching the Privacy Electronic Communication Regulations (PECR) with Trading Standards in Dorset taking enforcement action for what is thought to be the very first time against cold callers.

… Read the full article

Marketing companies punished

Article added:  13/03/2014

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has ordered two telephone marketing companies in North West England to clean up their practices after over 100 reports were made to the regulator that the companies were making nuisance marketing calls.

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New bill proposed to help with nuisance calls

Article added:  06/11/2013

Mr Alun Cairns, MP for The Vale of Glamorgan, has tabled a backbencher’s 10-minute rule bill in the House of Commons on the issue of Nuisance Calls.

The proposed new law would force companies to reveal their phone number to householders. This would enable people to complain effectively about cold-calling companies if they wanted to.

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DMA Launches TPS new TPS Assured scheme

Article added:  01/11/2013

On 31^st October 2013, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) announced its new TPS Assured scheme for responsible telemarketers.

The new scheme is aimed at helping to promote an organisations compliance to good telemarketing practice and to demonstrate this to both its prospective clients and the public generally by the use of new TPS Assured logo.

… Read the full article

ICO calls on MP’s to change the law to help them clampdown on nuisance calls

Article added:  11/10/2013

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has urged MPs to change the law if they want to see the number of cold calls cut.

Simon Entwisle, the ICO’s Director of Operations, asked the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee to make it easier for the ICO to issue more fines to companies behind the calls.

… Read the full article

Energy Company Fined

Article added:  08/07/2013

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a Manchester company with a fine of £45,000 for blighting the public with unwanted marketing calls.

The ICO proposed to issue a fine of £90,000, but after taking into account the company’s financial situation it reduced the fine to £45,000.

Tameside Energy Services Limited describes itself as a company which offers a range of energy efficiency improvements. Between 26 May 2011 and 31 January 2013 the company was found to be responsible for over 1,000 complaints to the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and the ICO. In one case an 80 year old lady decided to complain after continuing to receive calls despite informing the company on 20 separate occasions that they must stop.

… Read the full article

TV cold-calling company fined £225,000 after thousands of nuisance calls uncovered

Article added:  18/06/2013

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has today issued two fines totalling £225,000 to two companies at the centre of the BBC Three programme ‘The Call Centre’. The fines include the first fine issued against a company linked to nuisance calls relating to Payment Protection Insurance (PPI).

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Nuisance phone calls 'complete review of the current system is desperately needed'

Article added:  11/06/2013

A recent survey by consumer champions Which? (www.which.co.uk) found that 85% of people are still being plagued by unwanted phone calls, with one in 10 of them receiving, on average, a whopping 50 or more unsolicited calls each month.

Nearly nineteen million phone numbers are registered on the TPS, but it seems that many of the registered TPS users interviewed by Which? were not happy with the service.

Which? sampled 2,070 people in the UK and about 6 in 10 people registered with the TPS were not satisfied with its service.

… Read the full article

Glasgow Company Fined

Article added:  20/03/2013

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a fine of £90,000 to a company that has blighted the public with thousands of unwanted marketing calls.

DM Design, based in Glasgow, has been the subject of nearly 2,000 complaints to the ICO and the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). The company consistently failed to check whether individuals had opted out of receiving marketing calls – in clear breach of the law - and responded to just a handful of the complaints received.

… Read the full article

Ukash Scam

Article added:  29/01/2013

These days we‘ve all become accustomed to new ways of doing things, including how we pay people. What was once cheques, became credit cards which morphed into online payments, PayPal and the list seems never ending.

But there is a new breed of electronic payment that has lent itself to wide scale fraud and our acceptance of embracing new ways of doing things is leaving thousands of consumers out of pocket.

… Read the full article

Bogus TPS Calls

Article added:  08/01/2013

The Telephone Preference Service is run by the Direct Marketing Association on behalf of Ofcom and is completely free to consumers.

The TPS will not call a subscriber of the service to ask for personal details or payment to complete a registration.

If you have registered via the web and have received an e-mail confirmation and clicked on the attached link, that's it! Your number will be registered for FREE on the TPS register which is used by thousands of legitimate companies to screen their outbound call lists.

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Cold Calling victim who fought back

Article added:  27/10/2012

Complaints about unsolicited calls and texts from sales and marketing companies have reached an all-time high, but one man took it upon himself to fight back.

A man from Middlesex, successfully claimed back the cost of his time from a firm which called him when he had specifically asked them not to.

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