Can’t stand junk mail

Today I was in a perfect petty Accountant mood so I called up loan.co.uk from which I had received junk mail and I asked where they got my address from. Experian was the answer. Experian is a credit scoring company, y’know if you got difficulty getting credit cos somebody have stolen you ID etc.

I did a Google search for Experian and found their website, navigated to the “Contact us” and called 0870 241 6212 and what do I get. Automated Phone Voice and nobody to speak to – hate that.

Next step was to use yell.co.uk (I really like this website) and searched for Experian, found a new number 0131 228 8030. I called it and in a short-ish tone explained what I wanted. She did not want to deal with me and give out the HQ number in Nottingham 0115 941 0888. I called this number and was put through the Marketing dep. (the root of all evil according to Dilbert).

The girl could not find me in their database, searched for post code, first line of my address and finally when she searched for my surname she found me with the comment “Oh I don’t know why I couldn’t find you before”. Firstly, I asked her where Experian got my name and address from and secondly to be taken off their database.

Secretly, I was hoping that she would say that I had signed up for one of their credit reports ages ago and they had used that info to sell the database. I had a nice, long and sarcastic speech in my mind. But no – it was worse. They had bought the information from Companies House (where all Annual Accounts etc must be sent, required by law).

I am a Director for the Resident Association where I live (somebody must keep an eye on our dodgy Accountant) so my name and address is submitted with the Annual Fin.States.

Now I was pissed off, Google searched Companies House and found their phone number 0870 33 33 636 and asked them what right they had selling their database? The guy didn’t appreciate my tone of voice and just barked that all info on Companies House is public so if I don’t like it then I could resign from my duties.

I answered back that I fully understand that transparency is needed for the Accounts but what right do they have to selling their database? No answer but I got another phone number to get a Confidentiality Agreement to be able to use a “Service Address”

I called this number and I spoke to a really nice man. He asked if I knew what a Confidentiality Agreement was. I said no and he explained that there was a fee of £100. Once the form had been filled in, then it would be passed on to the Police and they would make a risk adjustment to see if there was any violence and/or harassment involved. Not even I can call junk mail harassment, it is basically to protect if you got animal right activist etc on your case.

I said to the nice man that I thought it was immoral of Companies House to sell their database to companies who will use it as a commercial tool to send out junk mail and which in turn can lead to ID thefts. He said that legislation is about to change and maybe mid-2007 there would be a change.

All of this really sucks!

And I am a saddo when it comes to this stuff ....