Company uses public electronic communications service to make unsolicited calls

Between the 1st June 2015 and 31st December 2015, Change and Save Limited reportedly used a public electronic communications service in order to make unwanted calls for marketing purposes. Change and Save claimed they were contacting people about a life style survey, but this transpired to be false.

By making these calls, Change and Save Limited breached the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.

Over 200 people had complained to both the Telephone Referencing Service and to the director of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

The ICO as the independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, and promoting openness by pubic bodies and data privacy by individuals, investigated this matter.

OFCOM (The Office of Communications) has a register where people who do not wish to receive unwanted marketing calls. OFCOM set up the Telephone Preference Service in order to make sure that this does not happen. Change and Save Limited has been found in breach of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 and was served with an enforcement notice by the ICO to stop making the unwanted calls.

About Change and Save Limited

Change and Save Limited was founded in 2014 and is registered to an office in Bolton. The nature of the business is said to be media representation, advertising, and market research.

What was the outcome?

Change and Save Limited were served an enforcement notice. The notice stated that they could not use the public electronic communications to make unwanted calls to people who had already told them that they did not want to be contacted, and/or is an individual was registered with the Telephone Referencing Services.

How was the Data Protection Act Used?

Change and Save breached the regulations by contacting people who had already explicitly stated that they did not want to be contacted for marketing purposes. The Data Protection Act was used by Information Commissioner to serve and Enforcement Notice.

The Commission was satisfied that Change and Save had breached the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 and was able to serve an Enforcement Notice that prohibited them from contacting those who said they did not want to be contacted or who were only the Telephone Referencing Services.

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