Unsolicited Mail/Mail lists, Legal?

[Nick Trollope]

Hello all

I recently received a mailshot from a new restaurant in Dinan. This in itself is not an issue, what I am concerned about is where they got my details (French address). The mailshot was in English, so whoever sold them my name and address must have identified me as English.

I reckon I know who it was (who sold the list) as I can't believe that EDF etc would a) sell their customers or b) be able to identify my natural language.

Is the selling of mailing information legal under French privacy laws?

 

[IAN_S]

It makes you wonder doesn't it? I got several issues of the English language newspaper from the Nice area inviting me to subscribe and we had only been here a year or so.

I don't know about France but in the UK there are several very professional mail list suppliers who keep very up to date lists on computers and can sort the data any way you want so I'm pretty sure that could happen here as well.

Where they get it from in the first place is a mystery to me except that they may offer employees of EDF, mairies,La Poste etc etc some sort of commission for this sort of information.

[Pangur]

[quote]It makes you wonder doesn't it? I got several issues of the English language newspaper from the Nice area inviting me to subscribe and we had only been here a year or so. I don't know about France b...[/quote]

Where they get it from in the first place is a mystery to me except that they may offer employees of EDF, mairies,La Poste etc etc some sort of commission for this sort of information.

I assume it works in the same way as the UK - unless you specify that you do not want your details passed on to other companies for marketing purposes, your name will be sold to these mailing list companies.  It's not that difficult to target people - for instance they might have mailed to everyone on a list with an English sounding name, or have bought names from an English company who has addresses for British residents in France.

 The Data Protection Act has it a lot harder for UK companies to give your name without asking you first, but I'm not sure to what extent France has rolled it out.  Think of all the times you have given your name and address out - whether it is to France Telecom, Orange or perhaps to get a loyalty card for your local supermarket.  It can be impossible to trace where exactly it came from once you get put on a commercial list.

I got a charity mailing within 2 months of moving here

 

 

[Mpprh]

Hi

Due to bureaucracy requirements at the time our telephone was listed under my wifes maiden name (matched her id card).

Surprisingly (or not !), we get a lot of mail and telephone selling based on that name. FT is the only possible link to that name.

Peter

 

 

[Liz]

I'm the same Peter. I get all the mail and my husband gets nothing. Either FT sell lists or people can just go through the telephone directories and pick out the English names. Fortunately I only get very few unsolicited mailings, compared with the UK it's no problem to sling them straight in the bin.

Liz (29)

[Choochoo]

Hi everyone

I can confirm that the culprit is France Telecom. When we first had our phone line installed they got our address wrong,putting us down as  number 12 instead of number 14. Guess what ,after a while we started getting junk mail etc. all addressed to number 12 ! Of course the postman delivered them to us as he knew they were meant for us.

The amount of junk mail here still astounds me,compared to UK.

Regards to all

 

John & Sue (50)

[Anton Redman]

I opted for 'Orange' (UK equivalent is Telephone Preference Service) which means you are not cold called but are in the 'phone directory. We get normal Post Publicity but no mailshots except from current suppliers like our bank.

[Clair]

[quote]I opted for 'Orange' (UK equivalent is Telephone Preference Service) which means you are not cold called but are in the 'phone directory. We get normal Post Publicity but no mailshots except from curr...[/quote]

See a similar thread in the Satellite. TV, etc forum, under "Chamois or orange" heading...

FT has 3 free options for your tel listing and they can be taken up from FT website: http://www.agence.francetelecom.com

section votre ligne, les services compris

Liste orange is if you don't want any marketing calls, but you are still listed in the annuaire/directory.

Liste chamois is if you don't want marketing AND don't want to be listed in the annuaire/directory.

BUT marketing companies can get your number even if you're on the liste orange, as directories can be purchased by anyone. So any listed personne is a target. The only garantee you'll have is that FT will not have SOLD your number directly to them...

Liste rouge will do all the above AND and also prevent your number being given out by directory enquiries.

Despite the scary looking advice shown on FT's website, it will NOT stop emergency services from finding you, but it WILL prevent any Joe Bloggs from getting hold of your number... Presumably, anyone you know and trust already has your tel number, so choosing not to be listed is the ONLY option to ensure FT does not print/publish your contact details, therefore, stopping any marketing company from getting hold of them.

Secret permanent will stop your number being displayed or redialled from 3131.

I used to be on liste orange when FT used to charge for liste rouge, then went on liste rouge when it became free.

I have NEVER received any marketing call in 2 years of being on the liste rouge.

Any unsolicited mailing just gets sent back, unstampted, marked inside

"Veuillez ne plus me contacter SVP".

In France, you have to opt OUT of mailings, usually in writing. They're gradually coming round to the opting IN option, but it is very slow...

[Mpprh]

Hi

the reason I know it is FT is when I get the telephone sales call that starts : Bon soir. Est-ce que M XXXX ? I reply : Non Il n'y a pas un M XXXX ici. Then they say : Est ce que Mme XXXX est la ?

And of course we get all the mail stuff addressed to Mme XXXX.

And I don't remember seeing any options when we signed up with them in 1999 ?

Slightly different, but resulting in the same problems :

If you book a rental car with Hertz, you have to click one of two boxes to process the reservation :

1) Do you agree to Hertz and selected partners contacting you ?

2)Do you agree to Hertz and selected partners and others contacting you ?

A bit like saying "When did you stop beating your wife ?"

Peter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Owens88]

I dunno about French law about mailing lists but I do note that the Jehovah's witnesses (or equivalent) - English version , have apparently got very good radar at tracking down expats in France.

John