Bit of a rant here, so feel free to ignore. I got an email last night from GiffGaff, which is some sort of mobile network company 'run by you'. 'Welcome' they said 'Great to have you with us' they said. Only problem being of course that I hadn't joined them. Some nitwit had, and for reasons that make no sense to me, had provided them with my email address.
Now, any sane, sensible, intelligent company that knew what they were doing would have sent me an email validation to say 'Can you confirm that this is your email address please?' You know - the kind of thing that most companies do. Not this shower though, oh no. They just joined me. I love this line in the email:
"Just to re-assure you, we hate spam too. This email was sent to you because you have given giffgaff permission to contact you via this address. giffgaff may email you from time to time to let you know important information about your giffgaff account plus other giffgaff news."
No, I have NOT given you permission to contact me via this address - you just decided to, and didn't give me an option to tell you not to. That's SPAM.
However, I decide to close the account, or at least, stop them sending me stuff. So I go to the website, where they want me to log in, with my user name and password. Y'know - the ones that I don't have *because I hadn't joined their service*. So not much I can do there. However, they have a help forum. So I go along to that; I knew what would happen, and it did. 'Before you can post, you have to join with your user name and password.'
So let's go along to their Facebook site. I complain. The next thing that I know is they have sent me a link to change my password. Now of course, this is where it gets interesting. They have now given me the opportunity to take over one of their members accounts. I haven't hacked it or anything... they have GIVEN me the means to do this. Now, I have no idea what's in that account, and I'm not going to find out. But I know the phone number, since they provided me with that in the initial email. I could do lots of interesting things in the account though, I am sure.
So - not only do Giffgaff NOT validate email accounts, they spam, they have no proper method of contacting them, and they're giving me permission to get into a members account. These people are an absolute shower - and if you have anything to do with them, I'd run away quickly.
I disagree. I have been a GiffGaff customer for the last two years. Best mobile service provider I have ever been with.
Posted by: AJ Cann | October 25, 2012 at 03:42 PM
You disagree that a competent company should require email validation before 'joining' someone to their service?
I'm not sure what point you're trying to make here really - they may well be good mobile service provider (and since it's you I'll absolutely take that on trust), but that's not really the point I'm making with this post. :)
Posted by: Phil Bradley | October 25, 2012 at 03:50 PM
They are in breach of the Data Protection Act since they hold inaccurate information about you (i.e., thinking you are a client when you are not). You could complain to the ICO if you were so inclined - assuming they are a UK-based organisation.....
Posted by: Charles Oppenheim | October 25, 2012 at 04:05 PM
Ah well, the interesting point with that Charles is that they don't appear to think they need to register with the ICO as this article from my friend Bill Ray, a reporter at The Register, points out...
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/06/14/giffgaff_gaffs/
Posted by: Phil Bradley | October 25, 2012 at 04:09 PM
Their failure to register with the ICO is a second, separate offence! They are in breach of the Act over holding inaccurate information whether they have registered or not. Depending on your time available/inclination, you could write a formal complaint about them to the ICO. I can help you draft it if you like!
Posted by: Charles Oppenheim | October 25, 2012 at 04:59 PM
A password reset link would ask for your email address, when you enter your email address it would come back that you have no account.
No phone number is included in the welcome email as no phone number is yet assigned to the free SIM that is on its way to you, mobile number is assigned when you activate that SIM, not before.
I agree a email confirmation link should be used however you do not have access to anyone elses account.
Posted by: Thomas | October 25, 2012 at 07:34 PM
Sorry Thomas but no. The welcoming email that I got did give me a phone number.
Posted by: Phil Bradley | October 26, 2012 at 10:35 PM
it sounds like they assigned YOU a phone number for the sim card they were sending out.....NOT someone else's number
Posted by: ian french | October 31, 2012 at 07:12 PM