Two telemarketing companies in the North West have been ordered to clean up their practices – or face fines of up to £500,000 – after over 100 reports were made to the Information Commissioner’s Office that they were making nuisance marketing calls.
It is believed that the true number of complaints against Isisbyte, based in Oldham, and SLM Connect, based in Darwen, may be far higher, as the ICO has found evidence that both companies have been making nuisance calls while failing to correctly identify themselves.
All of the concerns were raised between January 2013 and February 2014. At the time, SLM Connect had contracted Isisbyte to carry out a marketing campaign on its behalf. SLM Connect took no steps to make sure Isisbyte was complying with the law. Both companies also conducted marketing calls on their own behalf.
The warnings and prosecutions are a part of the ICO’s continuing work to crackdown on firms making nuisance calls. The ICO has also successfully prosecuted two other firms this month Becoming Green (UK) , a green-energy deal company and a plumbing company Boilershield for failing to register with the ICO.
ICO head of enforcement Stephen Eckersley said: “The law is clear: every company making live marketing calls must not contact people who have already registered with the Telephone Preference Service. Isisbyte and SLM Connect not only failed to do this, but also tried to hide their identity by routinely telling people that they were calling from a different company.
“We have issued both companies with enforcement notices ordering them to improve their practices. They now find themselves in the last chance saloon, with the companies’ directors facing a potential criminal conviction if they fail to comply with the notices and the companies looking at a possible monetary penalty of up to £500,000, if they fall foul of the law again.
“The public are fed up of receiving nuisance marketing calls and we will continue to punish those responsible for breaking the law.”
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