As of next week a new mobile directory service is to launch which allows people to locate the mobile phone numbers of people they do not even know and is run by 118800.
The 118800 service will cost the user £1 and uses a database of mobile phone numbers which they claim are freely available to buy and are in the public domain and claims to hold 15 million numbers.
Privacy campaigners have complained to the Information Commissioner’s Office, however the ICO have ruled that the system does comply with current laws and isn’t that much different to other companies who use such contact lists for cold calling. We have a video which you can view below that lets you know all about the service.
It took over 40 phone calls (0800 138 6263) and 2 hours to get through to talk to someone to have my mobile numbers removed and then they tell me that they are just sub-contracted to run the service, and they had been briefed that they would be receiving a lot of flak over this.
4 weeks to remove, and they will not prevent your number being used during that 4 weeks, also they refuse to send you confirmation that your details have been removed from their database.
If Connectivity Ltd. are that confident that the service is useful and commercially viable, why do they not use an opt-in policy, instead of buying dodgy lists.
http://www.twitter.com/ripoffbritain for updates on the 118800 privacy disaster.
I will certainly remove my number, a lot of people want my number ie: ex-colleagues who have nothing better to do than make unscrupulous phone calls just to anoy people.
Nigel
Hi, Neil from 118800.co.uk here.
We don’t give out mobile numbers. 118800 is a service for connecting people that know each other’s name and address. In the majority of cases it will be a friend or colleague who has lost your number or doesn’t have it on them and needs to get in touch. If you are contacted it will be by 118800 calling to announce the name of that person, or sending a text message with the name and number of the person trying to get in touch. It will then be up to you whether you want to speak to them or not.
For more information please visit our website on http://www.118800.co.uk