The ICO has fined a company for making illegal marketing calls … trying to sell call blocker systems!
The ICO reports that YCSL has been fined £170,000 for making 188,000 unsolicited direct marketing calls to customers registered with the Telephone Preference Service (“TPS”).
Leaving aside the irony, the important takeaway point for us all is that we need to regularly check our call lists against TPS, and of course our mailing lists against MPS. Some direct marketing and fulfilment houses will do this for you, but it is still your responsibility to make sure they do.
Add to this the requirement to check against Fundraising Preference Service registrations and any declared marketing preferences, and you can see why a good CRM or fundraising database is essential if you are to demonstrate compliance.