Anger as Council gives out private mobile numbers

A Rochdale woman has been left angered after she was contacted by a research company from London working on behalf of Rochdale Council.

The woman, who doesn’t want to be named, was out shopping in the evening when she received a call on her personal mobile from ORC International.

The call was a survey to find out about customers most recent experiences with the council and what they would like from the council in the future.

“I asked them how on earth they had got my mobile number – he said from Rochdale Council and started to explain the council is using this company to find out about how people contact the council and what they think about council services,” said the woman.

She added: “I am furious, furious that the council had given out my personal mobile number and furious that they are spending money on a company to ring me on my mobile, out of hours, whilst I was out doing my shopping.

“I have never given the council my permission to use my mobile number in that way.

“Why did they give it out in the first place?”

The livid woman is now reconsidering how she will contact the council in the future, if she does at all.

“I am reluctant to ring the council now, full stop.

“I am in two minds as to ever contact the council again,” she said.

At a time when the council is trying to save money the woman questioned how much this had cost.

“I am also angry that they are using a London company, I don’t think they should use any at all, but shouldn’t it be a local company?

“They have just announced all these cuts, they want to save millions and they are spending money on this – it just seems stupid,” she added.

To add insult to the injury the council released a statement to Rochdale Online which says they are trying to remove mobile numbers from the list, not only have they failed to do this but it appears this has happened on more than one occasion.

A spokesperson for the council said: “Last week, we received two calls from customers who had been contacted about the survey. One customer wanted to check whether the company was legitimate and to ask why the council had not done this by post - we chose to use the phone as it is less expensive and more effective.

“The other wanted some reassurance as to how her mobile number had been accessed.

“It appears that in this instance, the number was inadvertently included in a list of numbers supplied to the researchers as an extract from our customer relationship management system. Only numbers were extracted and no personal details alongside this.

“As a direct result of the customer’s call, our Head of Customer Access apologised to the customer personally, and immediately contacted the research company, who removed the mobile number and checked all of the other numbers supplied.

“The customer was also contacted again today, at her request, by our contact centre manager in order to give her the option of removing her number from our customer records if she wanted to do this.

Cabinet member for Finance, Councillor Greg Couzens said: “For the council to deliver better services we first need to understand our customers – and we can only do this by listening to them. As part of the work we are doing to improve our services, we are carrying out a survey to ask people about their most recent experiences with us.

“Surveying started at the beginning of last week and so far 188 people have been interviewed. We chose an independent company to do this for us, to enable us to get a totally objective view of what our customers think – and to ensure that we have good quality information that will allow us to make improvements from a customer rather than a council point of view.

Mr Couzens added: “It is important to stress that the company employed to do this is a legitimate research company, not a marketing company.

“The council would never pass on any personal details for this purpose.

“At the start of every call, we have agreed a script with this company to explain why they are calling – and where they ask permission for a survey to take place. If people do not give their permission, the survey does not go ahead. No individual survey results can be linked back to individuals and the information will be used only to help us to improve the services we offer.”

Leader of the Labour Party, Councillor Colin Lambert, said: “I would like to know what other personal information is being given out, if mobile numbers are being given then what other information do they hold.”

Councillor Lambert, continued: “With regards to the council using a research company in London, well I find it unbelievable that they are once again going out of the borough and out of Greater Manchester to use a research company.

“If they want to know what people think I suggest they walk down a few streets and knock on a few doors and they will soon find out that the council is treated as a joke.”