Data Providers UK, owned by Infomonitor Global LLC and also trading as B2B Data List Group, claimed to have 40 million 'records' for people in the UK, including 3 million 'opted in' e-mail addresses and mobile numbers. Its website boosted the use of "award winning tools" for targeting both consumers and businesses with advertisements and proudly stated it was a member of the Direct Marketing Association. Its list of clients included Asda, Hallmark, Virgin and Mercedes-Benz.

Ten complaints made to the Direct Marketing Commission, which is more or less the Direct Marketing Association's complaints handling department, were enough to push Data Providers UK out of business.

Client requirements

The complaints made to the commission mostly came from marketeers disappointed with the quality of the junk mail lists they had bought from Data Providers UK. Interestingly, one of the complaints was from a member of the public who had received a junk e-mail and had contacted Data Providers UK to find out how they had got hold of his personal details.

Complaints were dealt with "poorly", and Data Providers UK sold people's personal details "without proper regard for whether it met client requirements", according to the commission. The company had breached the Code of Practice on four counts and was given the toughest sanction the Direct Marketing Association can take against companies breaching the Code of Practice: the termination of its membership.

Expecting miracles from data campaigns

Within hours of being expelled Data Providers UK took down its website. In Google searches it's still advertised as "the leading business and consumer data supplier" and "a member of the Direct Marketing Association".

Marketing website Brand Republic managed to speak with an employee of Data Providers UK who confirmed the company has ceased trading. The employee told the website that only a small percentage of clients had complaints, and that the complainants had "very poor products and were expecting miracles from a data campaign."

However, in a press release the Direct Marketing Association stated Data Providers UK had brought the direct marketing industry "into disrepute" and that it had "no choice but to expel Data Providers UK from membership."

In 2009 telemarketing agency Wye Marketing was expelled for failing to complete its 'annual member compliance forms'. In February this year another telemarketer, Phruit Ltd, was suspended.

Links

• B2B Data Lists Group / Data Providers UK - complaints about direct marketing (dmcommission.com)
• DMA expels marketing data broker from membership (dma.org.uk)
• DMA expels data broker after code breaches (brandrepublic.com)