An emblematic case of a situation that seems out of control. The transition from the protected market to the free market has triggered the hunt for customers by call centers that act without scruples. Consumers are at the mercy of wild telemarketing, with incessant calls for often unclear offers and invitations to change their supplier as soon as possible to avoid paying very high bills. The recent sanction from the Privacy Guarantor fits into this worrying scenario, which the Codici association underlines in the hope that it will serve as an example. The reference is to the fine of over 79 million euros imposed on Enel Energia for serious shortcomings in the processing of personal data of numerous users in the electricity and gas sector, carried out for telemarketing purposes.
“The company was fined for not having protected its databases from access by abusive procurers – states Ivano Giacomelli, National Codes Secretary – and this demonstrates the need to strengthen the protection systems to keep safe what has now become a increasingly coveted prey: customer data. In recent months, calls from call centers have continued unabated. We are bombarded with phone calls from operators who, often in a confusing manner, offer us offers to take advantage of on the fly. Here, you have to be careful. There is no race against time, we must not panic when we receive this sort of ultimatum and, above all, it is not a quiz. It is important to respond calmly, possibly requesting further information via e-mail or at the offices of these companies to carefully read the commercial proposal. And then beware of answering in the affirmative, because sometimes a 'yes' taken out of context is enough to activate a contract that was not requested. It's not science fiction, unfortunately it's sad reality. Therefore, if on the one hand an effort is necessary on the part of companies to protect the data of their customers, as demonstrated by the sanction of the Privacy Guarantor against Enel Energia, on the other hand, prudent behavior on the part of consumers is important, because the traps and scams are lurking."
In the case of contracts activated without request or "crazy" bills, consumers can contact the Codici association to request assistance by calling 065571996 or writing an email to segreteria.sportello@codici.org.
