Advent Calendar-Data Protection?

[toyboy54]

May be a bit of nitpicking here but as my home phone no. is unlisted I would prefer not to enter it into the info box as asked for in the entry form....but it comes back to say I must enter it!!
WHY??
I've already entered my e-mail address,surely that should be enough.Could give them my mobile number but I don't know what it is without going downstairs and asking SWMBOwho has just renewed my G.M.subscription as part of Xmas pressie----lucky little me!
Really though,think about it,....how much of your personal info is out there and,more to the point,how safe is it???

As to the Advent entry then I'm out,unless G.M. use my email to put up a good case as to why they need this info.
Would be interested in your opinions/experiences and also if I get a reply from G.M.
Thanks for your time
Jimbo

 

[Garush34]

I'd have thought a phone number would be required to get in contact with you quicker if you won a prize. A lot of people don't check emails all the time and also some email providers could block the message or put it into the spam folder so you might not see it. In my job we contact a lot of people for prizes/competitions and this seems to be the case.

Just put your mobile number in twice, that's what I did. Or just put 07000000000.

 

[toyboy54]

Garush..... Thanks for your 'idiot proof'(i.e. me)reply.Suppose that it makes sense but still don't like giving out the number at home so may well do the mobile.Wonder if the mobile number will be accepted?...guess it will if you recommend this action!

Jimbo

 

[pokerjoke]

You can hardly do anything without giving an email address now and its all so they can contact you with hundreds of offers.
I get 10 emails a day related to golf and probably 10 junk emails also all because ive entered a comp or purchased something golf related.
Bloody frustrating sometimes but as you say you cant enter if you don't give the info.

 

[pbrown7582]

Garush..... Thanks for your 'idiot proof'(i.e. me)reply.Suppose that it makes sense but still don't like giving out the number at home so may well do the mobile.Wonder if the mobile number will be accepted?...guess it will if you recommend this action!

Jimbo

I don't have a landline we use it's there bit no phone actually attached so just put mobile twice.

 

[dufferman]

For those with concern for email... just tick the 2 boxes which say "tick here if you DO NOT wish GM to send you marketing info or share your details with 3rd parties". That stops any unwanted emails.

As for the telephone numbers... Now I know who to blame for the PPI calls I keep getting!!

 

[JustOne]

For those with concern for email... just tick the 2 boxes which say "tick here if you DO NOT wish GM to send you marketing info or share your details with 3rd parties". That stops you winning any prizes.

Fixed that for you

 

[AMcC]

You can hardly do anything without giving an email address now and its all so they can contact you with hundreds of offers.
I get 10 emails a day related to golf and probably 10 junk emails also all because ive entered a comp or purchased something golf related.
Bloody frustrating sometimes but as you say you cant enter if you don't give the info.

Can be worthwhile having a couple of email addresses, use one for important business and contact with friends and family. Use a second email address when asked for it in shops, competitions etc, that way most of the spam / junk goes to the one place.

 

[Crow]

I used to use a second email address for entering comps and the like so that my main one didn't get full of spam.

The only trouble was, as mentioned above, I didn't look at it very often. A few years back I realised this was not good practice when I looked into said second email to find several emails saying that I'd won a GolfBuddy GPS, the first of which was from nearly three months previous! A few panicked emails sent and luckily for me they'd held the GPS and not given it to a second placer.

The GolfBuddy is going strong 6 years later and the battery still gives 2 to 3 rounds of play so time for another plug of an excellent piece of kit! :thup:

 

[dufferman]

Fixed that for you

never!

 

[Deleted member 15717]

Fixed that for you

I often wondered about that...

 

[Hacker Khan]

May be a bit of nitpicking here but as my home phone no. is unlisted I would prefer not to enter it into the info box as asked for in the entry form....but it comes back to say I must enter it!!
WHY??
I've already entered my e-mail address,surely that should be enough.Could give them my mobile number but I don't know what it is without going downstairs and asking SWMBOwho has just renewed my G.M.subscription as part of Xmas pressie----lucky little me!
Really though,think about it,....how much of your personal info is out there and,more to the point,how safe is it???

As to the Advent entry then I'm out,unless G.M. use my email to put up a good case as to why they need this info.
Would be interested in your opinions/experiences and also if I get a reply from G.M.
Thanks for your time
Jimbo

Just put a false number in. As others I have a couple of email accounts, one is for comps and one is mostly for mates.

But as for worrying about how much your personal information is out there than I'm afraid that cat is well and truly out the bag. And I suspect and half decent criminal or even legal organisation could get just about all your personal information and build up an extremely accurate picture of what you like and where you go if they really wanted to

 

[LincolnShep]

Can be worthwhile having a couple of email addresses, use one for important business and contact with friends and family. Use a second email address when asked for it in shops, competitions etc, that way most of the spam / junk goes to the one place.

I have four email addresses - one of which I use exclusively for registrations, competitions etc. where I'm not sure of the hosts reliability. About a year ago, I started pointing them all to Hotmail as I've found their junk filter works really well and 'learns' quickly. I don't lose anything that it classes as junk but I don't get notifications of the email arrival. Quick scan of the junk folder every couple of days before emptying it - I very rarely have to move anything from junk to inbox.

As for phone numbers, I never give mine out. If a form insists on having a number, I look up the contact number for whoever owns the form and put that in! It'll probably never happen but I love the idea of the British Gas call centre ringing the British Gas call centre to try to sell them British Gas.

 

[toyboy54]

Great answers and points made chaps...thanks for the help.I've used the mobile number twice,but will see SWMBO about getting a 2nd e-mail address set up for just such a situation.....what a simple idea!!
As to LincolnSheps suggestion in paragraph 2,that is just class!!!!!

Jimbo

 

[Moff]

Jim,

You really need to stop over thinking things. Or drinking when on online.


Hugs & kisses.

 

[williamalex1]

Beware of advent calendars, I received one from the Mormons , when i opened the first door, there was 2 of them behind it. :rofl:

 

[toyboy54]

Moff....How you doing ?Are you playing at weekend,if so may see you there.I'm coming back from couple of broken fingers and can't wait to get out!! And NO!!!Have not been on the sauce....wish I could drink tho'sometimes..would have been nice anesthetic when I went down and bust the fingers!!!

Jimbo

 

[Moff]

Moff....How you doing ?Are you playing at weekend,if so may see you there.I'm coming back from couple of broken fingers and can't wait to get out!! And NO!!!Have not been on the sauce....wish I could drink tho'sometimes..would have been nice anesthetic when I went down and bust the fingers!!!

Jimbo

Supposed to have rosebowl tie mate but hopefully that will be bumped as looking like minus temperatures and i cant be arsed with temp greens.

 

[MikeH]

May be a bit of nitpicking here but as my home phone no. is unlisted I would prefer not to enter it into the info box as asked for in the entry form....but it comes back to say I must enter it!!
WHY??
I've already entered my e-mail address,surely that should be enough.Could give them my mobile number but I don't know what it is without going downstairs and asking SWMBOwho has just renewed my G.M.subscription as part of Xmas pressie----lucky little me!
Really though,think about it,....how much of your personal info is out there and,more to the point,how safe is it???

As to the Advent entry then I'm out,unless G.M. use my email to put up a good case as to why they need this info.
Would be interested in your opinions/experiences and also if I get a reply from G.M.
Thanks for your time
Jimbo

Our privacy policy/data usage T&Cs are outlined here (link is at the bottom of every page on the website)

http://www.timeincuk.com/privacy/

as part of one of the world leading media companies - Time Inc. - we take data protection very seriously and adhere to the legislation in place ie the Data Protection Act 1998

If we were found to be contravening data protection law our directors could be sent to jail.

My own personal view is that if you want to access top quality content for free and enter great competitions you should expect to receive marketing communications from the site you are using.

All the data given for competitions is encrypted and winners chosen at random via an automated system. Having opted in or out of future messages from GM/Time Inc/3rd parties has no bearing on your chances of winning

hope that helps

 

[toyboy54]

MikeH...thanks for getting back to not just me but everyone on here.My main point (which I may not have put across very well)is that so much of our personal details are out there waiting to be accessed by god knows who and used however they want!
Just very uneasy about about the whole techthing taking over the world/cameras on every corner/your shopping habits being analysed/just the whole 'big brother'thing!
Thing I'm a luddite and paranoid !!!!
Jimbo