In December 1999, a reader told us:
Experian send out "market research questionnaires" with prize draws. A way of getting info? or just a coincidence?
We don't know. But he sent us a copy of one of Experian's questionnaires. Experian (a credit reference agency) is itself owned by a mail order company - Great Universal Stores.
The questionnaire gives you four pages of tiny check boxes in which you can reveal an enormous amount of information about yourself. Your incentive for doing so? To be entered into Experian's £5,000 prize draw.
There is simply too much in the questionnaire for us to reproduce all of it here. But click on this graphic to see a rough image of the first page.
The key section is at the very end, which reads:
| THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE | 4 | GOOD LUCK IN OUR £5,000 PRIZE DRAW |
| Thank you for your assistance with this survey. Please check that your name and address details are correct on the front of this survey. Then return the completed questionnaire in the reply paid envelope provided - remember no stamp is required.
FURTHER COMMUNICATION. As stated in the letter. Experian will make your survey information available to the question Sponsors and may also provide information to other clients. It you would prefer not to receive communication directly from clients other than the Sponsors, please tick here ( ) Return address: The Survey Manager, Consumer Products Survey, FREEPOST, Warrington WA5 5ZJ. | ||
(Home Repossession Page note: we checked the postcode WA5 5ZJ against the Data Protection Commissioner's database on 10 Sept 2000. It came up blank.)
Finance questions included approximate household income, your home ownership status, your credit card ownership... And who gets to see the answers you give? Well, sponsors of the questionnaire included:
The categories of information dealt with in the survey are:
We also understand that an Experian company holds the purchase data for several supermarket loyalty cards. You might like to pick up a loyalty card application form and look at the questions it asks.
Experian Watch You are giving Experian lots of data about your finances and shopping habits. Check the guarantee forms you fill out in shops or the prize-draw forms you find in magazines. Many of them have small print that says the information you give will go to Experian.
If you find one, tell us about it. Or see where other readers found Experian collecting personal information:
Click here to tell us where you found Experian collecting information.
Add your own comments here or read other people's comments
| Home Page | Receive free news and updates |
| Tell a friend about this site | |
| Last modified: | |
| © The Home Repossession Page 1997- | |