Ford and Privacy

[XXX747]

Hello

Just a question for all of you people. I was recently selling my 2010 XR6 turbo and a bloke from a ford dealership service department called me because he wanted to look at my car.

Anyway I had never taken my car there for a service nor had the car been purchased there yet some how this bloke knew all my details and all the details about my car.

How can this be and isn't this a breach of privacy?

[Nikked]

Perhaps he searched your rego...or the vin through Fords data base.


No difference to a revs check etc...

[XXX747]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Perhaps he searched your rego...or the vin through Fords data base.


No difference to a revs check etc...

But he had my full name. My address and all the details about the car.

Is there some massive ford database with every single car sold?

[pundit]

Originally Posted by XXX747

But he had my full name. My address and all the details about the car.

Is there some massive ford database with every single car sold?

Yup...

Rang up a victorian ford dealer getting a price for a couple of things a while ago for a BA which still has its orginal number plates... game them the numberplate and said it was a S.A plate and within 2 seconds I got the "lighting strike xt with sr value pack" and the rest of it from spare parts.. so guessing anything that has happened at any ford dealer service would know.

[buickman]

Couple of years ago a big hail storm wrote off my wife’s car. About 3 weeks later I had a phone call from a male with an accent wanting to speak to my wife about the owner’s manual of the car. I told him as far as I know it went to the insurance company with it in the glove box and it was an issue he should take up with them. As soon as I asked how he found the details of my wife he hung up. So they must find details through rego checks on the car. I was annoyed he rang as the car was not ours anymore.

[LTDHO]

Yes mate, he breached the privacy laws.

Sue if you want to. Not just him but the dealer also.

[FGII-XR6]

to sue you have to prove you were harmed or lost money as a result of his actions and if you were you could only sue the company if you could prove they were aware he was misusing the data and failed to act.
is this becoming America now? sue because you can get something regardless of wether you had sustained a loss

Originally Posted by LTDHO

Yes mate, he breached the privacy laws.

Sue if you want to. Not just him but the dealer also.

[buggo]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

to sue you have to prove you were harmed or lost money as a result of his actions and if you were you could only sue the company if you could prove they were aware he was misusing the data and failed to act.
is this becoming America now? sue because you can get something regardless of wether you had sustained a loss

I might be wrong but I don't think he was serious.
I think he being ironic to say it's a non issue.

[Morexbs]

A car doesn't have privacy and if he had responded to your ad he would have got your details anyway.If you were the original owner of the car of course your details would be held by Ford.Unless he has given your details to a third party I wouldn't give it another thought.

[flightstrike]

When I bought my XR6 Ute from the dealer, I did ask if I was able to contact the owner. Due to the privacy laws they wouldn't give me the details (no big deal). When I got home I had a read of the books and on the back there was a sticker with the original buyers details. Name, phone, address etc...

[mik]

did you have your car advertised elsewhere?

[dom_105]

I think the suits down at head office might like to know that their information was being used in this way.

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by buggo

I might be wrong but I don't think he was serious.
I think he being ironic to say it's a non issue.

I was serious about the breach.

Joked about suing.

[tranquilized]

Originally Posted by pundit

Yup...

Rang up a victorian ford dealer getting a price for a couple of things a while ago for a BA which still has its orginal number plates... game them the numberplate and said it was a S.A plate and within 2 seconds I got the "lighting strike xt with sr value pack" and the rest of it from spare parts.. so guessing anything that has happened at any ford dealer service would know.

When I worked in parts we sometimes used to get the rego number and type it into the parts catalogue, if it was the original rego it would sometimes bring up build details on the car - model, colour, trim, options etc. Made it a lot easier to select the exact part which could be tough if you're talking interior parts for example which could change mid-cycle sometimes.

Anyway, the database didn't contain any details at all on the cars owner.

[Kable72]

In this day and age, are you even surprised that people can get your details so easily? Especially when they have something to search against like a car? I think you're being over cautious as all the information that the caller would have had, he could have gotten when he looked at the car anyway. The add would have had your name and address with phone number anyway.

[XXX747]

Originally Posted by Kable72

In this day and age, are you even surprised that people can get your details so easily? Especially when they have something to search against like a car? I think you're being over cautious as all the information that the caller would have had, he could have gotten when he looked at the car anyway. The add would have had your name and address with phone number anyway.

I said do you need my address to see the car? He stated he already had it. He knew everything about the vehicle. He could not have gotten these details any other way.

[Kable72]

Googling phone numbers in white pages will get you an address. He simply used a different means to find the same end.

[monte.b]

I had a xh ute that i bought new ,i traded it on a 2003 ba xr6 ute ,the ford dealer gave my info to a bloke that wanted to buy the xh and he rang me ,i was not happy with that but we talked and he seemed a nice sort of a bloke ,i even told him what they paid me for it and he screwed them down to suit ,great outcome i thought ,kama

[tranquilized]

Originally Posted by monte.b

I had a xh ute that i bought new ,i traded it on a 2003 ba xr6 ute ,the ford dealer gave my info to a bloke that wanted to buy the xh and he rang me ,i was not happy with that but we talked and he seemed a nice sort of a bloke ,i even told him what they paid me for it and he screwed them down to suit ,great outcome i thought ,kama

Previous owners details have always been given out by dealers as far as I know. In remember cars my old man bought and sold over the years: would never buy a car before a good chat with the previous owner, and he received a call from prospective buyers of every car he traded in at a dealer. Isn't this standard practice anymore?

[MITCHAY]

Generally speaking personal information can not be used for any purpose other than what it was collected for.

I don't see the fuss personally but it would IMO be definitely inappropriate access to your record at a minimum as it was not work related.

If it bothers you could ask the dealership to investigate first, Ford second, and then the Privacy Commissioner http://www.privacy.gov.au/complaints/how/complaint-form

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by flightstrike

When I bought my XR6 Ute from the dealer, I did ask if I was able to contact the owner. Due to the privacy laws they wouldn't give me the details (no big deal). When I got home I had a read of the books and on the back there was a sticker with the original buyers details. Name, phone, address etc...

Traded in my AUII XL V8 and a month later I got a call from a guy (out of the blue) who had bought it and was asking me about the 3-seat conversion (which was done by the original owner). I'd left some of the service history stuff in the car and the dealer had given it to them so they had my name, address, phone number, etc ..

.. I won't make that mistake again.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by XXX747

Hello

Just a question for all of you people. I was recently selling my 2010 XR6 turbo and a bloke from a ford dealership service department called me because he wanted to look at my car.

Anyway I had never taken my car there for a service nor had the car been purchased there yet some how this bloke knew all my details and all the details about my car.

How can this be and isn't this a breach of privacy?

How did the guy know you were selling the car?

[xisled]

Originally Posted by XXX747

Hello

Just a question for all of you people. I was recently selling my 2010 XR6 turbo and a bloke from a ford dealership service department called me because he wanted to look at my car.

Anyway I had never taken my car there for a service nor had the car been purchased there yet some how this bloke knew all my details and all the details about my car.

How can this be and isn't this a breach of privacy?

Maybe he lives locally, seen your car in your driveway. Went to your letter box and got some mail out with your full name. Then looked in the phone book or online to get your phone number.

[Fev]

Originally Posted by tranquilized

Previous owners details have always been given out by dealers as far as I know. In remember cars my old man bought and sold over the years: would never buy a car before a good chat with the previous owner, and he received a call from prospective buyers of every car he traded in at a dealer. Isn't this standard practice anymore?

This didn't happen when I was at Brad Garlick. I blacked out the details in every manual we got with a permanent marker or tore the glued in page off the manual - unless it was from a Company (Ford or Avis etc) anyway (blanked out contact details though)

Told from the start it's a breach of privacy laws to give information to buyers about the previous owners which I completely agreed with. If the Customer had a question about the car I myself would call the previous owner and ask but no way would I give out the details.

[XXX747]

Originally Posted by xisled

Maybe he lives locally, seen your car in your driveway. Went to your letter box and got some mail out with your full name. Then looked in the phone book or online to get your phone number.

Do you not understand he told me he searched my details in the system.

[bobthebilda]

Originally Posted by XXX747

But he had my full name. My address and all the details about the car.

Is there some massive ford database with every single car sold?

No, I would say they have one massive database for all the cars sold, not one for every car sold. Seriously, if you are asking that question, then you may want someone else to sell your car on your behalf. If you bought a car from a ford dealer, had your car serviced at a ford dealer, or maybe even bought spare parts from them, then you are on a database ( and its going to be accessible by all ford dealers). Ford don't keep data because they had a few million dollars to spare. It's a business aid, and if some ford dealer was able to use your rego to get your details etc, then he has aided his business by having a jump on another purchaser. You think the dealer acted badly, every few weeks I get a call from an organisation who knows my name, number, address details and even my blood type. I don't mind too much, as its in the interest of the blood bank to know this information.

[WILDB]

There is a vehicle look up function on a Ford service and warranty database which will display all of the vehicles details, the current owner and whether or not they are the original owner.

It will also display whether there are any recalls outstanding, the warranty history etc.

All of the manufacturers keep this information, however it could be argued that the individual in question was out of order using the info the way he did.

[xisled]

Originally Posted by XXX747

Do you not understand he told me he searched my details in the system.

Not once you said he told you he got your details from the Ford system. Maybe you should re read what you posted and quote the post YOU said he searched the Ford system for your details.

You are the kind of person who is destroying this forum, you ask a question how he could of got your details, I answered, and get that kind of reply.

[flappist]

There is nothing more here.
The question has been answered and it is just turning into a slanging match.

Closed.