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Bounty fined £400k

35 replies

Needallthesleep · 12/04/2019 16:52

I have never started a thread about a news story, but I am so so so pleased about this.

What an evil company to take data from new mothers and sell it on. That’s before you get to the Bounty reps and their photos when you least want it. I hope this signals the beginning of the end for them.

OP posts:
Gentlemanwiththistledownhair · 12/04/2019 17:08

I was just coming on here to share this!

Link to guardian for anyone who wants to read the article:
www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/apr/12/parenting-club-bounty-fined-selling-users-data?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

And they haven't even apologised. Scummy company. Angry

tattychicken · 12/04/2019 17:15

Fucking brilliant!!!!!! Hate them. Had to ask DH in spitting fury to “get her away from me and my baby NOW, before I punch her!” after I’d refused the photo option (semi) politely three times and she still shoved her camera lens in DS4’s face and clicked away, flash making him screw up his face and jerk away each time. He was less than 5 hours old.

CakeNinja · 12/04/2019 17:19

Good! They do sound like an absolute joke but I have never had any dealings with them even after having 3dc in hospital - think I’ve just been very lucky or that the hospital I’ve been to doesn’t let the sods in.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

DoomOnTheBroom · 12/04/2019 17:32

I hope they change their practices off the back of this but, realistically, they won't.

When I had DD she was a poor feeder and I wasn't well so I was done in after two days of no sleep. A MW coming on shift took pity on me, settled DD to sleep, told me to get some sleep, and hung a "do not disturb" sign on my door. Ten minutes later in comes the fucking Bounty rep without so much as a knock or a by-your-leave. Joggled the fishbowl cot and woke DD up, started chuntering on about the Bounty pack and how I needed it to be able to claim child benefit. I told her to fuck off. Not my proudest moment but DD was screaming again and I was exhausted.

They're parasites and shouldn't be allowed to go bed to bed or room to room. Give them a desk in the day room and let people go to them if they want the samples, etc., make it optional whether or not to give your details, and put Child Benefit forms in the hand held maternity notes rather than the Bounty pack.

BangingOn · 12/04/2019 17:38

This is very cheering. Mumsnet were running their Bounty Mutiny campaign when I was pregnant and I upset the Bounty rep by loudly educating all of the women in the scan waiting room as to what a disgrace they were and that you didn’t need to sign up with them to be eligible for child benefit as she was implying.

Leeds2 · 12/04/2019 17:52

I cannot stand that company, so this story doesn't surprise me.

ReginaGeorgeous · 12/04/2019 18:10

Good. Disgraceful company who have no place in hospitals.

legalseagull · 12/04/2019 21:52

I gave birth to my son a fortnight ago. I had just arrived on the ward after an emergency CS. I was wearing nothing but a blood covered gown, still had a catheter in and couldn't even move my legs after the spinal. No. I don't want your fucking photo shoot right now. "Do you want to be in the photos?" Fuck off love, I don't even want to be in this bloody room!

PigletJohn · 12/04/2019 22:10

glad to hear it

www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-47908222

"Pregnancy club Bounty UK has been given a £400,000 fine for illegally sharing the personal information of more than 14 million people.

The fine was issued by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in what it said was an "unprecedented" case.

Bounty compiled personal data but did not tell people that it was shared with 39 other organisations, said the ICO."

"Bounty gathered information from apps, its website, cards in merchandise packs and from new mothers in hospital.

The ICO said that while many knew Bounty as a pregnancy club, few knew that it was also a data broker supplying information to third parties that would use it to fine-tune direct marketing.

Bounty breached the 1998 Data Protection Act by not being "open and transparent" with people about what would be done with their personal data."

"It shared 34.3 million records from June 2017 to April 2018 with 39 organisations including marketing agencies Acxiom, Equifax and Indicia.

The data shared was of "potentially vulnerable" people including new mothers and very young children, said the ICO.

"The number of personal records and people affected in this case is unprecedented in the history of the ICO's investigations into the data broking industry and organisations linked to this," said Steve Eckersley, the watchdog's director of investigations."

NeverTwerkNaked · 12/04/2019 22:12

Great news. I hated their intrusion on the maternity wards

cucumbergin · 12/04/2019 22:13

GOOD.

Fucking parasites.

HoneysuckIejasmine · 12/04/2019 22:16

Is £400,000 the maximum fine possible? It's a good start but not much for 14 million people.

WellLetsSayHesSquare · 12/04/2019 22:32

Good. I also had a do not disturb sign up as I was in the normal ward but my lo was in neonatal v.poorly. she bowled right in and said "oh is little one off getting weighed?" I just broke down in tears and she just stood there looked at me and then left!

AliceLutherNeeMorgan · 12/04/2019 22:36

Oh yes - I heard Anna on R4 news talking about it - good job!

AdoraBell · 12/04/2019 22:41

Good, but how the fuck are they a club when new mothers on wards don’t approach them to sign up to the “club” ? They are absolute parasites.

PoptartPoptart · 12/04/2019 22:43

This might be a stupid question, but why/how are they are even allowed on maternity wards anyway? The NHS must endorse this?
After I had DS they were quite strict with visiting hours for extended family. How come Bounty reps are allowed in?

Smallinthesmoke · 12/04/2019 22:43

Loathsome company.
If you are pregnant and reading this, be warned- after you have had your baby you will be visited by a salesperson at your bed. You may be semi naked, hallucinating for lack of sleep, in hideous pain or just wanting some private time with the new life you have just birthed. Kindly tell this salesperson to fuck off.
I want the message to get through to all mothers!! Tell them to GO AWAY

Needallthesleep · 12/04/2019 22:53

Very good point about how they brand themselves as a ‘club’.

I signed up once to try and get some freebies, then got absolutely bombarded with spam. Same with Emma’s Diary (who I consider to be equally horrendous).

New mothers should not be a marketing opportunity to exploit.

OP posts:
BangingOn · 13/04/2019 06:56

PopArt I believe the NHS are paid by the company to allow them on the wards. It’s beyond disgusting.

foxessocks · 13/04/2019 07:07

We bought the photos after our first dc was born because we were put under pressure, the photos were awful, really bad quality. It really made me upset and cross that she had come and put pressure on us to buy something a few hours after she was born when we hadn't slept for about 24 hours, were confused etc.

After we had dc 2 we heard the bounty rep was coming round and we were due to go home shortly anyway so we hurried up and got out of there because I didn't even want to see them! And strangely enough we have still managed to claim child benefit for him...

Footle · 13/04/2019 07:31

They were there in the postnatal ward when my eldest was born nearly 50 years ago. Hideous bunch. I wonder who runs the company.

Kez200 · 13/04/2019 09:54

When we were given a bounty pack in 1996 we didnt see a soul, just received a big bag of samples. The free photograph was with a local professional company booked from a postcard in the bag - so by no means intrusive. It was truly free and excellent quality, although did come with typical studio hard sell of further copies.

Im sorry to read theyve reduced themselves to parasites.

Featherstep · 13/04/2019 11:28

I truly don't understand how a company can have such free access to hospital wards.
And that stupid Bounty magazine was given to me the moment I receive my maternity binder.
Haven't had time to look it up, I presume they established a relationship with the NHS a long time ago and this has not been questioned. How much could they be paying the NHS to let them be the 'official partner'?

PoptartPoptart · 13/04/2019 19:11

Maybe should be lobbying the NHS to change their rules/cut the contract then?

pinegreen · 13/04/2019 19:41

The NHS receives between £6000 and £8000 per hospital per year to allow them to harass you on the ward. The NHS is totally complicit in this.