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AIBU?

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Original poster

To dob in this woman from letting agent to her boss?!

139 replies

Undertone · 15/03/2011 14:47

Right. Have recently been in touch with property maintenance liaison woman at my letting agency re: faulty heating. I generally communicate with her via text, for convenience - we've been going back and forth about arranging times, etc.

Today, following an exchange, she texts and asks if she can email me a link on a personal matter and then call me in her lunch hour to discuss. I was fairly intrigued - and a bit 'oo er'. In the end it was to promoting a health juice drink 'network marketing' thing.

A bit of Googling and it predictably transpires that basically it's pyramid selling, this drink has virtually no discernible health benefits, etc. She then calls me and pushes the hard sell for 10 bloody minutes, interspersed with my feeble protestations that 'it's not for me, thanks' and 'actually it sounds like the health benefits are unproven'. She even hinted that it was anti-carcinogenic - even though the company has been taken to court for falsely claiming this.

I eventually got rid of her. But now, actually, I'm a bit pissed off because she's basically stolen my personal information from the letting agency's contact data in order to pursue personal gain. She could be ringing absolutely everyone on their books!

Should I tell her boss, the owner of the letting agency? I have his email address. He may want to know that one of his employees is using company data to push a pyramid scheme - it could affect my future decision to rent from them again.

Arguments against:

  • It's only a sales call, it's not the end of the world.
  • She knows where I live.
  • When she texted me to ask if she could email me a link, she did say it was for a 'personal matter' - so I did give her permission to do this, even though I didn't know what it was about.
  • Even though this drink thing is obviously a scam, it's hardly illegal or overly tawdry.
  • What if she gets fired?!

Would I be being unreasonable to email her boss and say that he may want to have a word with her?

OP posts:
LaWeasel · 15/03/2011 14:54

I would tell the boss.

She probably will get fired, but she is stealing info from her company to moonlight, it's her own fault.

FabbyChic · 15/03/2011 14:56

I would dob her in it that is disgraceful.

Original poster
Undertone · 15/03/2011 14:58

I dunno - it just seems really mean to drop her in it?? I mean, she's already had her credulity played upon to sign up to this scheme, I don't want to 'make it worse' if you see what I mean?

OP posts:
YankNCock · 15/03/2011 15:00

I'd tell the boss. If she's doing this to more people, she won't necessarily know it is you that's turned her in.

It's completely inappropriate. I've worked for a few letting agencies, and I find a lot of stuff they do to be suspect ethically, but this is really crap.

YankNCock · 15/03/2011 15:04

It's also 'mean' to harass someone with a hard sell when you've gotten their contact details and built a rapport with them through another business situation.

She doesn't sound very innocent here, more like pushy and trying it on.

Original poster
Undertone · 15/03/2011 15:04

It's a tiny letting agency as well - I think there are 4 people working there, including her. Dunno if that is a significant fact!

OP posts:
LaWeasel · 15/03/2011 15:05

Just think, what if the company has much more vulnerable clients on the roster? Elderly people who are being pressured into buying into a scam?

You can stop that from happening.

BeerTricksPotter · 15/03/2011 15:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

KnittedBreast · 15/03/2011 15:07

she will be sacked for that. isnt it a bit like stealing customers from a business you work for? i imagine they wont be happy shes done this

Original poster
Undertone · 15/03/2011 15:11

LaWeasel - good point! What if she does call an elderly or vulnerable person? Stuff like that makes my blood boil

OK guys - you're doing a good job of working me up! Shall I draft an email you can then review?

OP posts:
Lucyinthepie · 15/03/2011 15:14

I would not "dob her in" , but I would contact her and point out that she is stealing information from the company that she works for. She is also putting them in breach of the Data Protection Act. And I'd tell her that if I heard of her doing this to anyone else I would tell her boss.

I don't think I could live with myself if I got someone sacked over something like this, jobs are so hard to come by at the moment and I think she's been silly rather than deliberately criminal.

WingsOfADove · 15/03/2011 15:17

Complete breach of data protection regulations if she has used her professional access to your contact details to try and sell something that you haven't signed up to.

Dob her in - you know it's all crap but someone more guillible might spend money they haven't got on this stuff.

Also agree with BeerTricks about this detracting from what she's being paid to do.

Lucyinthepie · 15/03/2011 15:26

I think that once you start texting with someone about business the lines get blurred. You don't know if she's contacting everyone on their database, it may be that she felt she had a different relationship with you as a result of the tone of your texting. (Only you can answer that). She also asked your permissiion to send you a link for a personal matter. You said yes.
So, if this is bad enough behaviour to get her sacked from her job and send her out into the job market with no good references to help her, then go ahead and report her to her boss. Personally I would speak to her, she may be horrified and say something like "Oh, you're the only person I contacted that I'd met through work. I just thought we'd been getting on so well".
Lastly, network marketing is not the same as pyramid selling (which means that it is not illegal). While it's not the best way to attempt to make money, it's hardly the work of the devil.

QuintessentialShadows · 15/03/2011 15:34

I would go straight to the information commissioner ICO

You dont know how the boss will handle it, for all you know they are all doing it.

They are in serious breach of the uk data protection act. She is acting as representative of her company.

Original poster
Undertone · 15/03/2011 15:35

I have texted her work mobile: "Hi - just a quick question - have you sent this information to other _ customers? It could be a data protection issue."

Let's see what she says.

OP posts:
Original poster
Undertone · 15/03/2011 15:35

Weird underscore there - sorry - blanks indicate her name and the letting agency name.

OP posts:
Lucyinthepie · 15/03/2011 15:37

I think that is a fair opening Undertone. I just think that it's a big step to take, to virtually guarantee she will be out of a job, at this stage.

QuintessentialShadows · 15/03/2011 15:46

What she is doing is gross misconduct.

Prunnhilda · 15/03/2011 15:51

I'd contact her and put the wind up her.
If she carries on then someone will contact her boss and she can't say she had no idea/wasn't warned.

QuintessentialShadows · 15/03/2011 15:52

What else do you think she could have done with your personal data, along with everybody else's personal data?

QuintessentialShadows · 15/03/2011 15:53

It is not like she could do anything with your name, address, account number, or anything, is there?

Yup, good idea to warn her....

oldwomaninashoe · 15/03/2011 15:57

I think Lucy has it right. It would be very mean to get her sacked for what could just be a slight error of judgment. If she is moonlighting from the agency it could be because she is in dire financial straits and is trying to do something about it!

Original poster
Undertone · 15/03/2011 15:59

No reply to text yet.

OP posts:
Lucyinthepie · 15/03/2011 16:01

A lot of people get involved in network marketing and get a bit carried away at first. I did some years ago, and I pissed off a fair few friends before I calmed down. We were warned not to use work information as a source of contacts, which makes me wonder if there has been a bit of blurring of boundaries here as a result of the text message. (I did make a small profit from my network marketing activities by the way, but nothing to write home about). People do it sometimes just to supplement their income, others think they will make their fortune.
I should imagine that when this lady gets the latest text she's going to have a near heart attack. She'll think "Data Protection Act!" and get that awful adrenalin rush that we all know happens when you suddenly realise you may have dropped yourself in the shit.

Times are hard and I think that someone would have to do something pretty dreadful before I took it upon myself to deprive them of their income.

Original poster
Undertone · 15/03/2011 16:13

Fair point, Lucy. I know that 'oh SHIT!' feeling well.

Looking back through my texts to her - they're always quite formal and email-y: "Hi xxxx, this is xxxx xxx from number xx xxxx Road. Just to let you know that the electrician is coming today at 3pm and will need to collect keys from you. Many thanks, xxx."

It's not like my texts are "'Sup LOL. Cn U give electrician keys 3pm k thx, bai! Kisses!"

OP posts: