GDPR help

[DivisionBelles]

Not sure if this is the best place to ask. I've posted in Employment as well.

I work for a small company. Without outing myself, we sell a service. Another rival company also sells the same service. Later on this year we will be taking over the supply of this service from the rival company. I've been tasked with contacting former users of the service supplied by the rival company. We have gained this information to contact them from a middle man. I don't think we can use their contact information to get in touch without breaching GDPR. My boss is adamant that I must contact them but I'm not happy to do so. Who is correct? More importantly, how do I refuse without sounding awkward?

Sorry this is a bit vague, but hopefully it makes sense!

You sell this service to someone, I assume. That someone owns the customer list?

Yes. The rival company owns the customer list. We want to offer the same service to the customers on the list.

If you have obtained the contact list legitimately (i.e. it isn't stolen from the rival company) there is no GDPR issue in contacting these people. You have a legitimate interest - you want to sell them your service and you need to contact them in order to achieve this. Contacting them would not appear to harm their interests, rights or freedoms. As long as you don't contact them again if they tell you they don't want to hear from you any more you should be fine.

If the list has been acquired by illegitimate means it is another matter.

So how is this happening: we will be taking over the supply of this service from the rival company?

Does the rival company hold a contract with someone locally (say, the Council) to provide this service? And it's gone out to tender and you've won it?

Has the rival company asked you to take over the running of the service from them because they no longer want to do it?

Is the rival company going out of business and you've just kind of decided you're taking over the service? I assume not from the way you've described it.

We have gained this information to contact them from a middle man

What exactly does that mean?

The OP's thread in employment issues is more informative.