Data Protection Law/gdpr

[Deskdiary]

Hope somebody can help....

Brief potted history.

I recently bought a car with a service contract. The service contract was in the name of the former owner. Therefore, I obtained a letter from the former owner to confirm they wished for the contract to be assigned to me (the contract allows assignment). The letter I received was attached to an email from the former owner. Both have been sent to Mercedes, but they are now insisting that the former owner telephones them for "Data Protection reasons" in order to confirm the assignment.

So, my question is, is this data protection and therefore a requirement under GDPR that the former owner telephones them?

Thanks in advance.

[fiction-factory]

I can understand why they would not place any value on an email purporting to be from the former owner. Regarding the letter maybe they don't have a record of the signature- but you would think they would- but maybe the Ts and Cs say there (also) needs to be telephone confirmation so they can do the security checks

[woofgang]

My guess would be that a specific requirement to telephone is not written into the DPR, however the Mecedes policy that they need to have in place to comply with DPR does have the telephone requirement in. Not sure why there is a problem, ask the former owner to make the phonecall, job done.

[Peter Pedant]

no of course it isnt
or the mobile companies would be cock-a-hoop at the financial wind fall

Merc have made up their own rules is rules is rules
and I am not sure if you can get around them

I am selling a house with paper but mostly phone and email and I have to say I do wonder -- how on earth do they know it is me and not mrs mopp the cleaner darn da road just having a go ?

[EDDIE51]

It is normal, they are just double checking! Letters such as the one you wrote have often been forged ! So I think it IS actually a legal requirement! Common sense anyway !

[Peter Pedant]

// Letters such as the one you wrote have often been forged !//
erm well - - actually in commerce for fifty years
I dont think I have ever been present or alleged myself that a document has been forged

far far more common you know like every case
is an allegation that the contents of a letter or document that is correctly signed and sealed is in full of lies !
( which always surprises me: ( that someone wd be stupid enought to put their signature on the bottow of a pack of lies)