The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) represents the 900 or so companies dominating
the direct marketing industry in the UK. These include major blue chip companies and
organisations, as well as companies who supply direct marketing services to the
industry (such as agencies, mailing houses, data services, e-mail marketing,
telemarketing bureaux, etc)
You must provide details of your complaint in writing to The Secretary, Direct Marketing
Authority, DMA House, 70 Margaret Street, London WIW 8SS or by email authority@dma.org.uk.
You may telephone the Authority on 020 7291 3300 to discuss your compliant.
There are no time limits within which you may take action, and there is no cost to you
when you make a complaint to the Direct Marketing Authority.
What happens next?
Upon receipt of your complaint, the DMA member company will be informed and given the
opportunity to resolve the matter within ten working days. If they fail to resolve the
complaint, or you are not satisfied with the response, the matter is referred to the
Direct Marketing Authority
for adjudication.
The Secretary to the Authority will then prepare a report on each complaint or dispute
and circulate it to the Authority panel members at least one week prior to the
scheduled hearing or meeting. If the Direct Marketing Authority finds that the DMA
member is in breach of the DMA’s Code of Practice, they may take one or more of the
following actions:
- Establish whether the appropriate remedial action has been taken in the case in
question.
- Seek an undertaking from the member that the breach will not be repeated and, if
appropriate, agree alternative procedures with the member.
- Issue a formal written warning to the member, which may be made public.
- Suspend, or if the circumstances warrant, terminate their membership of the DMA.
The member would be notified within 28 days of the decision and informed clearly that
they have a right to appeal the decision to the Independent Appeals Commissioner
within 14 days.
Whether or not the Authority concludes that there has been an infringement of the Code,
it may decide to advise the member on possible changes to their procedures and/or agree
to conciliate on behalf of the two parties.
What happens if you are not satisfied?
If the Authority is not able to effect conciliation, it may advise each party to seek
legal advice or use the services of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
What if the company is not an DMA member?
If the company you are having problems with is not a DMA member, you can telephone the
Authority to seek their advice on the other options available to you. For example, if
the Authority finds that your complaint relates to a misleading or inaccurate
advertisement, they may pass your complaint on to the Advertising Standards Authority
(the ASA), who administer the British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct
Marketing. The ASA can order an advertiser to cease their campaign immediately.
If your complaint relates to a mailing or advertisement from a company based outside
the UK, the Authority can check to see if any UK supplier working on their behalf is a
DMA member (ie: a mailing house or data supplier) and if so, can take action against
this UK supplier.
If the complaint relates to the possibility of fraudulent or criminal activity, then
the case will be forwarded to a local Trading Standards Office, the police, or other
appropriate authority, for further investigation.
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020 7291 3300
020 7323 4426
info@dma.org.uk
