Suggestion: Update needed on Incoming Calls Availability in Usage Records

jaymailsays

You will often see peppered around the Community that any incoming calls are not available or more strictly accurate, 'Held'.
Here is an example:-

"Looking for your outgoing call and SMS info?

We only hold outgoing calls and SMS info. If you're searching for incoming call or SMS records or the content of each call or SMS we can't help"
https://support2.giffgaff.com/app/ask/GDPR-Rights-%28General-Data-Protection-Regulation%29/Right-to-get-copies-of-your-data/

Got me wondering:-
If I am Roaming, using giffgaff outside the EU in say the USA and I receive any number of answered calls, I am charged £1/min for those incoming calls.
giffgaff say they will not provide details of the number that called and was answered/billed to my number. I can't believe that this policy is legitimate. After all we know that in criminal cases, incoming calls are regularly quoted in Court Cases, even when withheld, in malicious calls etc.

Time for a policy update?

N.B.
For the purposes of this post, I am assuming the phone has been lost/stolen in which case, device call history is unavailable.

Edit to mention
@antonlg

Would your 070 guys have an answer to this query on ROW roaming overseas regarding the incoming calls log held by giffgaff and its partners, due to the fact that that a charge arises, if the member is in credit?
Ofcom rules say there must be transparency in how customers charges are calculated. Without access to the incoming call logs the customer cannot apply that rule.

wagstaffes

jaymailsays Good point. Just fyi, on my 1pMobile account it lists any incoming calls on the itemised usage statement when you are Roaming abroad, even if there is no cost involved.
Edit: the incoming calls whilst roaming actually disappeared from the usage statement on return to the UK, presumably because they were at zero cost. If they were at cost I suspect they would have remained on the statement.

shabazmoqsud

jaymailsays very good point.
i never understood that myself if giffgaff have records of outgoing stuff why not incoming as well it means usage records dont count for much and if giffgaff want to ve serious regarding business use they need to have full itemised billing i mean other MVNO like lycamobile have call records n there pay as u go n have bundles just like giffgaff
its not rocket science cant be that hard to code for the developers at giffgaff. probably another financial matter as usual. jaymailsays

u put a very good topic months back about giffgaff and business use whats come of it nothing
not even a respecful courtious reply from giffgaff seems to me we always raise issues or answer feedback yet nothing gets done at least not that we are made aware off, very rude and disrespectful to us as members.

antonlg

jaymailsays

I forgot to answer to this one but we've raised this question internally and we're waiting for an update as well.

johnrooney80

Good point, still be good to have on your call data. Flagged ed for giffgaff stance on it.

shabazmoqsud

johnrooney80 is there any point. they gonna toe the company line and be politically correct not admit there wrong and do something to make members service and experience better.

harrrrrry

shabazmoqsud giffgaff have records of outgoing stuff why not incoming as well

The UK government made the decision that networks must keep records of outgoing calls. Presumably to help track down Unsolicited Nuisance Callers. So, there's a legal requirement to keep details of outgoing calls, but no legal requirement to keep details of incoming calls.

Though some people might find it useful to log incoming calls too, probably as many others would object that it was collecting unnecessary personal information -- and most phones log outgoing calls anyway.

In between, there is more merit, justification and reason for logging incoming calls when roaming, because it is chargeable -- and presumably giffgaff doesn't just pay the roaming partners' invoices without some supporting evidence about who used the service and for how long. So there might be some way of harnessing that information.

johnrooney80

shabazmoqsud
Well, laborious task it may be, but another form of online useage, be it only 60 days worth, would be really handy for some...

shabazmoqsud

harrrrrry u said outgoing calls are kept and thus provided in usage records as a legal requirement but let me give u a scenario

say a member from giffgaff was involved in a criminal offence and the police required call records in full incoming and outgoing calls and texts how would giffgaff provide these as a legal matter if they only retain out going calls

my guess is giffgaff keep a record of everything but only provide out going calls

harrrrrry

shabazmoqsud how would giffgaff provide these as a legal matter if they only retain out going calls

Where are you finding this "legal requirement" about providing the details of incoming calls from?

UK and EU legislation requires networks to retain the data which they collect for billing purposes for one year. But incoming calls wholly within the UK do not affect billing. So, no data is collected about incoming calls.

The police can not require networks to provide data which they do not keep. I'm sure you will find that although the police could possibly require the networks to provide details of the future incoming calls of a particular subscriber, they cannot require networks to systematically collect that information about all subscribers.

That does not necessarily mean the police cannot obtain information about incoming calls, but what it probably means is that the police must seek that information from whatever networks they susect those calls might be coming from.

shabazmoqsud

harrrrrry oh no i know there isnt a legal requirement to retain and provide logs records of incoming calls my question was if police needed that information in a criminal case but u gave a well though out and clear answer which has cleared up my confusion
thank you.

jaymailsays

antonlg
Cheers Anton. Have a great weekend.

Jay