Garage penalised £65,000 for breaching anti-spam laws

A garage group has been fined £65,000 after unlawfully sending marketing emails to customers who had opted out of receiving them.

Guernsey’s Office of the Data Protection Authority (ODPA) carried out a two-year investigation into Jacksons Group, which runs garages in both Guernsey and Jersey. The inquiry revealed that records for 430 customers who had declined direct marketing were deliberately altered to indicate consent, following instructions from a senior employee.

Data commissioner Brent Homan stressed that respecting customer consent was a “fundamental” responsibility for businesses, describing the penalty as a reflection of the seriousness of the breach.

Jacksons said it accepted the ruling. A spokesperson for its parent company, Van Mossel Automotive Group, confirmed that the employee responsible was “no longer with the business,” and expressed regret over what it called a “historic failing that occurred prior to our ownership.”

The spokesperson added that the company takes customer data privacy “very seriously.”

Mr Homan noted that Jacksons, which operates brands including Van Mossel Jacksons and Motor Mall, had since demonstrated a commitment to improving its practices under new management. He said the regulator looked forward to reviewing the company’s continued progress.