Communication Ban
During my little hiatus I received an update (of sorts) from GreenSquareAccord regarding my communication ban. Of course this ordinarily wouldn’t warrant sharing had it been fair, true, accurate; you know all the things you’d expect from a customer focused, data competent company able to learn rather than blame. Oh well, here we go again.
The letter
Let us get things started with me sharing the letter with you.
And now let’s break this down and deal with the banality and the unsavoury bits.
I may have been written to in November, however I’m unable to find a copy. The only emails I can find from Ms Britton (during November) are ones in which we were exchanging regarding several ongoing issues, an ongoing complaint I had raised with GreenSquareAccord and their inability to communicate, and us arranging a suitable time for a call.
As previously stated, I’ve had more results through using this website than I ever had in communicating directly with GreenSquareAccord. And if other residents’ comments on social media sites are anything to go by, they too have stuggled when communicating directly with GreenSquareAccord. And if we look at the feedback as presented on GreenSquareAccord’s own website they know they are failing when it comes to customer communication.
The communication ban is not an issue for me.
Let’s not get into GreenSquareAccord’s inability to communicate here, we’ve already gone over this ad nauseam.
But be honest. Was it my behaviour? Had GreenSquareAccord really maintained reasonably and respectful dialogue? No, they’d lied time and time again. They’d failed repeatedly. They’d missed agreed timeframes. The email that I sent in the early hours that resulted in me being put on this ban was because we’d been awoken (numerous times) by the fire alarm and it was again raining in our hallway! For those of you not aware (perhaps even members of the GreenSquareAccord team) you can read about it here.
Save all our time - I’m okay with the current state of our communication plan. No need to review it. Like most things GreenSquareAccord have to measure, it often requires a little more time than agreed.
What is unacceptable behaviour that impacts other customers and GSA colleagues? Perhaps an example of this would have added weight to their argument, without adding this information the claim itself is unsubstantiated.
I wonder what reasons (if any) will be offered in the 19th July review. Like Reggie Kray hoping for early parole - I won’t hold my breath!
Directly messaging, who have I been contacting? Time to confess, in no particular order.
An email trail started by myself to the info@ addresses was replied to by Zoe Peckover from her own email account. In the email trail (that will be published in the coming weeks as it shows yet another shocking failure and disregard for personal data) I even replied twice to the info@ address adding FAO Zoe Peckover in the subject.
-----Original Message-----
From: my email address
Sent: 24 March 2022 16:07:27
To: "GreenSquareAccord Customer Services" <info@greensquareaccord.co.uk>
Subject: FAO - Zoe Peckover
However:
On 12 Apr 2022, at 13:51, Zoe Peckover <Zoe.Peckover@greensquareaccord.co.uk> wrote:
Hi Ben
As per Anthony Rylands response to you, all information needs to be sent into info@greensquareaccord.co.uk.
Zoe responds from her own email account. She astutely points out my email to and from Anthony Ryland (GreenSquareAccord’s own Certified Data Protection Officer) who on the 4th March (when GSA had last breached Data Protection) had given me express permission to contact him directly:
I appreciate you are on a communication ban… but I’d like to go a different way… I’d like to give you my teams email address and lets open up the communication…
Anthony Ryalnd
Knowing that Anthony was new, had only become aware of the communication ban when I told him, and had been thrown to the wolves with no background other than the breach, I refused stating that:
That won’t work as my email address automatically gets re-routed… To circumvent this with Julianne Britton we had to invent a temporary email address so I could get through to her…
Me
Anthony then went on to offer me his mobile number, which I also declined as I didn’t feel it was fair for him to provide me with this level of contact. He had not created the issue, and was only seeking a positive resolution. How long would it take from GreenSquareAccord to knock this level of customer focus out of him, the jury is still out.
With this in mind and with GreenSquareAccord about to make what I considered to be another terrible breach in data laws I did email him:
On 4 Apr 2022, at 09:16, Ben Jenkins <bensecretgreensquareemail@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello Anthony,
Hope you’re well?
Can you just confirm in your role as data manager that you are happy for sensitive information to be shared via a generic email address?
Thanks
Ben
email chain attached.
And Anthony to his credit did respond:
On 11 Apr 2022, at 10:40, Anthony Ryland <Anthony.Ryland@greensquareaccord.co.uk> wrote:
Hello,
Many thanks for your email. I have had the chance to explore this matter with the relevant teams.
I have taken advice and am happy that such information be communicated to GreenSquareAccord as you have been directed. This way the information can be passed directly to the right team being processed correctly. It is also common sector practice to have such matters communicated to such email addresses, the email mailbox being administrated by a suitable team.
Kind Regards
Anthony
Anthony Ryland
Data Protection Manager
So perhaps a warranted exchange of email.
The emails to Julianne in which we had to circumvent our way around the communication block, what were they about? This was created so GreenSquareAccord could have a call with me and were able to arrange times!
The other email to Julianne (sent from a new secret email address) is one perhaps GreenSquareAccord should have responded to:
On 24 Mar 2022, at 16:54, Ben Jenkins <bensecretgreensquareemail@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello Julianne,
Please forgive the back channel, its all very unnecessary but necessary!
Firstly, I hope you’re well?
Secondly, this website of mine…
I have way too much to share. I did not and do not wish to solicit the requests from other residents that I am being besieged with. I truly believe that most of the team are unable to achieve core results, yourself excluded (hence reaching out to you). I’m also aware that by bringing attention to the short falling of GSA I am perhaps hindering GSA's ability to provide an acceptable level of service to other residents, both in Maureen Christian House and across your portfolio.
I would appreciate the opportunity to speak with someone inside GSA about the next twenty pages before I write them. It needs to be off the record, and probably needs to be with you.
Would you be open to this?
Sincerely and with respect
Ben
An olive branch. Me reaching out to a contact within GreenSquareAccord to see if we could find away of transitioning the website to them.
I must apologise to all the other residents of GSA if you feel this was a betrayal, but I was (and am) swamped with negative GreenSquareAccord issues.
I took a break, their response was a firm door slam in my face, and so here we go again.
I can say I tired. I offered GreenSquareAccord a chance to meet me in the middle. I think they may well regret at least not having the conversation. Conversations are always worth having, this refusal shows a lack of foresight, common sense, and an inability to listen to your customers (lest we forgot I am a customer).
And like GreenSquareAccord we saved the worse till last.
I’ve been warned to expect this. This is not a new level of toxic behaviour practiced by GreenSquareAccord but rather an established one. The first residents beyond my own neighbours (who I was introduced to by our local councillor) warned me of this practice. An unfounded (and later dropped allegation) was made about his behaviour. I’ve also had contact from a gentleman in Wiltshire who had also be subjected to a similar unfounded claim.
A look through my posts, comments and emails and you’ll see me praising the customer service team (who by the way have all been junior females with the exception of Russ) and asking that we all try to remain polite when dealing with them.
This morning I have sent an email (via the info@ address) requesting all calls (and other data points) to be shared with me. This way we can review and ascertain whether this is a warranted concern (if it is why isn’t it being treated as such), a training issue, another blatant attempt to bully me (the first being the threat of legal action and a letter from their lawyers) into giving up attempting to raise the many issues that plague us all as residents, or worse yet a clear example of the toxic mindset that festers within the not so hallowed halls of GreenSquareAccord. Whatever it is, let’s deal with it so no other resident has to be threatened and treated this way.
In summary
I will continue to use the info@ address - however if a member of GreenSquareAccord replies via their own email address I will respond accordingly. If this email is ignored I will assume it (like so many communications with GreenSquareAccord) has been ignored and raise the issue online and within the public domain.
I will continue to use this website as a platform to raise issues. As stated before I will never use the customer service team members full name (only the first name to help GSA track messages) however if anyone from middle management or higher acts in a deceitful or inept manner I will be naming and shaming. Like so many of us I’m fed up of wasting money on their wages.
Once I have received the call recordings (and other data points) I will review, share where I feel appropriate, and seek to either apologise or receive an apology.
If you or someone you know has been subject to a similar allegation by GreenSquareAccord please let me know. This must stop.
Sorry to end on such a downer… However, what have we all learned?
Ignoring your problems won’t make them go away, and a communication ban will not stop me from communicating.
Updates to follow.
