Firm that made 9m nuisance phone calls fined £300,000 by UK watchdog

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined Holmes Financial Solutions Ltd for making 8.7m automated marketing calls in less than a year, though the company said it was appealing the decision.

The ICO said Holmes made calls containing recorded messages to promote compensation claims but the firm failed to identify itself, which is against the law. Furthermore the watchdog alleged that Holmes did not have the recipients’ consent for sending direct marketing, which would also be illegal.

Holmes responded that it had instructed its solicitors to appeal the fine. "We are shocked by the contents of the article and the size of the fine as there are multiple untruths," an emailed statement from the company read.

The ICO received 62 complaints from the public, in some cases of people who had been called on several occasions. Although Holmes was been fined for 8.7m calls, the watchdog said the company had instigated over 26.6m.

Steve Eckersley, head of enforcement at the ICO, said, “The company paid no heed to laws on telephone marketing and showed no concern for the distress they were causing people, by making huge volumes of invasive calls.

“The ICO will not tolerate companies who blatantly disregard the law and Holmes Financial Solutions Ltd has paid the price for their negligence.

“I welcome the government’s plans to introduce personal liability for directors who think they are above the law, and hope to see them introduced as soon as possible, to support our work to stop such rogue traders operating,” he concluded.