Alleged sale of personal information: Investigation shows that Hydro-Québec did not disclose its customer’s information

An investigation has concluded that Hydro-Québec employees had nothing to do with the solicitation calls that the complainant received and have followed all established rules. The investigation was conducted in response to a report by a customer who wrongly suspected Hydro-Québec employees of selling her personal information to marketing solicitation firms.

More specifically, the verification found that the company’s customer services representatives have not disclosed confidential information to any third parties. The companies concerned have confirmed that they use perfectly legal public sources of information, such as Canada 411 and the Hydro-Québec Web site, to build databases of potential customers. The Hydro-Québec Web site allows anyone to get an estimate of the annual cost of electricity at a residential address they plan to move to, but does not disclose any personal information about the account holder.

Furthermore, discrepancies were also found between information published in the media and facts confirmed by the investigation.

Thorough investigation

Taking its customer’s allegations very seriously, Hydro-Québec conducted an investigation to make sure that its employees abide by the company’s very strict code of ethics. Hydro-Québec maintains the confidentiality of its customers’ personal information, in accordance with the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information, and never sells or shares the confidential information entrusted to it.

To arrive at their conclusion, investigators established a timeline, listened to conversations between the customer and customer services representatives, and analyzed telephone and e-mail logs, as well as employee Internet search histories. They enjoyed the full cooperation of the customer and the seller, who they met with to set the record straight. They checked with the marketing solicitation firm and found that the companies involved and their administrators operate perfectly legally and have no criminal record.

For more information on the protection of personal information and fraud prevention, go to the Hydro-Québec Web site.