Giving informatin to "lukewarm" callers

Wyndham · 26 July 2006 at 9:41AM

I've been sorting out various financial things recently, which has resulted in a few phone calls FROM companies I've switched to. They start the call by saying who they are, then asking me to provide some information to prove who I am, such as a reference number / date of birth etc.

In each case, I have refused to provide that information. As they are calling me, I have no real guarantee that they are who they say they are, so I ask them to prove it first by asking them to confirm some information they hold about me that the casual person wouldn't know. In most cases, they have been taken aback, and in several cases not been able to quote the information I have asked for.

Now, I have no real doubt that these calls are genuine, as I've only had ones where I'm making a change, so was sort of expecting it. But, I know that if I rang them they would ask me security questions before they would talk to me, so I'm trying to do the same thing and be responsible.

So, my question is, why doesn't it work? Why aren't they geared up for this?

In one case she wanted to discuss my bank account details, but couldn't confirm the reference number I had on a letter from them :mad:

newmoney_3 · 27 July 2006 at 9:04AM

The problem is that most of these companies are from call centres. They have limited information available on their screens and are probably working for multiple organisations. I never understand how large companies can still work off external call centres because they just do not give good customer service and in the long run means they lose customers. Oh well, what can you do.

steady__eddie · 27 July 2006 at 7:07PM

I think that it's a brilliant idea to ask them to prove that they are who they say that they are. The next time that some commission toting salesman from a "respectable" financial organisation (it was Lambeth Building Society last Saturday afternoon) contacts me and attempts to get some additional pocket money for his holidays, I can have some sport.
Thank you for implanting the idea.

yuki132 · 28 July 2006 at 12:36AM

The reason they do this is because even though they have called you, it may be someone else in your household answering your phone ie - a family member or friend.

Companies have comply with The data Protection Act 1998 to make sure the customers information they hold is kept secure and not given out to anyone else. They may ask you date of birth, reference number, postcode etc before they give out any sensitive information like your reference number.

I know this sounds stupid as they called you! But I worked in a call centre and it is so easy to call the number given by the customer only to speak to a relative with the same name and think you are talking to the correct person or speak with a landlord who may try to say he is the customer. This happns a lot and then they are stumped if you ask data protection as they are not the customer which they sometimes then admit.

If a company gives out any personal information and it is not the customer, they are in breach of data protection and the call centre operator and the company can be liable for hugh fines. Companies are allowed to speak to a third party about limited information but have to be weary about people trying to obtain information through deception.

Also, they have to make sure it is definatly the customer before they make any important transactions just in case the customer denies it was them at a later date. The company can then say that they followed the correct procedure to safeguard the information, confirmed it was the customer and a lot of calls are recorded.

I know how you feel though! I tried to book a free appointment though Ultralase, they called me a week later (when I'd more or less forgotten about it!) asking my name, DOB, address and card details in case I didnt turn up so they could bill me. I wasnt confortable, said I changed my mind and Im going to pop in at a later date. It was probably genuine but there are a lot of potential scammers out there so you do need to be careful and if your not sure, say you will call them back on a number you already have for them or one in the yellow pages.

Look at http://www.ico.gov.uk/eventual.aspx?id=34
Read data protection: myths and realities.

p1an0player · 28 July 2006 at 6:09AM

yuki132 wrote:

I know how you feel though! I tried to book a free appointment though Ultralase, they called me a week later (when I'd more or less forgotten about it!) asking my name, DOB, address and card details in case I didnt turn up so they could bill me. I wasnt confortable, said I changed my mind and Im going to pop in at a later date. It was probably genuine but there are a lot of potential scammers out there so you do need to be careful and if your not sure, say you will call them back on a number you already have for them or one in the yellow pages.

They were going to bill you if you didn't turn up for a free appointment?!

I think you make a good point as well about calling them back; you can say "sorry I'm about to sit down for a meal" but offer to call them back in an hour, if they provide their extension number, which you can then get through to by phoning a number you know is genuine. Chances are if it's a cold call or something dodgy they won't be able to give you their extension number.

Wyndham · 28 July 2006 at 7:05AM

Thanks yuki132. I know why they do it (I work in IT so know ALL about the Data Protection Act). And I'm happy to do a 'you tell me one fact first (as you rung me) and I'll then confirm details to you' rather than being pig headed about it to a genuine company.

But I also know that call centres work to a series of scripts, and this scenario doesn't seem to be in their pack. I feel strongly that if they are ringing me, when we have to be so careful with personal information, then I'm not being unreasonable to ask them to prove who they are.

I'll try the call back option another time I think - good idea, thanks!

nomoneytoday · 28 July 2006 at 4:28PM

IMHO another way is to give part of the answer. For example instead of giving out your password as "password" you could give the first and last letters.

Not enough for a scammer to get you, but enough for some basic security..

stphnstevey · 5 August 2006 at 10:27PM

Great idea - will try that next time!

Quasar · 5 August 2006 at 10:36PM

I think large corporations (and even not so large ones) view the customers as millions of people who generally do as they are told and answer questions with little or no resistance. For instance, the bank calls and one wants to cooperate, and the thought that it may be a scammer does not cross the mind of most people.

So these companies reduce their callers' script to the bare mimimum to save time and labour, and when an alert customer does not answer in the expected manner, the caller cannot deal with the change in the script.

This is what all our civilisation and education and whatnot has brought us: becoming cogs in giant, slowly grinding wheels, where the one well oiled cog cannot do anything except slow down at the pace of the others. That's what the alert customer has to put up with: frustration and obstruction until he/she returns to being a good cog..

Sorry for digressing, but I just had to get this off my chest...:o

I'mcomingbackasaman · 5 August 2006 at 10:55PM

Well said Q. Glad you got it off your chest.:p
1984 by George Orwell - comes to mind.

Quackers · 5 August 2006 at 11:03PM

Quasar wrote:

So these companies reduce their callers' script to the bare mimimum to save time and labour, and when an alert customer does not answer in the expected manner, the caller cannot deal with the change in the script.

That is so true and so funny when it happens - or when you make it happen

I refuse to give my detail and all it does is confuse the caller. 'but I cant talk to you until I know its you' kind of stuff from tem, with lots of 'how do I know you're you?' from me :rotfl: It does cheer me up

I tell them if its that important then they can pop a letter in the post that very same day & I'll read it when it arrives.

One company recently was very good though. They told me if I confirmed the first part of some of my details they would confirm the rest - I imagine more people are doing this as they are becoming more security aware so these operators will eventually have it built into their scripts

Giving informatin to "lukewarm" callers

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