Microsoft Telephone Activation?

macman

Why does Microsoft Telephone Activation allow me to activate a piece of software (MS Office XP Pro) when Online Activation denies it (saying that it has already been activated on another PC)?
For the record (if Bill Gates is reading this), the program had already been activated on another PC, but had then been uninstalled before I attempted Online Activation on a different PC.
What does the phone system know about the software and it's history that the online system does not?

deed02392

By default the online system is more reserved, since it's so easy to mask your identity using the Internet and hence try to activate products without using your own keys.

I don't know if you spoke to a person directly or the automated service but it is probably automatically more lenient (or the operator just trusted you were truly a paying customer) because you are more readily traceable by telephone, or otherwise they just understand you are probably installing office on a new machine after having activated it on an old one.

macman

No, it was the automated phone service. And I was calling from a PAYG mobile-I could have been anyone.
The key I was using was genuine, the issue was that it had already been used for a prior activation.