Call Centre Hilarity March 21, 2007
Posted by Drew in : Funny, Rants , add a commentI’m sure we’ve all had those mind boggling conversations with call centre operatives but I have just had the best one I’ve personally experienced to date.
I recently received a new credit card to replace an expiring one. Upon receipt I had to do the usual call to activate process but unlike some that are now automated this process actually required me to talk to a call centre operative.
After calling the number and then entering my card number the call was put through to someone straight away, score 1. They also had all my details courtesy of the process, score 2. Now at this stage I should have realised that things were going far too well. “We just need to ask some security questions” they said. Okey Dokey. It was all going so well until the usual “Please tell us the 3rd and 4th letters of your password.”. I did. Then it went wrong.
Call Centre: Sorry, that’s not right.
Me: Err. OK. Are you sure?
CC: Yes sir, could it be another password.
Me: Don’t think so, just a second, it’s the password I set up online so I’ll give it a try.
Quickly logged on.
Me: That worked, it definitely is the password. Letters 3 and 4 are x and y.
CC: Sorry sir, that isn’t what we have here.
Me: I’m looking at my account online right here having entered the password, it must be right. The password is xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
CC: Yes that’s right.
Me: So letters 3 and 4 are x and y.
CC: Sorry, that’s not right.
Me: It’s the password I just gave you?
CC: Yes.
Me: Then it’s x and y.
CC: Perhaps you’re spelling it wrong.
Me: Nope, just typed it in.
Then a thought occurred. What if they had transposed some letters.
Me: Is is y and x?
CC: That’s right, how can I help you today.
Me: Well you can start by spelling my password correctly.
CC: Sorry sir, you must have entered it incorrectly.
Me: So how come it works online?
CC: Sorry sir, that’s what I have here so it must be correct.
Me: So can you change it so that it isn’t correct?
CC: Sorry, as you took more than one attempt to give your password you’ll need to write to us to get it changed.
Me: Why?
CC: Security.
Me: So having gone through everything to this point, having answered two other security questions and discussed the password at length you’re saying I have to send a letter to change the password, even though that will be completely unauthenticated and could actually have been sent by anyone.
CC: Sorry sir, that’s the procedure.
Of course by now I knew that it was pointless to carry on. It isn’t the call centre workers fault that the system is rubbish, they’d been nothing but polite all the way through. But it does highlight the stupidity of the security processes put in place by many organisations. The password had been set up by me online and was still working fine. However at some point in the process they had transferred that password into their telephone service and somehow transposed two of the letters. Had I not had the thought that this was a transposition I would not have been able to activate my card or indeed undertake any other transaction over the telephone. However, I can do pretty much anything else online. There are so may risks here, all too common unfortunately.
- Holding separate databases containing authentication information can lead to loss of synchronisation
- Presumably, in this case the data was actually re-entered manually or via a process that allows transposition of letters
- The age old, it’s on the system so it must be right attitude
- The equally age old, it must be the customer who is at fault
- A process that is so rigid that operatives can’t use their common sense, clearly having answered two security questions and stated the password as a whole it would have been better for the operator to be able to decide for themselves that I really was the account holder than to force them down the route they took
- Allowing, in fact requiring, changes to an account to be made via a totally insecure means
Needless to say I haven’t changed my password. I figure I’m not likely to forget this so will just remember to transpose the letters should I get asked for them in future!
Top 10 Funniest Gadgets March 4, 2007
Posted by Drew in : Funny , add a commentI can’t decide between the USB butt cooler and the DVD rewinder!
TechEBlog » Top 10 Funniest Gadgets
Cheney isn’t the Vice President! March 3, 2007
Posted by Drew in : Politics , add a commentThis is fantastic. Dick (shot a man in the face because he thought he was a quail*) Cheney has decided that he doesn’t want the press to identify him as Vice President during a press conference as reported here.
I knew Cheney was a slightly insane, egotistical, war-mongering maniac but this clearly proves hasn’t got the first clue of how out of step he is with the “real world”. Marvelous.
* when checking what was being hunted when Cheney shot his partner in the face I came across the following on a BBC childrens news programme website, the helpful images showing the difference between Harry Whittington and a quail is genius :-).
Was the Death Star Attack an Inside Job? March 1, 2007
Posted by Drew in : Funny , add a commentThe BBC in the UK has a current series of programmes running giving voice to various conspiracy theories from around the world. Hot on the heels of these programmes I came across the following which is so similar in tone it’s scary! Made me laugh anyay.
Uncomfortable Questions: Was the Death Star Attack an Inside Job?
I especially like the Palpatine as Bush insert 