Last Friday, the day before the Tour started, my Digital Camcorder died, having checked out various message boards I discovered the fault was a common one amongst this particular manufacturers products and that the manufacturer in question refuses to correct it. Well, I got mad, then I got philosophical - I'd had good use out of it and decided to write off the whole thing to experience. I won't mention the name of the manufacturer but I'll give you a clue, they used to sponsor Arsenal and the letters VCJ are in their name.
Anyway I decided I'd like a new camcorder for next months visit to Paris and went online, did some research and decided to buy a Sony Camcorder via that company that shares its name with a South American river. Oh yes, the world famous Gallegos.co.uk! So I place my order, and one for Nathalie, enter the credit card details and then go and stand by the front door awaiting delivery.
Now I don't check my e-mails at home everyday, mainly because there is only so much porn a man can look at in his lifetime and surely one penis enlargement operation is enough - unless the first one goes hideously wrong. But for once I did and boy was I glad I did. Gallegos (not their real name obviously) had sent me an e-mail saying they were having problems processing my card and would I please go to my account page and check the relevant details. This I did, pressed the button to re-process the order and waited. Another e-mail arrived within about five minutes repeating the message about the problem and asking me etc.etc.etc. I did the whole thing again only to get yet another message. I decided to phone the credit card company.
The young lad on the other end of the phone had the thickest Scouse accent outside of Brookside Close, he must have been the lovechild of Stevie G and Cilla Black. Every question he asked I had to ask him to repeat, I take back any rude comments I may have made, or at least thought, about Calcutta based call centres, this was awful. He must have thought I was a right div. He asked me my age at my next birthday and I thought he'd asked me my date of birth, he asked me who I bought music from (I had to cough and say Amazon). Anyway the short of it was because the size of the payment was unusual, the transaction had been flagged as a possible credit card fraud. The payment was for less than £300. "Well, it's good to know somebody is watching," I said, "the only thing is that last month I spent more than this on two new pairs of glasses and in April I spent more than this on a hotel stay in London."
Well I know I would be the first to moan if my card was stolen and used by somebody else but in this instance I would have thought that my transaction profile might have suggested nothing was wrong. Oh, and another thing, the delivery address and the address of the cardholder matched - do credit card thieves pose as postman? No, don't go there.
5 comments:
Don't knock it Paul.
We have a couple of cards only one of which is used regularly. If you use that card for more than ten transactions in 24 hours, they automatically put a stop on the card until we get in touch and say, oi, it's us. This isn't normally a problem but one day whilst I was out Christmas shopping for those pesky small gifts you need inspiration for and using the card at numerous shops, Mr mags was at home, busy internet shopping. Result, it was me that got caught out and not him, sitting in comfort at home.
Another card, that we had only ever used once and not for a very long time, somehow and we don't know how, got used my a nice little Italian fraudster for their flights and accommodation in Italy. Now you would have thought that would be the one to be flagged up as 'unusual' but no. It took months to sort out.
There seems to be a marked increase in credit card related spam.
Also, a month or two ago I got an email from the Halifax telling me to input and confirm all my account details...I don't and never have had an account with them...so out of the kindness of my heart (I'm such a mug) I called the UK number from the Halifax website (that I'd taken the bother to get to...not using any links from the email) and told Mr.Yeah-I'm-bored-and-fed-up-so-I-need-to-speak-in-a-voice-that-indicates-to-the-valued-customer-on-the-line-that-I'm-bored-and-fed-up-and-he's-lucky-I'm-bothered-to-speak-to him (strange name) that I had recieved the mail but don't have an account but they should know so as to advise their actual customers...yeah ok, I'll let someone know, ok, anything else?
Wanker
btw...very funny post.
Thanks Span. I've been checking a colleague e-mails for the past fortnight, she's ill in France, and the amount of 'phishing' is incredible. E-mails from Halifax, Lloyds and Barclays asking for account details plus the old Nigerian ambassador with $6 million waiting to give to her.
People get indignant when you mention dialects and accents but if you are working in a call centre it should be a requirement that you speak clearly and if that means toning down your natural "twang" so be it. I think it shows respect on behalf of the operator and company(and must make business sense)
If I don't usually live in Scotland, Wales or Ireland or say live in Liverpool or Newcastle Upon Tyne etc...such accents may be fine if you have become tuned to their sound because that's your location but it's unfair on all those phoning in from anywhere in the UK or possibly from abroad.
Just as its unfai on the operator if I cannot be understood.
But say this to some people and they will go balistic and see it as an insult and some say there is no way they will change as its an offense against their nationality or identity.
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