What does that even mean?

I’VE mentioned this before but I had a stonker this week.

Banks. Seven o’clock at night the phone goes showing No Caller ID. They ask for me by name then start the usual security stuff by asking for my Mum’s maiden name. So I then ask what it’s about.

Now this is the UK bank that advertises every night on TV not to give too much information to the clever person who is to pretending to be from their company.

So I ask what it is concerning in general and he says it’s a ‘servicing enquiry.’

A what? A servicing enquiry. What does that even mean?

He says, ‘Sorry I can’t give you any more information unless you answer our security questions.’ Now remember they have phoned me.

I know this happens to everyone but then I ask to speak to a supervisor and he says that it’s not necessary for me to speak to one.

Anyway this goes on for a few more minutes with me repeatedly asking ‘What is a servicing enquiry?’ and this geezer on the other end, who has called me, refusing to give me any information unless I give him personal data.

See you later – I put the phone down. Today I phoned their UK number and asked a couple of general questions.

The first was why, when they call you, they don’t have a telephone number that comes up on your phone as many big companies do?

Their answer was ‘we never display a number.’ Why not? ‘Company policy.’ Here we go.‘

Do you know what ‘servicing enquiry’ means? ‘No sorry I don’t.’ ‘OK, how do we check that when your company calls us that it’s a genuine call? Guess what – you can’t.

It’s a bit of a trust thing after you have answered their security questions. So what do you do? Me?

I’ll just keep driving them nuts when they phone me. I’ll ask them for their name and then call the bank myself to ask if this person called me.

Then I don’t mind answering their security questions but they at least have to tell me why they are calling, not just phone me on my phone then ask me loads of questions before they talk to me.

So I still don’t know what they wanted or what a ‘servicing enquiry’ is. There has to be a better system than calling people from an unknown number then start asking them personal stuff.I suggest a similar way to how my alarm company works.

They call me and give me a password to prove it’s them and I then give them a password to prove it’s me.

All pretty simple and really takes no time at all to set up. I might suggest it to the bank if I can ever get past their security system.

Email Mikesenker@gmail.com