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Lisbeth : Hi! How may I help you today?
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Lisbeth : Thank you for visiting Straight Talk Wireless.
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Lisbeth : Hello Laura.
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Lisbeth : How may I assist you?
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Me: Someone has accidentally given my email address for this service – I am based in the UK and am getting all of this person’s top up info
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Me: I don’t think she knows her own email address. I get loads of stuff for her, and it’s very frustrating.
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Lisbeth : Sorry for the inconvenience.
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Me: Can you please unsubscribe my email address from your files?
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Lisbeth : Yes, I can.
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Lisbeth : Prior to making any changes to your account, we must validate your identity. We want to make sure the changes being requested are done for the owner of the phone.
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Lisbeth : I have sent a six-digit text message to your phone. Can you please provide me with the code you received?
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Me : No because look at the issue.
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Me: I am not the customer. The customer has given my email address in error
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Me: So I don’t own the phone she’s topping up
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Lisbeth : I can only change the information of the account if I check the security question of the e-mail.
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Me: Do you see my problem?
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Lisbeth : I apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced due to this issue.
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Lisbeth : Yes, I do. I sincerely understand you.
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Me: So what do you suggest?
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Lisbeth : I can ask the security question of the e-mail.
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Lisbeth : If you do not answer it I cannot change information of the account.
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Me: What do you mean?
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Me: How would I know the security information that someone else has set up?
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Lisbeth : I cannot answer that question. However, I sincerely want to help you.
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Lisbeth : There is no way that we can change the information of the account if you do not answer the security information.
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Lisbeth : Sorry for the inconvenience.
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Lisbeth : I am providing you the information from Straight Talk Wireless kindly.
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Me: Can you phone the owner of the phone and tell her to sort this issue out so I don’t get her sodding emails?
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Lisbeth : Unfortunately, no.
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Lisbeth : Sorry for the inconvenience.
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Me: Why not?
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Lisbeth : It is because we are not authorized.
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Me: Can you put me in touch with someone who is authorized?
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Lisbeth : Unfortunately, no.
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Lisbeth : Nobody is authorized to do that process.
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Lisbeth : Sorry for the inconvenience.
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Me: Nobody is authorised to contact the account holder? At all? Nobody?
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Lisbeth : Yes, it is correct.
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Me: Right, so in summary:
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Me: – Someone has accidentally registered my email address and I am getting all of their personal information
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Me: – You are willing to ask me (NOT the account holder) random security questions to see if I can “guess” them
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Me: – You cannot change the INCORRECT email address without the permission of the account holder
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Me: – You also cannot contact the account holder?
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Lisbeth : No, the second statement is incorrect.
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Lisbeth : I have to ask you the security question of the e-mail in the system.
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Lisbeth : I apologize for your frustration and I do want to help you. However, I am providing you the information from Straight Talk Wireless kindly.
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Me: What is that security question?
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Me: Do you mean you just want me to confirm the email address?
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Lisbeth : No.
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Lisbeth : Before I can provide you with any information, I have to check the e-mail.
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Lisbeth : May I have the e-mail address?
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Lisbeth : Thank you.
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Me: What next?
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Lisbeth : I was looking the information of the e-mail. Thank you for waiting.
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Lisbeth : There are no records of the e-mail that you provided in our system.
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Lisbeth : I found one account with the second e-mail that you just provided.
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Me: OK, great, can you please take it off the system?
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Lisbeth : No, if you cannot answer the security question.
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Lisbeth : I will ask you the security question.
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Lisbeth : What is your mother’s maiden name?
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Me: Oh come on, this is nonsense. I am not going to have the same mother’s maiden name as the person who set up the account. Do you honestly want me to guess a stranger’s mother’s maiden name?
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Me: They have accidentally used my email address. We aren’t the same person.
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Lisbeth : No, I am just trying to help you.
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Lisbeth : I would be glad to help you.
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Lisbeth : Please try with the security PIN.
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Lisbeth : It has four digits.
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Me: OH MY GOD
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Lisbeth : May I have the security PIN of your account?
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Me: How would I guess the security PIN of a stranger?
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Me: This is almost becoming funny now.
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Lisbeth : You can try to provide numbers and if it is correct I can do this process.
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Lisbeth : Please be advised that I have to follow a process inside the company.
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Lisbeth : I apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced due to this issue.
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Lisbeth : I sincerely understand you.
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Lisbeth : I am just providing you the instructions kindly.
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Me: The chances of guessing a 4 digit combo are over 10000 to 1, what do you reckon?
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Me: Do you understand that I am not the person who set up the initial account?
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Lisbeth : I apologize for your frustration and I do want to help you. I would like to ask that we approach this issue professionally. I assure you that I will assist you as much as I possibly can.
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Lisbeth : Yes, I understand you.
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Me: So why are you asking me somebody else’s security questions?
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Lisbeth : It is because I am trying to help you.
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Me: How is it helping?
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Lisbeth : It is because you can try to provide the information of the account to change the settings.
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Lisbeth : We cannot change the information without validate the account.
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Lisbeth : I am glad to help you. Is there anything else that I can assist you with?
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Me: Lisbeth, how would you think I would know what this person’s security settings are?
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Lisbeth : I sincerely understand that you do not have this information. However, as I mentioned above I cannot change the information of an account without validate the security information.
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Lisbeth : Since you do not have this information I cannot change the information of the account.
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Me: That is why I asked you to contact the customer to get her to change the information on the account.
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Lisbeth : Unfortunately, as I mentioned above it is not possible.
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Lisbeth : It is a pleasure for me to assist you. Is there anything else that I can assist you with?
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Me: You haven’t assisted me yet.
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Lisbeth : I am sorry to hear that.
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Me: Do you have a customer service email address that I could speak to someone on, who might actually have an idea about how to resolve this issue?
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Lisbeth : Unfortunately, no. You will receive the same information.
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Lisbeth : We use the same system and Terms and Conditions.
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Lisbeth : Please be advised that I am providing you information from Straight Talk Wireless not mine.
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Me: Oh come on, there must be an escalation point, a head office, someone who is actually able to see this problem and resolve it.
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Me: Yes Lisbeth, I didn’t think you were making this up for your own enjoyment.
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Lisbeth : Thank you.
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Me: Can you please provide an escalation point – your manager, their manager, the CEO?
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Lisbeth : Yes, I can transfer this chat session to a Manager.
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Me: Thank you
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Lisbeth : Please allow me a moment to look into this.
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Lisbeth : You are welcome.
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Lisbeth : I will transfer this chat session. Please allow me one moment.
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Me: OK
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Lisbeth : Thank you.
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Kevyn : Hi Laura. Thank you for visiting Straight Talk Wireless.
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Kevyn : I will verify the transcript of the chat. One moment, please.
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Me: OK
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Kevyn : Thank you.
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Me: Are you still there Kevyn?
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Kevyn : Yes, I am. I requested you you for a moment to verify the transcript of the chat. Please be patience since we do not work with one customer only at the same time.
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Me: I am going to have to go shortly, Kevyn – I have a toddler who’s due to wake up. Can you provide an email address so we can follow up?
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Kevyn : I understand. No, I cannot.
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Kevyn : The resolution for this situation is the following, we will not change any information in the account until you are able to validate the ownership of the account. That is our policy and it will not be override in order to complete your request.
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Kevyn : Is there anything else that I can assist you with?
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Me: I have to warn you Kevyn, that I am going to be posting this chat transcript on my blog as an example of hilariously bad customer service.
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Me: So: a) you cannot change the email address b) you cannot contact the customer and c) there is no escalation route, correct?
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Kevyn : Okay. I understand. I am sorry for that but we have our security policies. You are unable to verify the ownership of the account so we will not proceed with your request.
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Kevyn : Yes, I can change the email address but I will not because you are unable to validate the ownership of the account.
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Me: I AM NOT THE ACCOUNT OWNER
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Kevyn : No, we do not contact customers for this matter.
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Me: The email address is wrong.
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Kevyn : No, there is no escalation that it can be done.
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Kevyn : I understand but our policies apply to any person that contact us to make a change in an account.
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Kevyn : I understand. Is there anything else that I can assist you with?
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I think Lisbeth was definitely a computer algorithm, so you, or she, has passed the Turing Test…and I not so sure about Kevyn either…
Nope, she was a real person… unfortunately. I’m not sure she’s making a positive contribution to the world at large.
L x
How infuriating! Block / mark as spam?