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Author Topic:   I'm Not Going to Take It Anymore
Percy
Member
Posts: 22392
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.3


(2)
Message 1 of 9 (898232)
09-21-2022 10:25 AM


Some might remember that line from Network. A fuller quote is, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore."
I'm not made as hell, but something in me snapped yesterday when I was on the phone to some company somewhere. First I passed through the voice menu: Enter your ID, enter your birthdate, enter your zip code, is the number you're calling from the one associated with your account, etc., and then finally I was talking to a person.
This very nice person started by asking my name, and as I said, something in me just snapped. I had set aside yesterday for dealing with several issues and this wasn't my first phone call of the day. The conversion went something like this:
Him:"Who am I speaking with today?"
Me:"Isn't that information in front of you?"
Him:"Yes sir, but I have to verify."
Me:"Isn't that what the voice assistant just did?"
Him:"Yes sir, but we have to be sure that were talking to the right person."
Me:"Are you concerned that we might switch people before the voice assistant assigns you the call?"
Him:"No sir, but I'm required to verify?"
Me:"But it's getting old having to provide the same information twice every time I call anywhere?"
Him:"I understand that, sir, but I have to verify who I'm talking to."
Me:"The information about who you're talking to is right in front of you. That's correct, isn't it? You're looking at it right now. You know exactly who I am."
Him:"Yes, sir, but I'm required to hear it from you."
Me:"Well I'm retired, and today I have all day. Your voice assistant already heard it from me, you already have the information, and I'm not providing it again. You can hang up on me, but I'm not providing my information again. This is just too much."
Him:"Am I speaking to Percy?"
Breakthrough.
I didn't get any feeling of satisfaction from this, but I did feel as if it was a tiny bit of feedback that if enough people push back in whatever way works for them will eventually have a positive influence on the phone hell we're often put through. When I have the time I'm going to continue to push back. Comments and suggestions welcome.
Oh, I also answer spam calls when I'm bored or need a break and keep them on the line as long as I can. They're good at their jobs, though. The record is only 15 minutes. The last guy just earlier this morning sensed he was being yanked around and said he had pictures of my wife and daughter that he could send out and I asked him to please do, then he hung up on me.
--Percy

Replies to this message:
 Message 2 by Phat, posted 09-21-2022 10:53 AM Percy has seen this message but not replied
 Message 5 by xongsmith, posted 09-21-2022 10:30 PM Percy has seen this message but not replied

  
Phat
Member
Posts: 18262
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 1.1


Message 2 of 9 (898235)
09-21-2022 10:53 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Percy
09-21-2022 10:25 AM


Spam Calls and Customer Service
Whenever I get a seemingly random call, I say nothing and the computer on the other end also says nothing. If I respond, however, I hear a blip and the computer starts its schpiel.
One of the robocalls I get often is a deep-voiced guy that (is obviously computer-assisted) asks me if I would like to donate to the proud officers of the local (seemingly) police. Now that I hear the deep voice asking if (my name) is here, I simply say nothing.
Another one, a common scam, asks me if I am aware that my vehicle warranty expired. I ignore that one too.
One problem is that even if I have a "Robo killer" and am on the do-not-call list, the scammers have some sort of device that randomly generates numbers and even if I block one number, an endless amount of "new numbers" is always generated. There oughta be a law...
Now, as for the banks and other services, I often end up with a not-so-helpful agent from...oh, I dunno...India? I'm not being prejudiced here except to suggest that these people don't really understand my life or my technological challenges. The company (Chase, for example) must employ these overseas customer services simply because they are cheaper than hiring domestic agents. What will certainly really get frustrating is that sooner rather than later, my agent will be either Alexa, Siri, or Cortana!

"A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." ~Mark Twain "
***
“…far from science having buried God, not only do the results of science point towards his existence, but the scientific enterprise itself is validated by his existence.”- Dr.John Lennox

“A God without wrath brought men without sin into a Kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross.”
H. Richard Niebuhr, The Kingdom of God in America

“The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of a doubt, what is laid before him.” — Leo Tolstoy, The Kingdom of God is Within You
(1894).


This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Percy, posted 09-21-2022 10:25 AM Percy has seen this message but not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 3 by dwise1, posted 09-21-2022 1:01 PM Phat has seen this message but not replied

  
dwise1
Member
Posts: 5930
Joined: 05-02-2006
Member Rating: 5.8


(3)
Message 3 of 9 (898246)
09-21-2022 1:01 PM
Reply to: Message 2 by Phat
09-21-2022 10:53 AM


Re: Spam Calls and Customer Service
Whenever I get a seemingly random call, I say nothing and the computer on the other end also says nothing. If I respond, however, I hear a blip and the computer starts its schpiel.
One piece of advice I heard is to not say "yes" (which is what some people say instead of "hello" or "ahoy, ahoy!"). The basis of that advice is that the scammer is recording you and will use your "yes" to order something in your name.
Whether that's an actual thing or not, being suspicious and cagey and careful about everything you say (on the off chance that the call is legitimate) should be standing operating procedure (SOP).
Same with emails and now texts. For example, several months ago I got a cold email from a creationist, Dave, I hadn't been in contact with for a few years. He needed a personal favor. He was quarantined in the hospital with COVID and on a respirator so he could not speak on the phone and needed to get a gift card for his nephew's birthday. All I had to do was to pick up two cards worth $200 of Google play for playing games online. Then I would just email him the authorization code on the back of the cards and he would pass that on to his nephew. And he promised to pay me back when he got out of hospital.
The first red flag was that we were not friends, so why does this guy with lots of contacts in his church have nobody else to turn to than me? I tried to seek independent confirmation which required me to contact another creationist, Bill -- while Dave always tried to appear reasonable, Bill is one of the worst creationists I have ever encountered. I asked Bill to verify Dave's status and, should this prove to be a scam, to warn Dave that his email had been hacked.
As it turned out, Dave was at home (Cheech & Chong reference) and doing fine and everybody on his email contacts list had been warning him that his account had been hacked. Also, all replies involved a different email address to a gmail account that appeared to have been a randomly generated string (when we make up a name, there's usually some story behind it, but not this one).
In general, I let all calls I don't recognize go to voicemail -- if they really want to talk with me then they can leave a message. Normally that number has to be in my contact list for a name to appear, but some unknown numbers come with a name (and turned out to be about my car's warranty expiring). With scam emails, the title is usually enough to expose them. Though I keep getting some addressed to a "Raphael"; no idea what that one is about.
Interesting though are the scam calls and emails that I get from myself. And I know I wasn't drinking at the time.
One problem is that even if I have a "Robo killer" and am on the do-not-call list, the scammers have some sort of device that randomly generates numbers and even if I block one number, an endless amount of "new numbers" is always generated. There oughta be a law...
There are laws, but when there are laws for honoring do-not-call lists then only criminals will still call you.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 2 by Phat, posted 09-21-2022 10:53 AM Phat has seen this message but not replied

  
ringo
Member (Idle past 412 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005


Message 4 of 9 (898264)
09-21-2022 4:15 PM


I never do business on the phone. If somebody wants to contact me, they can send me a letter. (The letter carrier may have a hear attack seeing an actual first-class letter - but so be.it.)
I hang up on unsolicited phone calls.
I got a text message once from the Conservative Party of Canada, asking if they could count on my support in the upcoming election. I replied, "No." A few minutes later, I get another text from them asking if they could have my postal code (presumably so they'd know what constituency I was in). I replied, "No." A few minutes later they send me the same text again and I replied, "No," again. Apparently they weren't set up for that response.

"Oh no, They've gone and named my home St. Petersburg.
What's going on? Where are all the friends I had?
It's all wrong, I'm feeling lost like I just don't belong.
Give me back, give me back my Leningrad."
-- Leningrad Cowboys

  
xongsmith
Member
Posts: 2578
From: massachusetts US
Joined: 01-01-2009
Member Rating: 6.8


Message 5 of 9 (898295)
09-21-2022 10:30 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Percy
09-21-2022 10:25 AM


Percy writes:
Him: "Am I speaking to Percy?"

Breakthrough.
did you answer "Yes"?!!
never answer Yes on the phone.
they record it and use it to make you sign up for shit..

"I'm the Grim Reaper now, Mitch. Step aside."
Death to #TzarVladimirtheCondemned!
Enjoy every sandwich!

- xongsmith, 5.7dawkins scale


This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Percy, posted 09-21-2022 10:25 AM Percy has seen this message but not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 6 by dwise1, posted 09-21-2022 10:43 PM xongsmith has not replied
 Message 9 by ringo, posted 09-22-2022 12:11 PM xongsmith has seen this message but not replied

  
dwise1
Member
Posts: 5930
Joined: 05-02-2006
Member Rating: 5.8


(1)
Message 6 of 9 (898298)
09-21-2022 10:43 PM
Reply to: Message 5 by xongsmith
09-21-2022 10:30 PM


did you answer "Yes"?!!

never answer Yes on the phone.
they record it and use it to make you sign up for shit..
What I'd been told and been saying here.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 5 by xongsmith, posted 09-21-2022 10:30 PM xongsmith has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 7 by Percy, posted 09-22-2022 10:59 AM dwise1 has replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22392
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.3


Message 7 of 9 (898313)
09-22-2022 10:59 AM
Reply to: Message 6 by dwise1
09-21-2022 10:43 PM


I don't think you have to worry about the "yes" thing with reputable companies you do business with when you've initiated the call yourself. The phone dialog I posted was from a phone call I initiated and was probably either with my cable company or my healthcare provider. I can't remember which because I'd been letting things pile up and had set aside the day to take care of them all.
What would be really scary is if scammers figure out how to do reverse scammer calls, e.g., you call your cellular provider but are unknowingly redirected to a scammer.
--Percy

This message is a reply to:
 Message 6 by dwise1, posted 09-21-2022 10:43 PM dwise1 has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 8 by dwise1, posted 09-22-2022 11:43 AM Percy has seen this message but not replied

  
dwise1
Member
Posts: 5930
Joined: 05-02-2006
Member Rating: 5.8


Message 8 of 9 (898315)
09-22-2022 11:43 AM
Reply to: Message 7 by Percy
09-22-2022 10:59 AM


I don't think you have to worry about the "yes" thing with reputable companies you do business with when you've initiated the call yourself. ...

What would be really scary is if scammers figure out how to do reverse scammer calls, e.g., you call your cellular provider but are unknowingly redirected to a scammer.
Which can so very easily happen with an email -- though anyone could do the same thing on the phone by calling you posing as your bank or credit card company, etc.
Like you, I'm sure, I get a lot of spam scamming emails from my bank or PayPal, etc, with a link to log in and make corrections with my account. Of course, they want me to go to their website so that they can get my account number and password. Very transparent.
Most of them can be spotted immediately (I have no such account) and even usually go straight to the spam folder. But on occasion there is one that looks like it might be legit. But instead of using the link provided I go to the website and log in there.
Similarly, when Glen Kuban (Paluxy "man tracks next to dinosaurs") provided an article by leading creationist, Don Batten, warning against using such falsehoods as the Paluxy tracks, I wanted to verify it. He provided a link to the creationist website that had refused to post the article themselves, but instead I went directly to that website and contacted it webmaster directly. And he verified that the article is true.
Similarly, I would never double-click on an email attachment, but rather I would save it off and then open the application to read it. That's how I discovered the Trojan-enabling gaping security hole that Microsoft had dug for us by setting as the default hiding file extensions. That way, campsites.xls.exe would instead look like an Excel spreadsheet.
Really sad that we have to be so suspicious of everything. It's like, due to years of anti-terrorism/force protection training, I always vary my route home and I always do a walk-around inspection of my car (though, since my hybrid has no spare tire, I'm also paranoid about having a flat).

Edited by Admin, : Fix link.


This message is a reply to:
 Message 7 by Percy, posted 09-22-2022 10:59 AM Percy has seen this message but not replied

  
ringo
Member (Idle past 412 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005


Message 9 of 9 (898322)
09-22-2022 12:11 PM
Reply to: Message 5 by xongsmith
09-21-2022 10:30 PM


xongsmith writes:
never answer Yes on the phone.
they record it and use it to make you sign up for shit..
Monty Python:
quote:
Mervyn: Hello, hello, operator? Yes we're trying to get the fire brigade ... No, the fire brigade. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, what? ... (he takes one of his shoes off and looks in it) Size eight. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, no of course not, Yes...

"Oh no, They've gone and named my home St. Petersburg.
What's going on? Where are all the friends I had?
It's all wrong, I'm feeling lost like I just don't belong.
Give me back, give me back my Leningrad."
-- Leningrad Cowboys

This message is a reply to:
 Message 5 by xongsmith, posted 09-21-2022 10:30 PM xongsmith has seen this message but not replied

  
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