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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be annoyed when asked to confirm my details

132 replies

exponential · 21/02/2020 12:20

I get annoyed when companies ask me to confirm my name and address on the phone when they mean will you tell me your name and address.

Yesterday when asked I said OK you tell me my address and I will confirm if you have it right. They were non-plussed.

It seems to me “to confirm” means to ratify or repeat an assertion ( Chambers dictionary)-surely they should tell me not me tell them.
AIBU-or just pedantic?

OP posts:
Weebitawks · 21/02/2020 17:16

If they call me, then I am security checking them. Period. End of. Move on.

Sorry but that's fucking ridiculous. I have to call clients to discuss personal information. I can't discuss this without confirming who they are. It's the law. If they need to ask me reasonable questions to validate who I am then that's fine but I certainly won't give out their personal information to whomever happened to pick up the phone until I'm sure.

DGRossetti · 21/02/2020 17:28

Sorry but that's fucking ridiculous. I have to call clients to discuss personal information

Well as long as they hand over their personal details to you and let you do your job, why should I give a fuck ? You call me, then you prove who you are. If you can't do that, use the address you have, and send me a letter. I'll deal with it. Until something better comes along.

I'll say it again. If you call me, then it's your place to confirm who you are to me, not the other way around. And no amount of telling me otherwise is going to change that.

Weebitawks · 21/02/2020 18:12

So I'm supposed to break the law then when I call clients and just divulge all their personal info ?

Lweji · 21/02/2020 18:18

So I'm supposed to break the law then when I call clients and just divulge all their personal info ?

If you've called them in their personal number, it should be them. In the same way that people receive messages.

If you called my mother's number, I'd be able to confirm all her details, anyway. Just stating name and address doesn't confirm the identity of the person answering the phone.
So, it's just paying lip service to data protection.

DGRossetti · 21/02/2020 18:18

So I'm supposed to break the law then when I call clients and just divulge all their personal info ?

I really don't care what you do with your clients. But call me, and you either prove who you are, or get orf my line. You wouldn't be the first, (although I've not had a cold call for years since I lost the landline).

Lweji · 21/02/2020 18:21

I certainly won't give out their personal information to whomever happened to pick up the phone until I'm sure.

But we are supposed to give out personal information to whomever happens to call?

Do you give yours?

2020in2020 · 21/02/2020 18:27

Fucking hell. I work in Compliance for a major financial firm. I can confirm that if call centre agents fail to ask the relevant Data Protection questions, whether inbound or outbound, they will be marked down, lose financial incentives or risk being fired. So that we do not breach legal guidelines.

The reason it is done on outbound calls to your registered numbers, is to confirm we are speaking with the account holder. Before we go on to say l, for example you have defaulted on your account and owe us thousands of pounds and it turns out we’re speaking with, oh I don’t know, your abusive partner who didn’t know you had a credit card who will then beat you, your housemate who picked up your landline, or the person who stole your phone.

But yeah, you’re all really clever and important and no agents have ever heard the “well you called ME!” line before.

JosefKeller · 21/02/2020 18:32

2020in2020
But yeah, you’re all really clever and important and no agents have ever heard the “well you called ME!” line before.

what a stupid comment.

You really expect people to give personal details to complete strangers, especially when you call on a mobile and people are in a public place?

If you are bored of people telling you "you call ME", think about a better system and push it through with your company. You will save your time and mine.
If you keep asking for personal details when you call, you will hear the "you call me" reply. It's your problem, not mine.

Lweji · 21/02/2020 18:33

Again, the abusive partner will probably know the basic details anyway. Unless you ask for a specific password (or parts of it).
But if you're worried about abusive partners, then just ringing from the bank could be a major red flag, particularly if the person isn't supposed to bank with you or even have a bank account.

Confidential matters can easily go to the email provided.

Just asking for name and address does not confirm who the person is. Surely that's not hard to understand.

kingkuta · 21/02/2020 18:35

Exactly 2020in2020 was about to post the exact same thing.

Yesterday when asked I said OK you tell me my address and I will confirm if you have it right. They were non-plussed

Bet that made you feel reeeaaally big and clever didn't it OP. I can assure you they were not nonplussed, they just thought you were a twat.

Lweji · 21/02/2020 18:37

Will these very clever compliance people please explain how they are sure they are talking to the person they want just by asking their name and address?

JosefKeller · 21/02/2020 18:40

Bet that made you feel reeeaaally big and clever didn't it OP. I can assure you they were not nonplussed, they just thought you were a twat.

if they really expect people to freely give private details to any random who makes a call, they clearly are the twats.

kingkuta · 21/02/2020 18:42

Confidential matters can easily go to the email provided

No they cant. I work for a major bank We cant send anything confidential by email unless a specific password protected secure portal has been set up.

Just asking for name and address does not confirm who the person is

No, which is why asking for just name and addresses are not acceptable security questions. Our customers are asked a number of account specific and password specific questions.

2020in2020 · 21/02/2020 18:45

It is to make sure you know the details on the account that you opened. And we all know it’s not just name and address. It’s DOB, postcode and confirming telephone number, which is another classic “er my number is the one you’re calling on” yes, yes it is can you confirm you actually know the number, so we don’t give out your personal financial information?

I can guarantee that if any of you were to be the victims of application fraud you would be the same people who get irate that the company “didn’t do enough checks surely you knew it wasn’t meeeee?”

kingkuta · 21/02/2020 18:49

The OP wasnt called by a 'random' though. Nor was she opposed to giving out information. She was just being pedantic about being asked to "confirm" and enjoying feeling superior by making a call handler feel 'nonplussed'. Nice

2020in2020 · 21/02/2020 18:50

Also josef I hate to disappoint but I do not work in the call centre, as your post seems to suggest. I have worked in finance for over 10 years and perform tests on this very subject that to to board level. So I do know what I am talking about.

Everyone on this thread your snobbishness and disdain for call centre workers is palpable and it’s highly unpleasant. I get to listen to delights like you every day, speaking to decent hardworking people like they are shit on your shoe for daring to call you, usually to give you a heads up about something.

I’m coming off this thread now. I’m not in the mood to be talked down to by people who have frankly no fucking clue of the hard work that goes into financial systems, data protection, keeping up with ever changing and tightening regulations, training agents, maintaining those agents and also, looking after those people when they get signed off sick with stress through being bullied by customers like you.

Lweji · 21/02/2020 18:55

No, which is why asking for just name and addresses are not acceptable security questions. Our customers are asked a number of account specific and password specific questions.

Right, so they can start by asking if they are talking to so and so at X address, at least, then?

Lweji · 21/02/2020 18:57

I can guarantee that if any of you were to be the victims of application fraud you would be the same people who get irate that the company “didn’t do enough checks surely you knew it wasn’t meeeee?”

But how do you reassure people that you are not the scammer when you ring them?

Can't you see that it works both ways?

StCharlotte · 21/02/2020 18:58

In answer to your OP, YABU and pedantic.

Runnerduck34 · 21/02/2020 19:26

What annoys me is when you are asked to press 1 for x , press 2 for y , enter your account number, tell a recorded voice why are are calling, robotic recorded voice repeats it back to you , you say yes to confirm etc etc and then after all that when you finally get through to a human being they've still no idea why you are calling, what your account number is or have any of the details you've just had to enter before getting through to them! 😠

Catkin8 · 21/02/2020 20:10

@BorneoBabe I really can't see any logic in refusing to confirm your date of birth. You might not have been rude but you wasted the time of the agent you spoke to and their manager..

JosefKeller · 21/02/2020 20:11

I can guarantee that if any of you were to be the victims of application fraud you would be the same people who get irate that the company “didn’t do enough checks surely you knew it wasn’t meeeee?”

You don't get it, do you?
By not giving a long list of private details we are actually trying to avoid scammers...

2020in2020 if you were really working at board level as you pretend you are, you would get it.... It's such a basic concept.
Not going through your personal details in a packed carriage is a basic concept too.... so yes, YOU called me. I am not telling you shit.
If you consider bullying the fact that individuals protect themselves, you need to familiarise yourself with the actual definition of bullying, and stop being such a martyr.

TheMemoryLingers · 21/02/2020 21:08

but supposing it's your credit card company to advise of suspicious transactions?

I had this exact situation. I told the caller I'd ring him back - he said that was v. sensible. I called the normal phone banking number using a different phone, got back through to him and we carried on the conversation.

AnneElliott · 21/02/2020 21:20

I don't give any details out of they call me - they could be anyone! Most of them are amazed when I refuse. I tell them to email or write to me if it's important.

2020in2020 · 21/02/2020 21:37

I never said I was working at board level. I said that the tests I perform go up to board level, meaning my findings are presented to the board as part of my wider department’s reporting.