call from plusnet

[#1]

Hi,

Does anyone know if it is normal to get a call from plus net asking questions such as

- what is your full phone number

- what is your full name

- what is your username

- what is the first digits of your password

- confirm the direct debit amount

lady on the phone said it was for customer user experience purposes, but i thought it was weird that she didn't know all of these already, is this normal or am i being paranoid that someone is just trying to get info for identity theft 

Thanks

[#2]

Apparently yes

BUT

It shouldn't be and I would refuse to answer any of the questions

[#3]

Have you checked your Communication Preferences?

[#4]

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@Oldjim wrote:

It shouldn't be and I would refuse to answer any of the questions

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I would do the same. After all, if they have phoned you..why ask for your phone number? 

[198kHz]

Hi there.

Sorry to hear you're not happy with a call from us.

As 198kHz has advised I'd recommend letting us know by setting your communication preferences appropriately.

Thanks,

Anoush

[#6]

@Gandalf another "sorry"...  but hey... that`s the way it is...

surely you can understand people not being fully agreeable to all these personal information questions... and that it is, indirectly, an invasion of privacy, to be phoning people up, trying to sell some extra services, just because that is what you do...

From Plusnet point of view... "we ask these questions to confirm the identity , or otherwise, of the person we are speaking to"..                . Which..                   on the face of it, is generally acceptable....

HOWEVER>.........

From the customer point of view... how do we confirm the identity of the person/company calling us.. ? 

there doesn`t seem to be any point in asking these questions to the person on the phone,..

What is YOUR phone number..

What is YOUR full name.

What is YOUR full postal address, including post code

What colour shoes did you wear on Saturday last

Which supermarket do you use on Friday for your weekly shop...

as we don`t know the "correct" answers, so any answer will pass... but does not confirm anything....

Telemarketing is a form of Spamming, in the same way as Spamming with emails...

IF PlusNet feel it is necessary for the customer to "opt out",.. of these calls, and because they did not do that, or did not know about the opt out,  perhaps, a "Welcome Email"... would be useful, to remind them of the need to "opt out".. also in this "Welcome Email".. there should be a "Password"... that Customer Service Phone Marketing staff, can be asked for,  to verify who they are, when questioned ...

[#7]

I'm with the OP on this one.

If it were me, I would be suspicious. I am not saying this was dodgy in this case, but there is the potential it could be.

After all I know now CLID can be faked, so it is very easy to have something like "PlusNet CS" stored on your device, it flashes up and you assume it is a legit call when it may not be. Then to give your personal details away from someone pretending to be PlusNet who aren't.

I would ask for the CS number to call them back up on - if it is genuine call they would know it, and then verify it is the correct one you were given. I would do this for any company - so PlusNet not singling you out here.

I got a call a while back which I assume was just PlusNet (or someone else), because my iPhone said it was from Sheffield, and PlusNet are the only people I know there 

My parents keep getting "There are problems with your internet connection" calls, and I've only taken 1 so far and I wind them up asking technical questions, until they can't answer, realise I am not fooling for it and hang up. Looking forward to the next lot. 

[198kHz]

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Gandalf wrote:

Sorry to hear you're not happy with a call from us.

As 198kHz has advised I'd recommend letting us know by setting your communication preferences appropriately.

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Ah!   That's the easy answer, but in previous discussions on this very topic it has been suggested that:

• The preferences can be 'overlooked' for some campaigns handled by a 3rd party 'on behalf' of Plusnet

This subject has been on the SU list awaiting a PN response for some time. 

[#9]

@MauriceC Ah yes.... the old "smoke and mirrors" coming into play...

but.,... as always

"Give us time... and we`ll get there"... !

[#10]

When the new data protection bill passes at least that will partially solve your problems.

It gets rid of that loophole of third parties overlooking preferences.