EVERY LITTLE HELPS...
There's nobody here for me to talk to, so blog will have to suffice. Last Friday, Rhiannon locked herself out of her phone by tossing around with the pin number lock. Dumb for sure, but you live and learn. Now, her phone says is PUK Locked. I spoke to the guys at "customer support" last night and they said I needed to get a new SIM and then they would switch over her balance to the new SIM and all would be well.
Tesco. Awesome. Every little helps.
Except, at 20 pence a minute today, they tell me that unless I can tell them - for security reasons - how much credit she had left, they can do nothing. I tell them "hey - the phone is locked up, so I can't get in the phone to ask it and tell you..."
Several people from Monkey Call Centre girl right up to Mr Shiny Suit tell me that this is data protection and for my own good. I say that I can tell them almost all the phone numbers she will have called in the last two years, I can even read out any text messages that have been sent, list all her favourite numbers attached to the clubcard that's tied to the phone number - in fact, I can do anything but ask the SIM - that's locked in case you didn't hear me - what it's damned balance is.
"I'm sorry Sir - you must have an idea what balance is on the phone. It will tell you after each call how much is left."
"I'm sorry Mr Shiny Suit. She's ten years old. She knows when Doctor Who is on but that's about all the attention the world is given right now. Do I have any other options?"
"I'm sorry Sir - you must have an idea what balance is on the phone. It will tell you after each call how much is left."
Did he really just say that to me twice or was it just a recording.
"Dude - you're telling me that it's game over?" At which point I lost it a bit and dug deep into my bag of Dee Snider's best and paired up some choice sentences containing the words: fucker, the slightly more expansive motherfucker and cocksucker. Not in that particular order and I may have added some nouns as well. I forget now.
So. That's that then. I shall insert a new SIM card. I shall give her a new number. I'll top it up with some more credit and she will be happy again and move on. I shall stay with Tesco for her phone simply because the triple your credit thing goes a hell of a long way with a ten year old.
Me? Ahh... I am slightly older. Slightly more pissed off about this than she is. I appreciate their data protection but customer service is a two way street, yes? Don't you just hate it when a company has far too many good offers on the go to dump them totally?
What I have lost here? Maybe twenty quid and half an hour of my time? Is it worth fighting about? Is it worth knocking over a big display stand in-store and walking away so that they have to clean it up and waste their time?
Monkey Call Centre Girl: I'm sorry you did a degree and then got reduced to whoring yourself to The Man. Things will get better.
Mr Shiny Suit. I'm sorry I spoke to you like a piece of shit. I know you're only doing your job. I'm also sorry that you probably had to buy your suit in Top Man because you get paid £3 an hour even though you too have a degree. Now you're a manager, things won't get better at all I'm afraid. This is it for you. You are in The System. You are The Man.
Looking at the big picture, how does anybody with self respect allow themselves to work in a call centre? Any call centre!
Selling heroin to bullfrogs holds more self worth and it probably pays better too.
Fuckers.
