Hot, annoyed rant

[bunn]

Hated Webhost of the Week: Easyspace

They have a whole setup of forms that make it look like you can set up and configure your hosting nice and easily yourself. This is a LIE! Practically everything useful is nothing but a mailto form that asks someone to set things up manually - and they take Aaaaaages! I've got a support request that I submitted Monday morning that hasn't been looked at!

Also, annoying little things like you can't actually use their webmail login link if you are already logged into their control panel. Presumably you are supposed to remember the direct address of their webmail system. GRRRRRRRR. And they emailled my main account password to me in plaintext.

edit: ARRRRRRRGH - I just downloaded the software they were failing to give me the download address of, having phoned and refused to go away till they told me - and it is knackered and falls over! I only ordered the thing as a favour for a client who wanted a real cheap content management system with no install time. B***ocks to that.

Though, not as annoying as the RAC. Perhaps I am overreacting here, but I really feel uncomfortable if I am phoning an organisation of which I have been a member for 15 years, and before I can give them a new credit card number, they want not just my name and membership number, but my full address, postcode, date of birth and car registration. They don't need all that info to take a payment, they just don't! I'm trying to give them money! Asking for my date of birth when I'm about to give them my credit card number gives me uncomfortable identity-thefty feelings. These was perhaps unfairly exacerbated by the quality of the line, which made it pretty clear that the person at the other end was in Bangalore and no doubt being paid some absurdly tiny wage.

Possibly if it had been cooler I'd have just given my details, but when they asked for date of birth something snapped and put the phone down and took out a new policy with Britannia rescue instead.

Comments

[helflaed.livejournal.com]

Um- sounds familiar. I ended up working for another motoring organisation (naming no names, but their patrols wear yellow)

I worked in a call centre after University (couldn't get a proper job, made do with that until I got a slightly better one)

It could be a complete nightmare establishing identity, especially when the joint member called, and we were not allowed to talk to them about membership details at all. We had to ask all sorts of questions before makeing any changes at all. Yes I know we had to be careful with personal information but sometimes it just went too far.

Other things did make more sense- "Yes sir, I know you want to know if your twenty year old daughter has broken down but we can't tell you if she has or not" They got really annoyed- and we weren't allowed to say "You could be anyone from a caring father to a psycho ex and we are not telling you. Now go away" or "No madam we can't tell you the address we have for this membership"

You get to be very distrustful working in that sort of environment, and the dire data protection warnings you get make you even more cautious.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I was impressed that Britannia actually asked me if I wanted to give my 'joint member*' the ability to call and talk to them on his own behalf.


*even the phrase sounds suspect!

[the-marquis.livejournal.com]

'joint member*' the ability to call and talk to them on his own behalf.
Ooh That's rather innovative! Bloody good idea that's waited way too long though.

[helflaed.livejournal.com]

I'd never thought of that. You have a dirty mind.