I was going to put this in "Can we trust IT" but thought otherwise because of the implications & just in case it got too hot to handle, didn't want to get that thread locked.

Since 17:50 this evening (Sat) I've been steaming solidly, thanks Wigan for relaxing me :)

Earlier this afternoon, I accessed my 3 account online only to forget my password. Using the established "forgotten password", I got back in.

While on the account, had seen that I was due an upgrade, so checked it out & rather than complete the order online (wanted a couple of points clarified), called 3's customer services.

Points clarified to my satisfaction & gave the order after a nice conversation with the CS employee (makes a change from a lot of CS centres). True to his word, I received a confirmatory text message within minutes of the call ending - this was around 15:30.

At 17:50, mobile rang purporting to be 3 Customer Services asking for me by name & gave me full details of the order made & asking if I received the confirming text - said yes & did not want any further add-ons to contract - call ended.

Within 10 seconds, mobile rang again & from the same number - 0843 3733313 asking to speak to Mr Mohameed (didn't get the surname as I interrupted the caller).

Stated that he had got the wrong number & the guy got loud stating he had the correct number to which I replied "Do I sound Asian?".

He continued to converse in a louder manner to which I ended the call. As it bugged me, I called 3's Customer Services again & explained the issue as I saw it (this time around I got an English speaking person - sorry, I am not racist!).

This was immediately noted & got asked if I would hold the line as she would get her manager to take the call. After explaining to the manager, he has assured me that he called that number & could not get through & also that the number is not on their approved list of 3rd party dealers.

I'm hoping that I was not fobbed off & that an investigation has started. I do feel sorry for the person/s that did this if they lose their job, BUT I feel that they were in a position of trust which they broke & should be instantly dismissed!

---

I totally understand and why over here some company's have brought the call centres back to oz people where finding it hard to understand them and peoples personal details have been used to commit fraud .And some of the company's noticed people where going to other company's that had there call centres here and started losing money

Just the other night I called the operator for a number I had a realy hard time understanding him and he ended up sending me the wrong number so I waited till I got back home and looked it up myself

So I would have to vote NO you can't trust Company's

---

There's an awful lot of call centre fraud and dubious practices going on where your details get forwarded on whether you want your details passing on or not.

Next you know, from whatever innocuous foreign call centre interaction, you are now on the spamming list of other untrusted call centres. Often, they will have 'number unavailable' or a completely fictitious number for their caller id...


There's also the dead calls from the auto dialers.

And then certain phone providers charge extra to block such nuisance calls...


Good luck,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

BBC's Watchdog programme confirmed that it was not possible for a broken handset to download that amount of data in the time specified........

.....hmmnnn.....

...Orange profits not large enough for them?

£163,178.86 Mobile Shock

---

BBC's Watchdog programme confirmed that it was not possible for a broken handset to download that amount of data in the time specified........

.....hmmnnn.....

...Orange profits not large enough for them?

£163,178.86 Mobile Shock

Just goes to show you can't trust them . And they didn't even give him 6 months free service for the hassel . I would give the cash back and try and sue them geees 250 pound wasn't even 1 month's bill he payed .

---

Unfortunately too often the answer is no you can't trust most of the companies you have to deal with. Which is why we have so many dag blamed lawyers.

---

Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Hmmn, no current backup procedures in place then?

Restarted Direct Debits

Up to a decade after they were cancelled?

"Bacs said it was made aware last summer that Totalcaresupport.com had reactivated some direct debits without being authorised to do so. It understood it was the result of a technical issue that resulted in the loss of its most current database, so it submitted a direct debit file which, by mistake, contained some former customers' details."

So no recent backup?

Surely, they must have had a D/D file more recent than a 7/10 year old copy?

---

Sirius, that is one of the main reasons why I try to avoid e commerce as much as possible.

---

It's not a case of E-Commerce, but one of your bank & the companies you deal with not noting weird transactions.

Surely, the banks should have spotted those D/D's being reinstated after such a long time being cancelled?

They do it for credit cards. How many times have people used their C/C's only to have it blocked as the banks thought that being used abroad, assumed it was a fraudulent transaction, with the user having to contact the bank to get it authorised?

Yet, allow fraudulent transactions to occur in the user's home country, for example a user uses his credit/debit card in his home town/city at say, 13:30 & 30 minutes later there is a transaction on that card at 14:00 in Southampton which they let through?

---

They do it for credit cards. How many times have people used their C/C's only to have it blocked as the banks thought that being used abroad, assumed it was a fraudulent transaction, with the user having to contact the bank to get it authorised?

Anyone with any common sense informs their card issuer of the dates, and where, before they go abroad, so that they are expecting the transactions that they will receive.

Stating the obvious again I see, unfortunately, even then, mistakes do & will continue to happen.

---

When I make regular payments I always insist on Standing Orders. I control them not the company.

---

It's good to be back amongst friends and colleagues

As can I Chris, and amend the amount paid via a Standing Order while online.

I always consider a Direct Debit is you licensing the company to dip their hand in to your wallet. I am not that confident nor impressed by the DD money back guarantee.

---

It's good to be back amongst friends and colleagues

As already stated, mistakes can & do happen, but the D/D guarantee does work.

Several years ago, & as Chris has stated, one needs to keep a buffer in account. I did, but one company took the same D/D twice within several days & as I, at that time, only reconciled my accounts when I received the monthly statements, went overdrawn which I only noticed when I went to draw cash from an ATM.

It took the Bank & I several hours to go through all the transactions until we found it. As I'd proved it wasn't an error on my part, they cancelled the bank charges & refunded the second D/D which was greatly appreciated.

That was in April. Then in June that year, I noticed that I had too much in account compared to my own records. On checking statements, found that the company had refunded the 2nd D/D as well but failed to notify me.

I cancelled that D/D & have not dealt with that company since.

---

D/D shakes head. Thinks of bill from power company dear old Dad got.
Background, had been going along just fine for some years. Power company made some upgrades to the power vault. They put a new meter on. [New meters start at zero.] Interim bill arrives for a three day period. It is for seven figures and about 25% of their generating capacity. I'm sure you can figure out what happened. Told in a very flat droll voice "that is your bill" by the CSR. Did offer a super's phone number. Super, who can do math in their head realizes the sheer impossibility of the bill. Don't pay anything, I'll get it taken care of (and please dear god don't show it to a consumer reporter!) Takes a big boss override of a manager over ride of a super's over ride to get it fixed. Just real happy it wasn't D/D.

---

So... Premier League football moguls can arbitrarily turn off the internet?!


Premier League seeks ISP site block...

... The League wants ISPs to cut off access to FirstRow1.eu, which operates from Sweden.

The BBC understands none of the ISPs plans to challenge the court order.

If successful, the action will be the first sport-related site block in the UK.

The Premier League's move follows a precedent set by the BPI music industry body, which has been successful in having several piracy websites blocked in the UK...

... Jim Killock, of the Open Rights Group, said he worried that conflicted interests might lead to the blocking process becoming less transparent.

"All of the major ISPs now have differing degrees of conflicts of interest," he told the BBC.

"Sky, BT, Virgin and TalkTalk all supply televisions services now...


So... Who 'owns' The Internet? And what of 'freedom'??

IT is what we allow it to be...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

With recent events, we've had George Orwell's 1984 explode into our faces. Now this?


Privacy activists sue FBI for access to facial recognition records

Feds ignore FOIA queries about massive biometrics database

... The law enforcement agency is busily beefing up its Next Generation Identification (NGI) database, which will include biometric information like iris scans, palm prints, face-recognition-ready pics and voice data, adding to its existing database of fingerprints for law enforcement agencies across the US.

"NGI will result in a massive expansion of government data collection for both criminal and noncriminal purposes,"...

... Face-recognition technology is among the most alarming new developments, because Americans cannot easily take precautions against the covert, remote, and mass capture of their images."...


Here's looking at YOU baby!

All in our own little world,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

& you think our lot are sucking their thumbs? Take a drive around the Holborn area, Chancery Lane, New Fetter Lane or Shoe Lane, or even Fleet Street. While everyone is concentrating on the Yanks, think of what Your government are quietly doing!

---

& you think our lot are sucking their thumbs? Take a drive around ... think of what Your government are quietly doing!

Or take a walk around the centre of London, or (now likely) choose any other population centre to walk around... The area is blanket covered with CCTV and includes computer monitoring that recognizes the features of pedestrians to follow their every movement and track them across the CCTV zones. You are even recognized again if you briefly drop out of view or as you move between cameras.

Loiter or otherwise behave differently to 'average behavior' and you are automatically flagged up to 'security operators' to eye you up...


All for "your own safety" ofcourse...

This one in a city near you...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

When they are not being used to track suspected terrorists, they could earn a few bob by renting them out to suspicious wives who think their husband is having an affair ....

On this side of the pond a subpoena duces tecum will make them spit that data right out ... especially as the government tends to outsource projects like this to private companies who can't refuse such requests.

---

Two examples of overly 'sharp practice' to gouge extra profits at the expense of all users?


App Store 'full of zombies' claim on Apple anniversary

... Figures seen by the BBC from tracking service Adeven indicate over two-thirds of apps in the store are barely ever installed by consumers. However Apple has said that 90% of all apps in the marketplace - which is marking its five-year anniversary - are downloaded at least once a month.

Apple boss Tim Cook said the store had "fundamentally changed the world". ...

... It indicated that some 68% of smartphone owners used five or fewer apps on a weekly basis, with many of their other "impulse" buys losing their appeal almost instantly.

App developer Malcolm Barclay told the BBC that the amount of "zombie" apps was not a surprise - but argued that there was "safety in numbers".

"There's a lot of apps in the store that are not downloaded for good reason, they're awful ...

... Apple says it has paid out $10bn (£7bn) to app developers - three times more, it boasts, than all the other app stores combined.

The "app economy", as it has become known...

Apple, which takes a 30% cut of all sales through its online marketplace...


Apple guilty of e-books price fixing, judge rules

A US judge has found Apple guilty of conspiring with publishers to fix the price of electronic books.

Manhattan Judge Denise Cote said the iPad maker "conspired to restrain trade"...



IT is what we make it...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)