Just how stupid do you think I am?

[ladydouji]

Ok I work in a bank for the online support. For security reasons we're only supposed to speak with the account owner(exception is if we speak and verify the account owner who then gives us permission to speak with who-ever)

Last night I got a caller who gave me an account number and gave the name Allen, when I pull up the account it had a completely different name.

Me: I do not show your name on the account. Is the account owner available I will need to speak with him.
Caller: I have all his information what do you need to verify?
Me: I'm sorry sir it's not a matter of verification, I must speak the account owner before providing assistance
Caller: I'm 'account owner's name"
Me *thinking* 'you really think that's gonna fly?'That is not the name you gave me before
Caller: That's an alias.
Me: I'm sorry sir but I will have to go by what you first provided and I will not be able to assist you.
Caller: Fine, what the direct number for online support.

So I gave the number, and then went into the online support chat room(all reps are supposed to be in there so we can just IM request or ask questions rather then calling the escalation teams) and let everyone that some-one was calling on the account and would probably be calling back claiming to be the account owner. My manager then locked out the online access entirely. Byebye jerk.

[Becks]

What, he didn't try to say he has mulitple personality disorder or something? The best he could come up with was "That's an alias"?? Loser.

[Jester]

What an idiot. That is not the way you do that. I should know, as I have in the past accessed other people's accounts....with their permission, of course.

A bit of explanation: in the old apartment, all the bills were in my roommate's name. My roommate is not American, and speaks with an accent, but is completely understandable. He just doesn't like to speak on the phone to people he doesn't know...say, utilities and what not. So I would end up calling for whatever the deal was, and saying I was him. Since I had all the information--hell, *I* was the one that set the passwords on the damn accounts!--I had no problem. And that is what your genius caller should have done...but he being an SC, such simple logic is beyond him.

[SuperDan]

If you're going to access somebody else's account, at least pretend to be them from the start.

I can even do it with my dad's accounts without technically lying. I just happen to omit the Jr. on the end of my name. My sister and mother don't share a name but they do share a first initial. Of course all of this is done with permission, as both of the rents have day jobs which occasionally (ok, for my dad daily) result in overtime and up until very recently all too many companies have had their help(less) desk hours end not long enough after the working day to make calling them after work practical.

No offense to help desk workers intended. As with any position, there are good and bad workers, I'm referring to the bad, or at least just plain clueless.

Side rant: What's the deal with phone support hours? I know not every company has the resources to staff their phones 24/7, but the (recently bought out) benefits outsourcing company that used to handle my insurance was only there mon-fri 7-4 and never returned a single voice mail I left them... That is ridiculous.