Bad shopping experience--rant
I had one of the worst and weirdest shopping experiences I have ever had recently, which made me feel that Big Brother is alive and well.
Long story short: I have finally decided I am going to get an iPhone--have to get a new phone, contract expired, etc. So I go to BestBuy. Ryan, the young salesman with red hair and goatee, was EXTREMELY helpful, drew up contract, entered it into computer, then contacted AT&T by phone to approve account. That's when the trouble started.
AT&T wouldn't approve it because of a fraud alert on my account (placed there by me because of an identity theft incident EIGHT YEARS AGO) and because my previous home number--their number of record--had been disconnected. Ryan told me this apologetically, and I asked him to have them call me on my current "home" number, my cellphone. No go. They said I had to change number on the credit report before they could approve it. They gave me a 1-800 number.
Thirty minutes later, after navigating the "phone tree from he**", I received an automated message from credit reporting service that "you already have an alert on your account--to change any information, submit etc., etc. by mail". Never got to talk to a real person.
Ryan was very helpful and apologetic, but I made him get his manager, and *politely* expressed my frustration. I spent 1 and 1/2 hours in BestBuy trying to make this purchase, and told them I have spent less time buying a house or a car (literally true). I have had 4 or 5 different cellphone accounts. I have never been denied a purchase because of such a ridiculous reason as "we don't have your current phone number on record".
I went home and accessed credit report on Experian--no problems, even my cell # was listed there. I called BestBuy--by this time I suspect Ryan was getting a little frustrated with me--and asked them to try again. No go again, because AT&T was using Equifax. (The website of their subsidiary CRS was another study in poor site design and customer service, BTW.)
So I politely wished Ryan a nice day and hung up. This blew the better part of a lovely weekend morning.
In a last ditch effort, I actually called AT&T later in the day and talked to a real person (Erin) with a lovely voice within about 2 minutes. Surprise of surprises--fifteen minutes later my account was set up, and my iPhone was ordered--should be here today or tomorrow.
This situation bugged me on so many levels I don't know where to begin, but the things that stick in my craw are that I was not able to talk to the decision maker personally to explain the situation--he was relying on information in a credit file that was not current; no easy way to update personal info on credit file (never mind actual credit history, which in my case is more or less pristine); the "Big Brother" feel to this that these 3 companies have tremendous power over us and mine data about us constantly, without our explicit permission, which may or may not be correct.
When the apocalypse comes, never mind about hiding in the hills from the black helicopters. You will need to be 100% self-sufficient, because otherwise Equifax will not let you purchase a slice of bread without their permission.
Sorry for the rant.
Long story short: I have finally decided I am going to get an iPhone--have to get a new phone, contract expired, etc. So I go to BestBuy. Ryan, the young salesman with red hair and goatee, was EXTREMELY helpful, drew up contract, entered it into computer, then contacted AT&T by phone to approve account. That's when the trouble started.
AT&T wouldn't approve it because of a fraud alert on my account (placed there by me because of an identity theft incident EIGHT YEARS AGO) and because my previous home number--their number of record--had been disconnected. Ryan told me this apologetically, and I asked him to have them call me on my current "home" number, my cellphone. No go. They said I had to change number on the credit report before they could approve it. They gave me a 1-800 number.
Thirty minutes later, after navigating the "phone tree from he**", I received an automated message from credit reporting service that "you already have an alert on your account--to change any information, submit etc., etc. by mail". Never got to talk to a real person.
Ryan was very helpful and apologetic, but I made him get his manager, and *politely* expressed my frustration. I spent 1 and 1/2 hours in BestBuy trying to make this purchase, and told them I have spent less time buying a house or a car (literally true). I have had 4 or 5 different cellphone accounts. I have never been denied a purchase because of such a ridiculous reason as "we don't have your current phone number on record".
I went home and accessed credit report on Experian--no problems, even my cell # was listed there. I called BestBuy--by this time I suspect Ryan was getting a little frustrated with me--and asked them to try again. No go again, because AT&T was using Equifax. (The website of their subsidiary CRS was another study in poor site design and customer service, BTW.)
So I politely wished Ryan a nice day and hung up. This blew the better part of a lovely weekend morning.
In a last ditch effort, I actually called AT&T later in the day and talked to a real person (Erin) with a lovely voice within about 2 minutes. Surprise of surprises--fifteen minutes later my account was set up, and my iPhone was ordered--should be here today or tomorrow.
This situation bugged me on so many levels I don't know where to begin, but the things that stick in my craw are that I was not able to talk to the decision maker personally to explain the situation--he was relying on information in a credit file that was not current; no easy way to update personal info on credit file (never mind actual credit history, which in my case is more or less pristine); the "Big Brother" feel to this that these 3 companies have tremendous power over us and mine data about us constantly, without our explicit permission, which may or may not be correct.
When the apocalypse comes, never mind about hiding in the hills from the black helicopters. You will need to be 100% self-sufficient, because otherwise Equifax will not let you purchase a slice of bread without their permission.
Sorry for the rant.
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