Credit Card Face Palm

[IvorTangrean]

How to confuse your customers in 4 easy steps:

1) Print on the back of the card "Automated Line: 1 800 XXX XXXX".

2) Have customer type in card number when they call in

3) Connect them to a service rep

4) Have the rep imitatively ask for the card number

[Teskeria]

Usually means:
a.) they mistyped the number
b.) the phone line is bad so the auto system didn't hear the beeps correctly
or
c.) They didn't bother typing all or some of the number because they hate automated systems.

In my experience a & b are most common. When the incorrect number shows, it is usually where they accidentally typed the same number twice. say it should be 54798763 and they typed 547998763. that extra digit can throw it way off

[Slayer]

Usually means:
a.) they mistyped the number
b.) the phone line is bad so the auto system didn't hear the beeps correctly
or
c.) They didn't bother typing all or some of the number because they hate automated systems.

In my experience a & b are most common. When the incorrect number shows, it is usually where they accidentally typed the same number twice. say it should be 54798763 and they typed 547998763. that extra digit can throw it way off

For me, it's never any of those things XD. It's always perfect on my end and the rep still asks for the number. I don't get the point of an automated system if the reps are forced to ask for the number.

There's only one bank that I need to call that's only for one service and it's the only one that does not require the number to be entered in first so when I got asked for it, I almost said I entered it XD lol

[Ghel]

This happens to me all the time, and not just with credit cards. I get this after I've put in insurance policy numbers, social security numbers, and phone numbers, too. If I ask about it, the rep usually says it's part of their script.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Maybe so the rep can make sure the screen info they were given matches up to the phone call. Not that they need to because computers never make mistakes, right?

Some calls I make where they ask for account info provide several automated responses for providing info in addition to connecting to a rep. The typed in number could be for the automated responses, and not the rep.

[Dadeo]

I have a friend who's company develops software to deal with this very problem, most of the time it's because the info is not transferred along with the call. It drive me nuts that whenever I call Rogers, I have to enter it every time I get transferred then I have to repeat it to the CSR. I've gotten to the point where I just hit 0 or random numbers if I'm feeling particularly mischievous.

[Slayer]

Maybe so the rep can make sure the screen info they were given matches up to the phone call. Not that they need to because computers never make mistakes, right?

It's more the issue that the info is not relayed to the rep's computer versus them needing to match it. I used to ask why they needed to ask again and I've always been told it was because they can't see it. Now if they've changed that in the last year that I've asked it, I don't know. I don't bother wondering about it anymore. Also, I'm not a rep so I can only go by what I've been told.

[tech_monkey]

Sometimes this is caused by the Company outsourcing while keeping some of the corporate call centers. When i worked for the Cell Phone company this was the norm. Corporate had softphones (computer based) and we had old school office phones. The corporate guys would get all the information from the phone number entered when the caller came in, we got diddly, usually the customer would ask, and i would explain that i worked for a partner company that did the tech support for them.