Don't waste my time!

I had an annoying experience this morning.

Lady from catalogue company phoned. I used to buy from this company when my son was little but have not bought from them for a long time.

So she phoned to ask for me. Yeah, that's me speaking.

"Could you please confirm your address and post code?"

"Why?" I asked.

"For security reasons we have to check you are the person we want to speak to to give you some information."

"What information?"

"For data protection reasons, we're not allowed to say unless we've checked your data."

"Well, perhaps I am not interested in that information then?"

"OK, thank you for your time."

What cheek? To ask for me by name and then to require me to give her personal information so that she could tell me some information I am probably not interested in -- using my time!

These checks are not fail-safe any way. Any one (say, a neighbour) could pick up the phone, profess to be so and so. And as they are at the address, could well know the address and post code. Then what? Call this a security check?

Buying online is convenient but so impersonal. The best bit of buying from this company is the friendly courier who delivers. He stops his car to chat with me when he sees me walking around the area and moans, "What have I done?"

It's not him, of course. My son has simply outgrown that company. Still we stop for a chat, and that is nice.

Back to Organic-Ally.

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