I’m sick and tired of hearing this. I call a business with whom I deal and whatever is I want to know we have to go through this damned pallaver. They wont even tell you their opening hours without you ‘go through security first’. Yesterday I turned the tables!

My mobile ‘phone supplier (that’s who they said they were) called and asked if they were speaking to Malcolm Loades. “Yes” I replied. “This is xyz communications. I’d just like to take you through a couple of security questions first”. Whoaaaa! “You’ve rung me so I’ve no proof you are who you say you are. It’s me who’s going to ask you a couple of security questions so I know that you are who you claim to be”. That produced silence for sometime, then the voice at the other end of the line asked “Do you understand the Data Protection Act?”. “I believe I do” was my response. “Then you’ll understand that we can’t talk to you without checking that you really are Malcolm Loades”. “If I’d rung you I’d agree with that because someone without any authority may be trying to close my account etc” I said “but in this instance you’ve rung me and I’ve no proof whatever that you are who you say are. You may well be someone trying to collect my ‘security question type information’ which could then be used for identity theft”. They kept protesting that they were unable to talk to me without checking that I was Malcolm Loades and I told them I wouldn’t talk to them unless they allowed me to ask a question or two to see if the were genuine or bogus. I suggested that they write to me about whatever they wanted to say on the ‘phone, and so I ended the stalemate.