COMPUTERS, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

[Stanley]

See THIS for a BBC report of the huge data breach that BA has suffered. Probably 380,000 customers seriously affected as card details have been stolen and the only sensible thing to do is cancel the card. Guess what that is doing to the bank's customer help lines.

[Tizer]

The BBC this morning....
`The Sunday Mirror says 60 Ministry of Defence laptops went missing last year, sparking fears that highly sensitive secrets might be for sale on the dark web. A total of 45 memory sticks and four desktop computers are also said to have vanished. The MoD tells the paper that it has millions of items right across the world and, while it is impossible to stop all losses, all incidents are fully investigated.'

So much for our cyberwarfare abilities!
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I had an email from Dixons/Carphone Warehouse last week saying their systems had been hacked and I should watch out because some of my data may have been stolen. It advised me to look at their web site for details of how to avoid being scammed and had a web link to click. I view all my email in plain text and I could see that the link was a `forwarding' one, it had the Dixons web address but with arrows to a second address that was composed mostly of random letters and digits. I sent a screenshot of the message to the Dixon's CEO and asked him if it was a scam. If genuine, had they had yet another attack (the one we all know about was back in June). If it was genuine and referring to the June attack why were they only now sending me a warning? I said it looked like a scam to me, judging from the web URL. A week later I've got a reply saying it is genuine and it's taking a long time to contact everyone. The content of the message follows....

Thank you for your email addressed for the attention of our Chief Executive Officer Alex Baldock. As part of the CEO Support Team, your correspondence has been passed to me to investigate and respond. I can confirm the email you have received from us is genuine, the link included in the email is safe for you to use. The reason for the delay in contacting you is due to the complex nature of the incident, it means that it takes a long time to investigate. We have been working around the clock along with leading cyber security experts and our investigation is now reaching its conclusion. If you have any further questions regarding the incident please let me know. Yours sincerely, Jack Mills, CEO Support Team, Team Knowhow™ Customer Contact Centre, Tel: 0344 561 6372

[Stanley]

Well, at least they did respond by what looks like a personal mail. Problem is though, don't they realise how suspicious some of us are of emails? A mass mailing of snail mail would be more reassuring and probably no more expensive in the long run. I don't trust even my online statements from Talktalk!

[Big Kev]

A mass mailing of snail mail would be more reassuring and probably no more expensive in the long run.

Potentially reassuring but 90% of snail mail that comes to my house goes straight in the recycling bin. With regard to 'mass mailing being no more expensive,
I very much doubt that...

[Stanley]

Ah, but think of the costs of tidying up the mess after a case like Tiz's.....

[Tizer]

Interestingly, the reply I received was not from Dixons. My message had been passed to the 3rd party company who are responsible for Dixon's communications with its customers and it's they who replied to me. I assume that the gobbledegook web URL in the original email was theirs. These days all the larger companies are using lots of `3rd parties', sub-contractors and in some cases it will goes as far as 4th and 5th parties after more sub-contracting. This is one one of the ways that our data gets leaked out into the wild.

[Stanley]

And how services decline when they are outsourced from government control. Control of the commanding heights is needed!

[Stanley]

We have occasionally had posts in which we suspect that there is data leakage from inside organisations. See THIS Bloomberg report of instances of it happening inside Amazon. Employees are accused of taking bribes form sellers on the site to massage information about them on the site. There is also the suspicion that some bank details leaks come from inside the banks themselves. Is this just the tip of a very large iceberg? I sometimes think that the consumer is at high risk. (I don't think this is a conspiracy theory)

[Whyperion]

Taking things to an extreme, is it possible to turn my laptop into a phone? Mainly thinking of things like Whatsapp or other texting facilities.

There was supposed to be a world of 'unified messaging' arriving about 10 years ago. I have not seen it (integration of Voice Land Lines, Fax, Paging. Email , Text, and Voicemails) Instead we have had a spread of messaging over IP services - each app has its own (which suits me, as my FB and Twitter accounts have very different networks of hobbies and local politics). It even used to be easier to send faxes from computers in Dos / Win 3.11 days - the applications were not at the time to 32 bit systems and similar. I suppose one problem with unified messaging was not the source, or the destination, but the transmission services ( So BT switching systems designed for wire networks, mobile networks running over radio wavelengths, and IP systems using differing networks from X.25 and similar). There would still be the problem of managing the communications where it is legally needed to retain and refer to them. I suppose though anything should be do-able at a cost, but do individuals or organisations want to pay that cost?

[Tizer]

...There is also the suspicion that some bank details leaks come from inside the banks themselves. Is this just the tip of a very large iceberg? I sometimes think that the consumer is at high risk. (I don't think this is a conspiracy theory)

The problem of leaks from inside the banks themselves is not a conspiracy theory - we know it goes on and bank employees have been prosecuted for such behaviour.

[Stanley]

[Tizer]

This is an example of something that irritates me. When I got the Samsung tablet recently I immediately muted the sound but yesterday it was back on although neither of us have touched the sound settings since. Our digital radio gets updates and sometimes that changes settings too.
`Google admits changing phone settings remotely' LINK

[Stanley]

I have an idea that might happen with my Roberts wonder radio as well.

[Tripps]

I use Google - who doesn't? However I cooperate with them a little as possible. I've set the privacy settings as private as I can. I don't see any benefit to me in them knowing where I live or where I am. Their claim that advertising would be more personal isn't enough. Their News page for me was for some reason centred on Princes Risborough, I don't even know fully where it is. This changed last week, and they are now putting me in the Lake District for my news. Childish I know but I get some small satisfaction from this.

I'd leave them totally, but for the fact that they host some material of mine which has sentimental value, and I don't think I'd be able to fully get away from them even if I tried.

Hotel California methinks.

[chinatyke]

I use Google - who doesn't?

Not used in China unless you flout the law!

I think Google Earth is the greatest free program ever.

[Stanley]

Or the Roach Motel.... "They check in but they don't check out".
I agree with you about Google David but they are so pervasive on the web we simply have to accept it and not interact with them directly any more than is necessary. They will have a record of every site I have ever visited......

[Tizer]

Google et al usually find you again. It only needs you to do some searching for local shops etc. The algorithms are tracking you and forever analysing what you do on your PC, tablet, smartphone etc. They get lots of data from third parties - just think of all the web sites that have google maps on them, for example. There is no escape!

[Stanley]

Unfortunately that is no less than the truth. Big Data rules. OK?

[plaques]

I'm going to bore people with our latest TalkTalk saga. With winter approaching Mrs P thought she would have a stab at the Sky Cinema Package. It can be cancelled at the end of each month so no problem there. Now starting TalkTalk's on line chat, dozens of questions about what have you got and what do you want etc: Then " we recommend that since you are on standard broadband the Sky package requires Fibre broadband" plus are super HUB / Router. . A little background on this. Our standard used to run at 6.2 Mb but now its down to 2.7 Mb, could this be anything to do with their promotion offers?. They also recommended a TV box along with the Sky Cinema. OK she said. After reading all the blurb that came with the offer it became clear the TV box was just a standard recorder for Free View etc, not an essential part of broadband / Sky. We already have a good quality recorder. Back to the Chat. You get to record your conversation.
We have change our mind. Cancel the TV box.
You can cancel it after 30 days because it hasn't been activated.
This would have incurred £32 extra costs. Not good enough, Just cancel the order on the box before it sets off.
We can't do that it hasn't been activated.
Please put someone who can do this then.
Next person. It hasn't been activated. The only thing to do is for you to refuse delivery and send it back.
Totally gob smacked, Best leave it while still in charge of emotions.

Meanwhile more bumf via snail mail. Your TV box and Router will be delivered together in one package.
But we have been told to send it back! The courier was totally nonplussed. "Why didn't they just cancel it? I'm self employed I may not get paid etc": But took it back shaking his head.
Back to Chat, Right we have returned the package which included the new router, can we have a new separate router? This set the cat amongst the pigeons
After bouncing through three different operators explaining the problem, Finally....
We will send you another router.

Watch out for episode 2.

[Tizer]

A riveting read, Plaques! Good luck with your attempts to penetrate the fog of `customer service' (should it really be customer dis-service, Perhaps?).

[PanBiker]

You have fallen foul of the script readers Plaques. They cannot deviate as they only have a flow chart to follow which will usually only have a couple of possible outcomes. What you really need is second line support, if you have to ring them again ask nicely to be escalated, it usually works for me.

[plaques]

You have fallen foul of the script readers

That's exactly what we thought. We had moved through so many operators that each time we were predicting what was coming down the line next. I even had my own replies listed on a copy and paste format. The advantage of the Chat is that you get a transcript of what has been said and you can quote it verbatim. With the telephone speech contact its all "pardon, Can you say that again, Do you mean ???" Then when things don't turn out as expected and the old memory has faded a little its difficult to construct a cast iron argument.

[Tizer]

I remember about 15 years ago when I had problems with a new all-singing, all-dancing fax machine. Rang the company and was asked questions, then the man started telling me to check things. I told him I'd done all that by following the advice on their web site. He said "If that's the case there's nothing more I can do because I only have what is on the web site". They wouldn't take the machine back and told me I'd have to contact the manufacturer (HP). HP wouldn't do anything unless I got a code from the retailer. Eventually I got that and it was sorted but I was disappointed to find that the only thing the retailer could do was quote their public web site at me.

[Stanley]

P, "Then when things don't turn out as expected and the old memory has faded a little its difficult to construct a cast iron argument." Exactly why I conduct all my disputes via snail mail, you have an audit trail for the Pearl Harbour File! I also write contemporaneous notes of any 'phone conversation for the same reason.
Tiz, is the Sale of Goods Act still in operation? The phrase 'not of marketable quality' was always a good one to use.
I have to say that on the whole my Talk Talk experience has been relatively painless so far. (Famous last words?)

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on a massive security breach admitted by Facebook. The experts are talking about up to 50 million people being affected because the hackers can access other Facebook technology based platforms if linked to an account. Big data rules? I'm so glad I got off the site a long time since.