HELPLINES run by Britain’s phone companies are slow to answer, provide a
confusing maze of recorded options and give wrong advice even on simple
questions, according to a report from the Consumers’ Association. And inquiries
by 91av show that poor helplines are not only infuriating:
they can compromise security as well.
If you have a BT Cellnet mobile phone, you can pick up voicemail messages by
calling your mobile number from a fixed-line phone, and hitting the * key. Some
phones then immediately play the owner’s messages to whoever is calling. Others
require a PIN code, but this is set by default to the same four-digit PIN, and
there is no recorded warning that users should change it to keep their voice
messages secure.
Users who realise they should try to change their PIN face a veritable
obstacle course. On three occasions, BT Cellnet’s national-rate helpline took
more than 10 minutes to give any advice. And this merely directs you to recorded
prompts for the voicemail service, which offer a security option and a tutorial,
but take the user round in circles without explaining that the PIN cannot be
changed from a fixed-line phone. After 91av complained, a
Cellnet operator called with more wrong advice before “finding a leaflet” with
the correct information.
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Oftel, Britain’s telecoms watchdog, says it is powerless to make networks
improve customer care.
