I wanted to sign up for a mini-convention re startup funding.
The speakers seemed interesting and the date fit.
When I called the organizers, I got to their voice mail.
Naturally, I couldn't complete my registration in a VM.
Left them a message to call me back.
They did - a few days later, from an undisclosed number. And immediately asked for my credit card number for registration fee.
I told them I'd be happy to provide it, but being that they call from an undisclosed number a few days after I contacted them, I cannot be sure it is actually them and not someone that happened to hear my VM. I would however like to call them immediately to their advertised number, and give them the credit card number.
Fine they said.
I called back - got to the VM.
Left a message saying this is weird and I would like to talk to them.
A few days go by, and then the whole thing starts over.
I told the nice lady that called that I cannot give the number to whoever may be calling me from a private number, and would like to call her.
And then I experienced a nice deja-vu.
This whole thing happened for several more times.
Every time I asked if they may have some secure form online, a way to call them, or a way to pay on arrival. Anything that would make sense.
They suggested I call back… (we know how well that went).
Finally, on the last re-run of this z-grade sitcom, as the lady called I asked her if she was aware that they are supposed to be a business development center - and yet they seem to be in grave need for development.
They have a service I want, I'm more than willing to pay for it, and for some reason they won't provide a proper way to complete the transaction. In the real world, giving your credit card number to an unknown caller is not a very safe or smart thing to do.
In the first couple of talks, this may have been a simple misunderstanding, but now it seems like their overall service level is very poor, and this is before they got my money…
This thing that started as common prudence, turned out to be a litmus test for their service level.
They failed.
I thanked her and asked her to stop calling me (at least until they got their act together).
After the whole thing was over, I asked some of my friends what they would do - especially if they would give their credit card number to an unknown caller. Their answers provided many versions of a resounding no (some examples: NO!!! , no! , WTF? , Hell no! and R U STUPID?).
Guess I may not be totally wrong here.
