“I am busy right now, call me back in half an hour.”Īmazingly, it appears to be the same Charlie when he calls back, and this time, it is he who is feeling frustrated. “No, miss, you must tell me the year you were born.” “Can you tell me more about this important personal business matter?” On one occasion, towards the end of a good day when I have succeeded in not letting the small stuff worry me so much, I feel mischievous and try another tactic. Why I am I being targeted? When will this ever end? Generally, I am starting to feel really harassed and, if I’m really honest, even a bit paranoid. On some occasions, I hang up very quickly. He also appears to have no recollection of our earlier conversations. Over the next few days and weeks, “Charlie” calls again at least a dozen times and I begin to notice something rather odd each time, he has a slightly different accent. “I am not authorised to give you that information, I may not be speaking to the real Ms Palmer.” And I am not going to tell you the year, you tell me.” “How can it be both a personal and business matter?” I ask, failing this time to hide the irritation in my voice. It’s just the sort of call that might tip me over the edge. It’s been a long day, I am worried I might miss a deadline and, most importantly of all, I am worried about my partner’s health. “I am calling about an important personal business matter and you must verify your identity before we can proceed.” It doesn’t really matter, I had never heard of the company. Let’s just say it’s Smart Business Solutions.
![the persistence game the persistence game](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W5304vAH78U/maxresdefault.jpg)
“I am not going to give you that information, you should know it already. I have been working in the media industry for years, and have recently written a lot about privacy legislation around the world. I just need to verify the year you were born for identification purposes.”Ĭharlie’s not having a lucky day. Ms Palmer, I understand you were born on the 7 th of June*. “Firstly, I need to verify that I speaking to the right person. I momentarily ignore the contradiction in terms. “I am calling about an important personal business matter,” he explains again. Although I am already a little suspicious, I give him the opportunity to explain the purpose of his call. This time, he asks to speak to Ms Palmer. Several years earlier, I had signed up for the Do Not Call register. Kerry, spelt with a y, is typically the male spelling so it is an easy mistake to make, but this incorrect assumption, and perhaps also his accent, reveals him to be an overseas telemarketer, or so I think. May I speak with Mr Palmer*?”įatal error. “Good afternoon, my name is Charlie and I am calling about an important personal business matter. I answer without thinking, pop the phone between my left ear and shoulder and keep typing. It is late afternoon and I am frantically working to meet a deadline when the phone rings in my office.