He said he was ‘blown away’ by the rule around call handling
Martin Lewis has issued a warning that you could be inadvertently revealing your personal details or other sensitive information during phone calls. He voiced his shock and concern after learning about a system practice that potentially affects anyone contacting a service provider.
He shared the tip on an episode of his BBC podcast, which was focused on securing the best deals for services like broadband or energy tariffs, and the techniques of negotiating with providers. Mr Lewis was sent in an eye-opening tip from a call centre worker which he described as “really shocking”. The call handler revealed to the programme: “If you think you’re on hold, don’t assume because there is music that the call handler can’t hear what you’re saying whilst you’re on hold.”
‘I’m blown away by that one’
Martin Lewis said this disturbing revelation “has sent chills through me and I think it will send chills through everyone who hears it.” Applying this to when you are haggling a deal, he said that if you’re with someone else, you shouldn’t mention while on hold that you’d accept a specific price, as the handler might overhear you.
However, he stressed you could be also be accidentally disclosing other confidential information. The consumer champion said: “I’m a little bit blown away by that one. You could be having a private conversation, you could be talking, you could be brushing your teeth, you could be doing anything else at the time.”
There were also some other handy tips sent in by fans of the podcast, for when you ring up to haggle over a deal. One trick suggested was to press ‘#’ when you call, as this will typically connect you directly to a real person.
Further practical advice
One call handler offered the straightforward advice of being cordial and friendly when you phone up, as the person on the other end is then far more likely to go above and beyond to help you. Mr Lewis also shared another insider nugget here about why you should be winsome when you call up.
He said: “I’ve had call centre staff tell me in the past they have a certain number of discounts they can give in a day. So there is a discretion there of who they are going to give a discount to and who they won’t.”
A further tip came in for those whose policy is due for renewal and who are looking for a discount. The advice was simply to threaten to cancel your policy, as this will swiftly prompt them to come back with a more competitive offer.
