Yesterday we got a call from someone claiming to be working for USAA. It's either a classic phishing scam or one of the dumbest [-]wastes of my premium payments[/-] corporate ideas I've seen in a long time.
I've been a bit grumpy with USAA because our kid has just passed her driver's license exam. We've been on the phone with their agents more in the last six months than in the last six years, and before I could talk business every rep has been relentless with their "update your personal information", "let's review your insurance portfolio", "may we help you retire with our fine investment products", and other marketing before I could have a turn. But they took care of our policy changes and didn't even raise our premiums, so I hoped we were done talking and could all get back to using the website & e-mail.
Keep in mind that after 25+ years USAA has no trouble figuring out where to bill us or how to send us marketing e-mails, and they have a very robust website for updating our personal data. (You can even "deposit" checks with their bank by scanning & e-mailing, and they're starting to offer better CD rates than PenFed.) We're one of their best customers-- we have never ever submitted a claim.
I've turned off all snail mail with them, so a couple weeks ago it was a little perturbing to get a letter "advising" us of an upcoming phone call to verify our personal data. Our data is already accurate and up-to-date, but why waste the postage to tell us about a call? Why not include a form with the letter and a return-mail envelope, or (*gasp*) just send us an e-mail with a website link? The letter went straight into the recycle bin.
Yesterday an unidentified male left us voice mail claiming to be calling on behalf of USAA. He was addressing "me" (my wife is actually the name on our primary account) by my wife's rank (which always endears a caller's credibility & personal touch). He left a 1-888-872-USAA phone number to "update our personal data".
Here's a sad commentary on today's customer-service society: What made me even more suspicious about phishing is that my call to that number was immediately answered by a live, even cheerful, human being. She said that they're a "data verification service" hired by USAA to update their database. I said that I'd rather deal directly with USAA and to put me on their "Do Not Call" list-- and she immediately-- even cheerfully-- agreed to do so. And I knew they couldn't be working for USAA because they didn't even offer to tell me about their guaranteed retirement annuities.
If USAA was a publicly-held stock then I'd be shorting it.
Gosh, I sure hope we still have auto insurance…
I've been a bit grumpy with USAA because our kid has just passed her driver's license exam. We've been on the phone with their agents more in the last six months than in the last six years, and before I could talk business every rep has been relentless with their "update your personal information", "let's review your insurance portfolio", "may we help you retire with our fine investment products", and other marketing before I could have a turn. But they took care of our policy changes and didn't even raise our premiums, so I hoped we were done talking and could all get back to using the website & e-mail.
Keep in mind that after 25+ years USAA has no trouble figuring out where to bill us or how to send us marketing e-mails, and they have a very robust website for updating our personal data. (You can even "deposit" checks with their bank by scanning & e-mailing, and they're starting to offer better CD rates than PenFed.) We're one of their best customers-- we have never ever submitted a claim.
I've turned off all snail mail with them, so a couple weeks ago it was a little perturbing to get a letter "advising" us of an upcoming phone call to verify our personal data. Our data is already accurate and up-to-date, but why waste the postage to tell us about a call? Why not include a form with the letter and a return-mail envelope, or (*gasp*) just send us an e-mail with a website link? The letter went straight into the recycle bin.
Yesterday an unidentified male left us voice mail claiming to be calling on behalf of USAA. He was addressing "me" (my wife is actually the name on our primary account) by my wife's rank (which always endears a caller's credibility & personal touch). He left a 1-888-872-USAA phone number to "update our personal data".
Here's a sad commentary on today's customer-service society: What made me even more suspicious about phishing is that my call to that number was immediately answered by a live, even cheerful, human being. She said that they're a "data verification service" hired by USAA to update their database. I said that I'd rather deal directly with USAA and to put me on their "Do Not Call" list-- and she immediately-- even cheerfully-- agreed to do so. And I knew they couldn't be working for USAA because they didn't even offer to tell me about their guaranteed retirement annuities.
If USAA was a publicly-held stock then I'd be shorting it.
Gosh, I sure hope we still have auto insurance…