Calls May Be Monitored for Training Purposes Etc . . .

When you ring your Insurer, Bank, and pretty well nearly every company at this stage you get the initial message your telephone call MAY be monitored for training purposes, etc. Does this mean the company can listen to your calls historically? For the sake of argument let’s say you are contacting your insurance company regarding a first time claim. Can the insurer access and use something you may have said on a call 20 years previously against you?

Possibly not 20 years ago, that seems excessive to keep call logs (unless it is a bank about mortgages).

I did have an issue with health insurance when one of my kids turned 18. Laya sent a renewal notice saying the cost would be x, say €1000 and then a week later sent another saying the cost would be y, say €500. So I phoned them up, said I had got two letters and which one was it, €1000 or €500 and the guy said €500. I obviously couldn’t believe it, because I had expected it to be the €1000. So I said something to the effect of “just to confirm the cost for the 18 year old for next year is €500” and the agent said “yes”.

I know that because a few months later we had reason to download our health certificate and it said the kid was €1000. So I dug out the two original letters and on one I had written, phoned on date… agent confirms €500. So I phoned again, they said they would look into it and call me back. They did call back and a supervisor and agent was on the line and they had listened back to the original conversation and we able to confirm the quotes above. I think they refunded my husbands company the €500 as they were paying the health insurance, even though it turned out the first letter I had gotten was for the following year and the second was for the previous year, something neither I nor the first agent noticed.

I also got the impression that it was only because I had the date of the first call written down that they were able to access the correct call log and listen to it.

If you want to know what data an insurer has kept on you sent in a request under GDPR asking for all information they have and you will find out how far back their call logs go. The data a company keeps on you needs to be proportional to the reason they keep it. So a call about a mortgage taken out 20 years ago would seem acceptable whereas a call about motor insurance that you had for 1 year 20 years ago would not seem proportional.

I had an issue with a car insurance quote and I told them to check their recordings. I was told they only held on to them for 6 months. Then I found my email sent to them referring to the call and repeating what I understood. They hadn’t responded to my email so they had to take that as proof of what they’d said on the call.

I suspect that might be standard for motor insurance as generally the cartel agree such rules amongst themselves

Leper said:

your telephone call MAY be monitored for training purposes, etc.

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The etc. is the important part here. If it's for training purposes only, it's unlikely to be retained for long. However, if the call is for the purpose of forming and recording a contract then of course it will be retained and if there is an issue regarding that contract in the future it can be accessed. If the call is being recorded the purpose should be made known to the caller.

I know it's a few years ago now but when I worked in the bank the telephone message said the very same thing but the MAY was important as they actually weren't recorded at all, none of them in our branch. Now I believe Head Office did use the facility in certain departments but they were not kept long term like correspondence.

I have used the health insurance playback calls to my advantage alright when they said one thing yet policy said another so they health insurers are definitely recording them all and I'd imagine anything where the actual sale is made over the phone would find it important to record and retain, utilities etc.

I've had cause to get a recording of a call with an Aer Lingus customer support rep concerning a cancelled flight etc. I was alarmed to hear that, while I was on hold, the system continued to record me scowling to Mrs S about the whole thing! Luckily, no profanity or personal criticism of the rep.

Financial institutions need to keep records 6/7 years after the client relationships ends.

If you need to listen back to something simply put in a request with the company, if that goes nowhere put in a complaint and a SAR - subject access request.

From the training I have attended over the years, yes they do keep sample calls, an example would be one where people are trying to defraud and impersonate somebody else to get access to another client's bond.

Very important for AML training to protect everybody so I would have no problem with that.

Sarah Ryan said:

Very important for AML training to protect everybody so I would have no problem with that.

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Surely AML already requires a paper trail (e.g. copies of photo id, PPSN, proof of address, etc. on file) so listening to previously recorded phone calls wouldn't be necessary?

ClubMan said:

Surely AML already requires a paper trail (e.g. copies of photo id, PPSN, proof of address, etc. on file) so listening to previously recorded phone calls wouldn't be necessary?

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If there are AML or terrorist financing risk concerns in a financial institution regarding particular individuals or entities, I'd be most alarmed if their phone interactions with that institution aren't being systematically recorded for evidential purposes.

ClubMan said:

Surely AML already requires a paper trail (e.g. copies of photo id, PPSN, proof of address, etc. on file) so listening to previously recorded phone calls wouldn't be necessary?

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Listening to phone calls and the tactics people use is absolutely crucial for people joining a financial institution for a first time. Just to make it clear it is a panel of calls, ie one or two that are used as they are good examples.

Yearly AML training is a requirement for all financial companies. Well it is for me anyway in mine. And of course there is a paper trail as well, even though that itself is liable to scamming.

Google phone phishing, all you need is to call one company and get a weak link on the phones, get a bit of info, repeat the process and hey presto you get enough to pass security.

Here are some courses ran by the City of London police if anybody is interested - more aimed at general data safety but very interesting