Can I get a copy of a recorded telephone conversation
Madamfluff
Posts: 3,310 Forum Member
✭✭✭
My Dad had a telephone conversation with his insurance company which has left him very very distressed.
It was to do with my late Mums policy, the chap on the phone was Indian very poor English according to Dad and didn't seem to understand what my Dad was asking for and kept asking to speak to the policy holder (my late Mum).
My Dad got distressed and angry and had to put the phone down, when he recovered himself he rang again only to be told that the company are refusing to speak to him as he was 'racially abusive' to the person he spoke to before.
My 18 year old niece was listening to what Dad was saying and she says he wasn't at all racist.
I need to make a serious complaint to this company and want a copy of the tape they made as they say all calls are monitored and recorded.
Does anybody know if I need to get a subject access request for this.
It was to do with my late Mums policy, the chap on the phone was Indian very poor English according to Dad and didn't seem to understand what my Dad was asking for and kept asking to speak to the policy holder (my late Mum).
My Dad got distressed and angry and had to put the phone down, when he recovered himself he rang again only to be told that the company are refusing to speak to him as he was 'racially abusive' to the person he spoke to before.
My 18 year old niece was listening to what Dad was saying and she says he wasn't at all racist.
I need to make a serious complaint to this company and want a copy of the tape they made as they say all calls are monitored and recorded.
Does anybody know if I need to get a subject access request for this.
0
Comments
Not sure how this would work though as it should be the policy holder.
Can you ring in and talk to them? Message me if you want more info... Work in an insurance contact centre
Edit: http://www.ico.org.uk/for_the_public/personal_information has information about how to go about it.
They don't have to without a formal request and can charge a fee. Most companies will want to avoid sending their entire client file as its hugely time consuming and expensive for them to do it.
Most firms usually say that all call *may* be recorded. There is a chance that it wasn't.
Prepare a letter for him that explains that he was distressed when the operative kept asking to speak to his deceased partner and request a copy of the conversation.
If you can, use your phone bill to obtain the number dialled and the exact time of the call (start/finish) and date of course.
Also, using the phone bill for reference, ask for a copy of the recording when he is accused of racism.
They are often sent out on a "compact cassette" so be prepared to find a legacy device to play it on!
I appreciate you claim that there was no racist content - but if when the tape is reviewed by their audit & complaint handling staff and there is evidence of racist content - be prepared for a police visit.
Twice I have been given the wrong quote on tv and broadband and the person dealing with it has said they would listen to the tape and come back to me. Both times they said the tape had been faulty so they took my word and gave me the lower quote. With that happening twice it does make me wonder just how many calls are actually recorded! BUT I was telling the truth anyway!
Maybe it time for the customers to start recording the calls, my change the sales persons attitude
When I worked in an out-bound customer service call-centre we had to tell everybody that the call may be recorded for monitoring/training purposes.
Only about 25% of the calls were monitored at any one time (to stop us screwing up) and they certainly weren't being recorded
So long as you inform the person you're speaking to, and they agree to continue the conversation, otherwise it's illegal.
Surely insurance companies MUST have procedures and policies for dealing sensitively with bereaved people, and I am sure it doesn't entail asking a widower 5 times to put his dead wife on the phone.
No racist comments at all I assure you my 18 year old niece
would have taken the phone away from my Dad if she heard him say anything that could be construed as racism. She did hear him getting distressed and ask to be put through to a manager as 'you don't seem to understand what I am saying'.
It's not illegal if the recording is for your own use.
As far as I'm aware when companies say 'some' calls 'may' be recorded it means that ALL calls ARE recorded.
The reason for the qualification is simply so that if the recording proves you are right they can deny having a recording.
In your case the recordings proves you were right, but they wouldn't admit this - so they 'kindly' took your word for it