I probably wouldn't be surprised at what information any call centre has about me or what one click of a button could do - to be honest its probably not alot that would worry me anyway.
Having worked in a call centre I think the main reason customers and call centres don't always get on is that the call centre operatives forget who it is that, all things considered, pay their wages and help ensure they have a job (which is to provide service to the customer). OK, so you do get some customers who just want a fight because of something the company has done & some unreasonable requests and there is a line, however most are reasonable requests. For most customers there is nothing more annoying than getting through the maze of options on the menu system to eventually reach a CS rep with a bit of an attitude. I remember once I phoned up a network for a PAC code to transfer my number and the CS rep refused to give it to me until I justified in detail why it was cheaper for me on my new network, he just kept saying 'I fail to see how that would be cheaper, you are better off with us'. After 10 minutes of trying really hard, and managing, to keep my cool he gave it to me. He could have finished the call 8 minutes earlier.
If a CS operative can easily do something a customer asks that isn't against the law or company policy, then why shouldn't they? It's normally loads easier than having to deal with upset/angry customers. Chances are if you upset them they will just call back and vent their anger unfairly on one of your colleagues.
If companies such as O2 made all the time scales etc clear there probably wouldn't be people phoning up and complaining. Thing is they don't, so people think their credit has gone, they might rely upon that credit (why should they top up again just to use something they have already paid for). In O2s case they don't even seem to have a definate time scale, some times its instant, sometimes it's not - so what exactly do they expect customers to think.
For the record my request to O2 to transfer the credit was via a pleasent email (April 2005,), I got a really nice reply from someone called Bharti Moolya 10 minutes after sending it saying that the credit was on the phone - so it obviously isn't a difficult task.