Grrr
I am feeling seriously grouchy today. Had my phone stolen last night. Cheeky bastrads. Rang up to block it last night, no problems there... But in order to claim on my insurance I have to report the theft to the police. Oh it's ok I said, I am covered for loss as well as theft in my insurance. Ah, they replied, that doesn't matter, if the phone is lost then you need a "loss reference number". A What? I asked incredulously. "A loss reference number". Why? I ask, as this seems a waste of police time. It prevents phone fraud, apparently. How, I ask, does it prevent fraud, as clearly I could be lying. Well that is the policy, is the reply...
Well if that is the policy then I had better just do as they wish... But, they say, in order to report the phone missing I need an IMHE number. What’s that? I ask. If you don't still have the box it came in, then you can get it from customer services, during the day, though I must report it to the police within 24 hours of the theft.
So today I call customer services and explain what I need (and by the by I ask again what the point of all this is and have almost the exact same conversation as above) only to be told that the hardware department 'systems are down', and the supervisor is going to have to contact them and they will call me back. Yeah right. And the Tooth Fairy and Santa are currently holidaying together in the Cotswolds.
So in the meantime I ring the police station local to where the theft happened to see if I could make any progress reporting it. Turns out that if I want to get a reference number in less than 48 hours, I have to go there in person.
Am I being punished for something? Is it all some elaborate unfunny Jeremy Beadle type joke? No it's just nonsense designed to restrict the number of successful claims. The insurance section wants insists on a rule which 'proves' nothing, customer services have to defend a rule which they can't explain, the police get hundreds of requests for crime refernece numbers and 'loss reference numbers', so can't turn them around quickly enough unless you go and visit the station. So we have all wasted loads of time, the phone is no more likely to be found and I'm left wanting to smack the thief in the face...
Well if that is the policy then I had better just do as they wish... But, they say, in order to report the phone missing I need an IMHE number. What’s that? I ask. If you don't still have the box it came in, then you can get it from customer services, during the day, though I must report it to the police within 24 hours of the theft.
So today I call customer services and explain what I need (and by the by I ask again what the point of all this is and have almost the exact same conversation as above) only to be told that the hardware department 'systems are down', and the supervisor is going to have to contact them and they will call me back. Yeah right. And the Tooth Fairy and Santa are currently holidaying together in the Cotswolds.
So in the meantime I ring the police station local to where the theft happened to see if I could make any progress reporting it. Turns out that if I want to get a reference number in less than 48 hours, I have to go there in person.
Am I being punished for something? Is it all some elaborate unfunny Jeremy Beadle type joke? No it's just nonsense designed to restrict the number of successful claims. The insurance section wants insists on a rule which 'proves' nothing, customer services have to defend a rule which they can't explain, the police get hundreds of requests for crime refernece numbers and 'loss reference numbers', so can't turn them around quickly enough unless you go and visit the station. So we have all wasted loads of time, the phone is no more likely to be found and I'm left wanting to smack the thief in the face...