Commendable Intention – Idiotic Execution

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by: Dick Stroud 

Yesterday, there was an item on the BBC’s You and Yours consumer programme about a Shirley, a 75 year old lady who tried to sign-up for Talk Talk, Carphone Warehouse’s broadband service.

Please go and listen to the interview – It will only take 2 minutes of your life.

It seems that Carphone Warehouse has a ‘company policy’ that it will not sell its broadband service to anybody over the age of 70. Seriously, over the age of 70. Why?

My first thought was the company was worried the person would not live to the end of the 12 month contract, but no, there is another explanation. Carphone Warehouse is afraid that the ‘forms will be too complicated’ and it suggests that the decrepit customer bring somebody younger along to explain the long words to the poor old soul.

There has been a lot of consumer hassle in the UK about companies being to aggressive in their selling of services like electricity, gas and telephones and apparently Carphone Warehouse is reacting to this by refusing to sell to older customers, thus avoiding such an accusation.

What is so amusing is that Carphone Warehouse, like the other high street mobile phone retailers, has a knack of recruiting staff that seem to have had both a personality and higher brain-function lobotomy. I would think Shirley, who sounds to be a highly intelligent women, would mentally outperform 99% of the company’s staff.

The mind boggles.

Original Post: http://www.20plus30.com/blog/2006/08/commendable-intention-idiotic.html