Weird recorded message from Bell Canada...

When I came back from work, there was this strange message waiting on my answering machine:

(Translating from French)

"This is Bell Canada. We would like to talk to you regarding your phone number. Please call at this number between 9AM and 9PM. Thanks".

Ohhh, how rude it is. Intimidating too. "we would like to talk to you". I beg your pardon ?!?

I figure that if they want to pitch for more gizmos, there might be some kinder ways to do so.... if they want to make a sale.

Other things were weird. The recorded message says that I should call a 1-866 number, obviously a long-distance toll-free number, and yet on the Caller ID display, I see a local phone number within the 514 area code.

Curious and somewhat pissed off, I called. :) After all, the cost of the call is free, and I don't mind deliberately generating expenses when others have to pay the bill. Especially Bell. O:) I was also in the mood to let them know of what I think of their recorded message. :)

This is what I've heard:

-"Hello! Ici Bell Canada. Mon nom est xxxx. Comment puis-je vous donner un super excellent service aujourd'hui ?"
(Hi! This is Bell Canada. My name is xxxx. How can I give you a super excellent service today?")

Jaws dropped here!!! A *super excellent* service ? It's thick on superlatives, I'd say....

Ok, I'm on Candid Camera and the cameras are rolling, or I'm daydreaming all this and I SERIOUSLY need to catch some sleeps. It's getting crazy here!

-Well, there's a message on my answering machine and it says that I should call, regarding my phone number, I said.

-Is that so?

-OF COURSE, since I'm telling you!!!

-Please wait...

I'm wondering of what the heck I ate or drank this evening. I never thought that there were magic salads, or there could something in the Montréal water. I want to know what it is, because it's potent! I must be hallucinating, it's just too crazy!

-Oh, I see that you're calling from home.

Wow... With guys who are clever like that, it's going to take a while... and all of a sudden, I'm just glad that *they* are paying the long-distance charge, not me. :)

-What else do you see on your computer screen? I said

(I was tempted to say: What else do you see about my future... but as much as I felt it was a large scale prank, there was something telling me it could be true.)

-Oh, I see that we have to talk to you.

I had that sinking feeling that it's getting circular. Ok, I'm game!

-Isn't what we're doing right now? , I said

-You mean?

-Aren't we talking right now?

-One moment please.

For some reasons, I was thinking of Woody Allen. Only him would think of scenes that are _that_ crazy.

-Oh, I see that we have to talk to you.

I had this immense urge for _that_ nervous laugh... I'm going to burst, here!

-Again, I think that this is what we're doing right now, sir, I said with a cool calm voice.

-One moment please...

I'll spare you the details, but this is how crazy the conversation was on the phone...


SO this is serious and it's no laughing matters. A list of 3.5 milllions of customers in Québec and Ontario have been stolen. It contains the list of names, address and phone numbers incuding of customers with *unlisted* numbers (incidently, my case. My phone number is not listed, and it always irks me that I have to pay an extra $2 for NOT being listed in the phone directory). No credit card numbers or other personal infos were found, thankfully.

They arrested the guy (and he's not a former Bell employee) recuperate the data... and now experts are wondering how the data could have landed in the hands of bad people.

Bell Canada recovers stolen data on 3.4 millions customers

And Montreal man arrested in Bell Canada data theft case

So the alert *is* serious... and apparently, the entire desire of Bell Canada is to "talk" with their customers.

Given the kind of talk we had... mhhhh...

So this is it. If you get a weird call from Bell regarding your line, this might be that.

Good luck!!! I hope for you it's not going to be as crazy as it's been for me. :)

Cheers!

-E