Servicing the garage door
When we had our garage door replaced in 2023, we signed a contract that would cover an annual service.
In January this year, someone ‘phoned and asked if it would be acceptable to conduct the service earlier than usual. We agreed, paid, and thought no more about it. Imagine our surprise when, two weeks ago, we were contacted to arrange a date for the annual service!
After much discussion with two garage door installers, both in the same town, we concluded that our details, including email address, telephone number, and house address, had somehow been relayed to a company that had not installed our door. Alarm bells rang!
Barry had contacted several companies, prior to deciding on a door, and his details had been recorded. The company, not the one that installed the door, had merged data files, and in the process his details had become mixed with someone else’s. Data migration, when data is moved from one system to another, can cause a number of problems.
It took some time to convince the manager that his company had not supplied our door. The customer he thought he was dealing with did indeed have exactly the same name as Barry, but lived in a different part of the country. The service that customer was expecting was performed on our door.
Eventually, we found that nothing nefarious had occurred. No-one had bought our data. We breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankful that the confusion has been resolved. I hear of these kinds of things happening more and more.. Happy Easter...
ReplyDeleteData migration has to be undertaken carefully.
DeleteThat was a real life puzzle to solve.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit puzzled though by you signing a maintenance contract to cover annual servicing but still had to pay.
The contract means that we pay for the servicing, but at a reduced rate.
DeleteOh wow that sounds a bit strange lol.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a Happy EAster!
You, too. 😊
DeleteNow that I know this I will be careful to never sign any such agreement if I am ever lucky enough to own a house with a garage. I will just book servicing when needed.
ReplyDeleteIt was an unusual set of circumstances.
DeleteScary. But fortunately it was solved well.
ReplyDeleteI have the same name and birthday as someone in my pharmacy's database. I have to be very careful when I pick up any subscriptions.
That is a concern. We all assume our names are as unique as we are. 😊
DeleteGosh, and I was worried about my social security number and voter records getting blended. How freaky and thankfully innocent? Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteIt was innocent, We have been hacked in the past, so are careful.
DeleteThat was a little stressful for a while.
ReplyDeleteIt was a conundrum, for all concerned.
DeleteHow strange! I would have been nervous too.
ReplyDeleteIt was a mystery for a while.
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DeleteAsking to service the door 'earlier than usual' suggests something amiss and worthy of checking who the 'someone' was.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we should be more circumspect.
DeleteScary! Glad it was resolved.
ReplyDeleteIt was an interesting exercise, but everyone was very polite.
DeleteThat's a strange mix up. Glad it was sorted.
ReplyDeleteWe were worried when we thought our data might have been stolen. We have been hacked before and it's a pain to sort out.
DeleteThanks goodness for that ... well done for sorting it out ?easily, but at least done ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it's made the company with the migrated data look closely at their records.
DeleteIt can be quite unsettling to think that your data has been shared and abused.
ReplyDeleteIt was a relief to know that our data had not been stolen.
DeleteA cautionary tale. I think that these days we are all just a hair's breadth away from getting fleeced by cunning criminals. And with the rise of A.I., more criminal techniques will evolve.
ReplyDeleteWe have been hacked in the past, and it's always a nuisance to sort out. It just takes time, You're right, though, there is an increasing number of sophisticated crimes being committed. This was just an honest mix-up.
DeleteWhat a pickle, it's annoying when dealing with companies and they decide how to deal with your data. They would have a field day with hubby's name, his first name is popular and our surname is Jones. Oh 'field day' there's another one for you.
ReplyDeleteI long for an unusual surname, but it's not going to happen. Thanks for the hint - I was wondering what to look at next.
DeleteI have never heard of service on a garage door! Shopping information around - that’s another thing entirely. It appears there was no nefarious intent here, but I bet there are instances where it is not so innocent.
ReplyDeleteThere are many highly intelligent criminals bent on using sophisticated schemes to separate individuals and companies from their money.
DeleteThese are things you'd rather avoid!
ReplyDeleteThey do take up time!
DeleteDefinitely a bit of a crazy mix-up. We live in an area where all the homeowners own a lake. There's another family where the Man's first and last name is the same as my husband. The other man has a boat and gets it serviced every year. The marina always mails the bill to us and we have to convince them every year that we do not own the boat.
ReplyDeleteThat's really annoying and could easily be remedied.
DeleteI am reminded that we never received confirmation of the completed payment for our garage door. But we do have the door, and they do have the money.
ReplyDeleteThe confirmation is probably in an email somewhere . . . Details of policies frequently take cover in our inbox!
ReplyDeleteMy first thought was oh no, scam. Glad it was just a slight mix up and all is well
ReplyDeleteYes. Their error, not ours.
DeleteSo many scams out there you really must be careful. Good to know that it was basically an honest mistake.
ReplyDeleteToo many scammers out there!
DeleteA bit of a malarkey!
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter x
Alison in Devon x
We can smile about it now, but malarkey it was.
DeleteAs long as it was nothing nefarious, because crazy scams are everywhere. You were right to be concerned and cautious though.
ReplyDeleteToo many clever people around . . .
DeleteYikes!
ReplyDeleteIt could have been so much worse.
Deletewhen Hurricane Irma took out our garage door, we got a new storm door, it will be stand if the house goes down. they gave us a can of grease and the man said, once a year, do this maintenance and show us the things that needed the grease. He said this will last about 5 years. and now I know it has not been done in maybe 2 years since I have not done it in a year.... that said, this is a really odd story for sure. so did you just leave it, because you paid and got the service, just get the records straight.
ReplyDeleteThe records have now been put straight, so hopefully there will be no more problems with crossed wires. Your storm door sounds sturdy!
DeleteWell, I'm glad nothing nefarious was going on, but I hope the other guy eventually got his door serviced too!
ReplyDeleteI hope he did, too.
DeleteUsually you have to hope a required annual service will be provided. In your case, it was. Just not by the expected provider. Crazy. So glad it wasn't a scam.
ReplyDeleteScams are enough to drive one barmy these days. It seems all I do is delete/report, delete/report, delete--nefarious texts, emails, etc.. Never answer my phone unless it is from my family or approved contacts. Such is life.
There are too many scammers around. It's a sad state of affairs when one's first reaction is distrust!
DeleteIt is a little worrying when things like that happen
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm glad to hear that it was just a little mix up.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you got to the bottom of the issue. The only service contract we have is with a heating/air conditioning company, who comes out to service each of the units once a year.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, what a mess! But it is great that you were able to resolve it with (apparently) a minimum of fuss. Meanwhile, our own garage doors remain unserviced but, thankfully, functional.
ReplyDeleteI bet that took some sorting. Interesting story.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! Concerning, but thankful that everything was resolved.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
PS Also meant to say I like your new header photograph.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan