Unfiltered Story #119561

[I do web support for a popular insurance company’s website. We’re required to verify our callers’ info before providing assistance in most cases, including this one.]

Me: “Thank you for calling ***, this is ***, how may I help you?”

Caller: “Yeah, I need help changing my primary care physician online, I keep getting an error message.”

Me: “Of course, I can definitely help you change your primary care physician. To better assist you and protect your information, may I ask you a few questions?”

Caller: “Ok, here’s the thing. You don’t need my information. I am asking you a very simple question, so my information isn’t needed. You need to tell your supervisors that your department is violating HIPAA by asking me for that. I just have a simple question, and you’re breaking the law and wasting my time…”

[He continues to repeat himself and rant about this, while I try to interject very basic questions.]

Caller: “You work for Web Support right?”

Me: “That’s correct sir. Now for me to best assist you, I need to know if you’re calling about your own insurance, or if you work in a doctor’s office.”

Caller: [more ranting about same things]

Caller: “So you work for [other support department] right?”

Me: “No, but let me see what I can do for you.”

[Five seconds later]

Caller: *click*

[The particular department he asked for services a website that we assist with only as far as making sure callers can access it. I was going to try and get the number for that department for him, with the intention of also putting him on hold to clarify with a supervisor that I could transfer him without verifying his info. He terminated the call shortly after I asked him to wait. I then went to talk with my supervisor about the ticket. After I explained what the caller wanted passed on to a supervisor -]

Me: “So yeah. We’re breaking the law by doing our jobs.”

Supervisor: “Ok. Noted.” [We’re both laughing, as are several other agents who weren’t on calls that heard my story]

[I’m on this website all the time, and I just had to share this after it happened. Thanks Not Always Right Team!]