E-mail Recall.



  • A few years back I was working as a software developer for a company that resold prepaid airtime for wireless providers (Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Cingular, Tracfone, etc.) The airtime was being purchased directly from the provider, and then sold to brick-and-mortar outlets.

    In the beginning these were actual prepaid cards (with PINs and bar-codes) that were physically shipped to us. We'd scan them into our inventory system, and after selling them, we'd ship them to the stores. Later on, when we finally convinced the TELCOs that electronic format is the way of the future, they converted to sending us spreadsheets containing electronic PINs via e-mail. It was much easier, faster and cheaper this way for obvious reasons (real-time inventory, no shipping charges, etc.) It was great... Of course this meant that we'd have to deal with often computer-illiterate reps that were in charge of selling airtime to resellers like ourselves.

    One time I'm loading an order we got from Verizon and notice that the amounts they sent us don't match what we ordered. Obviously the sales rep sent us someone else's order. It happens from time to time and usually isn't a big deal. What the provider usually has to do is deactivate the ePINs sent to the wrong address (to prevent the wrong party from selling them first) and generate new batches.

    So I call them up and tell the rep (let's call her "Sarah") that she mixed up the orders. To this (after the "Oh sh*#!) she tells me to e-mail the file back to her immediately... You know, so that I won't have it anymore. At that point I decided not to argue. I just knew that there was no way I would've been able to keep a straight face while explaining to her how e-mail works. I e-mailed the file back to "Sarah" and spent the rest of the day making my co-workers laugh.



  • @Chahk said:


     At that point I decided not to argue.

     

     

     O RLY?



  • One of the canteen staff at work emailed out a notice that there would be a private event taking in the canteen late afternoon, so general access wouldn't be available during this time. Unfortunately they mispelled one word, and tried to use the Outlook recall function before anyone noticed.

    They had written:

    Sorry for any incontinence.


  • Garbage Person

     TRWTF is that you're sending what essentially amounts to usable airtime via email in the first place. Just goes to show that the hack/phreak world still crosses over. 



  • @Weng said:

     TRWTF is that you're sending what essentially amounts to usable airtime via email in the first place. Just goes to show that the hack/phreak world still crosses over. 

     

    Come on, give us some benefit of the doubt. As if VZ or AT&T would send unencrypted spreadsheets.  And on our side the "shipping to stores" would stop when they started using electronic Point-of-Sale terminals to sell airtime to consumers.  Like I said, real-time inventory.



  •  To be fair, it could just be that their automated system sent you the wrong order and that it was easier for you to send her the file so she could check it than her to find the file herself... or maybe they don't save attachments ;)



  • @Vechni said:

     O RLY?

     

     

    No, when flying to Paris it's better to choose Roissy - Charles De Gaulle. It has direct coach connection with Opéra, Montparnasse and Bastille. But what the Orly airport has to do with this discussion? 



  • @Ren said:

     To be fair, it could just be that their automated system sent you the wrong order and that it was easier for you to send her the file so she could check it than her to find the file herself... or maybe they don't save attachments ;)

     

    Trust me, it was her.  I know for a fact that they didn't use an automated system for sending out ePIN orders.  Generating the ePINS - yes most likely.  But e-mailing them out was most definitely handeled manually, as I learned from several prior conversations when I helped her troubleshhot coputer-related issues.  And this was the same person who answered "Outlook" to my question "Which operating system are you running?"  I don't think she was computer-literate enough to clear her Sent and Deleted foldes to purge the e-mails.

    Besides, the entire point of me sending the file to her wasn't that she needed it for reference.  Her main concern was so that *I* didn't have the file anymore.

    @D0R said:

    @Vechni said:

     O RLY?

     

    No, when flying to Paris it's better to choose Roissy - Charles De Gaulle. It has direct coach connection with Opéra, Montparnasse and Bastille. But what the Orly airport has to do with this discussion? 

    I'm sorry, but the correct response is "YA RLY".

     


  • Garbage Person

    @Chahk said:

    Come on, give us some benefit of the doubt. As if VZ or AT&T would send unencrypted spreadsheets. 

     

    I'm not sure we're talking about the same Verizon and AT&T



  • @Chahk said:

    I'm sorry, but the correct response is "YA RLY".
     

    Never mind. 



  • @Chahk said:

    As if VZ or AT&T would send unencrypted spreadsheets.

    Of course they'd encrypt them, then put the encryption key and passphrase in the same e-mail. ;)


  •  @danixdefcon5 said:

    @Chahk said:

    As if VZ or AT&T would send unencrypted spreadsheets.

    Of course they'd encrypt them, then put the encryption key and passphrase in the same e-mail. ;)

    Ah, I see you've met my friend "Sarah" after all :)  You know, it would be funny if it wasn't true.  Took us a while to convince her that PGP > password in the same e-mail.



  • @D0R said:

    @Chahk said:

    I'm sorry, but the correct response is "YA RLY".
     

    Never mind. 

     

    Woosh!


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