IDT Corporation Customer Service

Calling IDT wasn't a bad experience, but it did take a little longer than I would have thought because they didn't have my phone number in their files. This is a little aggravating because I was actually calling about a privacy question I had about a study that I had participated in that had to do with my DNA. It's hard to feel too confident that they are securely storing your information when the first thing they do is ask you for a piece of data and the system is unable to retrieve your information. 

When I called it said, "Welcome to IDT Express Care, for English press 1 and for Spanish press 2." It then immediately said: "To get started, please enter the ten-digit number you are calling about beginning with the area code." I participated in a study that stored and interpreted my DNA via IDT, I did not work directly with them. However, it seemed that this is the way they wanted to access my information because they asked me three times. Each time I said my phone number it would say something along the lines of: "We can't find that number." 

It got frustrating very quickly, because I obviously know my phone number and clearly it wasn't stored correctly. Finally it seemed to admit defeat, and said, "Sorry you are having trouble, for a customer care representative press 0 or stay on the line." I pressed 0, and then it said: "Please wait while we forward your call to a customer care representative." It would have been nice to have this option a little sooner, but I was pleased to actually move straight to a hold line. 

On hold, I was served Eighties music, which wasn't unpleasant. It had only taken me a minute and a half overall to reach this point, so it could have been worse, but I didn't enjoy fighting with the telephone prompt. 

To my relief, someone picked up the phone around the two-minute mark, so despite the faulty number issue, I was able to get support pretty promptly. The agent who picked up had a slight accent, but they understood me well enough for us to work together, despite having to occasionally repeat ourselves. Eventually, I was able to get a clear answer to my question about my privacy concerns. 

On the whole, IDT's Express Care line proved productive and useful. When dealing with information this sensitive, however, it would be more reassuring if their system was more streamlined. It would also be helpful if their call agents were trained for clearer communication.