On the Consumerist website, a deaf person wrote about how Capital One, a credit card company, would not accept a relay-assisted call from her. For the uninitiated, a relay service provides deaf callers with a communications assistant who verbalizes the deaf caller’s words (which are usually typed or signed) to the person on the other end of the line. I’ve heard stories about phone scammers taking advantage of relay services, which might have something to do with the company’s reluctance to take relay calls. However, is it really possible to verify anyone’s identity over the phone? I’m guessing that relay users frequently run into clueless or ignorant callers. I’ve used speech-to-speech relay a couple times for customer service calls (back when I was a little more insecure about making myself understood over the phone), but I haven’t used it enough to make any intelligent comments on its efficacy when conducting daily business. It’s a great service and I hope that other businesses are more adept at serving deaf callers.
