What was that about the knowledge economy being the way of the future?

All customers are equal...

One of our staffers has been trying to sort out a little telco mess for a friend-of-a-friend and grab an interesting story on the way.

A Telecom help-person, on being told of said customer's lack of success and the alleged poor advice given regarding transferring services between it and TelstraClear, asked whether our man would be willing to give the customer's name and contact number, "so we can sort the problem out".

On being told that the name was one she would recognize -- a moderately famous writer -- the help-person responded instinctively: "Oh, dear, that makes me twice as nervous now.