I recently renewed my passport. The passport office use a company called SMS to deliver the passport back to you. SMS purport to run a secure recorded delivery service. The first I hear of them is a letter saying that we weren't in and could we arrange a new delivery. I try the web site first. I'm not a huge fan of phones in general and automated phone systems with options and being put on hold don't rate highly in my preferred way of doing things. The website seems to work fine but there is no delivery. After a couple of days I try the phone system - its automated but its essentially an answering machine so no problems there. Then I get a phone call from them: We are unable to find your property on a number of occasions. Uh? I live in a terrace of houses. With a number on it. A couple of seconds with streetmap.co.uk and my postcode gives you all you need to know. I get loads of things delivered - its the main way I buy stuff. It all arrives. The woman on the phone ignores my incredulous tone as I give basic instructions. Come saturday morning when the delivery is promised. Nothing. Then late afternoon a stranger who lives near by brings it round. Uh? again. SMS promise *secure* delivery. They say in their letter that you need to give proof of identity. I am absolutely sure this why the passport office pay them for their service. Instead they actually offer nothing of the sort. A few half arsed attempts at delivery by someone too stupid to even read a streetmap and then deliver it to a random person instead.
Annoying as this is what it really shows is that security is only as good as the people involved. No matter how good the new ID cards are for example there will always be low paid people who don't care about their jobs checking them. The real solution of course is to pay people properly and to make sure they are motivated rather than spending huge amounts of money on unproven technology.
Posted by Mark at November 2, 2004 09:49 AM