A couple days ago, I arranged for my new phone installation online. Yesterday, I got an e-mail from Verizon asking me to call their Welcome Center. It turns out that they couldn't find any credit history for me, and the lady on the phone asked me to fax them all sorts of paperwork like employment history and driver's license.

BU: "So why exactly do I have to submit all this paperwork?"
Verizon: "Well, since we can't locate your credit history, we have to verify that you are who you say you are. We cannot provide phone service without some proof of identity."
BU: "Would an existing utilities account be sufficient if I don't want you to have all that paperwork?"
Verizon: "Yes, just provide us with the name of the company and your account number with them, and we can verify it by phone."
BU: "Okay, my current phone service is provided through Verizon. Look me up under the phone number I put down as my "old phone number"."
Verizon: "... Oh."

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