# This Call May be Recorded for Quality Assurance... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 27, 2018, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696 "2018-02-27T20:14:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696/21 "2018-02-28T04:41:44Z")
“This call may be recorded” seems permissive to me, and that’s how I would take it. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696/22 "2018-02-28T04:46:53Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > If a contract is worded ambiguously it is supposed to be interpreted favorably towards the party who didn’t write it. I’d think the proper legal interpretation of “This call may be recorded …” is a granting or permission. If they said “This call might be recorded …” you’d be on less firm grounds. I know that’s nitpicking, but that’s what lawyers get paid to do. > > IANAL Well, in the spirit of nitpicking, the ellipsis is important. If the message is “This call may be recorded **for quality control purposes** ” or some such language, that’s _not_ a general permission to record it; just a permission to record it for the named purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696/23 "2018-02-28T13:29:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Did you ask their permission to record the conversation, or did you just say you were doing it? Neither. If I want to record, I can do so whether they like it or not, in my state. If the CSR is in a state or country where the permission of both parties is necessary, recording it is OK with me, so that party has consented, and they already said recording the conversation is OK with them - they warned me of it at the beginning of the call. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696/24 "2018-02-28T16:43:11Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Well, in the spirit of nitpicking, the ellipsis is important. If the message is “This call may be recorded **for quality control purposes** ” or some such language, that’s _not_ a general permission to record it; just a permission to record it for the named purposes. As the consumer, I have an interest in making sure that they have quality control as well. There are scammers out there that represent real corporations that will re-mix your call to make it seem as though you gave them permission for things that you did not. I had someone from an alternative energy supplier claim that I had given them permission to change my account to their company. I asked them to play the recording for me, and when she said that she’d get her support team to “put it together”, I told her that I record all my calls too. Haven’t heard back. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696/25 "2018-02-28T16:56:07Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > We would advise the caller that we’re unable to stop recording (federal law requires we record all calls)[…] What kind of business is required _by federal law_ to record all calls? ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696/26 "2018-02-28T17:17:55Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > I live in a two party consent state for recording phone calls. When I call some type of customer service, typically the automated response will start with a message that takes the form of, _‘this call may be recorded…’_ I generously interpret that to mean they are granting me permission to record them. Is that how you interpret it? I have never interpreted it that way and having done a quality control project for a call center some time ago, I can assure you they do not mean it that way. That said, you’re not technically wrong, so record away. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696/27 "2018-02-28T17:25:58Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Well, in the spirit of nitpicking, the ellipsis is important. If the message is “This call may be recorded **for quality control purposes** ” or some such language, that’s _not_ a general permission to record it; just a permission to record it for the named purposes. To nitpick further, it doesn’t say that once recorded, the recording may be used only for that purpose. I’ll bet that the people recording them use them for whatever purposes they want. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696/28 "2018-02-28T18:06:48Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Well, in the spirit of nitpicking, the ellipsis is important. If the message is “This call may be recorded **for quality control purposes** ” or some such language, that’s _not_ a general permission to record it; just a permission to record it for the named purposes. That’s exactly why I’m recording it. If they promise me something and don’t deliver, that’s a failure of quality control in my book. I can then point it out to them. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696/29 "2018-02-28T20:11:47Z")
I always assumed this was an acknowledgement that the conversation “may” be recorded by them (so, say, if they were being a jerk their “QA people” _might_ hear it). It’s not my job to do their QA for them, so the thought of it being “permission” (which I don’t need) to record my conversation never even crossed my mind. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696/30 "2018-02-28T20:31:59Z")
I don’t even see a need to quibble over might or may. They are stating as a policy that they are ok with phone call recording without qualification. I will leave it to them to prove in court why my specific recording was out of bounds. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696/31 "2018-02-28T20:37:49Z")
“Your conversation might be recorded” and they’re right, I did record it. What’s the problem? ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696/32 "2018-03-01T00:13:13Z")
I like the part where I can put on my resume: “Providing large corporations with training and instructional materials for their customer service operations”. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696/33 "2018-03-01T00:28:37Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > What kind of business is required _by federal law_ to record all calls? Anything related to Medicare. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696/34 "2018-03-01T02:52:42Z")
When I worked CSR at a mortgage servicer, we still reminded people the call’s recorded - even if they used IVR to call in. If they said they’re recording as well, that’s fine. If they asked us to stop recording, we clicked a button on the computer and it was stopped. Of course we documented the heck out of unrecorded calls in our account notes. One customer called in to make his payment monthly and refused recording; he always asked for me and then would flirt up a storm, to the point of harassment as I went through the steps to put his payment through. I think he refused recording so he couldn’t be called on his behavior; little did he know I still noted the heck out of all his flirty calls. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696/35 "2018-03-01T03:24:54Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > To nitpick further, it doesn’t say that once recorded, the recording may be used only for that purpose. I’ll bet that the people recording them use them for whatever purposes they want. No, it doesn’t say that. On the other hand, if you’r relying on the message to signify consent, it arguably signifies only a limited consent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-call-may-be-recorded-for-quality-assurance/809696.md?page=1)