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foreign call centers - 8/19/2010 7:12:43 PM   
sravaka


Posts: 314
Joined: 6/20/2008
Status: offline 		I'm quite sure this will go nowhere even faster than I can post it, but I'm going to do it anyway. I'm just a pathologically curious sort.

I was having intractable difficulty with my internet connection this evening, so I struggled to find a relevant number to call (not having an internet connection amplifies this difficulty) and found myself connected to a guy in the Philippines.

His English was better than that of probably.... 60-70% of the people who post on these boards (counting individuals, not volume). I didn't recognize his (minimal) accent, and asked, "are you in India?? a bit surprised, since usually I get Indians in these circumstances, and harass them with my few feeble phrases of Hindi, even though they are no doubt in Bangalore. He told me where he was and mentioned that it was farther than India. I suggested that it might be less far depending which way you go, but this was clearly a weird/foreign notion to him. I imagine he's never been out of the Philippines.

Some things that occurred to me:

1) For all that people run on about the difficulty of dealing with foreign-run call centers, this gentleman was *infinitely* more intelligible to me than people in call centers in the southern US (meaning no offense to all y'all) or some configurations of outer borough NYC (same). Not only in terms of language, but in terms of sensibilities.

2) When I add to that the fact that he is likely supporting 30 (pulling a number out of my ass) members of extended family on his way-less-than $5/hr wage while ten other members of his family work in HK or the middle east to the same end, separated from their families.... and the fact that people in this country (by which I mean the US) *really do* have opportunities the like of which people in developing countries cannot even fathom, and of which they (meaning USAans-- I cannot speak for Europeans) do not take advantage because they are too busy watching inane tv and eating cheezy poofs.... Hell yeah! I want my monthly fees to be going to this guy in the Philippines.

3) submerged extremely heart-felt point: why care only about this country when it comes to matters like outsourcing?? Are we not all human together? and some infinitely more needy than others??

and.... (3a) is some work not intrinsically worth less??

4) fluffy hopeless point: i wish call center outsourcing could become a desperately needed source of cross-cultural contact for otherwise hopeless isolated and therefore ignorant USAans. Obviously, they (on the other end of the calls) are trained not to indulge in this sort of thing, and we lot are not trained to have even the faintest feeblest clue what their lives are like. But yanno? you can still have moments of random, far-flung human (HUMAN. again, is this not the most important category???) connection if you make even the slightest effort.

This has been a venty harangue. Do with it what you will.

--sravaka

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Miseries hold me fixed, and I would gladly cut these roots to become a floating plant. I would yield myself up utterly, if the inviting stream could be relied upon. --Ono no Komachi
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RE: foreign call centers - 8/19/2010 7:22:36 PM   
juliaoceania


Posts: 21383
Joined: 4/19/2006
From: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Status: offline 		You have had better luck with calling centers than I have had...

I reached one a few months ago, and because she could not understand what I was talking about, and because I needed to talk to someone who could understand what I was talking about to solve my issue, I asked to speak with her supervisor.. I am not kidding you, this is the conversation that took place:

Her: "Ma'am, what you are asking will not work"
Me: "Yes it will, let me explain again (explain how I want her to help me set up my new cell even though I do not have a landline to call)
Her: "I need another line to call you back on"
Me:"No you don'"
Her: "Yes I do"
Me: "let me talk to your supervisor please"
Her: I am the only person here
Me: are you telling me you are the only person in the entire Sprint support calling center?
Her: Everyone else is taking a break
Me: Do you really expect me to believe this?
Her: I am the only one here
Me: what is your name, so when I call back I can give it to your supervisor
Her: Ma'am, my supervisor just got back from her break


I have never been so mad at a support person in my whole life. I wanted to reach into the phone and beat her senseless. And yes, she had a good enough command of English to piss me off, but not good enough to solve my problem

_____________________________

Once you label me, you negate me ~ Soren Kierkegaard

Reality has a well known Liberal Bias ~ Stephen Colbert

Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. Eleanor Roosevelt

(in reply to sravaka)
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RE: foreign call centers - 8/19/2010 7:27:58 PM   
sravaka


Posts: 314
Joined: 6/20/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

You have had better luck with calling centers than I have had...




and so my hopeful thread is trashed in the first instance. Thanks, Julia!



_____________________________

Miseries hold me fixed, and I would gladly cut these roots to become a floating plant. I would yield myself up utterly, if the inviting stream could be relied upon. --Ono no Komachi

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RE: foreign call centers - 8/19/2010 7:52:58 PM   
LadyPact


Posts: 32566
Status: offline 		Your thread was not 'trashed'.  I would believe (julia can correct Me if I'm wrong) that she gave an opposing experience which directly relates to why she may have a different view. 

To address your points specifically (since I know that julia is more than capable of discussing her opinion and does not need Me to do so).

1)  I have worked at what some might consider a call center.  Both were in the fields of customer service.  Neither were related to service in electronics.  I lived in Colorado at the time and yes, I was on the floor during the Columbine incident.  While I have lived in the South (GA) in periods after that, I had no southern accent at the time.

2)  During that time, I was supporting My own family. 

3)  Why care?  Allow Me to explain how I prioritize importance as far as people.  My family, Myself, My extended family/friends, co-workers/associates, My community, My fellow Americans, and after that, everyone else.  We may be all human together, but I'm going to tell you that I have more consideration for the unemployed folks in this country than I'm going to care about jobs that are going to other countries due to outsourcing.  There are plenty of people that can't support/feed their families right here.

4)  As for fluff, you can do with yours what you will and I will do the same with Mine.  I'm sorry if you do not like it, but I am more in support of jobs remaining in this country during these hard times.


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(in reply to sravaka)
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RE: foreign call centers - 8/19/2010 7:55:46 PM   
Louve00


Posts: 1674
Joined: 2/1/2009
Status: offline 		Sravaka, I wouldn't say trashed, really.  You had a good experience with outsourced technical assistance and thats a good thing.  You can bet when American companies decide to outsource jobs, they know they are taking a chance that they are forcing their customers, who pay for their services or products, to be subject to interacting with foreigners who may or may not have a good grasp of the english language.  I work for a customer service company.  I can tell you that one of our clients (I won't mention names) gets constant complaints and wishes from their customers for managers of that company to call them, only so they can tell them that in a time of need for technical assistance, not only could they not understand the only person who could help them, but they had to make repeated calls until they found someone who could speak understandably.  They sometimes spend hours just trying to get help from a person they can understand. 

Another of our clients, who make very expensive products, also outsourced their technical assistance.  When their customers started complaining and threatening to take their money elsewhere, that company (again, won't mention names) dropped outsourcing to foreign companies and brought the jobs back here.  So while I believe companies that outsource jobs to people who speak other languages than the language their customers speak, hope their customers have a good technical support experience, it doesn't always work out that way.

You may be thinking of it in a compassionate way and there's nothing wrong with that.  But for the companies who decide you will speak to India or the Phillipines for any technical help you need, they do it at a discount to them, with the hope you aren't compromised by poor service.  It has nothing to do with the company having compassion for the 30 people that Phillipine may have to support, but everything with saving the wages of paying an American worker.  Americans often don't feel the discount in lower priced merchandise either.  Its purely for company profit.

And while yes, those foreigners are less fortunate than Americans.  These days a lot of Americans are needy, too. 

The way I see it, the reason for outsourcing a job overseas is a business decision, not a compassionate decision.  If they gained nothing from it, we wouldn't have it.


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For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearance, as though they were realities and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are. - Niccolo Machiavelli

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RE: foreign call centers - 8/19/2010 8:05:35 PM   
thornhappy


Posts: 8596
Joined: 12/16/2006
Status: offline 		I've had a mixed bag of experiences.  Some simply could not understand what I was saying (that's you Yahoo/ATT DSL!!).  I found a domestic number to call for advanced problems.

My mother is just terrible with accents, and has a really bad time with tech support by people with accents.  I'm very good with accents in person, but not as good over the phone.

(in reply to Louve00)
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RE: foreign call centers - 8/19/2010 8:10:34 PM   
Louve00


Posts: 1674
Joined: 2/1/2009
Status: offline 		I think, like anything else, thornhappy, its the individual.  I live down the street from an Indian couple who runs a convenient store.  They speak very good english.  I understand them, joke with them, gossip with them and like them.  They hired another Indian who spoke horrible english.  As much as I wanted to give my Indian friends the business, I avoided going to that store while their friend was working because I hated having to exert so much energy to just understand him.  I guess I'm more like your mom 

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For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearance, as though they were realities and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are. - Niccolo Machiavelli

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RE: foreign call centers - 8/19/2010 8:12:53 PM   
juliaoceania


Posts: 21383
Joined: 4/19/2006
From: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: sravaka


quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

You have had better luck with calling centers than I have had...




and so my hopeful thread is trashed in the first instance. Thanks, Julia!




So if I do not agree with your world view I am trashing you? That is an interesting opinion, but it isn't one I agree with either... so you probably feel trashed again...

Here is another thing I resent... I spend good money for a service that an "American" company is charging top dollar to deliver to me, and then they race to the bottom of the barrel wage wise so they don't have to pay as much for human overhead. I wonder, what do they charge in other countries for cell phone service? Is it as much as i pay? They want to get the high price for their service, but they don't want to pay my neighbor a living wage to provide it. Sooner or later there won't be enough employed people to pay for their service at all.. then they can go to India and charge them the high rates they are charging us

_____________________________

Once you label me, you negate me ~ Soren Kierkegaard

Reality has a well known Liberal Bias ~ Stephen Colbert

Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. Eleanor Roosevelt

(in reply to sravaka)
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RE: foreign call centers - 8/19/2010 8:48:30 PM   
ThatDamnedPanda


Posts: 6060
Joined: 1/26/2009
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyPact. 

3)  Why care?  Allow Me to explain how I prioritize importance as far as people.  My family, Myself, My extended family/friends, co-workers/associates, My community, My fellow Americans, and after that, everyone else.  We may be all human together, but I'm going to tell you that I have more consideration for the unemployed folks in this country than I'm going to care about jobs that are going to other countries due to outsourcing.  There are plenty of people that can't support/feed their families right here.

4)  As for fluff, you can do with yours what you will and I will do the same with Mine.  I'm sorry if you do not like it, but I am more in support of jobs remaining in this country during these hard times.





Exactly. If my neighbor down the street is losing his home because he just lost his job, I care about him a hell of a lot more than I do some guy in the Philippines who doesn't have a house at all. Tough luck for the Filipino, but I care about my own first. The idea that the Filipino somehow deserves the job more because he needs it more doesn't even register with me.


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In the forest of the night
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RE: foreign call centers - 8/19/2010 9:13:20 PM   
AnimusRex


Posts: 2165
Joined: 5/13/2006
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: sravaka

...submerged extremely heart-felt point: why care only about this country when it comes to matters like outsourcing?? Are we not all human together? and some infinitely more needy than others??

and.... (3a) is some work not intrinsically worth less??

--sravaka


What I think is sad is that we are accepting the notion that economics is a zero-sum game, that opening a call center in India means fewer jobs for Americans.

Not very much is made of the fact that countries like India and Mexico are major importers of American goods.

Too much credence is given to the notion that low wages equals low prices for consumers; neglecting the fact that high skills equals high wages, and higer standards of living for everyone.

In other words, if we put more effort into educating and training our people, Americans wouldn't be squabbling with impoverished Indians and Filipinos over jobs that no one else wants, but instead would be raising our living standards by doing work that no one else is capable of.

the old business maxim that you succeed not by doing what you do cheaper, but better, is applicable here.

(in reply to sravaka)
Profile   Post #: 10
RE: foreign call centers - 8/19/2010 9:17:18 PM   
sravaka


Posts: 314
Joined: 6/20/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania


quote:

ORIGINAL: sravaka


quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

You have had better luck with calling centers than I have had...




and so my hopeful thread is trashed in the first instance. Thanks, Julia!




So if I do not agree with your world view I am trashing you? That is an interesting opinion, but it isn't one I agree with either... so you probably feel trashed again...

Here is another thing I resent... I spend good money for a service that an "American" company is charging top dollar to deliver to me, and then they race to the bottom of the barrel wage wise so they don't have to pay as much for human overhead. I wonder, what do they charge in other countries for cell phone service? Is it as much as i pay? They want to get the high price for their service, but they don't want to pay my neighbor a living wage to provide it. Sooner or later there won't be enough employed people to pay for their service at all.. then they can go to India and charge them the high rates they are charging us

quote:


quote:

ORIGINAL: sravaka


quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

You have had better luck with calling centers than I have had...




and so my hopeful thread is trashed in the first instance. Thanks, Julia!




So if I do not agree with your world view I am trashing you? That is an interesting opinion, but it isn't one I agree with either... so you probably feel trashed again...




I think I just fucked up the quotes, but I'm going to let it go. Use your imagination, please.


Ok... no! I had a puppies and flowers hopeful vision, and that got fucked up. I don't really blame you... it's the fault of the vision. But I wish it had gone at least a post or two beyond the original, because.... i really think there is something important here. I just am not sure that I can articulate it. So, my main gripe with you is your speed. (there's a half-joke in there. please accept it)

I'm going to number again, just because it's easier----


1. You spend good money.... and so do I! It's ridiculous that we, the consumer, are this dismissible. We should all have competent people to help us with our difficulties, in proportion to the exorbitant charges we pay for otherwise half-assed service. I do not dispute that in anyway.

2. But....? that is not the fault of the poor saps on the other end of the line. Poor saps, I add, who have, as a rule, much more hideous circumstances to deal with than anything we can contemplate.

3. [explicitly political (left/right) view of this elided for focus]

4. Lady Pact! Are you still here?? I am glad to hear from you (do with that, too, what you will).... I like your hierarchy. Mine would go: intimates/family; close friends; extended family/friends; strangers. Among strangers, I do not distinguish all that much between people who are unknown to me in this country and people who are unknown to me elsewhere. Some of that probably comes from having spent significant quantities of time elsewhere, and having come to feel as a result that we are all after the same things--- peace and prosperity, in whatever measure we can contrive within the circumstances that the gods have tossed us into. And, that we are all equally deserving....

I have no doubt that it looks very different to you, who have people you love in jeopardy. If they are sent in the name of this country, their successes must accrue to citizens of this country and no other? Or do I misrepresent it?

I suppose the upshot is that I wish we would put blame where blame is truly due, and not on scapegoats.

I was delighted by that guy from the Philippines, and have been at least sympathetic to the poor souls in Bangalore who have to deal with cranky, over-privileged Americans every freaking day, for god knows how many hours. It's not their fault their English doesn't pass muster with people who are unaccustomed to talking with "foreigners"....

Apologies (esp. to Julia) I suspect none of this will get across as I intend it, and that is entirely my doing.

--sravaka





_____________________________

Miseries hold me fixed, and I would gladly cut these roots to become a floating plant. I would yield myself up utterly, if the inviting stream could be relied upon. --Ono no Komachi

(in reply to juliaoceania)
Profile   Post #: 11
RE: foreign call centers - 8/19/2010 9:20:04 PM   
juliaoceania


Posts: 21383
Joined: 4/19/2006
From: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Status: offline 		The fact of the matter is, these were jobs we used to do, and many of our people are trained to do them, but they can have someone making a fraction of what we do... so they moved operations over there. I agree that it isn't a zero sum pie, but at the same time we do get charged more while our jobs are disappearing.

My last dom was looking for a second job about a year ago because his main job had too few hours for him to support himself. At one time he was a top tier computer support person. His job went to India and a skillset that used to pay 6 figures here in the USA is now paying between 25k and 35k a year. It is pretty damn pathetic that a college education demands so little in wages anymore, and the reason why is that they can hire people in India with the same skillset for a fraction of the cost...


_____________________________

Once you label me, you negate me ~ Soren Kierkegaard

Reality has a well known Liberal Bias ~ Stephen Colbert

Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. Eleanor Roosevelt

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RE: foreign call centers - 8/19/2010 10:45:31 PM   
DarkSteven


Posts: 28072
Joined: 5/2/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

I have never been so mad at a support person in my whole life.


Then you've had far better luck with support people than I have.  I've had to stay on the phone for half an hour while some dimwit who cannot speak English worth anything caught up to me in a computer system he was supposedly trained in.  I had one moron tell me to restore my computer to a previous configuration while I tried to explain to him that there WAS no previous configuration because I had just reformatted the HD.  The same idiot told me that my graphics board was the problem and I didn't even HAVE one.

I also called up support about a respirator that no longer worked and explained that I had changed out the fuses and the power cord.  I was told to speak to a respiratory therapist because "they're the ones that adjust the pressure", when I clearly told them that I needed a technician.


_____________________________

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The small-breasted ones want larger breasts. The large-breasted ones want smaller ones. The straight-haired ones curl their hair, and the curly-haired ones straighten theirs...

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RE: foreign call centers - 8/19/2010 11:05:46 PM   
Hippiekinkster


Posts: 5512
Joined: 11/20/2007
From: Liechtenstein
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: AnimusRex


quote:

ORIGINAL: sravaka

...submerged extremely heart-felt point: why care only about this country when it comes to matters like outsourcing?? Are we not all human together? and some infinitely more needy than others??

and.... (3a) is some work not intrinsically worth less??

--sravaka


What I think is sad is that we are accepting the notion that economics is a zero-sum game, that opening a call center in India means fewer jobs for Americans.

Not very much is made of the fact that countries like India and Mexico are major importers of American goods.

Too much credence is given to the notion that low wages equals low prices for consumers; neglecting the fact that high skills equals high wages, and higer standards of living for everyone.

In other words, if we put more effort into educating and training our people, Americans wouldn't be squabbling with impoverished Indians and Filipinos over jobs that no one else wants, but instead would be raising our living standards by doing work that no one else is capable of.

the old business maxim that you succeed not by doing what you do cheaper, but better, is applicable here.
Well, economics can be a zero-sum game. Much is made of the desireability of growing an economy (why this is considered good is a question of philosophy, I think).

If an economy grows at, say, 3% per annum, but the population has also grown at 3%, has there really been real growth, or just an accomodation of the extra people?

China has been lauded by Jimmy Rogers and other Neo-Colonialist "investors" for its high growth rates, sometimes reaching 10% per annum by official numbers. Is that growth in a vacuum, or has it come about because of China's manipulation of their currency, and the US policy of allowing the export of manufacturing jobs to benefit the investing and owner classes, at the expense of middle-class America, resulting in a lower standard of living for most Americans? That seems to me to be pretty much a zero-sum game.

We can put all the money into education and training we want, and it still won't matter, not when it costs, in real dollars, 10-15% or more, less to make and ship goods fron China.

There's also a certain percentage of the population who cannot acquire skillsets requiring higher intelligence. Manufacturing provided our ancestors with living wages (thanks to Unions). Those jobs are gone, and the displaced cannot all become computer programmers or lawyer-bastards.


< Message edited by Hippiekinkster -- 8/19/2010 11:06:54 PM >

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RE: foreign call centers - 8/20/2010 12:50:06 AM   
sravaka


Posts: 314
Joined: 6/20/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: DarkSteven

quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

I have never been so mad at a support person in my whole life.


Then you've had far better luck with support people than I have.  I've had to stay on the phone for half an hour while some dimwit who cannot speak English worth anything caught up to me in a computer system he was supposedly trained in.  I had one moron tell me to restore my computer to a previous configuration while I tried to explain to him that there WAS no previous configuration because I had just reformatted the HD.  The same idiot told me that my graphics board was the problem and I didn't even HAVE one.

I also called up support about a respirator that no longer worked and explained that I had changed out the fuses and the power cord.  I was told to speak to a respiratory therapist because "they're the ones that adjust the pressure", when I clearly told them that I needed a technician.




I'll try again---- this is NOT THEIR FAULT. They have stupid little scripts to follow, that they are not supposed to tread beyond even if they are capable of doing so.

The fault is with those who hire them and supply those scripts and protocols. Turn your ire toward THEM.

and have compassion otherwise (by now I'm just saying it to be a pain in the ass, not because I imagine anyone is listening.)




_____________________________

Miseries hold me fixed, and I would gladly cut these roots to become a floating plant. I would yield myself up utterly, if the inviting stream could be relied upon. --Ono no Komachi

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Profile   Post #: 15
RE: foreign call centers - 8/20/2010 1:24:25 AM   
Malkinius


Posts: 1814
Joined: 1/9/2004
Status: offline 		{fast reply}

Greetings all....

I am one of those people who work in an inbound call center. Most of my time has been spent being the guy you get when you want to talk to a 'manager' or 'supervisor'. In other words, the problem solver.

The company I work for has both domestic offices, foreign offices (outsourced) taking domestic US calls and foreign offices taking foreign calls. Most people don't have problems with our office in Japan taking calls from Japan or the one in Mexico City taking Central American calls. It is the ones in India and the Philippines they have problems with. The usual complaint is that the caller "can't understand them" if they are not in the US. I have talked to people in those offices and yes, some are easy to understand and some are not. The problem is the learning curve both of product and language. The ones with the worse language skills are usually the ones with the least product knowledge as well and the combination is hell on the customer. I am certain some of the callers just want to talk to someone in the US and are exaggerating the problem. I am also certain that some are not.

The problem is one of money. If the company can only stay in business by outsourcing part of their operation, they will do so. I can not fault them for that, even my own company. In our case, certain calls come to us. The rest go outsourced. While it is good that they have jobs, and yes, some can do the jobs very well, I like having jobs here too. That is why our company is trying for more things for us to do to keep having our domestic centers making money. It seems to be working.

Be well all....

Malkinius


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Profile   Post #: 16
RE: foreign call centers - 8/20/2010 2:55:44 AM   
RedStapler


Posts: 62
Joined: 6/15/2010
From: New Jersey
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: sravaka


quote:

ORIGINAL: DarkSteven

quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

I have never been so mad at a support person in my whole life.


Then you've had far better luck with support people than I have.  I've had to stay on the phone for half an hour while some dimwit who cannot speak English worth anything caught up to me in a computer system he was supposedly trained in.  I had one moron tell me to restore my computer to a previous configuration while I tried to explain to him that there WAS no previous configuration because I had just reformatted the HD.  The same idiot told me that my graphics board was the problem and I didn't even HAVE one.

I also called up support about a respirator that no longer worked and explained that I had changed out the fuses and the power cord.  I was told to speak to a respiratory therapist because "they're the ones that adjust the pressure", when I clearly told them that I needed a technician.




I'll try again---- this is NOT THEIR FAULT. They have stupid little scripts to follow, that they are not supposed to tread beyond even if they are capable of doing so.

The fault is with those who hire them and supply those scripts and protocols. Turn your ire toward THEM.

and have compassion otherwise (by now I'm just saying it to be a pain in the ass, not because I imagine anyone is listening.)


This is absolutely true, and basically the only thing you can do is to play along.

Tech: Hello, this is XYZ computer, how may I assist you?
Me: My laptop needs a new keyboard. It is less than a year old and should be replaced under warranty for free.
Tech: I'm sorry to hear about your problem, sir, and I am more than happy to assist you with your keyboard problem. First, can you please describe the problem in more detail?
Me: Yes, the v,b,n,m, and spacebar do not function at all. The g and h keys work sporatically.
Tech: Ok, can you please try [bullshit procedure #1]
Me: I already did that three times, but I will do it again because I know you are reading from a script and you have to tell me to try that. Maybe it will work the 4th time... Well golly gee wiz, it didn't work this time either.
Tech: I see. This time, please try [bullshit procedure #2]
Me: Yeah I already did that too, but I will do it again because I know you are reading from a script and you have to tell me to try that. Nope, didn't work this time either.
Tech: Ok, thank you sir, now please try [bullshit procedure #3]
Me: I tried that already too, but you probably already know that by now. No, I'm still getting the error.

And so on...

Tech: Alright, sir, now please try [bullshit procedure #27]. Thank you for your patience.
Me: Yeah, sure. No that didn't work either.
Tech: Can you please hold for a minute?
Me: Ok.

(3 minutes later)
Tech: Can you please hold for another minute?
Me: Ok.

(5 minutes later)
Tech: Your laptop needs a new keyboard. It is less than a year old and should be replaced under warranty for free.
Me: Yup.



This doesn't just happen at call centers either. It can even happen live. This was at the university health center which was staffed by Nurse Practitioners:

NP: What seems to be the problem today?
Me: I have a left inguinal hernia and need surgery.
NP: Ok, well, I'm going to have to perform an exam to determine the proper course of action.
Me: Yeah I know.
NP: First, I need to do some tests.
Me: Ok.

(10 minutes of bullshit tests later)

NP: You'll have to pull down your pants, but here's a large paper thing to cover yourself up with.
Me: Uh, how does that work? You have to feel around my balls, right?
NP: Well, yes.
Me: And you need to see what you are doing, right?
NP: Um, that's right.
Me: So you will have to lift up the paper thing to have a look at my balls.
NP: Yes, that's right.
Me: So, what exactly is the point of the paper thing?
NP: (blank stare)
Me: (throws away the paper thing, pulls down pants)
NP: Ok, uh, well, lets see here. hmm...

(Female NP is clearly uncomfortable feeling around my scrotum. Any MAN, w/o medical training, would know pretty quickly that just doesn't feel right. But NP is confused)

NP: Er, well, um, I guess, um. Maybe there's something? But I don't really know.
Me: sigh. ok, what's next?
NP: We have a surgeon who comes for consultations on Tuesdays. We can schedule you to see him.
Me: Sign me up, i guess.

(next Tuesday)
Surgeon: What seems to be the problem today?
Me: I have a left inguinal hernia and need surgery.
(Surgeon puts on glove)
Surgeon: Drop your pants. Turn your head and cough.
(< 5 seconds)
Surgeon: You have a left inguinal hernia and need surgery.
Me: Yup.

(in reply to sravaka)
Profile   Post #: 17
RE: foreign call centers - 8/20/2010 3:16:56 AM   
sravaka


Posts: 314
Joined: 6/20/2008
Status: offline 		RedStapler? I think I love you. Partly for what you've posted here, and partly because you're somewhere near the intersection of I78 and I287.

( I have a weakness.)

_____________________________

Miseries hold me fixed, and I would gladly cut these roots to become a floating plant. I would yield myself up utterly, if the inviting stream could be relied upon. --Ono no Komachi

(in reply to RedStapler)
Profile   Post #: 18
RE: foreign call centers - 8/20/2010 3:26:06 AM   
Vendaval


Posts: 10297
Joined: 1/15/2005
Status: offline 		Fast Reply -

At one point I worked at the opposite of a call center, a telemarketing company here in the US that sold travel packages. We had a script to follow and called the different time zones across the continent.

The worst call for me was a guy who said he was unemployed, drinking, depressed and planning on shooting his family. He gave details and specific enough information that we called the local law enforcement and reported the situation.

I so don't miss that job!

_____________________________

"Beware, the woods at night, beware the lunar light.
So in this gray haze we'll be meating again, and on that
great day, I will tease you all the same."
"WOLF MOON", OCTOBER RUST, TYPE O NEGATIVE


http://KinkMeet.co.uk

(in reply to sravaka)
Profile   Post #: 19
RE: foreign call centers - 8/20/2010 7:14:29 AM   
pahunkboy


Posts: 33061
Joined: 2/26/2006
From: Central Pennsylvania
Status: offline 		I cringe at calling ANY business.

It is too complicated.

I particularly hate the menus that expect me to talk to it.  I mean come on!

I hate being told they can monitor the call, I hate being expected to know ALL of the "gotcha" clauses.

I hate that they then use to wait time to tell me commercials.

I hate that said call can take up to 40 minutes and achieve NOTHING.

I hate that it is close to impossible to cancel a payment- "plan".

I hate that biz has not caught on- that not everyone wants an "everything" package- at $103.  And every plan is a 1-2 year "contract"!

I hate the broken crappy stuff- breaks even more- and I have to take a course on how to use it.

everything anymore is shoddy.

i am the asshole and they really dont need my money- so whatever.

(in reply to Vendaval)
Profile   Post #: 20
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