Call Centres

[CusworthRovers]

Obviously this is in no way racist (at the risk of feeling the wrath of the do-gooders and milli tants), but why oh why do we have call centres in foreign lands that either have limited grasp of the English language or an accent so strong it is virtually impossible to understand. (okay I know it's about paying a couple of berries per hour)

I have just received a call re my computer from a male from the sub-continent. I'm not sure what the hell it was about, as he never let me speak, just to tell him politely 'I cannot understand you mate'. He was clearly reading from a script and was determined to get all his spiel out. When I kept trying to stop him, he just kept saying yes yes and resorted to his script. In the end I just put him on loudspeaker, made a cup of tea, chuckled to myself and then pressed the red button to end the call. 3 times the chuff has rang back and I'm playing ignoramus now. 10 minutes he spoke for and the only words I got were 'computer', 'internet' and 'download'.

In all honesty, what chance as he got in selling anything to me or anyone?

[MrFrost]

What company was he calling from?

[CusworthRovers]

God knows, he may have said, but I never heard it.....as I said the only 3 words I could understand were 'Computer', 'Internet' and 'Download'.

[Dagenham Rover]

You been at those pervey sites again  B)

[CusworthRovers]

Maybe, I heard the word 'WORLD', but before it, I'm not sure if he said 'PC' or 'FIST'

[Filo]

I spent about half an hour once on the phone to Sky, with someone from an asian call centre, I think his name was Martin, which seemed a bit strange, anyway after talking to this guy for what seemed like days and getting nowhere, I could n`t understand him and he did n`t seem to be listening to what I was saying, he transferred me to a UK call centre, thank f**k for that I thought until the voice on the other end came on, a guy with the broadest Glaswegian accent you could ever imagine! I just hung up and phoned another day, I just did n`t fancy trying to understand someone else for another half hour

[Dagenham Rover]

Got my broadband and phone with Plusnet all support and call centres are now back in sunny Sheffield

[i_ateallthepies]

Me too Daggers, they don't do any of this 'fair use' (or whatever they call it) bollox either, always been very helpful whenever I've called them.
You also get a monthly rebate for introducing other users.  And, and, monthly contract so not tied in for extended period if you find something better.

[Dagenham Rover]

Yep, what you see is what you get.
I've always had good responses whether on the phone or via the forums

[jucyberry]

Vodafone@home's help line is based in Ireland, lovely scrummy Irish acents I love it..hehe for all I know they look like Pug when the wind changes, but oh how I love that accent...

a friend of mine has been having trouble with his BT line and the charges on his bill, so he rang and complained, the lad in the call center was he thought Indian, and to be honest he said wasn't much help, as you say there is a script that isn't to be devieated from. the long and the short is he insisted on being put through to an British call center only to be told that is only an option if he wanted to cancel his contract. He didn't get any satisfaction until he spoke to the British center.

[BobG]

Theye're cheap. Cheap as chips. And if you pay peanuts you always, always get monkeys. I can tell you, without fear of contradiction, that pretty much everyone in the UK who works for BT loathes, despises and hates the bloody overseas call centres. They are totally and utterly crap. And that's from blokes working for the same company! Of course, the propaganda always has it that 'the stats show they are performing wonderfully'. Well. They ain't.

BobG

[Sandy Lane]

Peggy, from a call center:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRLwKw9up3s

[Muttley]

A couple of weeks ago I got a call at work from \"Bob\" at UK Claims
Direct (although from his accent I don't think that's the name his mother gave
him). Apparently I could claim compensation if I'd had an accident and suffered
an injury...except for some reason the very painful paper-cut I sustained
the other day didn't seem to qualify as I had been \"careless\". Cheeky f...ucker.

We then discussed car accidents, but I haven't had any of those so I asked if I could claim for a motorcycle accident instead - he got quite excited at this point thinking he was going to get a claim...until I told him I didn't have a motorcycle. Wasters.

[Donnywolf]

CusworthRovers wrote:

Obviously this is in no way racist (at the risk of feeling the wrath of the do-gooders and milli tants), but why oh why do we have call centres in foreign lands that either have limited grasp of the English language or an accent so strong it is virtually impossible to understand. (okay I know it's about paying a couple of berries per hour)

I have just received a call re my computer from a male from the sub-continent. I'm not sure what the hell it was about, as he never let me speak, just to tell him politely 'I cannot understand you mate'. He was clearly reading from a script and was determined to get all his spiel out. When I kept trying to stop him, he just kept saying yes yes and resorted to his script. In the end I just put him on loudspeaker, made a cup of tea, chuckled to myself and then pressed the red button to end the call. 3 times the chuff has rang back and I'm playing ignoramus now. 10 minutes he spoke for and the only words I got were 'computer', 'internet' and 'download'.

In all honesty, what chance as he got in selling anything to me or anyone?

I too have just had a very efficient call from one of those chappies - ruthlessly efficient in fact

I have Homecare 100 with British Gas and it is well overdue to service my Boiler but I was due tomorrow the 10th.

Unfortunately my Boiler ragged in Tuesday along with a few others on this Forum and many thousands of others by the sound of it. Luckily I got it going but it could go again any time soon

I tried to call out an Engineer Online but the system offered me the 13th which was no good at all.

Now cue my call this morning : I have trouble as Cussie says understanding immediately what is being said but basically the guy established who I was and did I have time to talk. I was at work so I said YES, He said you have a service booked tomorrow - yes says I thinking wow what service as I had received an E-mail to that effect too

What came next was brilliant and unforeseen - well he says some people have been having Boiler breakdowns so we are having to reschedule some Services so we will call you in a day or two to reschedule you Thank you BYE -  all the last sentence was spoken without a break at speed and then CLICK before I could respond bang he hung up

FFS you cant get rid of them when they want to flog you stuff but in this case I bet the job was farmed out for exactly the reason Cussie has identified

[CusworthRovers]

Muttley wrote:

A couple of weeks ago I got a call at work from \"Bob\" at UK Claims
Direct
We then discussed car accidents, but I haven't had any of those so I asked if I could claim for a motorcycle accident instead - he got quite excited at this point thinking he was going to get a claim...until I told him I didn't have a motorcycle. Wasters.

I also mentioned the 'accident' word to Bob and you could sense the immediate killing in his tone. Apparently me trying to fart the alphabet and suffering my unfortunate accident on the letter 'C' is not claims-worthy......honestly it stinks

[Nudga]

If i'm in the mood i love talking to these guys. They usually like to call me \"Mista Nid-ham\", so I keep saying \"Whoooooooo\" in a Mark and Lard stylee, until I have them pronouncing my name properly. I also like to drop in random words like \"sphinxta\" and \"Biffins bridge\". When they don't understand and say \"excuse me sir, I am not understanding\", I like to reply with \"now you know how I f**kin feel you dougnut\".

Childish i know, but it gives me big belly laughs.

[BillyStubbsTears]

You DO realise the effect that this will have on your grand-kids?

India will f**k all over us economically in 50 years time. The folks who currently earn a pittance in the Indian call centres are graduate-level staff who (currently) have no other way of earning a decent wage. So they do the spade work that is beneath us in the UK.

But they have aspirations. Just like my grand-dad who worked 6 shifts a week at the coal face had aspirations for HIS grand-kids 60 years back.

Their grand-kids will be the ones who inherit an India that leaves us miles behind. And they'll also inherit the collective memory of how the Kitsons in England treated their grand-dads when they had no job available bar manning the call-centres.

It'll be interesting times.

[Mike_F]

That's as maybe but I still amused myserlf t'other day when I got a call from some crank in Bangalore by the name of \"Sam\".

Ring Ring

M: Hello.
S: Hello Mr Follows my name is Sam.
M: SAAAM, 'Ey up me old cocker, how the devil are you?
S: Hello?
M: How do Sam, You alright me old fruit?
S: Hello?
M: Hello.
S: Mr Follows I have information here that somebody on this number has had accident in last three years.
M: Really? That's funny 'cause you're gonna have a f**king accident if you ring this number again, Kitsonyb*llocks.
S: Err.
M: f**ketybye.

We're all going to get stang to death off of killer bees from Brazil or drown in acidic boiling oceans in the next ten minutes anyway if you believe the shite that folk are spouting these days so I'll worry about our Sam's grandson spunking in my biriani at a later date if my hideously mutated post acopocalyptic shell of a being is still around!

[grayx]

I have the misfortune of being with Talk Talk for my internet. I have yet to speak to anyone who can either speak or understand the English language. Avoid at all costs.

[MrFrost]

A shameful plug but if anyone is interested in taking up broadband with a DONCASTER based company and no Indian call centre's then give me a PM.