Overseas Call Centres

EdBrown

I have no doubt that many of you have like me spent many time consuming and frustrating hours speaking to people in overseas call centres of supposedly UK based firms.
Many don't understand the problem you are trying to relate to them, you may get transferred several times (often being on hold for long periods in between and even cut off in the transfer), and more infuriating you might have to call back several times about the same thing because nothing is done. To add insult to injury it is often a 0870 number where the company get a kick-back and you're having to call it because of the failings of the company anyway.
Quickly the apparent good deal you might have got from this company pales into insignificance because of poor customer service and increased call charges!!
Does anybody know of a published info board showing major companies trading in the UK who use these overseas call centres so that I might avoid them in future??

hollydays

Dont know of any.I now use this board to get reviews of any company before i use them.Companies with cs in this country can be just as poor quality and as frustrating.There is a "say no to 0870" site to give you alternatives to them.

EdBrown

Thanks, I'm well aware of the SayNoTo0870 site ... it would be nice if there was a similar SayNoToOverseasCallCentres site which either listed companies using them or gave alternative contact numbers.
Admittedly you can get bad service from UK based call centres too but at least you don't normally waste 20 minutes with each agent trying to get them to understand the problem. Added to the fact that UK agents usually understand the problem at least, is the fact that you are actually supporting UK employment.

hollydays

Have to say,the only one i dealt with has been lloyds tsb and had no problems re understanding,but left them cos they became too pushy re selling additional products.

tinamaria

Last year we booked our xmas holiday direct with Virgin, little did I know at teh time that most of their calls are taken at their call centre in Bangladesh! I cannot tell u the difficulties it caused, one day I was on the phone for FOUR HOURS trying to sort out why our pre-booked seats had been booked out to someone else! Never did get to the bottom of it!

looby75

EdBrown wrote:

it would be nice if there was a similar SayNoToOverseasCallCentres site which either listed companies using them or gave alternative contact numbers.

Your wish is my command say no to overseas call centres

EdBrown

looby75 wrote:

Your wish is my command say no to overseas call centres

Hey!!
Looby .... I'm very impressed!!!
Now why didn't I just try typing my wish in to the explorer box?? Guess I considered nobody would have bothered with it ... Yipee ... there is a God!

grex9101

Devils advocate here (HI!) ....

I know it's annoying for consumers, but I, for one am glad to see call centres going abroad.
It may encourage the government to develop REAL work opportunities for people instead of these call centres who provid poorly-paid, highly stressful sweatshop environments whereby the more mercenary you can be the better.
Indeed, it might even encourage all the graduates who work in them to actually DO something with their degree instead of competing with those less qualified for the bottom of the barrel jobs..

Before you flame me, YES i have worked in a call centre (2 in fact), and YES, i HATED every single bloody minute of it. I also realise there are "better" employers than others in the sector, but I still stand by my comments.

dbuk44

I was on the phone all afternoon to MFI - UK based, absolutely useless.

Dont agree the problem lie in India or any other foreign country. Its simply the rise in scripted call centers, as opposed to real customer service, that gives us the most frustration.

And is this any surprise? With folks like us pursuing in the relentless quest for moneysaving is it any suprise that the companys want to restrict choice, use cheaper labour, or switch to cheaper harder-to-hear VOIP telephne connections?

Oh, and whilst i`m at it:

- Accents: An Indian accent is no more difficult to understand than some Scottish accents by some of us southerners (sorry Scot's :-) )
- Call wait times: By and large foriegn call centers are more productive (think: how long did you actually have to wait the last time you were transferred overseas?)
- Skills: The majority of people in Indian call centers have higher or upper education such is the demand for jobs. Its not their skills that are lacking, but the restrictive scripts that are given to them by the UK company (the UK companies want them this way -- restricting CS activities, reduces cost).

EdBrown

You may well have hated every minute, but then one mans meat is another .... etc.etc..
I know some UK call centre workers who have decent employers and (believe it or not) love their work, and I would rather have a customer service call centre employing a UK resident who understands the expectations and systems of the UK society.

ariba10

I understand that NTL call centers are going overseas.