WARNING: First Direct now using overseas call centres

Yorkie1

I have twice had to end a call with a Lloyds operator who was based in, probably, India because I simply could not understand a word of what they were saying.

Absolutely no racism but simply a matter of being unable to make myself understood or to understand them. Irrespective of where each person is based. The whole point of the contact was to communicate, and it failed completely on that level.

al25

Perhaps an Indian/Asian may answer the call in UK itself? Quite a lot of them working who hold British Nationality but not born here.

System

PC rubbish.

I don't like my financial data being accessed by people being paid poverty wages.

It is simply to save the bank money and makes my data theft and fraud more valuable in relative terms. There is no benefit to me.

callum9999 wrote: »

Because "soft-racism" is rampant in this country,

Eddi_the_Seahorse

Yorkie1 wrote: »

I have twice had to end a call with a Lloyds operator who was based in, probably, India because I simply could not understand a word of what they were saying.

Absolutely no racism but simply a matter of being unable to make myself understood or to understand them. Irrespective of where each person is based. The whole point of the contact was to communicate, and it failed completely on that level.

When dealing with someone whose first language is not the same as one's own, the potential for misunderstanding is much greater. I've had not one but two experiences where the overseas call centre employee has failed to understand my instructions, and took incorrect action as a result. In one case the mistake was potentially very costly. It was only rectified when I managed to contact the (UK-based) complaints department.

al25

Eddi_the_Seahorse wrote: »

My main issue with overseas call centres is the fact that they are taking away jobs from our own countrymen. NO UK-based company should be sending work abroad whilst we have such high unemployment at home. :mad:

If UK wants to be competitive.we have to be part of the global world.
Jobs are out there to be taken, some travel thousands of miles looking and taking up jobs, whilst others just say there are no jobs at the local job centre. End of the day people who desperately want to work gets work, and with it a better life.

Paul_Andre

I recognise that the Fraud Detection section of First Direct, and other banks, are based overseas, but their primary call centres, for customers calling for routine requests, are UK-based.

If Scotland gets independence, what will that mean for banks, such as First Direct and many others, that make a big deal out of 'UK only cost centres'?

Will they change the advertisement to UK and Scotland based call centres', or will they make the massive move to close down their Scottish based call centres (First Direct have call centres in Leeds, but the bigger one is in Hamilton) and move to the UK?

If they do decide to move, it will only be due to customer pressure. I, for one, will happily apply that pressure, especially if it boosts employment and the economy in Northern England.

masonic

Paul_Andre wrote: »

Will they change the advertisement to UK and Scotland based call centres', or will they make the massive move to close down their Scottish based call centres (First Direct have call centres in Leeds, but the bigger one is in Hamilton) and move to the UK?

They could just make reference to them as their Great British call centres instead.

If they do decide to move, it will only be due to customer pressure. I, for one, will happily apply that pressure, especially if it boosts employment and the economy in Northern England.

Many people (rightly or wrongly) prefer the UK call centres as they just want someone on the other end of the phone with a good grasp of the English language and without a strong accent. I'm not sure moving them to the North of England will do much for that cause