I once had a problem with Front Page while building a web site. I called support and got a gentleman from India. He helped me with my problem and as a matter of a fact, he bent over backwards to help me. I was very happy with his expertise.
I think the poster here is probably of the same caliber as people that verbally abuse other people on the phone. Probably not well trained and inneffiecient.
I get the same type of people when I call Quest here in the United States. I cannot understand them and they are not well trained or just downright rude! I just hang up, wait a few minutes and then call back. I usually get someone different that I can relate to.
As far as people from India, I love them. I think they are, for the most part, kind gentle and decent folks just trying to make an honest living. If they are being exploited by Corpoate America then they need to organize and not let it go on. In a world where CEOs make millions more than their workers, I think we all need to organize! The common worker across the globe is being exploited, here and abroad.
I really do believe this poster is part of the problem and not the solution though.

When a major US call center came to setup shop where I live, it was supposed to be a "big deal" that was bringing "many, excellent jobs" to the community.

What it really turned out to be was nothing but minimum wage jobs, and the staff is squeezed to the legal and ethical limit. Now - It's well known as a place to get a temporary job, but not a place you want to work for in the long term (i.e. more than a year or two).

I can easilly see how in these overseas call centers, much of the same mentality is brought in. The call center company is bringing in these "great jobs" and thus they feel they have the right to squeeze and abuse the staff to the legal and ethical limits possible at that location.

It's no wonder they are feeling frustrated and abused.

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Originally Posted by rickj

Well I've got a perfect test for them. For months now I've resisted calling them to figure out why my laptop (wireless) and my son's PlayStation (wired) can't be online at the same time.

Up to now we've just lived with not being able to both be online at the same time. I'll give them a call.

Sorry to be a part of hijacking this thread, but I have a feeling the OP will not be back to comment anyway :D

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Could it be an IP conflict? Does the PS require a hard coded IP or can it use DHCP?

If you do get someone you have trouble understanding I would not hesitate to politely explain, that you are having trouble understanding them and ask to speak to someone who can speak better english. Probably not going to sit well with the tech, but that's your right.

I will put on the most patient hat I've got in the closet before I call :D

Very well put. Sums everything up.

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Originally Posted by NeedKarma

Yes, that and the fact that many of the workers have a strong accent that is hard to understand paired with poor training that is mainly focused on following a script and not actually having the technical knowledge.

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You nailed why I get frustrated in dealing with them. I think the script reading is condescending and very impersonal, and thus insulting.
It's hard to be level-headed when you WAIT for longer than expected periods and then get served in this manner.

Most of my ire is directed to the companies that insulate themselves from the customer in this way.

OK, get this one. I called HP support for my wife's computer. She got a huge Monitor and new Video card. It went black and I couln't get into safe mode and I am not a computer whizz. The guy from India had me on hold for quite a while. When he came back, he said our HP desk top is too old for the new card and that we needed to buy a new computer and then proceeded to go into a sales pitch for a new HP desk top! Well, first off, the computer is 3 years old and the card will work. Secondly, I did not call support for a sales pitch! I am beginning to go sour on these companies and their approach to sale their stuff!

Just read this thread.Hmnn.My cousin Karen,lives in Perth,Western Australia,with her husband Rob.He is from Ohio,and is a very nice man.As were most of the folks I met in Orlando,a few years ago.As a Brit,I also have Indian sub-continent friends,who are great,and easy to understand.My on-line bank is in India.My local branch is two kilometres away from my house.If I have to use my cell (mobile) phone,to call Delhi,the call is free.Racism is pointless,immature,and shows a lack of understanding.Leave the bad language out please.

Well said.

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Originally Posted by magprob

OK, get this one. I called HP support for my wifes computer. She got a huge Monitor and new Video card. It went black and I couln't get into safe mode and I am not a computer whizz. The guy from India had me on hold for quite a while. When he came back, he said our HP desk top is too old for the new card and that we needed to buy a new computer and then proceeded to go into a sales pitch for a new HP desk top! Well, first off, the computer is 3 years old and the card will work. Secondly, I did not call support for a sales pitch! I am beginning to go sour on these companies and their approach to sale their stuff!

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Without knowing the specifics, I would not be surprised that your new video card would not work. Three years is a fairly long time for computer hardware. I'm wondering how you "know" the card will work.

A local computer guy said it will. I don't really know for sure so I guess that makes the point for the quailty of support. The monitor is working fine with the old card back in so I am not sure if I want to give the new card another go.

Yes, most Indians from the sub continent (a.k.a. new arrivals) in the United States are being exploited and some seem not to care that they are exploited and are eager to express the same bias as some Anglo-and other European- African Americans . Not understanding that expressing such bias effects them also... I being of multi - nationalities... I am confused... and see no way of getting this message across that racism is a waste of time and delays the advances of humanity. For Indians in the United States are allowing them-self ( in my opinion) to be exploited for selfish reasoning's and this activity (of an allowing of exploitation)is non productive. However, there are websites and books that address the issues of exploitation and other social problems... one book I actual read is titled "Social Problems - A Critical Approach, by Mary Ann Neubeck... read it doing some down time and come back and let me how it addressed your problem... the book is used in higher learning classes and gave me restart. As far as Indian's in call centers there are many other places where they are being exploited... just think of a job...

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Originally Posted by rickj

In the future I will try harder to not take out my frustration on the techie, but follow up the call with a scathing email or call to the company for their hiring practices... or avoid buying the company's products in the future.

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I really really really like your idea, Rick! It is certainly not good to dump on anyone and, although the OP had a very slanted view, I can see the poorly-made point that there is far too much casual rudeness growing in the US and that is pretty dismaying-- we even discussed that in another thread, I think? But I don't think lack of manners is really a racist thing. And it may be that we'll need to collectively look at how frustrated Americans are becoming over some real stuff too -- big stuff. I am still convinced that it would be very effective if Americans got in the habit of voting with their dollars.

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Originally Posted by magprob

A local computer guy said it will. I don't really know for sure so I guess that makes the point for the quailty of support. The monitor is working fine with the old card back in so I am not sure if I want to give the new card another go.

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If the monitor works with the old card, then I suspect the card is the problem. Which would indicate the local guy may have been wrong.

Lunagoddess, you bring a very good point up in that I have seen many companies here in America out source entire departments to companies that employ legal aliens because it saves them a lot of money in wages and benefits. Sometimes racism is cloaked in good old fashioned greed. Its not the ones who take these jobs at a lower wage and less benefits it's the companies that hire them to save money.

Communisiom at its best!

Hi,
All I had to read about your post was "tech support".
Before I had to retire to stay home and take care of my wife with lung problems, I was a Cust. Care Representative for a large cell phone company for 9 months. I was asked to be a Supervisor, but had to quit and retire.
Being a Representative, taking phone calls from customers, is a very, very different job than most people ever experience.
YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THAT!
If I had taken personally everything said to me over the phone while talking with an irate customer, I would be like others who quit that same day.
The Call Center where I worked had New Employee Training Classes every 6 weeks! What does that tell you?
It tells you that one Cust. Representative quits every week! This call center had 350 people taking calls. In a month, they needed 30 new employees!
This is every month. They have 5 Trainers, who have 5 week sessions for new employees, starting every 5 weeks.
They called it "The Attrition Rate". I call it, quitting, for those who did not have the personality for it.
If you don't have the right attitude for this type of job, then you are much better off finding a different line of work.
It's just a job. But letting it get to you, is just like any other job. You won't like it if you take it personally.
I do wish you the best, and good luck.

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Originally Posted by fredg

Hi,
They called it "The Attrition Rate". I call it, quitting, for those who did not have the personality for it.

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I worked in a tech support call centre for 4 months just after the dot com bust layoffs. From what I saw the attrition rate was less about not having the personality for the job but more about having found a better job. Many are in those position for the lack of a better job, they don't really want to be there. I met a lot of people there and could see the smarter, educated ones leaving one by one. What's left are those that either a) have no better option due to a lack of decent résumé (lack of education, etc.) or b) they are caught up in the call centre circle - they move from one call centre to another because it's all they know or c) they actually like the job. There are very few people in the C) group. :)

A statement made by [email protected]
"… do such derogatory work , such derogatory jobs. Its like living in your own country and lobbying the white man's *** , and sucking it hard and dry .And someone out- there just calls up and uses such language ,abuses us outright - and we do nothing !" Your statement has hit me as interesting... it is not the work that I found demeaning... it is the wages for the job that I found is demeaning... what I found interesting is that I know that Afro-Americans and Native Americans have to endure hostile verbal abuse for centuries... understand the issues are the coloring of the skin and not a thing else... some people who desire to stay in the security of ignorance will express such hatred... those individuals are needing to hurt by what ever means necessary... in some cases it is the frustration of the individual about there situation... not you personally... the next time I hear from some one of another race whom had a conversation with an Indian and that Indian had expressed a racial opinion …then the problem comes back to me… why is it that a Indian feels so privilege that they can call me a N***** or lazy or lacking in intelligence or expresses an opinion that means why are you learning you have no future... I have to pay for that negative nasty response in my relationship with people of the Afro race... while the pain your going through is bad be careful not to fall into the trap of racism or... xenophobia... or inter social racism ( the hating of oneself)…call centers are not demeaning work again it is the accepting slave wages and making it difficult for the rest of us in finding work that will help pay the bills …to all others lets not run away from the problem face and address it…I learned that it helps to express an shortness in knowledge and finding out that all we want is to play futbol and learn to play tennis and buy computers and other electronics just for fun…

Sees the points made by Fred and Karma and would add this. A few years back, I naively agreed to work as a clerk in a retail music store during the Christmas season to help out a desperate friend who's business was struggling. Although it was fun on many levels, it was also an amazing education in double time! :eek:

Stress makes people rude and Christmas is sadly apparently very very stressful. Maybe this was not as rude as the anonymous phone call is, but it was enough for me to definitely cross it off my "Try Again" list! LOL.

And to top it off the friend went out of business anyway-- but to be frank, once I was closely involved, I could see why. Nature has a way of taking care of these things in a healthy capitalism environment. Trouble is, the whole world isn't necessarily healthy or capitalistic and we're in the global market now, like it or not.