Outsourcing to India-grrrrr

[carnation]

I don't think companies realize how much they're losing by outsourcing--not just money from frustrated customers but also good will. They seem to be taking the word of these people that they speak understandable English.

I'm normally a calm person but when this woman asked me if she could call me by my first name and then used it every 10 words, I was close to a meltdown.

[ZTAMich]

Originally Posted by carnation

I'm normally a calm person but when this woman asked me if she could call me by my first name and then used it every 10 words, I was close to a meltdown.

I hate this. Such a pet peeve of mine. There's no need to keep saying my name, I know who I am!!!

[Munchkin03]

This is something I hate more than anything!!!

After my luggage went missing, I had to speak to a zillion Katies who sounded very very Indian...I got so exasperated that whenever I heard an Indian accent, I just requested that I speak to their supervisor--eventually I got an American-based emplyee. Grrrr on Delta!

[ZTAngel]

It's not just the accents that bother me. It's the cultural differences as well that make the experience frustrating.

Years ago, before the days of online bill pay, I sent off a rent check to my roommate parents (they were the landlords) and then I sent off a check to Burdines (now Macy's) to pay my bill. I put the checks in the wrong envelope and didn't realize it until my roomie's parents called me and told me that they got a check written out to Burdines. Oops.

I called my bank and they told me that I didn't need to void the check since there was no way Burdines would be able to cash a check that wasn't written out to them. Of course, my bank was incorrect and that's a story in itself. Burdines ended up cashing my $550 rent check.

Of course, I wanted that $550 back. I called Burdines and asked for a refund. Their call centers are in India. The woman just did not understand my story. I'm not sure that they have checks in India so I don't think she could have even begun to understand what was going on. I kept telling her that I needed the refund from Burdines immediately since $550 is a lot and it wasn't even their money to begin with. She was not very nice and told me that Burdines wouldn't be able to issue me a refund until 30 days. What? I said to her, "I want the money back now! You all cashed a check that didn't belong to you." She snaps at me, "That's not possible. It couldn't have happened." Oh boy.....

I lost it on her. I'm not exactly sure what I said to her because I was in such a blind rage but it was something like, "Are you calling me a liar?! I have proof. I have a copy of the check with the 'To' line to my landlords and the Burdines stamp on the back of the same check. You want me to fax that over to you to prove that it is possible and that it did happen?! Don't you ever call me a liar! And put your manager on the phone. I want your manager to know you just called me a liar." Not one of my finer moments but I was pissed. She put me on hold and came back a minute later to let me know that they'd be cutting me a check that day for $550. At least I got my way....

I just don't think someone at an American call center would have flat out said to me that what happened with my check couldn't have happened. Someone in a US call center would know that it definitely could happen.

[AlethiaSi]

Originally Posted by Xylochick216

I've had major beef with Verizon for the past year (don't even get me started), and since I can't call during the day and spend 2 hours on the phone with them, I have to call at night and always get someone I can't understand who also can't understand me. A year later and after many seething letters to Verizon, our problems still aren't fixed. Sometimes I've just flat out told them that I can't understand them and I need to speak to someone with a better grasp of the English language. When you can't understand every other sentence, you can't help me.

Really? is it verizon wireless or the other services? I have verizon wireless and I have always had great customer service, they even let me postdate a check so I can get my service turned back on (I tend to carry a balance, and then can't pay it until i get paid..)... sure my bill is $100+ but that's my own fault, not theirs lol

Originally Posted by carnation

I don't think companies realize how much they're losing by outsourcing--not just money from frustrated customers but also good will. They seem to be taking the word of these people that they speak understandable English.

I'm normally a calm person but when this woman asked me if she could call me by my first name and then used it every 10 words, I was close to a meltdown.

I HATE THIS. I hate it when people use my name in conversation in general, it really irks me for some reason, and this is the ultimate. It is a surefire way to make me freak the f*ck out.

[PM_Mama00]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

Tangent alert: My husband's brother's name is Pedro. As in "Vote for Pedro", and yet my stepsister-in-law insisted on calling him Peter. WTF? Oh, and then she named her youngest kids Carlos Daniel and Alberto Alejandro. CRAZY. CRAZY.

I'm with you on this one. My nephew's name is Pietro... Italian for Peter. Everyone calls him Pietro... it's what my brother and sister in law prefer since he is named after my father. Her very Irish/Polish family calls him Peter. I can't STAND it. The only one allowed to call him that is his 3 year old girlfriend and she calls him Petie cuz she can't say Pietro and it's cute.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00

The only one allowed to call him that is his 3 year old girlfriend and she calls him Petie cuz she can't say Pietro and it's cute.

Awwwwe. Pietro is a very beautiful name, please stop the Peter abuse!


ETA: Wow...pun totally unintentional, but extremely hilarious.

[paulam]

As so many have said, I, too have had the unfortunate experience of speaking to a (hah!) Customer Service Representative in India. It's bad enough when you are asking to have an order corrected or for a refund, but my most recent experience was the worst. This one was in person. I just spent 8 days in the hospital in Houston, in one of America's leading cancer centers. Billion dollar budget; you'd think they could and would hire the very best health care specialists.

One of my RN's was from India. When I tell you I could not understand one word that she uttered, nor could she understand anything I asked her, I am not kidding. She tried to force me to take my medication before surgery. One does not take meds before anesthesia except for heart meds if absolutely necessary. I am not a medical professional but have had enough experience being hospitalized to know that.

I called my son as soon as she left and told him how unprofessional she was. He came to the hospital and spoke with the charge nurse. As soon as he left, the RN came crashing into my room, grabbed my sore leg and demanded to know why I complained about her. At least I think that is what she said. I didn't complain to the charge nurse, my son did, so I had no idea what had been said. I begged her to let go and to stop screaming at me. She scared me so badly. I am a very strong person mentally and physically but at that moment, I was very vulnerable...alone and in pain and I was really frightened. I kept pressing the call button to no avail because the nurse was already in my room cursing me in her native language. I finally reached for the phone and called for security. My son went ballistic when he heard what happened. I will still receive a bill for close to 6 figures regardless of my experience with the Indian princess! She, like so many of the CSR's in India, needs to choose a profession in which she has no public contact.

Paula M.
Sigma Delta Tau
ΣΔTPatriae Multi Spes Una One Hope of Many People

[Buttonz]

Originally Posted by paulam

As so many have said, I, too have had the unfortunate experience of speaking to a (hah!) Customer Service Representative in India. It's bad enough when you are asking to have an order corrected or for a refund, but my most recent experience was the worst. This one was in person. I just spent 8 days in the hospital in Houston, in one of America's leading cancer centers. Billion dollar budget; you'd think they could and would hire the very best health care specialists.

One of my RN's was from India. When I tell you I could not understand one word that she uttered, nor could she understand anything I asked her, I am not kidding. She tried to force me to take my medication before surgery. One does not take meds before anesthesia except for heart meds if absolutely necessary. I am not a medical professional but have had enough experience being hospitalized to know that.

I called my son as soon as she left and told him how unprofessional she was. He came to the hospital and spoke with the charge nurse. As soon as he left, the RN came crashing into my room, grabbed my sore leg and demanded to know why I complained about her. At least I think that is what she said. I didn't complain to the charge nurse, my son did, so I had no idea what had been said. I begged her to let go and to stop screaming at me. She scared me so badly. I am a very strong person mentally and physically but at that moment, I was very vulnerable...alone and in pain and I was really frightened. I kept pressing the call button to no avail because the nurse was already in my room cursing me in her native language. I finally reached for the phone and called for security. My son went ballistic when he heard what happened. I will still receive a bill for close to 6 figures regardless of my experience with the Indian princess! She, like so many of the CSR's in India, needs to choose a profession in which she has no public contact.

*hugs you tight* Please please please make sure to speak to a higher up in the hospital about this...I hope you remember her name. She needs to be disciplined for that, I'm so sorry this happened to you. Plus if you didn't know better and took the meds, something could have happened to you that had the potential to be life threatening...which would have been very bad.

I can't understand why people who can't speak English work in the medical profession. I went in for pre-testing for my surgery and I could barely understand a work that the doctor who saw me said, his accent was that thick. And he didn't know what JRA was. A doctor should know that, I shouldn't have to explain.

Then, I get a call Wen night from the hospital from a very nice Russian lady who was trying to tell me that my insurance wouldn't cover my surgery and she said something along the lines of she doesn't know how to explain why not. She couldn't explain it because she could hardly understand English. That was not fun. At all.

[KappaKittyCat]

Originally Posted by paulam

As so many have said, I, too have had the unfortunate experience of speaking to a (hah!) Customer Service Representative in India. It's bad enough when you are asking to have an order corrected or for a refund, but my most recent experience was the worst. This one was in person. I just spent 8 days in the hospital in Houston, in one of America's leading cancer centers. Billion dollar budget; you'd think they could and would hire the very best health care specialists.

One of my RN's was from India. When I tell you I could not understand one word that she uttered, nor could she understand anything I asked her, I am not kidding. She tried to force me to take my medication before surgery. One does not take meds before anesthesia except for heart meds if absolutely necessary. I am not a medical professional but have had enough experience being hospitalized to know that.

I called my son as soon as she left and told him how unprofessional she was. He came to the hospital and spoke with the charge nurse. As soon as he left, the RN came crashing into my room, grabbed my sore leg and demanded to know why I complained about her. At least I think that is what she said. I didn't complain to the charge nurse, my son did, so I had no idea what had been said. I begged her to let go and to stop screaming at me. She scared me so badly. I am a very strong person mentally and physically but at that moment, I was very vulnerable...alone and in pain and I was really frightened. I kept pressing the call button to no avail because the nurse was already in my room cursing me in her native language. I finally reached for the phone and called for security. My son went ballistic when he heard what happened. I will still receive a bill for close to 6 figures regardless of my experience with the Indian princess! She, like so many of the CSR's in India, needs to choose a profession in which she has no public contact.

Paula M.
Sigma Delta Tau
ΣΔTPatriae Multi Spes Una One Hope of Many People

OMFG. She had no right to do that. You could charge her with assault for that. She should be fired and not allowed to nurse anywhere, ever again.

[paulam]

Thank you all for your support. The hospital administrator was informed of the situation and last I heard, the nurse was being disciplined. I do not understand why she was hired in the first place. Communication in a medical situation is crucial...surely the Human Resources person interviewed her before offering her the position...what was she thinking? I left the hospital the following day so I did not have to deal with the situation any further but I hope no one else has to deal with this nurse.
I cannot wait to receive the follow-up survey!

Paula M.
Sigma Delta Tau
ΣΔTPatriae Multi Spes Una One Hope of Many People

[navane]

Originally Posted by paulam

Thank you all for your support. The hospital administrator was informed of the situation and last I heard, the nurse was being disciplined. I do not understand why she was hired in the first place. Communication in a medical situation is crucial...surely the Human Resources person interviewed her before offering her the position...what was she thinking? I left the hospital the following day so I did not have to deal with the situation any further but I hope no one else has to deal with this nurse.
I cannot wait to receive the follow-up survey!

Ok, if that nurse hollered at me and physically grabbed my sore leg while I was in a hospital bed, I wouldn't have "informed the hospital administrator", I would have called the police.

You said you called hospital security, right? Did they actually come up? Did any of the other hospital staff come running in when they heard her yelling? I guess I just don't understand how this whole thing seems to be getting the brush off. I sure hope the hospital follows up with you and lets you know precisely what disciplinary action was taken against her.

.....Kelly

[Xylochick216]

Originally Posted by AlethiaSi

Really? is it verizon wireless or the other services? I have verizon wireless and I have always had great customer service, they even let me postdate a check so I can get my service turned back on (I tend to carry a balance, and then can't pay it until i get paid..)... sure my bill is $100+ but that's my own fault, not theirs lol

It's Verizon Online/Phone/DirecTV. We have the bundle package. To make a long story short, they double-charged us for several months, I finally had someone figure it out, I only paid what we were supposed to pay, and then 2 weeks ago we get a letter stating that we had a week to pay a $350 outstanding balance (of their fault, not ours) or our service would be cut. I was busy working all day when the billing center was open, so there was no one to talk to. The supervisor in India wasn't helpful at all. He promised to research it and call me back. This was two weeks ago, and not a peep. I went ahead and paid just because I didn't want to go through the hassle of getting things turned back on (plus, my husband needs internet at home for his business). But you'd better believe as soon as I have a block of free time next week, I'll be on the phone with them. And I won't be nice.

[AlethiaSi]

Originally Posted by Xylochick216

It's Verizon Online/Phone/DirecTV. We have the bundle package. To make a long story short, they double-charged us for several months, I finally had someone figure it out, I only paid what we were supposed to pay, and then 2 weeks ago we get a letter stating that we had a week to pay a $350 outstanding balance (of their fault, not ours) or our service would be cut. I was busy working all day when the billing center was open, so there was no one to talk to. The supervisor in India wasn't helpful at all. He promised to research it and call me back. This was two weeks ago, and not a peep. I went ahead and paid just because I didn't want to go through the hassle of getting things turned back on (plus, my husband needs internet at home for his business). But you'd better believe as soon as I have a block of free time next week, I'll be on the phone with them. And I won't be nice.

I definitely don't blame you! I'd be really pissed too. I hope you sort it out and they better give you your money back or a HUGE credit!!

[alum]

Originally Posted by AlethiaSi

Really? is it verizon wireless or the other services? I have verizon wireless and I have always had great customer service, they even let me postdate a check so I can get my service turned back on (I tend to carry a balance, and then can't pay it until i get paid..)... sure my bill is $100+ but that's my own fault, not theirs lol

I had a terrible time with Verizon Wireless about 18 months ago. Our plan changed slightly when we were due to get new phones. We got a tremendous bill for 1 month of service that was completely incorrect. It took multiple phone calls and many hours to finally reduce the bill to the original amount. All the customer service reps as well as their supervisors were American, yet they were still not skilled in customer service.