Speaking To Rep In India

[whiskeryron]

I have received the following e-mail from a close friend

Any time you call an 0800 number (for a credit card, banking, charter communications, health and other insurance, computer help desk, etc) and you find that you're talking to a foreign customer service representative (perhaps in India, Pakistan, Ireland, etc), please consider doing the following:

After you connect and you realize that the customer service representative is not from the United Kingdom you can always ask if you are not sure about the accent), please, very politely (this is not about trashing other cultures) say, "I'd like to speak to a customer service representative in the United Kingdom."

The rep might suggest talking to his/her manager, but, again, politely say, "Thank you, but I'd like to speak to a customer service representative in the United Kingdom."

YOU WILL BE IMMEDIATELY CONNECTED TO A REP IN THE UK. That's the rule and the LAW.

It takes less than one minute to have your call re-directed to the United Kingdom. Tonight when I got redirected to a UK rep, I asked again to make sure - and yes, she was from NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE.

Imagine what would happen if every United Kingdom citizen insisted on talking to only UK phone reps from this day on.

Imagine how that would ultimately impact the number of UK jobs that would need to be created ASAP...

If I tell 10 people to consider this and you tell 10 people to consider doing this - see what I mean...it becomes an exercise in viral marketing 101.

Remember - the goal here is to restore jobs back here at home - not to be abrupt or rude to a foreign phone rep. You may even get correct answers, good advice, and solutions to your problem - in real English.

Does anyone on A/B know if this is true or is it yet another race hate mail ?

WR.

[albaqwerty]

folk would be a bit stuck if the company didn't have a call centre in the UK though.

[mrs_overall]

Hang on....if you can't understand the accent of call centre operative in India/Pakistan/wherever, do you honestly think you could understand someone from Newcastle????

[factor-fiction]

I'd be very surprised if such a law existed

[murraymints]

Or Yorkshire even ??? Lol....no broon sauce....humph !!

[Baldric]

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/ask-tranfer-uk-rep-law.shtml

[mrs_overall]

Call centre operator in Newcastle - opening line

Hoo can ah help ye the dayuh?

[factor-fiction]

I always regard any email as a hoax if it says "forward to ten people/ as many people as possible"

[SlackAlice]

lol @mrs_overall
I have the same problems with glaswegian accents.

So, all companies dump their foreign call centres and set up UK call centres. They then say their upping their prices by 5% for everybody (whether they've got a problem or not) to pay for it. Happy with that?

I doubt if there is an legal requirement.

[albaqwerty]

from Moravia.com blog

India has a lot to lose, there are 330,000 jobs at stake if the plug gets pulled.
Some of them speak better English than the British.

[whiskeryron]

Thanks guys for your prompt answers, however I really would like to know if there is any truth in the article.

WR.

[mrs_overall]

WR - there is no such law

[albaqwerty]

it's tripe Ron.

[SlackAlice]

Baldric's link says No.

[Baldric]

WR, does this help, from my link above

There is no law in the UK like the one described. Companies are under no legal obligation to transfer 0800 callers to a UK based representative. Thus, the core claim in the message is untrue. UK companies who use overseas customer service representatives are not legally required to immediately transfer customers back to the UK on request.

[whiskeryron]

Cheers Baldric & other A/Bers.

WR.

[Dee Sa]

I think these Indian call centres have an English manager to oversee things, I once lost my cool with a call centre in India and I wa immediately put on to an English person.

[EvianBaby]

The thing that annoys me with Indian call centres is not the accents, it's the fact they can't/won't get away from their script. So they have a habit of listening to half your query then cutting in with what they think the answer will be. If there's anything slightly different to the norm then they don't seem to accept it and just keep repeating what's on their script.

[tenrec]

I'm guessing that the Indian call centres are run more cheaply than here in the UK, therefore if the jobs come back here, the costs for that company will increase, and be passed on eventually to you, the customer.

[paddywak]

It always amazes me how many of these Indians are called Roger or Mary.