Speak English.... 21

[snootalope]

Wow, I don't know about you all, but I'm SICK of talking to tech support people who can't speak a darn bit of good english.

I spend a reasonable amount of time on the phone with different support teams and every single one of them from Arcserve to Microsoft Windows 2003 have moved all their support stuff out of the country (USA) and into the middle of places where people can barely pronounce the word Windows.. How the heck are we supposed to get something done when we can't even understand what they're telling us.

I've been playing phone tag with one company for three weeks because everytime they leave me a message and tell me to email them something for a particular support case, I CAN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR SAYING WHEN THEY SPELL OUT THE EMAIL ADDRESS!!! Of course, when i call back, i get someone who can even pronounce my 5 letter name, and they can't seem to reach the tech who just called me 5 minutes before...

Anyway.. I just had to vent.

If you ask me, IT is going the way of whatever is cheapest is best. It's BS and not customer friendly at all!! If I call the United States support number, I want to talk to someone who's from the United States!!!

 

[monkeylizard]

Reminds me of foreign language classes in High School where we all had to choose a name from that language to use in class. I thought that was fun, but it was just used in that class, not in life.

Still, it's easier for me to pronounce Bill than Suphanusaphon and I do appreciate the effort. It has to create some problem in the call center though:

(Me)
"Yes, I was working on this issue with Nancy"
(Support)
<thinking> Nancy....Nancy...Nancy...Oh! That's Sumandeep!
"I'll send you right over"

Monkeylizard
Sometimes just a few hours of trial and error debugging can save minutes of reading manuals.

 

[gurner]

one company i was at out sourced development to india, nearly lost the lot on the mess that was made

(tho did lose 60% of the UK management, and 50% of the UK engineering staff to recoup losses, and i swear the strange tax code and tax benefit notifications they are posting to the IR for current and former employees are a tax dodge to save money)

Gurner

 

[grooke]

I had problems with an Indian rumbling voice recently. I am hard of hearing and the deep Indian rumbles are extremely difficult, how ever well they speak.

In the end, I insisted that he redirect the call to the UK. The thick Irish brogue was impossible! ;-)

Gil

 

[sostek]

Here's what amazes me. Everyone is saying how business saves a bizillion dollars outsourcing tech support to India, but in reality where are those savings being applied. Prices are pretty flat on most IT gear, so the money has to be going somewhere.

 

[Sympology]

They could argue a laptop for £299 / $500 is where the savings go....
2 years ago, I reckon the lowest price was about £600 / $1000?

Only the truly stupid believe they know everything.
Stu.. 2004

 

[jmanj]

This story happened to my daughter who called tech support for a problem with her computer only to be given the same run-around. Yes folk, her call almost went around the world and ended up back where it should belong - in the US of A.

First I should tell you that my daughter is not an ordinary person one can think about. She graduated #1 on top of her class in Monterrey for foreign languages, She also is Magna in one of the prestigious school(International studies) in America. Here's what occured...
1. Called tech support and somewhere in India spoke and asked her the nature of business. So they chatted in Hindi and told the other party about her problem. Not knowing how to fixed the problem, the call was forwarded to Thailand.
2. The same thing happen they conversed in native Thai language. The other guy was somewhat irritated because the call was for international calls only. Thinking she is a native caller. Again could not solved the problem, her call was transfered to the Philippines.
3. This time my daughter spoke in English. again the other party was somewhat irritable and began some expletives in native tongue. My daughter shouted at the person and told him not to do that because "My dad is Pilipino"!
4. Long pause... and somebody finally start asking questions this time it's in Indonesia. Tired of the run around, my daughter talked to the person (in Arabic) to transfer him to a real person who can understand her plight.
5. USA. Yep finally!! The tech supervisor puzzled by the transfered call, asked her "How in the world you were able to reach my personal hot line?" My daughter replied " I speak 15 major languages you know!!".

 

[ctopher06]

Here is what I say:
Want it done right ... do it in the USA.
Want it done cheaper ... do it somewhere else.

Get what you pay for.

Chris

 

[Grenage]

Want it done right ... do it in the USA.

*Cough* Hubris! *cough*


Carlsberg don't run I.T departments, but if they did they'd probably be more fun.

 

[Welshbird]

*Cough* too!

Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]

 

[gurner]

Gurner

 

[gbaughma]

Want it done right ... do it in the USA.

Uh-huh.

That's why my american made chevy only lasted 120,000 miles; but my Honda went 260,000 miles.



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly exchanged his dilithium crystals for new Folger's Crystals." -- My Sister
--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[snootalope]

I just counted the number of letters in this guy's name that's STILL helping me to get a product working...this is the same issue I was having that led me to start this thread almost two months ago.

There are 31 characters in this guys name, and there's probably a few more if he's got a middle name. I have to listen to his voice mails at least twice to break down exactly what he says.

Get what you pay for? We paid close to $10,000 for this single piece of simple software that hasn't worked the past two months! How much more do we need to spend to get decent customer service?

 

[Sympology]

If the software was made correctly in the first place......

Shoot the builder, not the repairman...

Only the truly stupid believe they know everything.
Stu.. 2004

 

[philhege]

In many cases, the repairman would like to do that, too!

I had a friend who worked on F-4 avionics. He wondered if the designers had three elbows on each arm, because that's what you needed to reach the equipment bay without dismantling the front half of the airframe.

IT support requires thinking as if you had three elbows.

Phil Hegedusich
Senior Programmer/Analyst
IIMAK

http://www.iimak.com

-----------
I'll have the roast duck with the mango salsa.

 

[kHz]

That's why my american made chevy only lasted 120,000 miles; but my Honda went 260,000 miles.

What a useless comparison.

I had a Mazda pickup that went 250,000 miles and I know a relative who had a Ford Taurus last almost 1,000,000 miles but finally *rusted* out.

 

[Sympology]

Also remember the US in NOT the only country that speak english. You tell a British person to press the "pound" sign and you really are going to struggle doing Tech Support.
(£ UK pound Sign)
(# US pound sign)

Only the truly stupid believe they know everything.
Stu.. 2004

 

[Grenage]

I think he was just trying to point out that the "Americans do everything best" line of thinking is complete and utter rubbish.

Which it is.


Carlsberg don't run I.T departments, but if they did they'd probably be more fun.

 

[kHz]

I think he was just trying to point out that the "Americans do everything best" line of thinking is complete and utter rubbish.

I would guess 90% (maybe higher) of the people on here are American.

So I assume you are trying to create an argument or you are just plain stupid.

You wouldn't be making that lame comment if not for the US DoD funding the development of the Internet. Innovations in aeronautics, and life and space sciences were because of NASA mercury, gemini and apollo missions. The United States saved Europe twice - in WWI and WWII.

Telephone
Phonograph
Cotton Gin
FM Radio
The transistor
Integrated Circuits
Incandescent lighting
(grain) reaper
Polio vaccine
Electric motor
Adding machine
Calculator
Internal combustion engine
Flying machine
Gyroscopic compass
Vacuum tube
Television
Satellite structure

The US is the world leader in scientific and pharmaceutical research, leader in technological innovations, leader in food safety research, leader in patents, leader in published papers. The US spends more on R&D than any other country.

You may not like it, but the USA is the world leader!

 

[gurner]

its that sort of attitude that has rubbed the rest of the world up the wrong way and made the 'world leader' as despised as it is by the majority of the world.

I happen to really really like the US, but your argument is tantamount to flame posting (or what ever its called) and overly provocative

"My Dad's gotta better car than you" "But my Dad's Harder than you, and will beat yours up" repeat

Gurner

 

[Sympology]

Can we stop now children.....

Only the truly stupid believe they know everything.
Stu.. 2004