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Subject:Re: A data point on offshoring From:"Rick Bishop" <bishopr -at- jcdc -dot- jobcorps -dot- org> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 24 Nov 2003 08:37:41 -0600
No doubt there are many such. I just bought a $3k Dell
and the monitor appeared to be DOA. 1st call was to
helpdesk with strange accent. I asked what time it was
there. The reply made me ask "Phillipines?" Yes, it was
Manila. After 25 min, they broke the connection. My 2nd
try found someone in India that didn't understand my
problem either. He tried to tell me what city he was in
but I couldn't get it. Another40 min wasted.
Luckily, I know someone at Dell engineering, so I called
him. He put me on hold for about 5 min while he got the
answer from someone there in Austin.
What do you do if you don't know someone at the
home office? Are we going back to the mom and pop
shop up the street?
Rick
Note: This does not reflect my views or experience with offshore
customer service reps. However, I have been corresponding on a business
matter this evening with someone who is, like me, telecommuting today.
She has been having trouble with her home AOL account. This is a person
I've never met and who does not know me to be tech writer, so it's just
a voice in the darkness. Take this for what it's worth. Use it to
support your argument if you are so moved. I'm just providing the quote:
"I'm going to recooperate [sic] from arguing with AOL most of the day.
The customer service reps I got were from India... [her ellipsis;
nothing omitted] probably intelligent but the language barrier is a
killer. You ask a question--they answer a different question. I say I
don't understand, they talk louder."
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