today's call to BT.....

What happened to the times when you'd make a call, the call would be answered within a few minutes and you'd speak to a real person?

"welcome to BT, please choose from the following menu.... press1 for this, 2 for that, 3, 4 etc

MENU 2 - "Thank you, now pleae choose from the following menu- press 1 for this 2, for that, 3, 4 etc etc

MENU3 - " " " " "
"did you know you can go online......" press 1 for this, 2 for that etc etc

RINGS - "sorry we are very busy at the moment, someone will take your call as soon as possible"

27 minutes later - A REAL PERSON ANSWERS

How infuriating!!!!!

27 minutes later - A REAL PERSON ANSWERS

and then thier in India, always get your name wrong and cant understand what they're saying.....:rant:

Dont you just love foreign call centres.
'My name is Mr Jim - how can I help you today'
LMAO!

If your name is Jim- my name is Hugh Heffner.
****n liars.

I never press anything. Most of these systems still have to make allowance for people without touchtone phones, so they put you through to a real person if you just wait - and its often quicker than guessing the way through the menu.. :D :loopy:

Some systems have 0 or * set to put you through to an operator as default, not every installer turns this option off.

Indian call centres hack me off big style though, what's the point in try ing to get your point across to someone who can't speak English and would have absolutely no idea what you were on about if they did. :confused:

Same here. I just do nothing and wait until I am transferred to an operator.

In the past I've gone all the way through the automated service to get to the bit where you have to punch your account number in....at the point I almost smash the phone when I hear words to the affect of "You account number cannot be recognised, transferring to an operator". :(

I've had this problem with various companies but one that sticks in my mind is Telewest. It's been ongoing for over 6 months and I still occasionally try it to see if it's been rectified. Each time I mention it to the operator who tells me they are aware of the issues. IMO if the system isn't working they should take it off line until it is.

i have tried ignoring the menu hoping someone will answer but then i get the message "if you do not have a touch phone say your a/c number clearly after the tone". If you do not speak then it says "sorry I did not hear that, please try again" - what about people with disabilities such as a speech impediment which would not be recognised!!!!!

Originally posted by teeb
If you do not speak then it says "sorry I did not hear that, please try again"
If you swear at it several times it sometimes transfers you to an operator!

(Seriously, it does, sometimes. After a few errors it wil transfer you).

I'll see if I can manage a swear word or two! (lol)

It seems to be that the companies who sell Telecom equipment/services are the worse culprits - what an example for their company

Originally posted by teeb
It seems to be that the companies who sell Telecom equipment/services are the worse culprits
Ahem, we're not all that bad, some of us have a clue!

I called BT the other day regarding my bill. Automated message said that as there was a queue, they would ring me back when my call would have got to the head of the queue. Put phone down and few mins later they called me back - miracles do happen :P

Hey gotta love this article on the BBC site about people who thought they were phoning a foreign sex chat line and it ends up that they were in the UK

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/4194867.stm

:D

Originally posted by rtapper
Hey gotta love this article on the BBC site about people who thought they were phoning a foreign sex chat line and it ends up that they were in the UK :D

people?? i think you mean men don't you ....

just wondering who would dare to complain ..

"Is that trading standards? I have a complaint, I've been using a premium rate number to talk to exotic women - and now i find out they're from Nottingham .... I want the tax payer to fund an investigation into this - I don't care HOW much it costs .... I'm outraged ... If I'm paying for a Philipino to talk dirty to me - i want the genuine article ..."Yes, sir, of course - now if we could just have your name and address ......... :D

Originally posted by Lurch
If you swear at it several times it sometimes transfers you to an operator!

(Seriously, it does, sometimes. After a few errors it wil transfer you).

Yes it's true,
I swore once on line to BT and an operater answered straight away.

Hazel

Originally posted by Lurch
Indian call centres hack me off big style though, what's the point in try ing to get your point across to someone who can't speak English and would have absolutely no idea what you were on about if they did. :confused:

I can't say that I have ever had a problem with foreign call centres. They are equally useful or useless depending on the individual or the information on the system.

Why should someone sat in a shed in Sheffield know more about your phone / gas / electricity / sky bill that someone in India?

Actually, there is a difference. the ones in India are ususally far more polite.

Originally posted by Tony
I can't say that I have ever had a problem with foreign call centres. They are equally useful or useless depending on the individual or the information on the system.

Why should someone sat in a shed in Sheffield know more about your phone / gas / electricity / sky bill that someone in India?

Actually, there is a difference. the ones in India are ususally far more polite.

I haven't really had any problems with foreign call centres either, except when trying to book trains. I tried to explain that I did not want to take their suggested route (from Sheffield to Guildford via Cardiff?? I don't think so) and they just didn't get it - don't think they are actually provided with a map of the UK.

Also annoying if you have a question about anything even slightly out of the ordinary - they just don't seem to be able to cope if it does fit in the box.

So it's irritating sometimes, but I agree with Tony, they are normally far more polite, and half the time their English is better than a person you speak to in this country.

This week I called HSBC so I could get my internet banking sorted out, after a 30 min discussion of me saying I wanted internet banking and him saying telephone banking? we finally got somwhere!

Susie
xx

Frankly I'd like to see all this banned and to get back to talking directly to real human beings.

Likewise at banks. I was waiting in the Yorkshire Bank at the top of Fargate and noticed that there are now fewer cashier windows on the counter. I think there were three windows but only two cashiers. Next to the counter they've plopped some ATMS and deposit safes under the heading CONVENIENCE BANKING.

I occupied my time waiting by wondering to whom this sign was addressing. Clearly, it's Convenience Banking to the employees working at Yorkshire Bank, not its customers.

I totally agree. I was once interrogated about my business at the Halifax on The Moor whilst queueing. I needed to do my transaction at the desk as for reasons I didn't wish to disclose to the whole queue, it could not be done at the machine. The manager asked if I really needed to queue, couldn't I use the machine - i said no i couldn't. He then went on to ask me personal questions with regards what accounts I had ect, at which point I told him i did not wish to discuss my business with in in front of a queue of other people. The lady behind me also said it was thoroughly disgraceful. They are keen to take your money but not to provide a service.

As for foreign call centres, I have to praise Belkin Support Centre based in India. They were extremely polite, dealt with my call immediately and solved my problem. There was no automated message - i actually got through to a real person immediately.

I keep getting demands from debt collectors threatening me with legal action because I owe BT £78.xx for an unpaid bill.

I tried to pay this bill when it arrived (over the phone - you know, the medium that BT owns a monopoly over.....).

After 20-30 minutes I gave up trying as each time I pressed the corresponding button (1 for ....., 2 for ......... etc) I got sent back to the 1st, initial recorded message.

Thie crap, automated system is a total abomination!

similar topic, but different.
had a card through my letterbox this mornin' from npower asking me to ring them regardin my electric a/c, with a number and name of whom to speak to, so i rang around 2.30pm this aft, only to be told thier offices are closed over the weekend, and to ring back between 8:30 an 6:30pm monday to friday!!!!!!
how incredibly stupid!!!!! :loopy:

Originally posted by Tony
Why should someone sat in a shed in Sheffield know more about your phone / gas / electricity / sky bill that someone in India?
It's not that, I'm sure they can repeat the info on the screen as well as one of the UK based droids. It's just that they just don't 'get it'.

Try saying something humurous, or striking up a conversation. That totally loses them.

The worst ones I've come across is the Lloyds TSB call centres, they have no idea what's going on at all.

I just get infuriated at the fact that if I rung up a bloke down the road he might not be able to help me with my account enquiries but he would know what I was talking about, would be able to follow the conversation and probably offer some information that would help me get hold of the right people. The people in the Indian call centres I have dealt with give you the over the phone equivalent of a blank stare. Absolutely useless.

I rang three-pay on my mobile tonight to ask them why my vouchers wernt being aloud to go on. and after pushing all the numbers it took me to a foreign guy. He helped tho and only took 3-4 buttons to take me to him. It turned out i had bought 2 add ons instead of a proper £15 voucher and the add ons cannot go on until u already have credit. Grrr

i personally will not do any business with any company who has a call centre in India!

I recently cancelled my citi bank credit card for this reason, I also ditched NU for the same reason...;


These people dont have a clue what your on about!

Lol. Why cant we just have ENGLISH people!?!?!?!? :rant:

Originally posted by Gazza
I recently cancelled my citi bank credit card
That's a real bank? After all these years of spam aimed at Citi Bank customers I assumed it was a made up name!

Originally posted by Gazza
i personally will not do any business with any company who has a call centre in India!

I recently cancelled my citi bank credit card for this reason, I also ditched NU for the same reason...;


These people dont have a clue what your on about!

In my experience, the foreign call centres are generally fine, and personally I am happy for a company to use foreign call centres as long as they pass the savings on to their customers.

What I hate more than call centres are 0870 numbers. If it's an 0800 number I don't care where the person I'm talking to is!

Originally posted by Lurch
That's a real bank? After all these years of spam aimed at Citi Bank customers I assumed it was a made up name!

Sure is real - Citi have 300,000 employees who manage 200 million customer accounts across six continents in more than 100 countries.

Revenues are ~ $ 21.9 billion ! More details here :

http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/homepage/

UK site is here

http://www.citibank.com/uk/

and here is brief history in the UK :

Citigroup has had a presence in the United Kingdom since 1902. Smith Barney opened its first office in London in 1968, and Salomon Brothers established its UK headquarters in London in 1971. Citigroup merged Salomon Smith Barney with Schroder Plc in 2000, creating a leading pan-European investment bank. Our more than 9,000 employees in the United Kingdom proudly serve their local communities every day, providing consumer and commercial banking services to our valued corporate customers.

Well, you learn something new every day!

Lol. Some people on this forum are very informative. :|

I'm with HSBC and I dread calling their so-called helpline these days. I don't think I've spoken to an English person in the last 5 times I've called. As if the waiting music (which wasn't been changed for nearly 10 years) isn't infuriating enough, I once had to speak to an oriental lady about my overdraft and she was very hostile and was nearly shouting at me from the start when I was telling her my reason for calling.

Clearly this woman was never taught about phone-manner, or maybe in her country they're taught to shout-down and talk-over their customers in order to keep them in check. :roll:

The other times I've called it's usually been some Indian guy/lady and I have to say everything twice before they properly understand what I need. It's annoying but at least the Indians are usually polite.