Telesales Calls

[madein1978]

Are you fed up with the constant pestering of these people on the phone trying to punt you anything from Conservatories to Mobile Phones? I'm sick of it, they always phone at the wrong time!

[smudge]

gessoo - didn't like to mention in my earlier post, but all the automated calls seem to be from India! TPS have told us the same, but I hope it won't be long before they can deal with these nuisance calls too!

Having said that we are with NTL & some of the people on the Techincal team based in India, are so helpful & polite, even tho' it's hard to understand what some are saying at times!

[gessoo]

I've no problems with where the calls come from Smudge and long as the callers can speak English well enough to carry on a proper conversation. I don't think this counts as a racist comment. I just think it's incredible that people making business calls to England from a foreign country often can't make themselves understood! When I need advice or information I expect the call centre to be able to understand what I am talking about, especially as I am paying for their support.

Also, I hope again this isn't taken as racist - Indians have a totally different way of expressing themselves to us and often say things in conversation that we take as being rude. In fact, the Indians are not being rude at all. They are much more blunt. Obviously, people that have lived in Britain for years or have been born here don't have this problem. but those in the Indian Call Centres often have no experience of our culture, humour, etc. and therefore can aggrevate and offend us without meaning to.

[AliFlump]

I once read about a woman who had a call from a stair lift company, she went along with having one done and even arranged for the salesman to come round. She gave the directions to the caller, 'you turn right after the roundabout and its the first bungalow on the left!!' The caller hung up! dont know why!!

[smudge]

gessoo - P'raps you misunderstood my post. I didn't think for one moment you were being racist or that you meant anything other that what you'd said - that some of the automated calls are from India.

The reason I mentioned about the NTL technicians based in India, being so helpful & polite, is because we don't always get the same response from some of the technicians, etc., who were born, bred & educated in the England.

[smudge]

*in the England? I meant in England!

Nice one AliFlump!

[gessoo]

I was just apologising in case anyone reading thought I was being racist by my comments. I didn't think that you thought I was being racist. I was just following on from our general conversation about Indian Call Centres. :o)

[yummymummy]

Just found out that there is a service called Silent Call Guard that should reduce the amount of calls where there is no-one on the other end. The number is 0870 444 3969, is free to register with and lasts a year. If you Google Silent Call Guard there is plenty of info about it. Can't vouch for it but worth a try?

[lightoftruth]

tell them that either the owner of the house is dead or that you have just killed them. I did that to some bloke trying to flog me mobiles. he never called again

[sp1814]

I often enjoy nuisance calls. For instance, I have often put on a really strange accent (Inspector Clouseau works fantastically), then just go along with the call.

As the call progresses, make the accent more and more difficult to understand, until you're talking in complete gobbydegook. Normally at that point, you'll start laughing, and they'll know the jug is up.

Another form of entertainment is to ask the most stupid questions you can possibly think of. I one asked a chap from a mobile phone company whether I could have a phone with just letters on the handset as I was numerically dyslexic.

Great fun.

[madein1978]

I never thought to wind them up, I'll need to try that, Thanks!

[joko]

good one SP, i think i'll try that in future.

I'd agree with gessoo on hard to understand issue - it drives me mad

once i said 'pardon' to one as i didn't know what he'd said and he said it again exactly the same, still didn't know what he'd said - this went on for about 6 times until i'd had enough and put the phone down - if someone doesn't know what you are saying don't just repeat it exactly the same!! - i still don't know what he was saying!

and you are right about the 'rude' thing too - i am sure they don't mean to sound rude as its hardly condusive to their job to be rude, but intonation, inflection etc etc can really jar if you get it wrong

I remember being at college with a lot of germans and at first many of the english people were often offended by the germans way of speaking - to us it was rude, to them its how they get their point across in a language they are still learning. when they realised they were upsetting people most wanted us to point it out to them to help them learn

one guy had learnt that the F word could be used as an insult but also just in conversation and went around saying 'Fack you' to everyone and everything, no matter what the situation - "can you lend me 20p for the phone?", "Fack you" - i had to explain....

[gessoo]

I think that one of the greatest mistakes ever made is moving call centres to India. It might seem tomake economic sense but in the end surely businesses will suffer because of it. People can only take so much!! I have worked in a call centre and the first question many people ask is 'Are you based in Britain'. They are so relieved when the answer is 'Yes'.

[gessoo]

I know what you mean about the Germans joko! I used to think they were all so rude before my husband (who was brought up in Germany) explained things to me. He still occasionally says things which others might find offensive, but I am used to!

[madein1978]

Too true, the Indian call centres are the worst move businesses could have made, The operators only have the most basic grasp of english, they don't understand what you are saying most of the time, most aggrovating when you are trying to find out or complain about something, and the pure fact is, British companies only made the switch to increase their profits and exploit the tiny wages the Indians recieve. I think though, some of these companies that have Indian call centres have lost business to companies who still have UK call centres, simply because you can talk to them without having to talk extremely slowly and stop to have to explain things! Hardly makes good business sense to put measures in that drive customers away!!?

[gessoo]

Examples

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=73393&version=1&template_id=38&parent_id=20

http://www.s1jobs.com/newsandguides/2005-10-26-1.shtml

[Greedyfly]

I answer and they ask if they can proceed I tell them yes and let them talk to themselves till they get the message - I sometimes check back to see if they are still there and they usually are its funny - It seems to work I havent had one for a while. Used to get them every night.

[smudge]

When Abbey National set up their call centres in India, we promptly closed our accounts with them & transferred all our savings into building societies that have call centres in the UK.

Abbey National have realised they made a big mistake with that idea & are now moving/moved their call centres back to the UK, but its too late now - they won't be getting their hands on our dosh again - serves them right!

[WendyS]

Say, "Hang on a moment while I put my hearing aid in".

Then, keep saying "I beg your pardon?
Sorry, I still can't hear you.
Will you please speak up.
What's that you were saying?

And walk away.........

Alternatively, keep a personal safety alarm by the phone and keep activating it immediately up against the earpiece !

[madein1978]

Brilliant!!!!! PMSL here!