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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004 Posts >> Tech Support (Rant)(Rather long)
        
(Message started by: ExplodingEyeBall on Jul 14^th, 2004, 9:41am)

Title: Tech Support (Rant)(Rather long)
Post by ExplodingEyeBall on Jul 14^th, 2004, 9:41am

{After going through an endless string of automated voice recognition enabled voice menus at SBC Yahoo Tech Support.}

{Speaking in an un-intelligible and impossible to understand accent or, mumbled Ebonics}

{I’m sorry if this is hard to read. I’m just repeating it like I heard it.}

Tech Support:
HellothankyouforchoosingSBCinternet. MayIhavethenumberfromwhichyoumakeyourconnectionsoIcanfurtherassistyou?

Me: What?

Tech Support: Iaplogicefortheinconvenynce. MayIpleasehavethenumberfromwhichyoumakeyourconnectionsoIcanfurtherassistyou?

Me: I’m sorry but I can’t understand a word that you are saying. Could you please put down the script and talk to me a little bit slower like a normal human?

Tech Support: Iaplogicefortheinconvenynce. Weusethisscriptomakesurethatyourtechsupportexperiyncisapleasantone. MayIpleasehavethenumberfromwhichyoumakeyourconnectionsoIcanfurtherassistyou?

Me: Is there any way that I can be transferred to someone who I can understand?

Tech Support: I’msorrysirwedonothavethatcapabilityhere. MayIpleasehavethenumberfromwhichyoumakeyourconnectionsoIcanfurtherassistyou?

Me:Goodbye. {Click}

Why can’t major corporations hire people who can actually SPEAK to work at the tech support centers?

I’m so damn tired of calling for help only to get connected with someone who speaks Ebonics or has some un-indentifiable accent that sounds like the early computer generated voices.

I called SBC Yahoo last night and got something very similar to the above conversation 3 times. I hung up each time and called back and went through the same crap until I got someone who actually spoke English that I could understand.

I was already irritated with the voice recognizing phone menus. I was watching my 3 year old and every time I would have to say something to her, I would hear ‘I’m sorry. That is not a valid choice. Would you like to hear the options again?’.

With the money that the large corporations have, couldn’t they afford to hire people who are actually IN the U.S. and speak English natively for their telephone support?

NO!!! The cheap bastards would rather save the money by setting up telephone farms in other countries where they can get cheap, untaxed, un-insured labor.

Disclaimer: I don’t have a problem with people of other languages who learn the English language. It is one of the most widely spoken languages on Earth and I admire anyone who takes the effort to learn it so they can further them selves.

I know that if I was going to learn a foreign language, I would try very hard to get the accents and dialect down as close as I could. I would have the courtesy of speaking in such a way that the person I am speaking to could understand me.

I also don't have a problem with people who choose to do this kind of work for a living. I work in this field my self. If I was given a script and told to make my staff use it, I would quit and find a different job. I have also passed over potential technicians when in the hiring process because they mumbled or were very hard to understand. I refuse to have someone on my staff who can not be understood by a caller who is in need of technical help.

If I couldn’t speak my new language properly, I WOULDN’T WORK AT A TELEPHONE SPEAKING TO PEOPLE WHO SPEAK THE LANGUAGE NATIVELY EVERY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, I'ts time for all of the people I offended to start the name calling and sending pissed off messeges to me.

Title: Re: Tech Support (Rant)(Rather long)
Post by Jeepgun on Jul 14^th, 2004, 11:04am

I couldn't agree more.

Service Person: "Jus' a minute. Lemme axe my supa'visa' if we can do dat fo' you."

Me: "Okay, Lizzie Borden. You just go right ahead and 'axe' your supervisor. Now if you would kindly quit speaking like a toothless crack wh*re, maybe we could actually conduct business in a professional and efficient manner!" >:(

Title: Re: Tech Support (Rant)(Rather long)
Post by Luke63 on Jul 14^th, 2004, 11:36am

Listen...I live and own a business in a small urban neighborhood....and I agree.

SPEAK FUCKING ENGLISH A-HOLE!!!!!!!!!

Title: Re: Tech Support (Rant)(Rather long)
Post by alleyoop on Jul 14^th, 2004, 11:56am

on 07/14/04 at 11:04:15, Jeepgun wrote:

OMGROTFFLMAO!!!!!!!!!! [smiley=crackup.gif] [smiley=crackup.gif] [smiley=crackup.gif] [smiley=crackup.gif] [smiley=crackup.gif] [smiley=crackup.gif] [smiley=crackup.gif] [smiley=crackup.gif] [smiley=crackup.gif] [smiley=crackup.gif]

Sadly enough, it's the truth! I agree with both of you.

Remember the old game show, 'Password' with the late Allen Luden as host? One of the shows featured Alan Alda as one of the guest stars. Alda's partner was a man of 'color.' Anyway, at one point in the show, Alda was given the password which was "Bambi." Alda, after thinking it over for a few moments, turned to his partner and said, "doe.' His partner, without hesitation, replied, "knob."

Misscommunication!!

English is anything but an easy language to learn and master, even for those of us whom grew up with it. But for corporations and businesses to use people whom can barely speak the language, much less show a proficiency at it, to me, is not only unprofessional but downright rude!

just my [smiley=twocents.gif]....................

....................................alley >:(

Title: Re: Tech Support (Rant)(Rather long)
Post by Gator on Jul 14^th, 2004, 1:43pm

on 07/14/04 at 11:56:46, alleyoop wrote:

But for corporations and businesses to use people whom can barely speak the language, much less show a proficiency at it, to me, is not only unprofessional but downright rude!

just my [smiley=twocents.gif]....................

....................................alley >:(

Rude and disrespectful to their customers.

Another thing just as bad to me is once you get someone on the phone that speaks English, that moron has no technical aptitude and doesn't know what s/he is talking about. S/he just reads from the script and does not take any unique or extenuating circumstances into account when giving you the solution to your problem.

Gator

Title: Re: Tech Support (Rant)(Rather long)
Post by k9n8 on Jul 14^th, 2004, 2:18pm

I am in tech suport, and I here this EVERY DAY, many times. They are SO happy to talk to someone with someone who can speak english acceptably, and are SO mad about not being able to understand the last 5 people that I can barely get them to troubleshoot. Bad situation, getting worse every day, and HOPEFULLY things will get so bad that everything will change. I dont like it either.

Title: Re: Tech Support (Rant)(Rather long)
Post by ExplodingEyeBall on Jul 14^th, 2004, 2:20pm

Script readers irritate the crap out of me. I am a computer person and when I have to contact tech support for something, I would like to talk to someone who can give me a solution instead of reading some shit out of a script and then giving me a trouble ticket number and a promise that someone will call me back.

Title: Re: Tech Support (Rant)(Rather long)
Post by ave on Jul 14^th, 2004, 2:38pm

You guys complaining? It'll get worse

Many large firms are moving their support to call centres in India, f'r instance.
For why? Cause it is cheaper. Thus the capitalistic mind.

Imagine asking your question of somebody in New Delh, perfectly charming person, but only a script in front of them...

Title: Re: Tech Support (Rant)(Rather long)
Post by ExplodingEyeBall on Jul 14^th, 2004, 2:46pm

This is exactly what my ranting was caused by in the fisrt place.

When you call tech support for anyone any more, the call gets sent to a telephone farm in India, or some other overseas country where slave labor is still legal and taxes don't have to be paid. Then some body who took a crash course in the English language and is being paid $3.00 a day for their help answers the phone and reads a script to you.

They don't know squat about computers and they sound like they learned English from an old computerized speech synthesizer.

Title: Re: Tech Support (Rant)(Rather long)
Post by purpleydog on Jul 14^th, 2004, 7:47pm

on 07/14/04 at 13:43:50, Gator wrote:

that moron has no technical aptitude and doesn't know what s/he is talking about.

Gator

When I call my company's tech support dept., I always get someone who asks me, Did you restart your computer? (of course) Are all your connections hooked up? (yes) Hit control alt delete and see if it does anything (I already did) Well then I'll have to have one of the hardware people call you back (do you think you could do that soon? My computer controls 2 printers which we use constantly) Yes.

Then 2 hours of not being able to print later, the hardware person calls and helps me out.

I have only had to deal with SBC Yahoo on the phone 2 times. The first time, I couldn't understand the guy and he didn't know shit (I'm sorry for the inconvenience, I'll send you another disc. At no charge) ::) Then the second time I called I got this guy who actually knew his stuff. I asked him questions and we had a regular conversation. Wow. Too bad I didn't get a survey for that guy. He did a great job!

purpleydog