Cutting Edge : Phone Rage

[Dymetrie]

What's this? Me talking about another episode of Cutting Edge?

This week was focusing on Call Centres and the (*ahem*) TOTAL ****ING MORONS THAT WANTED TO TALK TO THEM...

The Programme looked at 2 UK call centres, one in Essex (staffed by a charicature of Mohinder) and one in Newcastle (I think) (staffed by the damned), as well as one in South Africa.

Now I'm not a saint when it comes to speaking to call centres, but I always try to remain level headed and polite, and if I speak out of turn then I will always apologise (unless it's talking to repairs or IT in Camden when I say it like it is), but the complainants they had on this programme REALLY got on my nerves.... Well, mostly...

There was the one lass who was being charged twice, on direct debit, once for her hous and once for her old house... CANCEL ONE OF THE DIRECT DEBITS YOU IDIOT!!!

There was the guy who was trying to get a replacement mobile, but was being a **** to everyone he spoke to and then had the audacity to go on about how people in call centres are just doing a job and it wasn't their fault... nob...

And then the grossly overweight woman who was so racist she would've made Hitler cringe :/

As for the call centres...

They featured one in Essex which was absolutely horrible (Kate said about the whole phone not ringing thing, just a *bzzz* then talking), which was horrible.

Then one in Newcastle (I think) for First Direct, which was run by 'Power Paddy' and made me cringe sooooo much.

But the one which struck me the most was one in South Africa. It followed the training and then the first few days of one of the girls.

Six months training to not only understand British pronunciation but also British slang. THAT's dedication... The woman teaching them this was so damn condescending I felt sick, and then on their first day they were given 1000 RAND (about £60) to buy 'corporate' clothes...

THEY'RE ANSWERING THE DAMN PHONE!!!!

That amount of money is immense for the kind of people working there and could be much better spent on clothes/food/ANYTHING for their families, yet they got sent to 'The Mall' to buy clothes to wear to work...

Suffice to say that me and Kate were less than impressed...