Purchased a bunch of tech stuff from Canadian Tire online and..........

[yathis]

I phoned customer service, amazingly I got an actual person after only one round of teleprompter action. I dialed their number, and pressed 5 to speak with a csr and within one minute I was talking to a sweet sweet lady who spoke fluent english and was obviously either in Canada which I really hope the customer center is in Canada and not the USA.

 

I give full props to CrappyTire, I have even returned items with very little scrutiny. Such as rusted brake rotors, I cant remember if I bought 2 or 4 rotors, but literally when I opened up the boxes, they were used rotors that someone scammed CrappyTire with. It sure as hell wasnt me. I ended up buying from an independant parts store up in the hood.

 

Fido was the worst because it sounded like Nigerians at the CSR call center, I made a half dozen calls and every time their names would be Bob or Dan with thick African accents.

 

My credit card is British accented CSR call center employee's.

 

Does anyone know what the cost differences are when the CSR call center is located in North America compared to Asian countries like China, India, Pakistan

[TetraSky]

17 minutes ago, yathis said:

 

Does anyone know what the cost differences are when the CSR call center is located in North America compared to Asian countries like China, India, Pakistan

Well, for example, in India
http://www.payscale.com/research/IN/Job=Call_Center_Agent/Salary
That seems to be the amount they would make in an entire year. (is probably a bit more though)

That's not even $4k per year in Canadian rupees. Someone in Canada, who would do the same job, at minimum salary would make more or less 5 times that amount in a year. But they are paid more than minimum I believe in Canada, like $15.($30k/year before taxes, so it's closer to 21k?)

 

So it is MUCH cheaper for companies to get people in those countries instead of here, at the expense of customers losing their faith in said company because CSR is AWFUL when you have to talk to some guy on the other side of the world who barely even speaks a word of your language, has such a strong accent you don't even understand them or even the sound quality of the call itself being complete trash. I think it's a tactic they use to make you hang-up and "fuck off" with your "issues".

[tlink]

10 minutes ago, yathis said:

Fido was the worst because it sounded like Nigerians at the CSR call center, I made a half dozen calls and every time their names would be Bob or Dan with thick African accents.

it doesn't really sound great if that is your only complaint with them.

[dizmo]

I know many people that work overseas in call centers and speak perfect English. Living in North America doesn't mean you'll speak perfect English, nor does living abroad mean you can't. That's an extremely narrow, ignorant view of the world.

 

Call center jobs vary wildly in pay depending on the company. Most pay around $15/hr in Canada, while some (Telus, for example) pay up to $24/hr. Overseas you're looking at much, much less.

 

The mark up on brake rotors is immense. It's not surprising that you're able to return them with such little scrutiny.

[Princess Luna]

4 minutes ago, dizmo said:

I know many people that work overseas in call centers and speak perfect English. Living in North America doesn't mean you'll speak perfect English, nor does living abroad mean you can't. That's an extremely narrow, ignorant view of the world.

As a professional translator myself I really appreciate your response.

[onlybuilt4cubanxlinx]

I had to work the phones at our national call center in the states and wow.. I would of loved a customer from another part of the world get help with their services compared to some people I dealt with. I had allot of racist people.. ALL call center location related. OH THANK GOD YOU SPEAK ENGLISH. I WAS JUST TALKING TO CUNTAH FROM INDIA... The entire time he's talking to me I am just thinking ... sir you're from the states and I can baaaaaaaarely understand a word you are saying. I have no idea how people can work in customer service. Other than being on chat.. which rocks =)

[Teddy07]

That is the downside of native English speaking countries. Cheap labour countries with English as the main language can easily replace call center jobs.

 

I am from Germany and all our call center employees are based here in Germany, of course on low pay.  It is just not going to happen.

[dizmo]

25 minutes ago, Princess Cadence said:

As a professional translator myself I really appreciate your response.

I'm honestly shocked that in the multicultural world that we live in people still hold views like @yathis

It's something I expect from my friends 70 year old dad, not someone younger.

 

You can't read Japanese can you?

 

[Princess Luna]

5 minutes ago, dizmo said:

You can't read Japanese can you?

I'm fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish and German... I am afraid my head has no room left for Japanese or Italian which I wanted to learn too... but too little time, college, work, taking care of parents, clingy boyfriend, gawd! I miss the days all I did was watch animes and play some games at the beach with my friends back when I was young and lived on a brazilian island

[dizmo]

5 hours ago, Princess Cadence said:

I'm fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish and German... I am afraid my head has no room left for Japanese or Italian which I wanted to learn too... but too little time, college, work, taking care of parents, clingy boyfriend, gawd! I miss the days all I did was watch animes and play some games at the beach with my friends back when I was young and lived on a brazilian island

Haha damn!

You're a translator but you're still in college? Not done yet?

Hell yeah. Though my anime days are just beginning.

I'd be fine being old and living on a Brazilian island

[Princess Luna]

Just now, dizmo said:

Haha damn!

You're a translator but you're still in college? Not done yet?

Hell yeah. Though my anime days are just beginning.

I'd be fine being old and living on a Brazilian island

I'm already graduated as professional one for Portuguese - English, though I have no problem with Spanish and German, since Spanish and so much like Portuguese to where I have no difficulty understanding and adapting to it, and German's mine second home language, I'm doing my second graduation now.

 

Nowadays I only watch the continuation of my favourites from back in the day, like I have been seen boruto and shingeki no kyojin, I can not wait for code geass to come it was my favourite by far... aside from these I really don't look anything new any more haha...

If you like the idea, the place I lived and I have a little house in there is located in Morro de São Paulo, Bahia. You may look it up it certainly is a really comfortable place ^^

[dizmo]

8 minutes ago, Princess Cadence said:

-snip-

If you like the idea, the place I lived and I have a little house in there is located in Morro de São Paulo, Bahia. You may look it up it certainly is a really comfortable place ^^

Ahhh gotcha. I didn't know you had to have a degree for each language, hopefully it doesn't take too long!

My friend got me into Berserk and Attack on Titan. Absolutely wonderful, I don't think I've looked more forward to a weekly show. Sacrifice by 9mm Parabellum Bullet is also suuuch a good song.

Wow. Why would you ever leave?! Looks beautiful there.

[yathis]

7 hours ago, dizmo said:

Living in North America doesn't mean you'll speak perfect English, nor does living abroad mean you can'

Im saying our immigration policy should be like the Netherlands, you learn, understand and progress in english or your gone. But seems we need more unskilled laborers putting food together and serving.

 

 

7 hours ago, onlybuilt4cubanxlinx said:

ir you're from the states and I can baaaaaaaarely understand a word you are saying. I have no idea how people can work in customer service.

Thats the way the country is going, when I am on the train, I am the minority and english is not spoken.

 

Canadian Tire or Crappy Tire as I fondly call it, has a good return policy. I returned a bunch of opened products that wouldnt fit the fasteners I was using though they got the job done.

 

What I joke about, and tell strangers (or am just talking to air) is "I'd pay extra for fluent english" but the question is - Would I really pay extra? and its hard to say really, how much extra it would cost for the product. But I do highly appreciate it, and like today was taken aback, when I heard fluent english. Canadian Tire I was thinking National brand, probably flaked out and sent Canadian Jobs oversea's. I give Crappy Tire props. I would go there over Walmart anyday, but Walmart sells really crappy tools.

 

Most of the time when there's an announcement over the PA system for the train or at the train station, and Pinder Mohammad starts talking in some accent, and lots of riders can barely understand what he is saying, I often speak loudly that statement - "I'd pay extra for fluent english" Its actually part of the job, to talk to customers so I believe they all should be taking ESL classes, each and every one of the employee's.

 

[dizmo]

18 minutes ago, yathis said:

Im saying our immigration policy should be like the Netherlands, you learn, understand and progress in english or your gone. But seems we need more unskilled laborers putting food together and serving.

 

So, you think they can't? Most can. When they're talking among their countrymen they use the language they're more comfortable with, which is their native language. Just because you can't understand what they're saying when they're talking doesn't matter. Also, I find most of the time it's peoples narrow mindedness that makes them have trouble understanding what's being said. Try listening more.

 

Also, if you're the minority, why should they cater to you. Something to think about.