FAO: Hardware Manufacturer's

[Zak33]

Don't be tempted to use foreign call centres.

I have just spent an infuriating 30 minutes on the Netgear Technical Support help line, and have had to literally give up, due to a huge difference in spoken language.

Trying to explain that I purchased a Router from a member here, second hand, that is less than 7 months old, having been sent a nice email yesterday asking me to ring them and sort out registering the product in order to return it under warranty I have just battled against my ignorance of other countries languages, and they have battled against my plain English.

I gave up.

WARNING: If you make and sell something here in the UK, keep the call centre in the country of origin.

I shall try again later when less stressed, and hopefully speak to someone who has slightly less accent and who understands my gutteral English drawl.

[nichomach]

Now that rings VERY true; understand, I have spoken to some very technically able support guys with English that was at least as good as mine in the past, but all too often I end up on a crackly line with someone for whom English is obviously a third or fourth language, and is quite obviously in a call centre overseas. Whilst, if I'm honest, I'd prefer to deal with a UK call centre, if it comes down to it, I'll deal with an overseas one so long as I can talk to someone over a line that isn't drowning in static, and who is capable of carrying on a comprehensible conversation in English. It's all very well saying "this product has 1 (or 3) year's warranty", but what the hell good is that if the support guy that you call when you need the manufacturer to honour it can't understand you and you can barely hear, let alone understand, them?

[Flibb]

I had to phone an AOL call centre for a friend, absolute waste of time. They ended up transfering me back to a small UK call team, who sorted the problem out very quickly.

[Byatt]

Similar thoughts here - if the netgear kit I used wasn't so good in terms of ease of configuration and reliability I'd have a hard job justifying staying with them - the two times I've had to contact tech support have been an absolute nightmare, on both occasions I ended up solving the problem with help from some other source.

[shiato storm]

my dad ordered a laptop from Dell, he had ordered about 10 or so computers from them for his business so figured might as well get another for himself...ordered over the intenet - easy as you like - got an email through saying 'there was a problem please re-order'...he calls up the help centre and can't understand a word they say. he battled over the phone for god knows how long since they had his card details he didn't want them to order some bit of kit he had no need for...
really shameful the situation with these companies - how is it cheaper to have a call centre in an entirely different country and train these guys to understand complex computer terms in a language not their native spoken one is quite beyond me! are they trying to drive customers away?

[Zak33]

how is it cheaper to have a call centre in an entirely different country and train these guys to understand complex computer terms in a language not their native spoken one is quite beyond me! are they trying to drive customers away?

its not...so the dont. THATS the crux of it

[Moby-Dick]

Example..... Take an average UK call centre ( the sweatshop of the 21st century \o/ )
average wage ~ £5/ hour
building costs and other overheads inline with the rest of the UK.

Build a call centre in bombay or sri lanka ( for much less due to the lower labour costs )
and pay staff £5 / day

shareholders happy , but customers not

[shiato storm]

yeah but when you look at it when does a company really put customers above share-holders?

[[GSV]Trig]

Its a statistics thing, htey look at it on paper, its cheaper to have it down there so they can have more call center staff, they get less calls so they must be doing something right.
Wrong, people just dont call because its not worth the hastle..

I must get 3/4 calls a day from people wanting my business in 1 way or another, if u want my business at least get someone on the end of the phone that I can understand....

[speedy_s]

Well, i have actually SPOKEN to someone over in bombay on phone and i must admit some of them know what they are saying and understand everything that i say. They must be the good guys . But i know some of the companies do not make an effort to employ/train people good uk english which are a nightmare to talk to

[Zak33]

UPDATE: I rang again at 9am (UK) and got TWO PROPER BLOKES the first was front line, and registered me, and gave me a password and stuff, the second was a techy bloke who then sorted my RMA, gave me 3 choices according to whether I needed a fast turn around where I paid postage, or a slower one where they paid it all....I'm in no hurry, spare router is in use....and we're rolling

SO.....

CHEERS NETGEAR SUPPORT TODAY 17th FEB 05 because I got proper service

proper proper service. I updated my registration details online, even though it was registered to Menthel (who got it new) and they were more than happy to suport the second hand user

I now wait 24 hours for an RMA email, which I print out, and stivck to the packaging, sending ONLY THE ROUTER AND POWER BRICK....nowt else, and then theyestimate a 1 week turnaround.

So while its a pain in the but, I have TiG's router to fall back on (cheers bud) and Netgear sort the rest

[Apex]

there all like it Zak, netgear are one of the worst for this kinda thing.

[Zak33]

UPDATE: I have recieved the RMA email with the FED EX label to stick to it so I don't have to pay...

its getting better. Going UP in my estimations

will be happy to apologise to all concerned if this carries on getting sorted

[MD]

A FedEx label? You mean they did it all for you, I didn't know that was available int he UK LOL (I work for FedEx IT) Its not going back to a place in the Netherlands per chance is it?

m@

[Zak33]

no mate...Southall....which as I know having worked there, is closer to the Indian Call centre than Calcutta

[MD]

Southall UK?

m@