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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

If the call center person can't understand me, at all, to ask to speak to someone else?

44 replies

BumptiousandBustly · 22/07/2012 10:40

As opposed to just hanging up and calling back?

I am not prepared to discuss financial stuff with someone who can't understand me. I always try a few times before I give up. But my question is, should I just hang up and call back and hope I get someone who actually understands me, or should I demand to speak to someone else?

On the one hand it really annoys me that I am phoning a call center who don't bother employing people who can understand their customers, on the other hand, I feel like I might be causing someone to loose a much needed job?

OP posts:
GhostShip · 22/07/2012 10:42

No you're not unreasonable.

I was pissed off that someone I was speaking to arranged a direct debit for the 2nd of the month, because he couldn't understand me saying 'the first'. Even when I said 'THE NUMBER ONE DAY OF THE MONTH'.

If its financial you need someone who understands you

GhostShip · 22/07/2012 10:43

My credit card company have the worst phone line ever. I think it purposeful. They ended up selling me some stupid payment protection thing. My own fault really but I was at working and trying to get off the phone and could only pick up in certain things he was saying.

TheMonster · 22/07/2012 10:44

YANBU

Original poster
BumptiousandBustly · 22/07/2012 10:46

I know its not unreasonable to want someone who can actually understand me (the person I was speaking to couldn't even understand me saying, please can I speak to someone else) but its just I always feel that if I complain I might be causing someone to loose their job!

OP posts:
amillionyears · 22/07/2012 10:46

I had this a couple of years ago with national rail.
After 30 minutes of trying to book a complicated journey,when the man had no geographic knowledge of England,we mutually agreed that we couldnt understand each otherand never would,so we both agreed to hang up the phone!

whackamole · 22/07/2012 10:48

Definitely not - I work for a bank, and although it can be embarrassing I would always encourage customers to ask for another member of staff if they cannot understand you.

They won't lose their jobs, but if you mention it to the next person they can log it to access further training.

amillionyears · 22/07/2012 10:48

personally I wouldnt complain about them,they may well be able to understand others enough.I would put the phone down and start again,else you would probably embarass the person.

HmmThinkingAboutIt · 22/07/2012 10:49

Ask to speak to someone else. Then maybe call centres will employ people who both need a job and can also actually do their job properly. You shouldn't feel guilty if the person at the other end of the line isn't up to a basic standard. They wouldn't be dismissed just for one call, but if its part of a pattern, then its not the right career for them. People shouldn't be carried, if they can't actually do whats expected of them. They have to find something that fits their ability. Thats not your fault. You pay for a service; you should get that service.

Original poster
BumptiousandBustly · 22/07/2012 10:56

Well its good to know that the first step would be extra training. I think it that case I will make sure I always complain in future because I do really want to point out to the company that employing people who can't understand their customers is NOT GOOD!

amillionyears - I don't guarantee that everyone can understand me, but I don't have a broad accent of any kind, and am quite happy to repeat things a couple of times - its just that when it becomes completely obvious that they can't understand anything I am saying - I am not prepared to hand over card details etc.

OP posts:
RSVP · 22/07/2012 11:16

I had the opposite the other day.

The phone banking employee I was speaking with, got really cross with me because I asked him to repeat what he was saying a few times. He had a regional accent and I could not follow. It was an important call too (fraud related), so I wanted to be able to understand exactly what I was being told.

I am not British, but after 8 years of studying and working in the UK one of which in Glasgow and being married to a Brit, my communication skills in English are fairly competent.

I should have asked to speak with someone else.

liketochat1 · 22/07/2012 11:21

Yanbu. I have asked to speak to someone in the UK before. Sometimes it's important to know you are being understood. If you realize the person on the other end is struggling with their English then you need to communicate with someone else.

lisaro · 22/07/2012 12:22

Much needed job or not, if they are incapable of doing it then they shouldn't be doing it.

NoComet · 22/07/2012 12:36

My hearing isn't great, some accents I have real difficulty with.
Call centres do need a no fault pass you on to someone else button.

Email is far better if at all possible.

MintyMojito · 22/07/2012 12:40

YANBU. Outsourcing fecks me right off when they don't bother training the employees properly.

I find some accents fascinating though, they sound like they've watched too many American films in an attempt to learn English.

WhereYouLeftIt · 22/07/2012 12:46

By all means ask to speak to someone else.

But more importantly - consider moving your account to a bank which has UK callcentres. Because not only do you speak to someone who can understand you, but people here need jobs too.

JennerOSity · 22/07/2012 12:46

as an aside, I saw a program on foreign call centres once which showed the employees being trained.
Part of their training to understand our 'culture' and acents was watching back-to-back Coronation St and Eastenders!
God only knows what kind of people they think they're dealing with, they probably think we are all bed-hopping murderous fukwits. I felt embarrassed that they were being told to understand their customers in the UK this was the best representation available.

jellybeans · 22/07/2012 12:48

I don't mind foreign call centres when the people speak good English. But it is pointless if they don't understand or seem to be reading off a card of answers.

Iamsparklyknickers · 22/07/2012 12:55

Accents can make things difficult for anyone never mind foreigners! I really struggle with some Irish accents and some northern ones. It doesn't help if someone's a mumbler - there's no chance!

Yanbu basically, if you are one in hundreds it's just one of those things, if it's a regular thing the person of the other end of the phone might just need training or to accept it might not be the job for them.

SamanthaSingsTheBlues · 22/07/2012 13:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pigletmania · 22/07/2012 13:12

YANBU at all, they are supposed to be providing a service, if they. Annot understand you, they are not providing an adequate one at that, it is important especially for financial matters you get someone who understands you or you could mean that money is transferred to another account or that you loose money. If there is some difficulty in the person understanding you, have e dry reason to ask to speak to someone else, why the hell should you waste time and money calling up and being put on hold Hmm

pigletmania · 22/07/2012 13:14

Ummm it's not ours Samantha it's the banks or whoever employs them. I did not ask for people who cannot understand me

CockyPants · 22/07/2012 13:16

What I love is this...
Call centre woman:'hello my name is Michael....'
Me: 'are you sure abou that?'
Ccw 'yes...'
My dad speaks Hindi and gujarati too. He still can't make himself understood, so what chance have I got??

Rachel130690 · 22/07/2012 13:20

I worked in a call centre for a certain financial institution, I'm from northern Ireland and sometimes just because someone could not fully understand my accent they where very rude, I was called all sorts of horrible things, I knew what I was doing and standards were very high in my building.. You do have a right to ask to speak to someone else if you cannot understand them but please be nice about it.

It was not my fault they couldn't understand me but it was me getting the blame, I'd very happily pass them onto someone else... Also you do need to remember that even uk call centre employ people from other countries, so again just ask nicely to be transferred to someone else.

A girl I worked with was from the Ukraine and had a strong accent but her English was excellent and she spoke better than me, and yet everyday she was abused by people on the phone who could not understand her.

So yes if you cannot understand the person do ask to be transferred because if your having difficulty hearing or making out their accent it's really hard for them to help you as well. It's not easy either way but majority of the time the person from the call centre will happily pass you onto someone else that you can understand.

Rachel130690 · 22/07/2012 13:24

cocky one thing I learnt from working in a call centre is to never judge a voice on the other end of a phone, I had many a 'guy' calling when in reality it was a woman or vice versa.

Some yes you think you no but you cannot judge, I had a guy ring up and give me details and it bought a woman's name on my screen turns out he was a transgender (think that's the right word) and he is undergoing treatment, he sent in a letter and there was a warning on the account,

Tee2072 · 22/07/2012 13:40

I can think of two women named Michael just off the top of my head, so it could have been a woman named Michael or could have been a man with a high voice.

In any case, if they can't do the job, why do they deserve to keep it?

And their embarrassment is not my problem either. My problem is getting my problem solved in a timely manner.