darebear Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 this should be every company and government agency's telephone greeting: WELCOME TO THE UNITED KINGDOM Press "1" for English Press "2" to disconnect until you have learned to speak english Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 So if you don't understand English, how would you know which button to press? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 So if you don't understand English, how would you know which button to press? Press 1 for Urdu Press 2 for Gujarati.................................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Not really what was being got at, but I don't think we should spend any money whatsoever publishing and making available forms and the like in anything but English and Welsh. If you come here and can't speak the lingo, learn. In fact unless for reasons of genuine asylum then I think gcse level English should be part of the criteria for getting in. Just like darebear I am getting sick and tired of people not speaking English in this country. Speak whatever language you like, but when you speak to me, English please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Libertyandlivelihood Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Agreed here mate !!! And I think lots more will agree with you too. If they can find their way into our country then they can learn our language too.! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 To get in there should be: 1. a mandatory oath to the Queen 2. a commitment to the English language 3. a commitment to stay out of trouble and employed for a minimum of 5 years Not outrageous really is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 I hate all these call centres, I recently had to book a flight to Aberdeen through BMI and although the head office is based in Heathrow (70miiles from me) my call was taken in Dubai!!! What made it worse is that my questions about outsize baggage could not be answered and the girl in Dubai put me on hold to phone, yep you guessed it, Heathrow! We consistently get sales calls from BT partners and thier call centres are in India. Worse still is that they have very little grasp of speaking in English. Its funny though, as English has been adopted as the national language of India. Due to the fact that India has something like 20 odd different dialects, so they all speak English to be able to speak to neighbouring states. Goodness Gracious Me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darebear Posted August 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 errr mungler? im not swearing any mandatory oath to any royalty. stuff the monarchy. to make matters worse, when i took the call yesterday and asked them how on earth they got my number seeing as i was supposed to be exempt from nuisance calls like this one, i was told (or rather i think i was told seeing as i could hardly understand the pigeon english) that the number was given to him by his head office in india. well like duh? and then when i asked him to remove my number from the company's database (damnnnn that took a LONG time for that notion to get through the language barrier), again i think i was told that "this would not be possible from his end". ***? needless to say he got the loud abuse because i lost it from then on. tough chit. thats his to deal with. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 The problem is Pre-dialling Systems, they work by random dialling numbers and when you answer the call is transferred to a telephonist. We do of course have things like TPS (Telephone Preference Service) that advertisers are obliged to follow. Anyone who is registered with them, should not then receive calls from UK advertising companies. However, companies located outside of the UK are not currently bound by the same laws. In addition, people like BT state in thier 'Fine Print' terms and conditions, that they may contact you from time to time for advertising purposes. Those of you with Ex-Directory numbers, may be interested to know that this has no effect on the above and only prevents your number being published in a directory! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Wherever possible I refuse to do business with companies that have call centres overseas. I transferred the insurance on two vehicle and our property from Norwich Union, when I was given the run around by their Indian call centre, when all I wanted to do was add our daughter as a named driver, on my wife's car insurance. After 30 minutes, the "assistant" still couldn't understand what we wanted to do and refused to pass us to anyone else. When I telephone Norwich Union in the UK to cancel the insurances, the lady I spoke to said they were getting many similar calls. Vote with your feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 I second that we're ex directory and with the TPS the only Indian calls we get are on behalf of BT which irritates me almost as much as the ones we used to get for Moben kitchens. They only went away in the end by telling one of their supervisors to get our number off their database and go forth and multiply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 If you get through to an offshore call centre then immediately ask to speak to someone in the UK. Most companies have small centres over here and the agents are instructed to transfer you if you ask. If they will not, can not or don't have a UK centre, ditch them but make sure you tell them thats why you are leaving. Business "fashions" have a life-cycle. We are inbetween "offshoring" and "in shoring" for about the second time now (for call centres I mean) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Not really what was being got at, but I don't think we should spend any money whatsoever publishing and making available forms and the like in anything but English and Welsh. What about Gaelic,Cornish........ ..............Cockney? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Cor blimey guvnor would you adam and eve it I clear forgot about those Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 So far, being registered on the TPS seems to be filtering out all the calls from call-centre scum. So far.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 The TPS is very good and works extremely well, although it does not filter out the determined! But do remeber to report companies that do not obey the rules. They also offer similar services for both Post (Junk Mail) and Fax numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 I am not sure what powers TPS have, but if someone calls us now (apart from those pre-recorded yank calls) we just tell they they shouldn't be doing it and they take a note and drop us off the register, normally with an apology as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pavman Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 I normally start a chat about kinky sex, you either get lucky, or if not you can claim you thought it was a sex chat line who normally calls you...opps you dont get many calls back after that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest flightline Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 errr mungler? im not swearing any mandatory oath to any royalty. stuff the monarchy. to make matters worse, when i took the call yesterday and asked them how on earth they got my number seeing as i was supposed to be exempt from nuisance calls like this one, i was told (or rather i think i was told seeing as i could hardly understand the pigeon english) that the number was given to him by his head office in india. well like duh? and then when i asked him to remove my number from the company's database (damnnnn that took a LONG time for that notion to get through the language barrier), again i think i was told that "this would not be possible from his end". needless to say he got the loud abuse because i lost it from then on. tough ****. thats his to deal with. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR errr mungler? im not swearing any mandatory oath to any royalty. stuff the monarchy. to make matters worse, when i took the call yesterday and asked them how on earth they got my number seeing as i was supposed to be exempt from nuisance calls like this one, i was told (or rather i think i was told seeing as i could hardly understand the pigeon english) that the number was given to him by his head office in india. well like duh? and then when i asked him to remove my number from the company's database (damnnnn that took a LONG time for that notion to get through the language barrier), again i think i was told that "this would not be possible from his end". needless to say he got the loud abuse because i lost it from then on. tough ****. thats his to deal with. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M ROBSON Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 In fact unless for reasons of genuine asylum then I think gcse level English should be part of the criteria for getting in. Unfortunately their number 1 trick at the moment is to claim they can't speak any English at all, that way they get disability benefits!!! I always find it funny when the foreign call centre staff claim to be called Timothy, Rupert, William....... Apparently the call centres in India have the highest suicide rate in the call centre world! , probably due to them being told to **** off every 5 minutes! Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 errr mungler? im not swearing any mandatory oath to any royalty. stuff the monarchy. to make matters worse, when i took the call yesterday and asked them how on earth they got my number seeing as i was supposed to be exempt from nuisance calls like this one, i was told (or rather i think i was told seeing as i could hardly understand the pigeon english) that the number was given to him by his head office in india. well like duh? and then when i asked him to remove my number from the company's database (damnnnn that took a LONG time for that notion to get through the language barrier), again i think i was told that "this would not be possible from his end". needless to say he got the loud abuse because i lost it from then on. tough ****. thats his to deal with. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Oh dear oh dear oh dear. I am not a fan of the monarchy by any stretch of the imagination. However, knowing a thing or two about constitutional law I am rather pleased that we have a monarchy. I am also rather pleased that we have a House of Lords and an independant judiciary. Perhaps you would prefer to swear an oath to the Government? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darebear Posted August 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Oh dear oh dear oh dear. I am not a fan of the monarchy by any stretch of the imagination. However, knowing a thing or two about constitutional law I am rather pleased that we have a monarchy. I am also rather pleased that we have a House of Lords and an independant judiciary. Perhaps you would prefer to swear an oath to the Government? qjhfd piqegrypegr[f1hwefgvb1 eirh1evrfyu2eq grv[uiher no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the last engineer Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 there you go Mungler you started it now you had to go there didnt you monarchy, government, darebear,, not in the same sentence Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Oh dear oh dear oh dear. I am not a fan of the monarchy by any stretch of the imagination. However, knowing a thing or two about constitutional law I am rather pleased that we have a monarchy. I am also rather pleased that we have a House of Lords and an independant judiciary. Perhaps you would prefer to swear an oath to the Government? qjhfd piqegrypegr[f1hwefgvb1 eirh1evrfyu2eq grv[uiher no. Hmmmm I see your point and am taken in by the strength of your argument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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