Sheesh! Talk About Outsourcing !!!

[Slinky]

Its bad enough our "American brand" cars are full of outsourced parts from other countries but good golly goshes ... was talking to some medical professionals.

The MMPI-2 (personality testing) is usually scored by an outside computer nowdays. Just heard of a sleep lab that is outsourcing their PSG scoring to India!!! "Supposedly this sleep lab does 1000 PSGs a month! Gimme a break! 33 sleep studies a night!!

[tomjax]

Yes, outsourcing can indeed cause problems- This was sent to me recently.
-------
ubject: Outsourcing of jobs
> > >
> > >The outsourcing business is getting out of hand!
> > >
> > >I was feeling quite depressed the other day, so I
> called the Suicide Help
> > >Hotline.
> > >
> > >I was put through to a 'call center' in Pakistan.
> > >
> > >I explained that I was feeling suicidal.
> > >
> > >They were very excited at this news and wanted to
> know if I could drive a
> > >truck or fly an airplane...

[Bonnie]

Could be worse, they could go to China...

I had a problem with my credit card and got customer no service in India. I could not understand the man, I tried. After finally having enough of "sorry I can't understand you, please may I speak with your supervisor" I was transfered to another person who was equally hard to understand. Besides going through the horrible "menu" to finally speak with a live person I was no better off than if I had spoken with my dog.

Good one, Tomjax

[Slinky]

Loved it, TomJax, thank you for sharing!

Hey, Bonnie, just the other day I accidentally answered the phone w/o looking at the Caller ID - dumb!! - it was a lady taking a telephone survey on something but danged if I could understand enough to even know what the survey was about!!!!!

[ozij]

[quote="tomjax"]Yes, outsourcing can indeed cause problems- This was sent to me recently.
-------
ubject: Outsourcing of jobs
> > >
> > >The outsourcing business is getting out of hand!
> > >
> > >I was feeling quite depressed the other day, so I
> called the Suicide Help
> > >Hotline.
> > >
> > >I was put through to a 'call center' in Pakistan.
> > >
> > >I explained that I was feeling suicidal.
> > >
> > >They were very excited at this news and wanted to
> know if I could drive a
> > >truck or fly an airplane...

[zzzzzz!!]

The MMPI-2 (personality testing) is usually scored by an outside computer nowdays. Just heard of a sleep lab that is outsourcing their PSG scoring to India!!! "Supposedly this sleep lab does 1000 PSGs a month! Gimme a break! 33 sleep studies a night!!

Not only the MMPI-2 and PSGs and similar tests, but imaging studies are often interpreted over there too, and they may also be transcribing your medical records.

[rant on]
I really hate calling customer service for credit cards, airlines, etc., and having to talk to someone who is difficult to understand or not qualified to answer my questions. I'm accustomed to listening to and understanding a wide variety of accents, but honestly, some of them are nearly incomprehensible! It doesn't help that the background noise from all the other people in the call center is often loud as well.
[/rant off]

[blarg]

To me it's simple. That person is the person that the company has elected to represent themselves to you. I have enough trouble with customer service without introducing a needless language barrier.

Now this is coming from the guy that worked for DirecTV on their Spanish line and Spanish is his second language, but honestly, you can either communicate or you can't, and often, outsourced call centres just can't.

[Slinky]

10-12 years ago after that whiplash when my sleep first went to heck and another health problem developed as well, my family doctor of many years died and I was doctor shopping.

I was talking to a woman w/a similar problem and she just raved about her doctor so I thought I would try an appointment w/him to see how he and I meshed. Ha! I called his office and got those darn voice mail, push a button bits. THAT turned me off! But since she was so happy w/him I called two other times during that week and finally assumed maybe he was on vacation. I never left a message for them to return my call. However, over the next month I tried his office 3-4 more times and got that same voice mail, push button bit. When I ran into her again I mentioned it and she told me that I should have left a message, they always return the calls promptly and that you NEVER get a real live person when you make the call. I never bothered calling his office again.

I HATE that voice mail, push botton bit. Its bad enough I have to put up w/it w/some businesses I don't have any choice of patronizing. But a doctor's office?? Stuff it in their ear!!!

I eventually found a doctor who doesn't overbook appointments, with desk dragons I like, who will schedule me w/a same day or next day appointment, if needed, and who I like and respect and who respects me as a reasonably intelligent individual.

[DreamStalker]

... and you forgot the robotic voices too.

Last night I booked a flight for my bro-in-law. First have to trick the female robot voice to give me a real person in Bangladesh or wherever (the one I got was actually not all that bad to understand). Nevertheless, it troubles me that these corporations are not only profiting from me with reduced labor costs abroad but I'm sure they are not paying their share of taxes here in our country because of their outsourcing. Meanwhile our public infrastructure is begining to crumble from neglect and that of Bangladesh is still wanting.

[Slinky]

One thing that bothers my husband about all the outsourcing is that American industry won World War II (well, our SOLDIERS, SAILORS and AIRMEN, but then American manufacturing). Given Rummy's fascination (and the military's) w/all the technical weapons ..... would we be able to do that today?? Hubby has his doubts and has lost his faith in American industry to do the job if needed.

[skits]

When people realize that buying at Walmart is not cheap, that we subsidize the workers (they actually use our tax dollars to provide "benefits" for their employees from state government) and that most everything there is made in China, America might get some jobs back and we won't constantly have to check the recall lists. Sam Walton must be turning in his grave....remember their slogan back then? BUY AMERICAN. I don't even know if that's possible anymore. America was a great country because we could build it, service it, employ it and share it. Now we can make web pages.....

Off the soap box now.

[JeffH]

GF recently bought a new Dell laptop, and while we were at it we set up a Wifi network. Spent several hours on tech support with Dell. First call was to Canada, but everyone after that went to India. I'm from Oklahoma and just don't understand the english that is spoken from India. I had a headache after every phone call.

BTW, this was our third Dell computer, but I think it will probably be our last.

JeffH

[RosemaryB]

When people realize that buying at Walmart is not cheap, that we subsidize the workers (they actually use our tax dollars to provide "benefits" for their employees from state government) and that most everything there is made in China, America might get some jobs back and we won't constantly have to check the recall lists. Sam Walton must be turning in his grave....remember their slogan back then? BUY AMERICAN. I don't even know if that's possible anymore. America was a great country because we could build it, service it, employ it and share it. Now we can make web pages.....

Off the soap box now.

Whenever I can I try to buy American, but it gets harder all the time. New Balance shoes are still made here, though. I also try to buy as much food locally as possible, from the farmer's market. It's fresher and supports the economy in my community. Any time you buy from a local business, the money stays in the community. I went to a local appliance store to buy a microwave this week. I asked about any products made in the US. (Fat chance). She said they used to try and get them, but they just couldn't find them anymore. But at least when I buy from them my money stays in the community a little longer.

JeffH, I don't think there's a computer company that doesn't outsource tech support to India. If you find one, let us know.

[skits]

I had a HP laptop and a Compaq (now owned by HP) and had the same experience. I could not for the life of me understand what they wanted me to do (had a glitch with the software). In one call I finally got an American and when she said okay try that and call back if it doesn't work. I explained (nearly in tears) that I was afraid I'd never get someone I could understand again. She actually stayed on the line with me until I had completed the fix. When HP sent me a "how'd we do" email I expressed how happy I was with the American and how horrible an experience it was with the others. Probably didn't do a whole lot, but if everybody just got ticked and demanded English speaking people we'd probably get somewhere.

Maybe when we buy electronics (or whatever) we should first ask where their support is and acutally not buy that product if it's not English support. Course we'd have to learn to live with less LOL.

Maybe everyone needs to watch the movie "Network" again.

[DreamStalker]

The idea of "New World Order", "Global Village", and "Market Globalization" initiatives is doomed to failure. Life evolved in favor of diversity. The world has resources distributed around the planet non-uniformly and diversity has worked best with thsese non-uniform geographic distributions.

The reason our military has become the world's police is because corporate greed does not understand diversity ... corporations have no conscience (they have legal rights like humans do but no conscience). As a consequence, our nation's economic interests are spread all over most of the world. Our soldiers are now being killed and maimed to protect the corporate interests of a few wealthy CEO's and market investors ... not to protect our security; not to protect our jobs; and certainly not to protect our reputation as a beacon for freedom, human rights justice, and the democratic way of government.

The reason it is so difficult to find anything made in the US is because profits are more important to corporations than US jobs, US security, human justice, or democratic governments. I have no problem with free market economics … my problem is with corporate business without conscience (how can they regulate themselves without conscience? ... how can they do the "right" thing without conscience?).

We became the world’s wealthiest and most powerful nation because of free market economics … but also because of our system of government, freedom, and rights based on our Constitution. Our high standard of living made us complacent and lazy … and now corporations feed on us by stealing our liberties and constitutional rights while they make us fat and stupid. Outsourcing is an effect of corporate globalization … not the cause.

On the bright side, maybe PAP treatment will make us less fat and stupid so we can take our lives and our country back

Dang soapbox got kicked my way ...

BTW - Many thanks to our veterans who serve regardless of our government's priorities.