Outsourced Operations Out of Control

"Can you say that again? What?"

You know I'm tired of talking to outsourced customer service representatives operating from a back room somewhere in India or elsewhere in Podunkville, Asia. The cognitive energy required to try to comprehend and translate this thick-accented Engrish into neural impulses understood by one's brain is taxing enough, if not compounded by the fact that you have to have them repeat umpteen times what they are actually trying to saying to get the meaning across. It look like 30 minutes to finally get what I needed to get done done. Let's just say that my confidence in this certain company has just dropped 50%. I'm gonna do everything online now. Next time if I have to modify a reservation, forget it. I'm just gonna delete it and redo the reservation.

Reservations, you ask, gentle viewer? Yes, in this case hotel reservations, which I booked with Travelocity, that which is the company I speak of right now. I made a reservation for a hotel which I'll be staying at in a couple weeks with my family, and I had to extend the reservation a day. But apparently you can't just login and change it in your preferences. You have to call Travelocity's 24 hour customer service to do so. How they can operate 24/7? You guessed it, you got your run of the mill contract people from overseas who barely speak any rudimentary English to take care of customers who you know, spend hundreds/thousands of dollars yearly on your travel services. Way to spend the money in helping to take care of your clients Travelocity. Can you make life any easier for us?

So the guy I talk to, let's call him "Ralph", well that's what he called himself when I asked him what his name was, he's like how do you pronounce your city? And I tell him, and he's like how's the weather or something to that effect. I was like OK, and asked him where are you located. He answers "India." I'm like India!!! I asked him what city and he didn't reply, there was a brief silence as if he'd get reprimanded if he divulged his location. That really gives me confidence now. And then to confirm the reservation he asks for my credit card number. I'm like don't you already have it from the first I made my reservation, and he was no, it can't show the number again, and to reserve for another night, you need the credit card number again to do it, even though they aren't going to charge you until you actually check out of the hotel.

I'm like "I'm about to give a credit card number to some random dude in India of all places over the phone." I'm like I really don't like give my number over the phone, but he was like it's required. I figured to go ahead and just verify my Travelocity account. If it's correctly changed and all then it's probably legit. So I went ahead and gave him the number and logged in and yeah it was changed to my specified date. There was a confirmation number on it, and I asked "Ralph" to repeat it for me, which he did. As far as I'm concerned, that's the last time I'm dealing with live customer service people from Travelocity. I'd much rather talk to a Bob or Jane from Chicago then Abdullah from Calcutta. My preference I guess.

Oh the funny thing is I encounter these outsourced calls about every couple times a week. At work sometimes I'd answer the phone, and in a heavy Hindi-accented voice would ask for one or more of my co-workers. Of course there accent set me off, but I'd ask if I could take a message and number for them and have whomever call them back. Naturally they decline and say they'll call back. Sometimes though it's hilarious with their American sounding pseudonyms. This woman whose name is obviously not Susan Johnson leaves her name. Cracks me up.

P.S. The above picture is an Indian dish called Tandoori Chicken. It's awesome. One good thing to come out of India.


Flashback 80's Short Circuit Quote:
Newton Crosby: "Where are you from, anyway?"
Ben Jabituya: "Bakersfield, Originally"
Newton Crosby: "No, I mean your ancestors"
Ben Jabituya: "Oh Them, Pittsburgh."