Extremely PO'd Microsoft Customer

[IronMentality]

So, I just built my first PC. I used a lot of old MicronPC parts from that PC we purchased because it's just for my dad for business productivity. Now, when I booted it for the first time, it made me activate Windows.

Then it said I've activated Windows too many times. (Only ever been on one PC)

So over TELEPHONE, I had to read what seemed like a 70 digit number to an AUTOMATED ROBOT and finally I got transferred to a Microsoft Representative. Then of course, the representative was in India... so naturally I couldn't understand JACK S... Ok, absolutely nothing that was said.

After dialing again 4 times, and reading that number, by fractions to a robot... I FINALLY GOT MY WINDOWS activated!

You know, my dad bought an old AT&T PC with DOS, I've purchased everything from Windows 3.1 up and there other games... and now they are taking that same money and investing in some person who can't even speak English.

Some kind of Customer Service?

[04nmr85]

I had the same sort of thing happen to me when i called ATI's customer support. Luckily tho i had no sort of number or anything to read off, lol. I got nothing accomplished by calling them. I couldn't understand a thing the person i talked to said. I had ordered the valve premier pack(free with my graphics card) like four months ago at that time and it hadn't showed up yet. So i was going to see if i could find out what happened to it. I still don't know what happened. lol...

[Hi Ho]

I have had to call to activate two times and never had such a problem. The entire process took under a minute and it was completely painless. Also, I don't believe Microsoft has moved their support out of the states.

[IronMentality]

Personally, Americans should be able to be given high quality customer service by Americans...

Not by someone who can't speak English.

[IronMentality]

Originally Posted by Hi Ho I have had to call to activate two times and never had such a problem. The entire process took under a minute and it was completely painless. Also, I don't believe Microsoft has moved their support out of the states.

Microsoft is investing over a billion dollars in India, and accelerating computer literacy there so they can hire software programmers that will work for 90% less than there American counterparts. Yes, they have setup Call Centers in India... Less than a MINUTE? It takes 10 seconds each time for the robot to tell you "Alright! Now read the next part!"

Whatever happened to actually talking someone? Hell, even typing the keycode with my telephone pad would've been faster.

What also irritates me is that the employees also use fake names. It was quite funny having a person that I could barely understand telling me her name was "Lauren" or "Sara!"

[Hi Ho]

It's been a while since I had to call. It must have changed. I got an english speaking American that knew what he was doing. So far I have had nothing but good experiences with Microsoft support (mostly through email).

[roomwithamoose]

Everyone is outsourcing to India or South America. It's this whole economy thing. It scares me, because when these massive companies move to different countries where they save billions of dollars on labor and parts, then they go and pump this money back into their company. I'm afraid of how huge these companies will get. It'll be like in "Demolition Man" (remember? With Wesley Snipes and Sylvester Stallone), when they talk about the "food chain wars", and Taco Bell won, so all there was to eat was Taco Bell!!!

[IronMentality]

If the federal tax code was simplified, manufacturing employment and low-qualification service jobs would be booming in this country again... And yeah, I hope there's many alternatives other than Microsoft existing in the near future.

[Mesaeus]

IronMentality, when did you make the call. Outside of normal business hours ? Some companies only use overseas call centers to have 24 hour service without hiring three shifts of Americans. I'm not saying this is right, just that it might explain why you got an Indian on the line where just about everyone else I read about did not. And yes the whole thing with the fake names and even fake accents is ridiculous.

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

I had to phone the UK line a week ago, to activate for the second time, and I spoke to an Indian, it was the second time I used the service. I phoned at about 1PM here, so it was within UK working hours. The first time I did the thing accepted my code and I didn't have to speak to anyone, and if you use the hash key (I think) you can skip through most of what the computer has to say and get it done quickly.

[Byte 2.0]

Originally Posted by IronMentality Personally, Americans should be able to be given high quality customer service by Americans... Not by someone who can't speak English.

I can not agree more. Since I have maintained the longest job of my life and now it is being sent overseas to India and the Philippians.

Keep in mind, in the Philippians they speak good english but are lacking in tech skills.

3 years ago, I was a nobody in DSL tech support, knew nothing about routers. Now I am currently a Product Specialist in DSL tech support, handling high pressure escalations that front line can not do. With my experience and skill in this field my job is being sent away.

I was lucky we had notice of this outsourcing and I was able to line up a new job, starting at entry level with another company at a higher rate of pay. My new job starts next week.

It is sad in a way that I have to give up my experience and change jobs because unskilled people are chose over skilled American's to support Americans. But they do work for about half of what I am being paid.

I can say this because there is a tool provided that is suppose to guide agents though trouble shooting and that front line is required to use.
Before they escalate calls, they are suppose to follow the tool, most of them find the short solution to an escalation path, which is acceptable by their sups for low call times.

I liked my position because I don't have to use that stupid tool. I get to trouble shoot in the direction and manner I feel is correct. I use my experience to quickly get to the root cause of most issues.

In my 3 and a half years, I have learned things that are not published in this tool of directions, nor will they be published. Somethings can only be learned by experience and you can not train experience in a 2 or 3 week course.

[TheJackal]

Ive had to call Microsoft Tech support several times... Everytime I have been transfered to someone in India, and everytime I have been able to understand them just fine.

[IronMentality]

It still doesn't change the fact that Microsoft's service letting me talk to a robot and then sending me to someone who can't speak English leaves me very angry...

I've even read Dell is closing down there Call Centers in India due to overwhelming complaints.

[Byte 2.0]

Originally Posted by IronMentality It still doesn't change the fact that Microsoft's service letting me talk to a robot and then sending me to someone who can't speak English leaves me very angry... I've even read Dell is closing down there Call Centers in India due to overwhelming complaints.

I encourage complaints to the main company if you are unhappy, if tons of people don't complain and threaten to take business elsewhere those types of pratices will become the total normal.

I am just one person but I have killed all my services with the major Telco that I have been doing support with for the past few years. Sure they won't miss just one customer but, I am a start.

[TheJackal]

You only speak with a robot when you call to activate. In my opinion the use of the automation is a good system, and it usually gets you finished in a timely fashion.

I highly doubt that you got someone that couldn't speak any English. I imagine that you did get someone with a thick accent. If every company refused to hire people with thick accents just about everyone would be out of a job.

Perhaps next time you have to call Microsoft tech support and you are transfered to India, you could try and make more of an effort to understand the person... It may make your call go smoother.

[IronMentality]

Oh come on already. Yeah, I got a Indian guy with a THICK ACCENT therefore I can't understand anything he's saying... even after SAYING to a robot a ridiculously long number that I shouldn't have too in the first place...

Americans should be given customer service by Americans, and like I said, I am completely not satisified with the support given by Microsoft.

[IntegraGSR]

The last time I called tech support was ASUS (undocumented CHASSIS_LOCK jumper kept my computer from booting) and I talked to someone with as much accent as mine (Ohioan), but I have had to talk to a few with accents thicker than gravy.

I think complaining to the company is the best start, if everyone did it, we wouldn't have this problem. These companies strive on customer support (We know Microsoft does, since they seem to spend a lot in CS and not enough in programming ). What amazed me was when I heard Dell was outsourcing to India. The only reason Dell exists is their customer service. If that reputation was ever smudged, it doesn't matter how many $400 rebate econo-boxes they sell.

I use the same gall when a telemarketer calls me when I wish to complain. Be firm and express yourself strongly.

[lil Jimmie]

Originally Posted by IronMentality Americans should be given customer service by Americans, and like I said, I am completely not satisified with the support given by Microsoft.

If you can find Americans that CAN speak fluent english and will do the work for a fraction of the pay with no benefits then you might just get your American tech support, but good luck! Outsourcing is as natural as growing old.

[IronMentality]

However, if the American dollar I possess that built those companies by buying there products refuses to do business with them any further because they outsource to people I can't understand, they have no choice to follow the customer demands.

This is why Dell is closing it's call centers in India...

[Mesaeus]

Dell is not closing its call centers. At least not for home customers, they DID transfer the business support back, because those customers matter to them. If you really think that Dell gives a damn about Joe Blow with his 400$ el-cheapo box, you're deluding yourself. Sure, a lot of people complain about the shoddy support. And shoddy it is. However, not enough people are complaining to offset the huge savings they get by doing this. One factor for this is the popular myth that Dell support is "good". Another is their huge marketing budget. Even in America based callcenters, the incentive is way too often on call times, not customer satisfaction. The key factor is that people do put up with this far too often, so take every chance you get to complain, otherwise this will only get worse.

[lil Jimmie]

Most businesses follow the demand of the all might dollar and not the customer my friend, that is the reason the call center is in India and not in the USA. They will take 200 complaints a day to save $500,000.00 a year.

[IronMentality]

Originally Posted by lil Jimmie Most businesses follow the demand of the all might dollar and not the customer my friend, that is the reason the call center is in India and not in the USA. They will take 200 complaints a day to save $500,000.00 a year.

And that's what pisses me off -- I urge people to read Lou Dobbs new book Exporting America!

[mbossman2]

as to technical support lines. My company has 6 main locations (2 in the USA, 1 in Western Europe, 1 in Australia, 1 in Singapore and 1 in Bangalore). They are "open" for business 24 hours a day. If you call from within the US or Canada M-F from 8a (ET) to 8p (ET) you will, dependant upon call volume, remain in the US, outside of those hours, you will be routed to which ever office is in the 8a-8p cycle during their day. While we have seen a certain amount of drop off in quality, the real world differences between the USA offices and the Bangalore office are minimal. If you hire quality people, you get quality responses.

Besides time coverage, we went off shore as we require coverage in at least 12-15 different languages (plus multiple dialects) and the linguistic talent is just not available in the USA with the technical expertise necessary.

[raftero]

don't blame it all on the big businesses (in my opinon) the american worker has priced himself out of a job, i know he needs more money to live on but every time he gets a big pay increase the product go up to cover his wages and the cycle never ends. if they are to sell their product at a lower price so people will buy it then it must be produced at a lower cost therefore since americans won't work for lower wages they go where they will. not defending them just using ( i think ) common sense. most of us under simular circumstances would do the same.

[IronMentality]

In the late 60's and 70's the labor unions had WAY too much power, but nowadays... it's just downright sickening IMO to see jobs such as manufacturing getting outsourced to less than a dollar an hour labor in countries that don't even have proper human rights laws.

[HAL9000]

Hey... lets keep something in mind here.... do some searches and you find two things.

1) People complaining about the prices Microsoft charges for their products and how they are ridiculous.

2) Complaints such as this one where they are reducing operating costs.

Microsoft is supposed to be doing some rather deep cuts in XP pricing soon, but money has to come from somewhere.

Now I know right away there are gonna be complaints about how much money Bill Gates has... again.. gimme a break... he started with a VERY minimal investment and built an empire... SUPPORTED by you guys that buy his products. He is living the American dream, then being shunned for it. You want cheaper pricing, expect cutbacks in the product and service, not the owners lifestyle because you wouldn't give up the lifestyle either and you know it... why should you. Dell was a perfect example... you want cheap... look where it goes.

[IronMentality]

You also overestimate how much outsourcing really does save as well. I'm willing to pay $20 more for a product if I'll get exceptional service from an American worker. Why? Because the American worker pays state taxes, federal taxes... he pays into Social Security.

All in all it's better for America. Not outsourcing.

[mbossman2]

except this is a global economy with global competitors who can, freely leverage the advantages of cheaper foreign labor which can grant them a huge competitive advantage.