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Greetings, CIPCUG members. Before I begin, I would like to preface this article with some history. For those of you who do not know me or my nature, just go to www.vccomputers.com, and there you will see my smiling face. Most of you know my business partner and friend, Toby Scott, who suffers immeasurably listing to me rant and rave about various things that happen being on the front lines of working with computers. One day as your TOE editor was lounging in our office listening to one of my tirades about some piece of hardware of Computer Company I'm having trouble with, he says why don't you share some of your thoughts with the club members. I'm sure one or two of them might be interested. Well, after he and Toby stopped laughing at their successful jab at my inflated self importance I said fine! I'll show you both, and I bet I'll get three or four. That brought another round of hearty joy. Are you still with me? Good, we'll get started with the first rant.
P.S.: Any names of companies or individuals mentioned in these articles whether living or dead are most likely pretty close to the truth.
One of the benefits of this new millennium has been the falling of costs for computers and related hardware. We are now able to own and afford more technological stuff then ever before, whether we know how to use it or not, with the latter most likely the case. Devices are becoming packed with more features and more are coming every day. The downside is that as prices drop so does the profit margin vendors were once able to fit into their prices. This has forced a cut in the most expensive component they have, people! What you don't get with your new Dell is the Dell Dude. Companies are forced now to scale back tech support (if they have it). This is accomplished by either limiting the access we have to them or by outsourcing to other countries, where the cost of labor is much lower. These are both great topics of ranting which I expound on often, and today we will look at outsourcing.
All you have to do is turn on CNN at 8 p.m. and watch Lou Dobb's news show to see the impact this is having on our nation. It has caused many to be concerned about the practice. I'm sure some of you reading this have had to face this issue by calling for some support question and not getting the person you thought you would. And before I go any further let me state that this in no way reflects personal resentment of any particular race, people, sex or country. I criticize everyone equally. I would like to share some examples of what I see daily so next time you pick up the phone to call for help you will at least be prepared for what will come your way.
The Gateway guy:
One of our clients brought in a new Gateway computer for service and I replied that his unit was under warranty, and he qualified for phone support. He said that he bought the two Gateway computers for his office because they had a "real" store and felt he would be able to get service there. Well, the Oxnard store is no more. He said he called support on three occasions and was routed to a call center in Bangor, India. The tech had such an accent that he was unable to understand him, and he gave up in frustration. Hence his visit to my shop with the reply, "I don't care if I have support from Gateway or not. I would rather pay you so I can talk and ask questions to someone I understand."
This story illustrates a point, and, please, don't write me that I'm a Gateway basher. The point is that even if someone learns English as a second language and speaks it well, they generally don't understand it as well when it's spoken to them. That's why they like to ask the questions and not you. And then there is the cultural barrier. Try using the expression next time your PC dies and you have a deadline that "you're between a rock and a hard place" and see how that translates. In Spanish it comes out as "being between a wall and the point of a sword." You get my meaning. We Americans have denigrated our language speaking habits so badly that we really have to concentrate to speak straightforward without any slang or personal expressions.
This, compounded with the fact that most times when you call for help you are already irritated that you're having a problem in the first place, make for a bad mix.
Recently while talking with support from a well-known company that I won't mention, I was really in to it. I called at 3:30 in the afternoon and was routed halfway around the world and I asked the guy what time it was. (It took three times!) He replied that it was 4:30 a.m.
What time do you go to work? He said 11:30 to 6:30 a.m. I asked him I asked if he knew what the "graveyard shift" was. He didn't. I told him that other than him, only ghosts and spirits are out at that time of night. He proceeded to laugh and laugh and we talked for awhile. The poor guy was really happy to have someone to talk to. So even I have a heart sometimes.
Well, that's it for now, and I think I'm in trouble with the editor for too many words, among other things.
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