Need English speaking helpdesk number

Does anyone have a number that allows me to contact an English
speaking Helpdesk? These friggin' Indians can only talk from a
script.

Also, any group out there working to boycott companies that outsource
their helpdesks to India?

Nope. I've had poor luck getting someone from MS (or many other companies)
that can speak english at least somewhat well. And if you find a group that
does boycott them, let me know. It does get very frustrating talking for 30
minutes and the first 25 minutes are them reading from the paper until you
get to the answer...

--

Dustin Harper

http://www.vistarip.com | Vista Resource & Information Page


<> wrote in message
news:3ec54ff1-639f-45d9-9058-...
> Does anyone have a number that allows me to contact an English
> speaking Helpdesk? These friggin' Indians can only talk from a
> script.
>
> Also, any group out there working to boycott companies that outsource
> their helpdesks to India?

"Dustin Harper" <> wrote in message
news:FCE447B5-8529-47B1-841D-...
> Nope. I've had poor luck getting someone from MS (or many other companies)
> that can speak english at least somewhat well. And if you find a group
that
> does boycott them, let me know. It does get very frustrating talking for
30
> minutes and the first 25 minutes are them reading from the paper until you
> get to the answer...
>


Though I never have called tech support at MS ...
I did have to call SBC's tech support and got the same kind of lengthy
scripted responce.
(My DSL line went down...there was no signal at all...but they needed to
know my operating system...
then told me how to check things in the control panel.)

After about the 3rd call I got smart and insisted on talking to a
supervisor...
and I would not let them get a single word in until a supervisor got on the
phone.

Of course...most of the supervisors were fairly useless...
The most amazing answer I got was a lot of that real dumb "yuk-yuk"
laughing as he simply replied: "I don't know how to help you, I guess you'll
have to find somone smarter than me."

At least that part was easy. There are over 6 billion people on the planet
smarter than that guy.

In my case, the problem was some faulty wiring up on the telephone pole.
After several days of phone calls,
SBC was finally convinced that the problem was (maybe) on their end...and
they would have someone from "the telephone company"
check out the line. Maybe I should have mentioned to SBC that they *are* the
telephone company.


Sheesh!

Good luck to you...
I'm sure it's just a simple problem that you can solve by going into the
control panel !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
> Dustin Harper
>
> http://www.vistarip.com | Vista Resource & Information Page
>
>
> <> wrote in message
> news:3ec54ff1-639f-45d9-9058-...
> > Does anyone have a number that allows me to contact an English
> > speaking Helpdesk? These friggin' Indians can only talk from a
> > script.
> >
> > Also, any group out there working to boycott companies that outsource
> > their helpdesks to India?
>

On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:56:14 -0700 (PDT), ""
<> wrote:

> Does anyone have a number that allows me to contact an English
> speaking Helpdesk? These friggin' Indians can only talk from a
> script.
>
> Also, any group out there working to boycott companies that outsource
> their helpdesks to India?


Over the years I've spoken to people on help desks from many different
companies. Some were Indians, and some of them spoke English well;
some spoke it poorly. Same as with other non-Indian speakers of
English. I've run into many people on help desks who were clearly
native Americans, but I couldn't understand their accent at all.

I have no problem at all with Indian people on help desks. I *do* have
a problem with those people who have such a heavy accent (whether
foreign or local American) that I can't understand them. Indians have
no monopoly on that.

The same is true regarding their knowledge. Most help desk people are
not technical experts and read from scripts. That's true regardless of
where the people are located. I've seen no poorer knowledge in India
than elsewhere.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

I thought we South Africans had the monopoly on racism!
Thys

<> wrote in message
news:3ec54ff1-639f-45d9-9058-...
> Does anyone have a number that allows me to contact an English
> speaking Helpdesk? These friggin' Indians can only talk from a
> script.
>
> Also, any group out there working to boycott companies that outsource
> their helpdesks to India?

"Ken Blake, MVP" <> wrote in message
news:...
>
>> Does anyone have a number that allows me to contact an English
>> speaking Helpdesk? These friggin' Indians can only talk from a
>> script.
>>
>> Also, any group out there working to boycott companies that outsource
>> their helpdesks to India?
>
>
> Over the years I've spoken to people on help desks from many different
> companies. Some were Indians, and some of them spoke English well;
> some spoke it poorly. Same as with other non-Indian speakers of
> English. I've run into many people on help desks who were clearly
> native Americans, but I couldn't understand their accent at all.
>
> I have no problem at all with Indian people on help desks. I *do* have
> a problem with those people who have such a heavy accent (whether
> foreign or local American) that I can't understand them. Indians have
> no monopoly on that.
>
> The same is true regarding their knowledge. Most help desk people are
> not technical experts and read from scripts. That's true regardless of
> where the people are located. I've seen no poorer knowledge in India
> than elsewhere.

Decent words, but then I would go further, if you consider the huge
percentage of Indians working in high positions in Silicone Valley. IT
Helpdesk jobs are not ever going to keep the most competent employees, when
they can move onto better positions.

ss.

ss.

What's the OP's post have to do with racism?
That's BS and you know it. If you call for help and cannot understand
whomever then it's fair to ask for someone in your native language and has
NOTHING to do with race or anything else. I've been in this business for
many years and on several occasions I had to ask to speak with a English
speaking person. I don't think the OP should has used the word "friggin",
but I can understand their frustration.
--
All the best,
SG

ALEX NICHOL
(1935-2005)
http://www.aumha.org/alex.htm
You will never be forgotten my friend

"Thys" <> wrote in message
newsF30C360-35DD-46E5-B331-...
>I thought we South Africans had the monopoly on racism!
> Thys
>
> <> wrote in message
> news:3ec54ff1-639f-45d9-9058-...
>> Does anyone have a number that allows me to contact an English
>> speaking Helpdesk? These friggin' Indians can only talk from a
>> script.
>>
>> Also, any group out there working to boycott companies that outsource
>> their helpdesks to India?
>

"SG" <> wrote in message
news:...
>>> Does anyone have a number that allows me to contact an English
>>> speaking Helpdesk? These friggin' Indians can only talk from a
>>> script.
>>>
>>> Also, any group out there working to boycott companies that outsource
>>> their helpdesks to India?
>> I thought we South Africans had the monopoly on racism!
>
> What's the OP's post have to do with racism?
> That's BS and you know it. If you call for help and cannot understand
> whomever then it's fair to ask for someone in your native language and has
> NOTHING to do with race or anything else. I've been in this business for
> many years and on several occasions I had to ask to speak with a English
> speaking person. I don't think the OP should has used the word "friggin",
> but I can understand their frustration.



Er..

> What's the OP's post have to do with racism?

>>> Also, any group out there working to boycott companies that outsource
>>> their helpdesks to India?


Are you saying that the OP's post does not involve prejudice of a certain
race??

ss.

I don't think it's prejudice that's the issue here. If a company, any
company outsource their support to any country that cannot provide
understandable people for most user then a boycott my be justified and that
my be the only solution to make a change within that company. In the USA
under freedom of speech you can burn the Flag, but if you say something
about a boycott of a certain Country it's prejudice? , no that's BS. Oh well
this is my last reply so have at it.

--
All the best,
SG

ALEX NICHOL
(1935-2005)
http://www.aumha.org/alex.htm
You will never be forgotten my friend

"Synapse Syndrome" <> wrote in message
news:...
> "SG" <> wrote in message
> news:...
>>>> Does anyone have a number that allows me to contact an English
>>>> speaking Helpdesk? These friggin' Indians can only talk from a
>>>> script.
>>>>
>>>> Also, any group out there working to boycott companies that outsource
>>>> their helpdesks to India?
>>> I thought we South Africans had the monopoly on racism!
>>
>> What's the OP's post have to do with racism?
>> That's BS and you know it. If you call for help and cannot understand
>> whomever then it's fair to ask for someone in your native language and
>> has NOTHING to do with race or anything else. I've been in this business
>> for many years and on several occasions I had to ask to speak with a
>> English speaking person. I don't think the OP should has used the word
>> "friggin", but I can understand their frustration.
>
>
>
> Er..
>
>> What's the OP's post have to do with racism?
>
>>>> Also, any group out there working to boycott companies that outsource
>>>> their helpdesks to India?
>
>
> Are you saying that the OP's post does not involve prejudice of a certain
> race??
>
> ss.
>

On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 19:16:01 -0400, "SG" <> wrote:

> What's the OP's post have to do with racism?


His post was *clearly* racist.


> That's BS and you know it.


Not at all.


> If you call for help and cannot understand
> whomever then it's fair to ask for someone in your native language



Absolutely right. I'm with you 100% on that.


> and has
> NOTHING to do with race or anything else.



But that's nonsense. He wasn't complaining about someone's ability to
speak English (which has very little to do with where he's from), but
about "friggin' Indians." That term, cxo9mbined with his statement
that he wants to "boycott companies that outsource their help desks to
India" is clearly racist.



> I've been in this business for
> many years and on several occasions I had to ask to speak with a English
> speaking person.



As have I. My complaint is with the company who hired someone with
inadequate English skills, regardless of where he's from, not with his
nationality.


> I don't think the OP should has used the word "friggin",
> but I can understand their frustration.


I can understand frustration too. But blaming the frustration on the
person's being Indian, instead of the company, who hired someone who
can't speak English understandably, is racist.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup