It’s only Money That’s Stopping Me…
Last night I was on the phone with a customer service rep from Direct-tv. I was trying to order the international sports channel, Setanta. After my call went through, I was connected to some African-American rep who was clearly based in the south (based on the accent I detected). Anyway, the following is an outline of my conversation with this rep:
Me: Yes, I’d like to order the international sports channel, Setanta.
Rep: Se – who?
Me: Setanta
Rep: Wha da?
Me: It’s an international sports channel with soccer games.
Rep: I’m sorry, I can’t hear you.
(I know she could hear me because the phone was right on my mouth. She was just using that as an excuse because she clearly didn’t know what the channel was or how to spell the word setanta so she could find it)
Me: {At this point, I’m yelling into my phone & I decide to help this “sista” out by spelling the word for her}. I start again & spell it out slowly: S-E-T-A-N-T-A!
Rep: Ok…I’ll put up the channel.
Me: Could you give me the number for that channel?
Rep: 617 & 670. Is the channel up yet? It should be.
Me: No, the screen is blank.
Rep: Maybe it’s because no games are being played right now. It’s like the NBA. Sometime they be playing (do not edit the verb tense here) games on Monday and not Tuesday and yo just gotta….
I cut her off at this juncture.
Me: A tv screen is never left blank!! even if they’re no games on, they’ll show ad’s or they’ll repeat the games! (she can tell that I’m getting irritated)
Rep: ho’ on.
Me: Hello? helloooo? (I hear “click” & realize that I’ve been disconnected. So, I call back.)
New Rep: (another akata)…Thank you for calling direct.tv, blah, blah, blah….
Me: I’d like to order the sports channel Setana (I eliminate the word “international” because I think that word is too long for them)
New Rep: Ho you spell da?
Me: S-E-T-A-N-T-A
New Rep: ho’ on. I’ve connected you. The channel is 615.
Me: The lady I was talking to earlier told me it was 617 or 670. Are you sure it’s the right channel?
New Rep: Ya
Me. (I check it & it’s correct)…ok…thank you.
New Rep: Thank you for calling direct.tv..blah, blah, blah….
After I hung up the phone with them, I thought to myself, if I ever have a company that requires customer support agents, I’d hire all of them from Kenya, 100%. Not Indians — their English accents are too thick (what do they call it? “Hinglish”) and they’re rude and impatient and absolutely no akata’s (you’ll just get hit with that Ebonics from all angles. It’s like listening to a bad rap song.)
I just need someone to give me money so I can set-up a call center in Nairobi. American companies have not discovered Kenya’s untapped talent pool for call centers (yet).
Pole, in the call centers I’ve worked in, reps are not allowed to hang up on you. Getting a name and ID number at the beginning of the call can help when you finally ask for a supervisor.
Oh! my goodness KE! What an experience. No wonder I hate Direct TV. They sold me 4 box receivers and the “dish” at an exhorbitant price. I cancelled and went back to cable. The “dish” is still somewhere in the garage. With the upcoming Wireless internet to link up Kenyan schools I might as well donate the “dish.”
I’ve had pleasant experiences with the Filipino’s, but never with the Indians.
I don’t believe it’s a swear word, but if it is…so be it!
Seriously, now!! Maybe you should have caught a paddy (Setanta is Irish) and tried to understand him.
I have been connected to India a number of times, and had pleasant experiences. You seem to have got that velvety bell-end.
Do the poor people know they are being called akatas? Is that a swear word?
emmo
imagine?