It now costs 5$ to talk to an American at Sprint

"Isaiah Beard" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Zy%[email protected]...
> Frank Thomas wrote:
>
> > do use credit cards outside the US, and I have had a credit
> > card stolen overseas. Luckily did not accrue a loss.
>
> No, it's not "luckily." You just didn't accrue a loss. Most credit
> card companies are very good about that zero liability policy they have.
>
> > Its ALOT different with a call center then a waiter. All the waiter has
is
> > your credit card number.
>
> Actually, no, he has your credit card, not just the number. A lot can
> be done with just the card.
>
> > The call center has name, address, phone number,
> > social security number.
>
> ...you mean, all the stuff they had anyway, even if you never gave them
> your credit card number?
>
> > The potential for large scale identity theft in
> > countries without the skills and resources to prosecute identity theft
> > crimes (after all, the victims would not even be citizens) is in my
opinion
> > great.
>
> Well, the real sticking point here is, you don't even know for certain
> if you were speaking to a foreign call center. A person with a thick
> accent doesn't automatically mean that you're speaking to someone
> overseas. We do have immigration, you know.
>
> Second, to be totally honest, there's not a whole lot someone in India
> or Russia can really do with your personal information. A car
> dealership or electronics store in an overseas country isn't going to be
> able to do much with a US social security number, and will probably look
> mighty suspiciously upon someone applying for credit using a foreign, US
> address.
>
> Overseas, a thief would have much better success with an already
> established credit account, a stolen credit card number. But again,
> that's where that whole zero liability things comes into play.
>
> > Eight years ago before outsource was a word (and before identity theft
was a
> > word), we were working with foreign subcontractors. I've been over
yonder
> > and did some training with them (where I had my credit card stolen).
They
> > are nice hard working people that happen to live in very substandard
> > housing and get paid about $5 to $7 a day. They are happy to have a
job.
> > They got bills to pay, kids to put through school, inlaws to take care
of,
> > doctors and hospitals, just like we do. Thing is, as time goes by
though,
> > they wonder why they get $7 a day instead of $7 an hour.
> > And they are
> > sitting on a gold mine of personal identification information.
>
> So in other words, you're saying that they're honest, hard working
> people, but they're thieves anyway.
>
> > In my view,
> > sending highly personal and sensitive US customer data overseas to
people
> > like that, however nice and grateful they are for the work, is a major
> > liability, any reasonable person can see that.
>
> Actually, any reasonable person can see that the possibility for ID
> theft is just as bad, if not worse, in the US. Here, people who work
> for $5-$7 an hour are often there because their skill level, past work
> history, or a criminal record prevents them from getting something
> better. The cost of living is much higher, so they're most likely
> frequently strapped for cash... and here they are, sitting on a gold
> mine of personal identification information, and far easier to open
> fraudulent US accounts with US data.
>
> But I guess if they're American and an ex-con, well that's just better
> than letting good ol' clean-record Deepak from Calcutta look at your
> customer data, right?
>
> > In our firm, absolutely ZERO customer information goes overseas, no
names,.
> > no phones, addresses, other IDs, and absolutely no mission critical
detailed
> > design either. Grunt work , off peak overload (they work while you
sleep) is
> > what your foreign subs are good at. Sprint has other ideas it seems
and
> > more lawyers then we do and I guess is willing to the roll dice with the
> > security of their customer's identity to save a few nickels.
>
> Then perhaps you should vote with your dollars and take your racist
> nickels elsewhere?
>

This has way more to do with keeping jobs in America than racisim. I
stopped recommending Dell and HP products to my clients, until both
companies started providing English speaking non-script reading Americans
again.

---

› See More: It now costs 5$ to talk to an American at Sprint

N2 wrote:
> This has way more to do with keeping jobs in America than racisim.

I agree. It can be presented either way, but it irritates me when a company
goes offshore simply to save a few bucks.

> stopped recommending Dell and HP products to my clients, until both
> companies started providing English speaking non-script reading Americans
> again.

I'm hearing more and more people at Sprint CS that don't sound like they've
ever touched US soil. I originally thought Sprint wasn't outsourcing -
remember, there are plenty of people here, especially people who have only
lived here for a few years - who still have heavy accents; but it's been some
time since I talked to anyone who I'd recognize as being from here.

--
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Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / [email protected]
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Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids.

Isaiah Beard <[email protected]> wrote in
news:Zy%[email protected]:

> Frank Thomas wrote:
>
>> do use credit cards outside the US, and I have had a credit

>> SNIP<<
> But I guess if they're American and an ex-con, well that's just better
> than letting good ol' clean-record Deepak from Calcutta look at your
> customer data, right?

Hey, You know Deepak too. How is he doing?

Originally Posted by Frank Thomas

Yesterday I got a message on my phone, that told me to that avoid having my
phone service cut off, to call an 800 number immediately.

Having paid my bill two weeks before on line, I figured I better call and
see whats going on.

I find myself talking to someone with heavily accented English who starts
asking questions from a script, including asking how I intended to pay and
what my credit card number was. Spooked, I asked what country are you in?
"We are not permitted to give our location out, I can only give the call
center ID". I told her then sorry I am not allowed to give my credit card
number to foreignors outside of the US and hung up.

I called *2, and after the usual 3 minute hold, spoke to someone with clear,
unscripted Southern, who checked my record (the on line payment had gone
AWOL[future reference: write down on line payment confirmation number]) and
offered to take my payment on the phone - for a $5 a fee. After venting some
frustration about the on line AWOL payment, the rep kindly agreed to waive
the fee. (I also asked about the 800 number and the Indians(?) on it, and
was told yes, that was Sprint Financial Services).

Moral of the story: If you get a message from Sprint to call 800-808-1336
to pay your bill, you can quickly talk to someone who probably makes $5 a
day and give them your social security number and credit card numbers and
its free. But if you want to talk to an American, dial *2 and be prepared
to pay $5.

Voice your complaints though PlanetFeedback: Voice of One, Power of Many so others will know about this. Sprint will call you about the complaint, but most likely it will be someone you can barely understand. It's sad how years ago the image of Sprint was the Trench Coat guy going around America telling people about Sprint. Now the image is of some poorly trained, barely understandable, customer care rep messing up your account because they have no idea what they are doing. $5 to pay your bill over the phone? Let me say that again, 5 dollars is charged to you the customer, for paying your bill! So your being punished for wanting to pay your bill?! Stupid!!!!