From: Albert T Cone on 19 Mar 2010 05:36 Adrian wrote: > Albert T Cone <a.k.kirby(a)durham.ac.uk> gurgled happily, sounding much like > they were saying: > >>> <thinks> >>> If I keep off Usenet on Sunday, you're all going to be really worried, >>> aren't you? > >> Absolutely. Dibs on the Saab? > > Didn't take you long... Heh, well, you know, when time's short, fortune favours the bold. Not feeling chesty? No odd aches or twinges? I hear taking *lots* of paracetamol can help...
From: boltar2003 on 19 Mar 2010 10:31 On 19 Mar 2010 13:28:44 GMT Adrian <toomany2cvs(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> or is it simply because people often struggle to understand what the >> operator is saying? > >No, it's because they're outsourced on the cheap, with the result that >the people on the phones don't have the authority to deviate from the >script, the information to answer any query, or the power to resolve a >problem. > >The hard-of-thinking merely fail to comprehend that, preferring to >conflate it with the location of the call centre. The location of the call centre dictates who works there which dictates their accents. You're not going to get many native english speakers flying out to do 10 hour days in Bangalore. Calling someone who says they have trouble understanding some people with indian accents racist is just silly adolescent politicing and a cowardly way of dodging the issue. B2003
From: boltar2003 on 19 Mar 2010 11:20 On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:05:39 +0000 Conor <conor(a)gmx.co.uk> wrote: >On 19/03/2010 08:13, Ret. wrote: > >> In what way? If you are not consciously concentrating on your driving - >> then you are on 'auto-pilot' in the general understanding of that term >> when applied to driving. > >Really? If that is so, how come I've not had an accident in 1.8 million >miles? It was 2 million yesterday. Is time running backwards? B2003
From: Ret. on 19 Mar 2010 11:32 boltar2003(a)boltar.world wrote: > On 19 Mar 2010 13:28:44 GMT > Adrian <toomany2cvs(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> or is it simply because people often struggle to understand what the >>> operator is saying? >> >> No, it's because they're outsourced on the cheap, with the result >> that the people on the phones don't have the authority to deviate >> from the script, the information to answer any query, or the power >> to resolve a problem. >> >> The hard-of-thinking merely fail to comprehend that, preferring to >> conflate it with the location of the call centre. > > The location of the call centre dictates who works there which > dictates their accents. You're not going to get many native english > speakers flying out to do 10 hour days in Bangalore. Calling someone > who says they have trouble understanding some people with indian > accents racist is just silly adolescent politicing and a cowardly way > of dodging the issue. 100% correct - and I'm getting very weary of Adrian's attempts to brand me a racist. The caller this morning was Asian. He had an Asian accent - and that was why I was struggling to understand him. To suggest that I should have referred instead to the caller having a 'thick accent' instead is ridiculous. If he had had a Geordie accent then I would said so - would that have rendered me a racist? Kev
From: Ret. on 19 Mar 2010 11:36
boltar2003(a)boltar.world wrote: > On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:22:51 -0000 > "Brimstone" <brimstone(a)hotmail.com> wrote: >> In general I agree, but there are some fortunate people who find a >> job that they thoroughly enjoy doing and it becomes a passion or >> there are other people who have a hobby or interest that they turn >> into a job/business. >> >> I would have difficulty believing that computer programming (or >> something similar) or nicking ne'er do wells would fall into either >> of those brackets. > > Well the amount of free software proves otherwise. Programming is > interesting so long as you're writing something fun and not yet > another tedious statistical reporting application or whatnot. And so long as it doesn't interfere with other activities that are more important to you! Kev |