Good Connection; Bad Results

Recently, I attempted to get information by telephone from a large company concerning a product I hoped to buy. I encountered an all too familiar experience. If you frequently shop by phone, you can probably guess what I’m about to say. Yes! My call was routed to India. I can only say that the moments following were filled with frustration. Though the audio connection was good, I could not make the person on the other end understand what I wanted. I finally asked to speak with his supervisor. He asked me to hold the line; after four minutes, I was completely disconnected. That solved his problem, but not mine. Two E-mail messages and a phone call later, the problem was resolved. The worker from India was always polite and, I’m happy to say, that I was as well.

More and More American companies are sending calls to India and other places. I don’t know how the consumer can make his displeasure known to these companies. When I encounter a representative not from America, I sometimes politely say, “Thank you; I will try to speak with someone in America.” I then hang up, and try again until I get someone from America. I know personally of several people who have lost their jobs because of this new policy. I think we can help our own economy by keeping these jobs here in our country.

This outsourcing of jobs from America to India, has radically changed the economic landscape of India. That’s good; however, I feel the change has come at the expense of the American consumer and the American economy. What do you think?