I have been asked by a journalist for a suggestion as to some of the most abusive large uk call centres at present for them to investigate further.

They have in mind I think in particular:-

a) call centres that virtually always have long call queuing times

b) a call centre that does not have any form of geographical alternative number known to mankind

c) call centre staff that always gets its staff to insist the call is at the BT uk geographic national rate even though the staff may well know perfectly well on a personal basis that this is not true.

d) perhaps a call centre that is outsourced to a third party operator for whom the whole focus is to make exploitative profits from running the call centre rather than to provide an adequate level of service to the company's customers

Does anyone have any suggestions?  So many qualify in different ways.  The BBC is top for lying about call cost but not for call queuing times.  Powergen is top for obscenely long customer queues but is actually on an 0800 number.  Can anyone name a call centre that has hugely long queuing times, has no geographic number, that is outsourced and where staff are forced to lie that calls are BT national rate when they know that they are not.

Your votes for worst 0870 or even 0871 call centre of the year are eagerly anticipated.  0844 and 0845 call centres are excluded from this poll for committing the cardinal sin of not charging their customers enough.

Thanks for Britannia Music Club suggestion although I think ideally they are after a more mainsteam player like AOL, CPW, BAA etc, etc.

Actually a name has just come to mind that may be perfect for what they have in mind, even though the number here is 070 and not 087.   That name is Patientline.  The staff there even maintain that calling from a BT Payphone or a mobile phone won't cost any more than BT's standard ripoff rates.

Any other suggestions gratefully received though.

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I have never found a single 084/7 customer service centre that ever justified the use of its premium rate number.

In my experience the very best customer service centres are almost invariably only have a phone number to call them that begins 01 or 02.

Are you sure you aren't perhaps secretly Operations Director in disguise with your comments that the service is so good that customers won't mind paying extra for it.

Freddie, there may be something in what you say, of course good service is worth paying for ---  but so many times we are not paying the provider of that service, and that is what this site is all about.

If you find a particarly good provider then please contact that provider and ask them who is creaming off that 3 pence a minute for the 0870 number.

I guarentee that you will be surprised by the answers that you get. - Or not.

juby

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I had the same experience as you with NatWest Credit Card Centre a couple of weeks ago and like you thought the geographic number on saynoto0870 had perhaps led to an electronic on hold blackhole.  So I reluctantly used the 0870 number via www.dialaround.co.uk at 5p per minute but hung up after 10 minutes on hold.

I called NatWest Serviceline (high level customer complaints) on 0800 505050 and they did some how get someone at the card centre to call me back.

This was all connected with the issuing of a new Mastercard due to a possible card number disclosure resulting from a PayPal spoof email scam.   When I called a few days later about setting up a new direct debit (they neglected to suggest this was necessary to me when I cancelled the previous card) I got through straight away.

NatWest card centre aren't normally that bad on call waiting times (although they do have a horrible new multi layer menu and card verification system) but NatWest's new owners (RBS) have now perpetrated the use of 0845 or 0870 numbers bankwide.  Exactly why NatWest Actionline is 0845 and Nat West Card Centre is 0870 is anyone's guess.

O2's call centres are fairly dire. I spoke to about five of them in succession last week about a very simple tariff change and got absolutely nowhere. A bolshie letter to the CEO hasn't yet produced a response either.

And as for Vodafone, words fail me!

John

"or else" we will spend 2 years writing a european statement which says what everyone knows anyway, and which wont be legally binding (cos that costs an extra few years).
Oh wait no thats not the EU thats OfCon!!

Id also say the BBC, (banning(as in no staff can comment on anything), black-marking(as in that black pen that comes out on every FOI) and censorship(FOI again)).

Hi mc661,

May I point out that it is in fact "Ofcom" to whom I believe you are referring. (This is a contraction of the Office of/ or for Communications)?