| reply to Jim Bob Jr
Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs Hey guys. This is Kevin... i used to post as elnk_kevin back when i worked for earthlink. I just wanted to let you know that this is most definately not a rumor. It is completely true... every word. Thanks for saying it, Jimbo... i was about to do it if no one else did. The only recommendation that I have, is, if you are out of your contract and can, end your service with Earthlink and get service with a real isp... One that will treat a customer right and not make it's customers... some of which paying hundreds per month... talk to someone they can't understand and who has difficulties understanding them. And Jimbo... a personal note... thanks again. It's been good to see your face again. It'll be cool working with you at 2wire. |
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Reviews:
 ·magicjack.com
| said by AldousSky:end your service with Earthlink and get service with a real isp... One that will treat a customer right and not make it's customers... talk to someone they can't understand and who has difficulties understanding them. A few comments:
1. As you said in a subsequent post: Almost everyone of any size is going offshore. I doubt I could move to anyone different who isn't doing the same thing.
2. I've not had any problem with EL's offshore support. In fact, I've always been satisfied.
3. I've had no trouble understanding them, or being understood.
4. I've had far worse experiences with domestic support staff. Recently I considered moving to Kite Networks (municipal wifi). I was less satisfied dealing with their support (who speak 'Merican) than all my experiences with EL's offshore support.
That's just me. Maybe I've not had one of the big hairy problems others have had.
What I don't like about offshoring is that it is essentially unfair, unfree trade. You could work for $10k a year (and compete fairly) if you could opt out of society's forced standard of living (like trash pickup, sewage treatment, water quality, environmental protection, building codes, etc., etc.). If you were allowed to use your gutter as a sewer, your backyard as a smelting plant, and add 5 stories to your house to have rental income (regardless of building codes or zoning) you could work for a lot less money.
Something seems perverse about a society *forcing* someone to live with all this "overhead," and then shrugging its shoulders when you're forced to compete with those who don't, saying "it's just a free market." There's nothing free about that.
Mark |
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| Wonderfully said. Rampant capitalism is inherently evil. The world of Charles Dickens is quite like our world of today.
I have had my share of spats with the "offshore" so-called English speakers. I've found that it's the intricacies and the nuances of our language that they cannot fathom. One must speak to them like one is talking to a child. At least an American from any corner of our nation can understand you, even with a thick Chicago accent... |
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Reviews:
·magicjack.com
| If the tables were turned, and a huge number of jobs paying $80k (instead of the average $30k) were available in one field, Americans would do the same thing Indians and Chinese are doing. Everyone would go where the employment is regardless of how suited they are to it. Consumers of those services would be just as dissatisfied.
I just think it's important to realize Indians are no different than us. It's not even the language issue. If you deal with an Indian who has an intuitive aptitude/passion for her work there wouldn't be much to talk about. If you deal with an American who lacks that "fit" for their work, it wouldn't matter that she speaks English. (We just don't have that many bad fits because we don't have the huge influx of jobs like India or China does, attracting everyone and their grandmother.).
It's also not really Earthlink's fault. Everyone's doing it. It's been going on a very long time, and it's become a matter of survival. If it's wrong (for the reasons I mentioned earlier), it's a political issue which should be fixed with legislation.
I don't know if it can be fixed politically. I wouldn't rule it out as "tampering with free markets." We do that all day long, from social creation of corporate charters (a fictional entity who serves as the "fall guy" shielding officers and investors from their own personal liability). Or, the SEC and banking regulation which interferes with willing buyers and sellers in the name of moderating raw market forces. Or, even food quality laws which prevent me from selling unsanitary food even if I can find willing buyers.
Maybe it can't be fixed. In which case it would serve as another validation of our progressive tax system. That those who benefit the most from the kind of unfair, unfree market conditions like offshoring owe progressively more than those who are destructively impacted by it.
There's something perverse about dismissing it as just "normal free market conditions." If that were true, then let's take down all the other social moderations to raw, free markets so that everyone gets to enjoy it like tech workers have for the past decade.
Mark |
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| reply to AldousSky
AldousSky, that's exactly what I did one year ago. I was already out of contract. So I took my DSL service to a local ISP. I simply left because I was having a sync issue after being upgraded to 6.0/768 speed.
I was trying to explain to the offshore techs about my line problems. But no, they said everything looked fine from there end. Yeah right what about my end. I found out a few weeks later from my local Telco. The problem I was having turned out to be a ground fault in my drop line.
FWIW, There is an Earthlink company here in my hometown call New Edge Networks. A few months ago our local paper did a story. On Earthlink's new found acquisition serving business to business customers.
In the picture Earthlink had sent out one of there corporate types from Atlanta. To give a big pep talk to local sales staff. Once I saw this picture I knew right away. It would only be a matter of time before Earthlink would go downhill.
BTW does anyone know where Blinky went. |
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 SplitpairPremium
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Cow Towne
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1 edit | reply to chitownvet
said by chitownvet: One must speak to them like one is talking to a child. That will not work one can speak to them like a machine and that will work but not as a child.
There are weeks that it seems I do nothing but work with Covad’s India based tech/test support people and I have learned as you have don’t get off the subject and don’t jump ahead of their questions. I also learned early on I was causing some of the problems by speaking a bit too fast and using industry acronyms. Other than that I have had no problems communicating with or understanding them. I also understand the issue from the other side as I also provide tech support to technicians. There has been more than one time while on the phone trying to answer a question I have thought to myself “what the heck is he talking about”?
At least an American from any corner of our nation can understand you, even with a thick Chicago accent... I don’t know how it is nowadays but I was up that way in 86 for switch training and I had no trouble understanding people though they where somewhat puzzled by my accent.
Wayne
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If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician. |
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| reply to amigo_boy
said by amigo_boy:What I don't like about offshoring is that it is essentially unfair, unfree trade. You could work for $10k a year (and compete fairly) if you could opt out of society's forced standard of living (like trash pickup, sewage treatment, water quality, environmental protection, building codes, etc., etc.). If you were allowed to use your gutter as a sewer, your backyard as a smelting plant, and add 5 stories to your house to have rental income (regardless of building codes or zoning) you could work for a lot less money. Something seems perverse about a society *forcing* someone to live with all this "overhead," and then shrugging its shoulders when you're forced to compete with those who don't, saying "it's just a free market." There's nothing free about that. Mark Scary thoughts come to mind...
As multinational corporations are no longer tied to any particular national interest, those who are diversified around the world may one day decide to stop doing business in the US (since it's too expensive, too regulated, etc.).
Just as we lost our manufacturing, we may lose essential other services as well. Even if they don't leave completely, but rather substantially reduce their investment into the ongoing maintenance and support (what is beginning to happen now), the widespread decline in quality of services will negatively affect the US economy, which will, in turn, cause them to further divest themselves from the US operations - a positive feedback with a disastrous outcome.
Is it time to move to China yet? |
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Reviews:
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to amigo_boy
I don't want to hear the sentence."It's not really Earthlinks fault" Earthlink is most assuredly at fault. It was ELNK that made the decisions to gut their domestic staff. It was ELNK who turned their backs on poor customer service, border-line bait and switch ads rude, incompetent sales and 1st line Tech support. It wasn't the outsourcing companies that made the decision for ELNK. What I do say is that ELNK made these decisions for financial reasons as does every company. Right or wrong ELNK made decisions and will have to live or die by them. ELNK will most likely fall by the wayside as another company that put maximizing bottom line short term revenue over all else. Their products and offerings are great IF you receive what they promise, advertise market etc. If only I had the knowledge base of a Dr Olds I wouldn't be as fearful of this industry and the bald-faced lying that is rampant from all of the major ISP offerings. They rank up there with Cell Phone providers in my book of industries I wouldn't trust with my ex-wife. |
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