What's up with the racial discrimination?
By poisonivy27
@poisonivy27 (125)
Philippines
November 13, 2008 2:24pm CST
A couple of days ago I received a call from this female customer. She was really rude, mean and utterly ill-mannered. Here's how the call flow went:
**after giving my introductory spiel**
MEANY: Are you in the US???
VICTIM ME: No mam, we are actually based here in the Philippines..
MEANY: oh HORRIBLE!!!
VICTIM ME: ...
MEANY: I don't deal with FOREIGNERS!
VICTIM ME: I'm sorry if you feel that way mam, but I'll be... (she cut me off)
MEANY: Just answer me this question!! Can I have "this" or "that"?! (I did not put the question as this involves our product)
VICTIM ME: Well mam it really depends on the situation.. (she cuts me off again)
MEANY: Just answer the question! Or maybe YOU just DON'T understand english!?! If YOU don't know the answer then transfer me to someone who is AMERICAN and who knows the answer!! Just transfer me to your supervisor!!
VICTIM ME: (trying to keep my cool) ok, would it be ok if I place your call on hold while I transfer you to a supervisor?
MEANY: (not answering my question) Ha! with our new administration you can be sure we'll be removing all offshore help!!!
This is certainly not the first time I get callers like that, I guess this is one of the many hazzards my work has, but it really gets me everytime. Sometimes I just shrug it off, but I'm just human and it really does affect me a lot more than I intend to show.
Really can anyone tell me what's with the racial discrimination? It's not only me but this is something that happens globally. Why would someone consider himself/herself superior than everyone else just because of his/her race? Is there some scientifically proven research out there that says race is indeed the PRIMARY determinant of human capacity that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular racial group?? Oh come on!
It's really unjust to hate someone without any logical reason at all and just base this hatred on someone's color, ethnicity or race. I'm asian and you're not so does it give you the right to discriminate and insult me or vice versa? Nope, I don't think so.
Regardless someone's ethnicity, race or color, no one has the right to intimidate nor discriminate the other. We are all human beings, so why can't we just peacefully cohabitate in this world?
2 responses
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
13 Nov 08
Personally I get frustrated calling an AMERICAN company and getting someone outside of the U.S that cannot speak really good English and I'm supposed to sit on the phone and wait for them to understand what I'm saying and then have to wait for them to mumble a response back to me. American jobs should be kept in America. I understand people need jobs everywhere in the world and I understand a lot of people from other countries can speak great english, have great communication skills and are wonderful people, but the majority of people that I come into contact with when calling customer service aren't very good at their jobs. So it's frustrating when you're just trying to find someone that can understand you and do what you need them to do or answer your questions.
I just think it's stupid for American's to be stuck speaking to other countries. It doesn't make much sense since it's hard for us to understand a lot of accents, especially over the phone and when the person on the other end is speaking very fast.
1 person likes this
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
13 Nov 08
I agree that it is no reason to be rude to the person that you're talking to. But it can be frustrating and even the best people do get frustrated and lash out sometimes. It just seems like the woman you talked to wasn't nice at all.
1 person likes this
@poisonivy27 (125)
• Philippines
13 Nov 08
Thanks for responding!! ^_^ I do respect your opinion, yes I can just imagine how frustrating it is to you, I myself do have a hard time understanding some of our foreign customers with heavy accents but that is not a valid excuse to be rude to a person who in the first place was never rude to you, right?
In the call I had, the lady did not even let me speak, did not let me try to help her and plainly did not want to hear me out, just because of she learned on the onset of the call that I was not AMERICAN, now was that fair? I don't think so.
Like you said there are a lot of people from other countries who can speak "great" english, have great communication skills and are wonderful people, so why didn't she give me a chance at least to prove that I'm one of those people? two words, racial discrimination. =(
@cbreeze (1205)
• United States
13 Nov 08
I'm not sure all of it is racial. Some people become very annoyed when they cannot understand the person who is helping them due to accents and dialects. But that is no excuse for rudeness. Some people are upset and taking it out on the person on the phone because they feel American jobs have been stolen by foreigners. Still no excuse for rudeness. Some of it is just out and out racism. Sorry to hear it. That is why I never went into Customer Service; I don't like dealing with rude people.
1 person likes this
@poisonivy27 (125)
• Philippines
13 Nov 08
But the thing is I wasn't even able to finish a complete sentence before she cut me off again and again. I think that's the unfair part. Not letting someone get a chance to talk just because at the onset of the call you determine that she's not of the same race. *sigh* =(
Thanks for responding! Being in the Customer Service is really challenging but at times rewarding, I wouldn't recommend it though to anyone who would want to keep their sanity intact. LOL. ^___^
@cbreeze (1205)
• United States
14 Nov 08
Exactly. And I take things personally, so customer service is not the field for me. I would get depressed dealing with people who are rude for no apparent reason. I have two children in that field. They must have gotten the personality to deal with it from their father.
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