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This
column appears in the weekly: THE JOHNSON
CITY RECORD COURIER It is also free to e-mail subscribers and is read by e-mails readers in the
United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. If you would like to become a
free subscriber just e-mail me (joesummy@moment.net),
and I will put you on my weekly e-mail list. Papa Joe
Note:
This is an editor’s rough and unedited draft. Any mistakes you find are my
own.
DOGS’
BEST FRIEND
Dear
Papa Joe,
I have a personal dilemma that I hope you can help me resolve.
I am 58 years old, and have been married to the same beautiful and
wonderful woman for 34 years.
However, she recently gave me an ultimatum. She demanded that I get rid
of five of my seven dogs, or she was going to leave me.
The problem is that I love my wife and don’t won’t to lose her, but I
also love my dogs, and giving them away would be worse then giving away one of
my kids. My wife has many positive attributes.
She is also a great mother, grandmother, cook, and treats me with
semi-respect. However,
my dogs also have many positive attributes. They love me unconditionally, never
nag me, and keep my feet warm at night. What would you do?
Dear
Dogs’ Best Friend,
You are 58 years old.
Been married to a beautiful and wonderful woman for 34 years; who treats
you with semi-respect. And, she has
demanded that you get rid of most of your beloved dogs!
I think you know what you should do.
A 58-year-old man should not have to choose between his wife and his
dogs. But, if I had to choose,
keeping my feet warm would be the determining factor.
Papa
Joe
MUCHO
STRESSED
Dear
Papa Joe,
Dear
Mucho Stressed,
You are feeling
unstable because you are unstable! You
are having too much “quiet time”. I suggest a hobby.
Or, maybe Dog’s Best Friend can
help you out. He seems to have a
lot to handle. However, learning something new or unlearning wrong learning can
challenge the so-called ‘absolutes of life’, which are really outdated
paradigms. A long time ago, your
boss gave you some wrong advice, and you are just now coming to realize it.
What you have witnessed with the tree is called ‘capillary action’.
The tree is actually pulling water up from the roots to all areas of the tree.
And, always getting paid on Friday has it drawbacks for family life.
A wise and local businessman, R.B. Felps, told me years ago that paying
his hands on Friday was not good for married men and their families for the
obvious reasons. I listen to wise
men, which apparently you don’t. Papa
Joe
Papa Joe encourages questions and comments from his readers just keep them clean and unthreatening. A “Jack of all trades”, Papa Joe is a public speaker, consultant, educator, student/parent advocate, and a horse trainer/trader. He can be contacted by e-mail (joesummy@moment.net) or by regular mail (PO Box 99, Johnson City, Texas, 78636).
.SOMETIMES BEST-VIEWED HTML
This column appears in the weekly: The Johnson City Record Courier. It is also free to e-mail subscribers and is read by e-mail readers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. If you would like to become a free e-mail subscriber just e-mail me (joesummy@moment.net), and I will put you on my weekly e-mail list. Papa Joe
Note: This is an editor's rough draft and thus has not been finally proof read or edited. So all mistakes are mine. PAPA JOE ...
TELL ME IF IT IS SO! CONSUMERS BEWARE: WHEN "OUT-SOURCING" BECOMES "PAPA JOE"
PERSONAL...AND DECEPTIVE
My Story...Ugh!
On a strictly Papa Joe basis and one "ugh" personal encounter, I have recently found out-sourcing to be distasteful...and deceptive. I am not going to make my final decision about out-sourcing on this one encounter, but if this is the way it operates in general I want nothing to do with it! This is a personal story...an anecdote, not research. Just a true story. No BS. Since I am just thinking I suggest you take my thoughts on this issue for what it worth...just one man getting shot in the derriere. However, I just can't stop thinking that if I am getting shot in the derriere so are others.
My story begins with my relationship with the GREAT FININCIAL INSTITUTION OF AMERICA (GFIA). Except for "America" the name and acronym are made up. But, I assure you that GFIA is one of the largest and most powerful financial institutions in the United States. You might even owe it some money like I did or you might even be invested in it. I also want to say that my relationship to this mighty financial colossus up to this distasteful and deceptive encounter had been a positive one. Very warm and "comfy" if not down right "copulatus". I also hope that my personal input, which I gave to their representatives, will improve their "new experiment".
It all started one dark and dreary evening (I like that beginning. I wonder why more writers don't use it?), when I finally decided to payoff the full balance that I owed GFIA. Up until then, everything had been wonderful. I owed GFIA lots of money. They had been very liberal in loaning me funds to finance my high expectations as a middle class person. And I had been very liberal in requesting and accepting the monies. It was a wonderful American relationship and experience. You know many of us have those expectations to buy today and pay tomorrow at high interest rates. Also, I am a lot like many in the middle class...I aspire to live like those who are rich by borrowing if necessary. So GFIA and I dreamt great dreams together...costing me nothing but thousands in interest money.
However, one little misstep occurred in our relationship. While waiting for funds to be transferred to pay off GFIA, I missed a monthly payment. No problem. No big deal. Hadn't GFIA and I been bosom buddies? Hadn't we aspired for me to live beyond my means together? Hadn't we reached for the American dream together as one hand? Wrong! Missing that one payment has changed our relationship forever. It might be irreconcilable. I almost have the same feel right now as when the PEC is going to tear out my electrical system for missing a payment or when the City is going to dig up my water line when I irresponsibly do the same concerning my water bill. Except with GFIA it is far worst. With them you start getting the calls...the scripted, annoying, persistently obnoxious calls. When you miss a payment with GFIA, it wants its money right now, and to hell with past relationships!
Now at first I just tried to explain the situation that GFIA would soon be completely paid off. However, the calls continued so my next reaction was to get a little peeved. And, I reminded the callers to refer to the previous notes and of the law concerning harassing clients. But, as the calls still persisted my reactions changed from one of anger to curiosity and believe me things got "curiouser and curiouser".
What I noticed was that every time I talked to a rep it was like I was talking to a blank-slate...even when I ask the rep to refer to previous notes. In addition, I noticed that all spoke very good English but with an East Indian accent. Then I noticed that they all spoke or read from the same prepared "script". Finally, after one evening call from a one "Andrea Jordan" (I know her "name" because I asked for it.), who was persistent to the point of rudeness and who told me she was calling from Baltimore Delaware (I don't think Baltimore is in Delaware), I decided to call GFIA the next morning after I cooled down.
The next day, December 24, I reached a rep at GFIA and we actually had a conversation with her (didn't get her name). There was no script. I told her of the situation about the payoff and about the calls from the "other obnoxious reps". She apologized and stated she would make a note that no other calls should be made. I then asked her if GFIA was "out-sourcing" any of it call-center jobs to India. She told me she didn't think so. I hung up feeling better and a little bit irresponsible myself. I should had been the one to call GFIA from the very first and none of this would have happened. Hadn't GFIA always been good to me? Hadn't the rep this morning been understanding and helpful? Weren't the call-center reps just doing their jobs? Weren't you being an obnoxious irresponsible dirty rat, you Papa Joe? Feeling Guilty occasionally is healthy...or so I'm told.
Christmas Day, the wife and I flew to Maryland for a vacation/business trip. After a wonderful time seeing the sights there and in Pennsylvania and Virginia we arrived home January 2. The phone calls began again on January 3. I guess they really never stopped.
Poor "Verne Phillips"...he didn't know what hit him. But, before he could start reading the script, I started asking him questions first. The conversation went something like this.
"Verne, you shouldn't be calling me. Why are you calling me? Haven't you read the notes?"
No answer from Verne.
"You know Verne, I know you are just doing your job. Just trying to make a living. But I know why you are calling me and that is because there is some kind of break down in communicating between you in India and with the parent company in the States".
"Yes, this is one flaw in the system".
"Verne, where are you calling from?"
"Delhi."
"Delaware or New Delhi?"
"New Delhi".
Verne, why is GFIA giving the call center reps in India, American names? I find it insulting and deceptive". "Sir, it is not to be deceptive at all. We just don't want to confuse our clients with our Indian names"? I could tell by Verne's nervous tone and laugher that Verne wasn't used to having clients ask him these types of questions.
"I think you stated the company line there very well, Verne. But I think you know and the company knows how most Americans feel about "out-sourcing". And ya'll using American names is being deceptive and not telling exactly where you are calling from is also being deceptive. Now, I am a columnist and how would it sound if I mentioned Verne Phillips, who works for GFIA in India, being deceptive to American clients. Wouldn't sound very good would it?" " No sir, it wouldn't. Again, sir we are not trying to be deceptive, we just don't want to confuse our clients. Would you like to talk to my supervisor, Sandra Sanders (another fine American name)? I think Verne was trying to unload me.
My conversation with "Sandra", "Verne's" supervisor went exactly the same as it did with Verne. She has down the company script. And, she stuck with the point of not trying to deceive the American clients. I made a big point of being a columnist and so far I have not received another call.
Later that day, or it might have been the next day, I called GFIA in America and talked to an American representative. He readily admitted that GFIA used call-center reps in India and it was common knowledge in the company. But, it was not really out-sourcing because nobody had lost his or her jobs because of it. And, at this time it was only an "experiment" by "upper management". Believe it or not, but this American reps real name is Bob Gibson. You remember, like the great baseball pitcher.
I haven't decided if I will reveal the "real" GFIA yet. This has just been one man's revelation. In addition, I might want to get heavily indebted to them again. However, I am not thinking too kindly on GFIA right now. Why?
*GFIA is being deceptive. (It is not the call-center reps faults; they have been given American names and told to be evasive when asked from where they are calling.)
*The India call center reps are persistent to the point of being rude. (They are train this way. It is not their faults.)
*If it is common knowledge in the company that Indian call-center reps are being used. Why did the first American rep tell me she was sure?
*It is out-sourcing. People might have not lost jobs they already had in America, but jobs that could have been filled by American went to lower wage and lower benefit hirees in India.
*The company played "good cop...bad cop with Papa Joe, and that isn't nice!
*Is Bob Gibson really Bob Gibson?
*Besides Papa Joe and Cuero Bob, whom can you really trust?
CONSUMERS BEWARE!
Papa Joe
NEXT WEEK: A FOLLOW UP "OBJECTIVE" COLUMN ON THE PRO AND THE CON OF OUT-SOURCING
Papa Joe welcomes your comments and questions. Just keep them clean and non-threatening. A "jack of all trades" Papa Joe is also a public speaker, consultant, educator, student/parent advocate, conservationist, and horse trainer/trader. Send to: joesummy@moment.net or PO Box 99, Johnson City, Texas 78636.
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