eircom operators

hoganpoly

Absolutely shocked to learn that all 11811 and 11850 inquiries are charged for irrespective of whether the required number is found or not! Daylight robbery or what!!! Does this mean that one can be charged for a bag of crisps at our local even if that particular flavour is not available?? Beggars belief!!!!!Ever wonder why eircom operators refuse to give surnames when asked, several times have been informed that '' im the only john working in this dept'' Whats this about??????

krudler

hoganpoly wrote: »

Absolutely shocked to learn that all 11811 and 11850 inquiries are charged for irrespective of whether the required number is found or not! Daylight robbery or what!!! Does this mean that one can be charged for a bag of crisps at our local even if that particular flavour is not available?? Beggars belief!!!!!Ever wonder why eircom operators refuse to give surnames when asked, several times have been informed that '' im the only john working in this dept'' Whats this about??????

As a call centre worker myself I refuse to give out my surname, its not relevant

as for the crisps analogy, thats just silly, if you're looking for a number why not use that thing called the internet that you're on right now?

MagicMarker

Or a phonebook, phonebooks are provided free...

Don't know why you'd think the likes of 11811 are free, they offer a service, you have to pay for the service.

hoganpoly

Have no probs paying for the provision of any service that meets with its criteria , however reverting back to my crisp analogy, wonder if my eircom friend would happily pay for the privilege of asking for a particular flavour that was unavailable???????The mind boggles. Any rationale as to why a surname is not made available to the customer who keeps these people in business???? Matter of courtesy to your client etc etc!!!!!!!!!

MagicMarker

Why do you need to know a surname? People have a right to privacy you know, you're on a need to know basis and quite frankly, you don't need to know anyone's surname. If you keep note of the time you called, number you called and first name then there would be no problem tracing back to that call, should you need to.

Davy

Just use 11890 its free till the end of a year from landlines

tony1kenobi

hoganpoly wrote: »

Any rationale as to why a surname is not made available to the customer who keeps these people in business???? Matter of courtesy to your client etc etc!!!!!!!!!

Because in your bag of crisps analogy the guy on the phone is the box you get the wrong flavoured crisps from. You aren't his client. You are eircoms' client. I imagine their surname is Limited or Incorporated....or something like that.

foggy_lad

davton wrote: »

Just use 11890 its free till the end of a year from landlines

afaik this is only free for eircon landlines but could be wrong

Davy

foggy_lad wrote: »

afaik this is only free for eircon landlines but could be wrong

Yes i think it is, cant see why though

Brimmy

I used to work for one of these and I flat out refused to give my surname. As touched upon it's completely irrelevant and all calls can be traced. Plus if you give out your name you usually have people calling back a week from then or however long demanding to speak to you/claiming it's your fault in particular.

As for being charged if the numbers not there than that's just tough. You rang to avail of the service and the service was provided. If you hired a private investigator to find information on someone and there was none there you would still be charged for the time and effort.

On the other hand though if you call and the numbers not provided but IS on the system and it was the agents fault for not being able to find (could be listed differently, does happen) there's no problem in getting compensation for the call.

But if you don't want to take that risk then use a phonebook/internet. You call knowing you'll be charged so it's your own fault at the end of the day.

Musha

Caller: Can I have the number of Joe Bloggs in High Street?

Operator: Joe Bloggs, High Street? Sorry no Bloggs listed in High Street

Caller: Ok thanks

Why would you need to know their surname?

krudler

hoganpoly wrote: »

Have no probs paying for the provision of any service that meets with its criteria , however reverting back to my crisp analogy, wonder if my eircom friend would happily pay for the privilege of asking for a particular flavour that was unavailable???????The mind boggles. Any rationale as to why a surname is not made available to the customer who keeps these people in business???? Matter of courtesy to your client etc etc!!!!!!!!!

Why would you pay for crisps you didnt get? that makes no sense at all, you'd just get another flavour, when have you ever had to pay for a food you didnt get? its completely different to what your comparing it to, its like asking for a refund for a cinema ticket because you didnt like the movie or it wasnt what you expected,I've never used a directory enquiry line in my life outside of work, for 2 reasons
1. expensive
2. I'm not that lazy

and again, why do you even need the surname? it doesnt help with your query at all, do you demand the cashiers in supermarkets or waitresses in restaraunts tell you theirs? people in call centres dont give out their surnames because they're not obliged to, end of

Dinkie

I don't mind them not having the number - thats not their fault. What I do mind is the number of times they give me the incorrect number and I have to ring them back to get the correct one.

Note: When I ask for the phone number of AIB in Bray, I mean Bray. Not Greystones, Arklow or any where else
This for various companies happen regularly.

Davy

Dinkie wrote: »

What I do mind is the number of times they give me the incorrect number and I have to ring them back to get the correct one.

Note: When I ask for the phone number of AIB in Bray, I mean Bray. Not Greystones, Arklow or any where else
This for various companies happen regularly.

I believe if our not polite you some how might not get the right number, so im told by someone working there.

January

Brimmy wrote: »

Plus if you give out your name you usually have people calling back a week from then or however long demanding to speak to you/claiming it's your fault in particular.

Just touching on this also, I work in a call centre also and you get people on the phone asking for you, demanding to speak to you, saying it is the most important thing in the world and "I need to speak to Adrieanne RIGHT NOW!!!"
We're usually all on calls anyway, so they tie up the lines, hold for five minutes, get on the phone to me and say "I forgot to tell you that the car is blue..."

Just a gripe of mine lol

I don't give out my surname either, you don't need to know it, calls can be traced.

Cabaal

to be honest call centre workers don't have to give out there surnames, OP there's no need for you to know it anyway

krudler

adrieanne__x wrote: »

Just touching on this also, I work in a call centre also and you get people on the phone asking for you, demanding to speak to you, saying it is the most important thing in the world and "I need to speak to Adrieanne RIGHT NOW!!!"
We're usually all on calls anyway, so they tie up the lines, hold for five minutes, get on the phone to me and say "I forgot to tell you that the car is blue..."

Just a gripe of mine lol

I don't give out my surname either, you don't need to know it, calls can be traced.

That bugs the hell out of me as well, its can be the most random general query that anybody working there can deal with but only the agent the customer dealt with 6 months ago on an unrelated issue can sort it as they know there name,
i also hate the "It'll take too long to explain to you again" line, right so giving me a brief gist of something will take longer than me finding out who you dealt with, when, about what, seeing if they can take a call, putting you on hold to do all this and then transfering you over? I love how people think a call centre is one room with a handful of people in it, "Is Mary there?" yea she's sitting right here beside me:rolleyes: out of the 400+ people working here in different departments you happened to ring the person sitting next to who you were dealing with

Guy:Incognito

Why should you not have to pay for the part where your talking to John?

Just like any other call you dont pay if no one answers. If somone answer (john in 11850) then your half way through your call process, why s=hould the forst half be free?

FionaC

You have no right to know the operator's second name. I think a vast majority of people in Ireland have awful attitudes towards helpdesk/operator services. They can be so rude and talk down to people in these jobs.

If you don't want to pay for 11811/11890 services find out the number yourself.

krudler

FionaC wrote: »

You have no right to know the operator's second name. I think a vast majority of people in Ireland have awful attitudes towards helpdesk/operator services. They can be so rude and talk down to people in these jobs.

If you don't want to pay for 11811/11890 services find out the number yourself.

Tell me about it, although people really should think twice about being rude and obnoxious to a person that has your full name, home address,telephone number and bank account details easily accessible to them;)

tallaghtoutlaws

krudler wrote: »

Tell me about it, although people really should think twice about being rude and obnoxious to a person that has your full name, home address,telephone number and bank account details easily accessible to them;)

Yeah defo and OP I point blankely refuse to give out my last name also. None of your bees wax as far as im concerned when someone rings up im my last name shouldnt be their issue and as Adrienne and Krudler says that person will always ring back looking for you directly for the most stupid random things. And you know the mad thing about people ringing helpdesks do they not stop and think for a second that maybe if they are nice to the person trying to help they will get more out of the call. When someone rings and I answer and they are being assholes its hard at times to be motivated to help them.

mixer101

krudler wrote: »

Tell me about it, although people really should think twice about being rude and obnoxious to a person that has your full name, home address,telephone number and bank account details easily accessible to them;)

How can someone working in 11811 or similar have access to your bank account details??

talkingclock

mixer101 wrote: »

How can someone working in 11811 or similar have access to your bank account details??

no. but in other callcentres possibly? mobile phone operators maybe? or even phonebanking?

i just hang up on rude *ssholes even without the obligatory three warnings. sometimes with a "hello? can't hear you! must be a bad line..." i'm not getting paid for being verbally abused over the phone. and it makes me chuckle imaging that angry idiot on the other end of the line...

hoganpoly

Great to see the amount of interest this topic has generated and thanks so much for all your comments. Still feel the same however about the aforementioned and unfortunately havent been swayed in my views regarding same.

Nody

talkingclock wrote: »

i just hang up on rude *ssholes even without the obligatory three warnings. sometimes with a "hello? can't hear you! must be a bad line..." i'm not getting paid for being verbally abused over the phone. and it makes me chuckle imaging that angry idiot on the other end of the line...

But they can also create some fun stories. I had a french friend working in a call centre, the most polite guy you could believe who really would bend over backwards for customers. He receieves a phone call (from France) where the call goes roughly like this:

Friend: Welcome to company X's support line, my name is John, how can I help you?
Caller: John if you hang up I'll sue you, your family and company X for uncounted millions of Euros.
Friend: Ok, so how may I help you sir?
Caller: My service is not working because of you bastards and the reason is <insert 10 minute explanation of the reason being that company X's sales force was to busy having a worm pit of gay sex in the office along with the technians and going into great detail of how>.

Now my friend is sitting there having a hard time not starting to laugh at this guy. To top it off he then finishes his sexual fantasy and offers him 1000 Euro if he can get a technian on site directly to fix the problem (turned out the caller had connected back the cables incorrectly which was noted in the troubleshooting done 20 min in on the call).

Randi

foggy_lad wrote: »

afaik this is only free for eircon landlines but could be wrong

all landlines well most of them are Eircoms even bt, perlico etc... so its free even if your with another provider, unless they own the line and put it there themselves, 11890 is not part of eircom.

sickpuppy32

I tried to get the number of the local garda station from 11811 this morning, rang them 3 times and each time they connected me to the wrong number! I rang a forth time and they told me the number swas 334...etc --- everyone knows all garda stations start with 666 i said in exasperation! THe howaya on the phone said -what ya mean is that the devils phone number!, jesus wept!

I rang to complain and got the sarciest scumbag scobie on the other end - really sarcastic -- "why didn't you ring 999 bud!" really unprofessional

Cabaal

sickpuppy32 wrote: »

I rang to complain and got the sarciest scumbag scobie on the other end - really sarcastic -- "why didn't you ring 999 bud!" really unprofessional

They can only give you the info listed in their database, if the Gardai don't allow them to list individual gardai station numbers that is not 11811's fault.

Sam Vimes

Cabaal wrote: »

They can only give you the info listed in their database, if the Gardai don't allow them to list individual gardai station numbers that is not 11811's fault.

goldpages lists at least one and i've got it from 11890 before:
http://goldenpages.ie/search/blanchardstown/garda.html

Cabaal

Sam Vimes wrote: »

goldpages lists at least one and i've got it from 11890 before:
http://goldenpages.ie/search/blanchardstown/garda.html

I was going to suggest it but it lists nothing for Waterford or Kilkenny stations so figured it may not list any

Also given that sickpuppy32 said all Garda stations begin with 666 its no bloody surprise the operator got smart with them, if your trying to be smart people will be smart back to you...while some stations may begin with 666 Kilkenny station for example is nothing but 2's. So sickpuppy32's statement was incorrect

GunScope

hoganpoly wrote: »

Absolutely shocked to learn that all 11811 and 11850 inquiries are charged for irrespective of whether the required number is found or not! Daylight robbery or what!!! Does this mean that one can be charged for a bag of crisps at our local even if that particular flavour is not available?? Beggars belief!!!!!Ever wonder why eircom operators refuse to give surnames when asked, several times have been informed that '' im the only john working in this dept'' Whats this about??????

I've spent time in 1901 Eircom Customer Service and 11890 Directory Enquiries.

Why oh why do you compare a Directory Service to purchasing a packet of crisps ... lets compare it to say ... a Taxi ... you get in the car, the driver takes your request, the meter goes on, if once you get to your destination, the house/business you requested is no longer there or has closed or something like that, you still have to pay the fare. If the driver takes you to the wrong address a refund can be arranged.

Customer service operators refuse to give surnames because they are not obliged under company policy to give you that information. Its a personal safety issue, if you don't like it, tough ... and while you may not be the type to do something like this, there are people out there, who with the full name of a person can do alot of things, like perhaps find a home phone number, or mobile number or an address etc. So the general consensus is to give out first names only and thats that.

After years of call centre experience, when I end up speaking to a CSR, I am polite, patient and have all necessary information to hand and always get a satisfactory response. Because I know from experience that its a two way system, the CSR is there to service your needs as a customer, but at the end of the day they're human and not your personal verbal punching bag, as in most jobs the extra effort will be put in for a polite, organized client over a bitter, sarcastic one, thats the way it is. You may of course say that the client is only bitter because of previous calls ... all well and good, but was it with the same Rep each time ... probably not.

hoganpoly wrote: »

Great to see the amount of interest this topic has generated and thanks so much for all your comments. Still feel the same however about the aforementioned and unfortunately havent been swayed in my views regarding same.

Of course, as a customer, your entitled to your opinion ....