Complaint Review: DIRECTV

DIRECTV is now part of the growing number of companies outsourcing to INDIA. I have stated before in many forums that my group understands that sometimes this can be a good thing. To manufacture something outside the USA at a low cost, the savings can then be passed onto the consumer. However, when you are hiring people in INDIA so you can totally eliminate USA workers, and then RAISE your prices, that is morally wrong.

My sources tell me that Directv has always outsourced to companies like Convergys. At least Convergys is here in the US and is providing jobs to Americans. Now Convergys and Directv have agreed to outsource to INDIA. Some are phone agents and now they are training them to handle all of the email received by customers. The savings are not passed onto the consumers. Directv raised its prices in March of 2003!

The people who work at the call centers are in low paying jobs that start at a base rate of maybe $8.50 an hour. That is a horrible wage and yet even that is not cheap enough for Directv and Convergys! They are now forcing workers to train the India agents to take their places! They are taking jobs from the lowest rung on the ladder! They try to train the agents to adopt American accents and give the phone agents American names, but still the customers are seeing through their fraud! Now that they are taking over the email side as well, they don't even bother to change their names.

What can we do? We can write or call with our complaints to Directv and demand this practice stops! Go ahead and manufacture the Satellite equipment outside the country to save money, but we want our customer service handled by American agents! Go to the website at www.directv.com and look for their feedback form. Be sure to demand that they forward your email to Roxanne Austin who is the president of Directv. The sad thing is it may be too late. Your email will probably be read by an Indian agent and who know where it ends up.

The only thing that will change their minds is the bottom line of money. Money is their reason for this in the first place. There is not a lack of people looking for work in a call center. If Directv starts losing customers they will take a hard look at why and hopefully with enough feedback, we can help save the jobs of our fellow Americans. It is shocking that this practice is so common after 9/11. We need to band together to stand up for our Country. We cannot stand by and watch another depression hit because there are not even any low paying jobs available in our Country. Those of you that have Directv may want to switch to DISH and be sure and tell Directv why. If you are not yet a customer, think twice about it before you sign up. Who do you want helping you out when your service is down or you want information about your bill? Take a stand now before it happens to you. Thanks for your time. Go to www.directv.com for information on emailing them or contacting them by phone.

Todd
los angeles, California
U.S.A.