- Report: #1183078
Complaint Review: Sykes Home powered by Alpine Access - Denver Colorado
Reported By:
Stabbed in the Back -
Colorado Springs, Colorado,
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Confirmed
Why?
Sykes Home powered by Alpine Access
1290 Broadway . Suite 1400 Denver, 80203 Colorado, USA
Phone:
866-279-0585
Web:
www.alpineaccess.com
Categories:
Business Rating:
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Sykes Home powered by Alpine Access ALPINE ACCESS Horrible Company to Work For! Denver Colorado
More likely than not, you are checking RipOff.com because you are seeking an at-home position and wanted to learn more about this company before proceeding. The information shared here may or may not affect your decision, and if you do decide to choose this company, at least you will not be blindsided if the unthinkable occurs. Some people have great experiences with this company, while others are plunged headlong into nightmares. I faced homelessness, as well as hunger.
I was hired as, what they dub, a Customer Care Professional for one of their numerous clients, California Pizza Kitchen. Erroneously, I assumed it would be fairly simple, considering I had worked in customer service for several years. My motto was [and still is] that when one is a customer service representative, s/he works for the customer/guest but at the particular location, i.e., place of employment. Customers always come first, and when they are happy, my employer reaps the rewards. So, I excelled, and made it a point to do so, even going above and beyond for customers/guests.
Aging is taking its toll, so given the opportunity to work from home was great, or so I thought. I did need to purchase a new computer, headset, and telephone, and with other necessities such as a comfortable desk chair and foot rest, so I dug into my extremely limited savings and invested over $1,000. This was a serious endeavor, one I did not take lightly.
The online audiovisual interactive training was brief, a couple of weeks or so, with a site visit to our nearest California Pizza Kitchen to become familiar with a restaurant's operations, but most important, the food.
DECEMBER 26, 2013
The Christmas season was a busy time for California Pizza Kitchen, and we were also bracing ourselves for an even busier New Year's day and weekend. Although I assumed there would be the normal irritated/rude customers once in a while, I was totally unprepared for what happened the day after Christmas. We had our share of some incredibly rude people but most were understandably irritated because each time they placed an order, our job was to try to get up-sales. (Heck, I would be irritated, too.) But each and every call was monitored by Sykes, and we were graded on them. Some customers understood, while others made it clear how annoyed they were. Also, I made very attempt to be sensitive to a customer's need for speed, which was mostly during the lunch hour in their respective time zones.
But one called with the intent purpose of viciously attacking the customer service rep he reached. Unfortunately, I was his target.
The call was for one of their CPK's Beverly Hills' locations in California, of course.
He started attacking as soon as he heard my voice, yelling at me not to ask him this or that, and complaining about our order process, so I knew this encounter was definitely premeditated. He began spewing a rapid-fire multi-item order, knowing there was no way anyone could remember all the items he requested. He let up only once after growling at me to ask, "Did you get everything?" or something to that effect. I told him I did not because I heard a child crying in the background, so he seemed to garner some common sense, and repeated his order a tad--just a tad--slower, which actually gave me time to make certain his order was complete. (I felt so sorry for the child and his wife, imagining the abuse they must suffer.) Then, he resumed the bullying, which felt like an eternity, as I struggled to maintain my composure. I truly wanted to disconnect the call as soon as he started in on me, and then several times during the call, but we were not instructed on how to deal with bullies. So, my predominating thought was to get the order, and get it correctly. GET THE ORDER!
I was falling apart, and my heart felt as if it would beat its last. Every nerve in my body felt as if they were about to burst, but I held on. Why? It was my job on the line. There was even a moment when I imagined that the attack was a test to learn how one of us would handle/manage such insane exaggerated abuse, because all calls were recorded; and sometimes monitored by a supervisor or manager, or even California Pizza Kitchen. Part of me found it incredulous that anyone in their right mind would call to order food and be so malicious. By the end of the call, I was trembling and fighting to keep from screaming, but before I could disconnect totally as not to receive another call, one shot through. I was trembling and some odd nerve condition in my feet was triggered and going nuts, but thankfully the caller was a soft-spoken young woman who noticed I was upset, and was very understanding, very kind. I thanked her with all that was in me.
I signed off the phones and the screaming and crying started, and I did not care if neighboring apartment dwellers heard me. I am not one to cry often, believing that crying is useless and changes nothing, but the attack brought up feelings and memories, and years of tears I had withheld, even some connected to the grief after my son (my only child) was killed in 2006. My tears and distorted face scared me then, just as the tears and screaming after this battering were frightening. I spoke with my team leader/supervisor, Marlene, to let her know what happened, desperately hoping she or someone had been listening to the call. She told me to sign off and get some rest, and that she would listen to the recording once it was made available a short time later.
Rest was impossible.
The crying and inner screams would not stop.
My body was erupting, becoming just a mass of shattered nerves. My mind wanted an escape route, quick and easy, and because I do not drink, indulge in any type of substance stupidity, and with no one around or nearby to offer comfort, suicidal thoughts began to invade to make the pain stop.
Still shaking and crying, I called her (Marlene) and it was during that call that she let me know she had listened to the encounter. She expressed total disbelief, and what I recall most is her assessment of this customer… evil, pure evil. It was so incredible, so shocking, that she had another staff member, my trainer (Cassandra), listen to the recording to confirm she was hearing correctly. Their conclusions were reassuring. I was not delusional. (I didn't think so, being a very logical-thinking person, but sometimes we need to hear it from others.)
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MISSED FIRST CLUE… Heartlessness at the Top of the Food Chain
Working in your jammies, no worries about commuting in bad weather, and taking a nap during lunch are all perks. No argument there, even though the pay is ridiculously low for all they require of you.
But when you are asked about work schedules during the application process and later told what your schedule will be, this is what you should expect, yes?
Apparently, not. You soon learn that your schedule is set based on client's needs and not what you signed on for, even if that means altering the schedule, to which you agreed, to insane stress-inducing swings. My experience turned out much worse, however, when the scheduler somehow got the impression that I was hired part-time when, as fact, I was a full-time employee. So, that meant he assigned fewer hours and even days. When I brought it to his attention, which was AFTER the attack, I was chided by the head (dragon) lady who spoke to me as if I were an idiot or two year old. Her hostile and wholly disrespectful demeanor let me know what I was dealing with, along with the attitudes and behaviors displayed by supervisors and managers in our production room that seemed to be orchestrated to openly make us feel totally inept, totally less than. Although most had little to say when I returned to work, Dragon lady's response to the scheduling/hours error was to say it would be corrected at some future date, along with the scolding. I believe that, based on my studies of human behavior, the Dragon breathed toxic fumes as a way to let me know that even though I was attacked, she was still in charge. Typically, females are the most brutal when placed in power positions. (The production room is the chat room we signed into each day to receive alerts such as store closures, menu changes, and also to ask questions when problems arise.)
____________________________________________________
I believe I took off the following day with Marlene's permission, of course, and returned to work because I had no choice. I am totally alone in the world and need an income to survive.
But I was different.
The crying and screaming took its toll on my body, and I became all too aware of muscles I did not know I had. The pain--both physical and emotional--was fierce, but the fear of another attack was greater. And even more so, the fear that he would reach me again sometime in the near future.
To spare myself further pain and bouts of being unnerved by customers, I made the decision to get through each call as quickly as possible, and the only way to achieve that was to avoid upselling and promotions. I was scared.
Although afraid of poor evaluations, which could lead to termination, I was more frightened of another attack. The latter fear became my boss. What troubled me most, however, was that my voice had changed. I was timid, and no longer outgoing with guests, as I braced myself for another possible attack with each and every call. I would hear the beep of an incoming call and freeze. An odd pain would shoot through my core. I was emotionally and mentally ducking, and it became more difficult than normal to breathe. With each call, before and during, I could hear my inner child plead, "please don't be mean to me." When a customer would make it clear they were not interested in anything but what they were ordering, I fervently assured them I would not upsell and get them off the phone as quickly as possible. Some were distrusting and I could sense it, but delighted when I did as promised. With some, I could hear the smiles in their voices, letting me know they were happy to have reached me. When others were in an obvious hurry, I would acknowledge their time constraints, which also pleased them.
Marlene noticed I was not myself anymore, and her concern grew. (At least, I hope what she expressed was genuine.)
I was encouraged to check into workers compensation, but it was a joke to a few, who thought it was laughable that anyone working from home could be hurt during the course of their job. Logically, I knew better than that, because there are other ways to be hurt than to break a limb or develop Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. Right?
WELL I WAS WRONG
Twice, I emailed HR (Human Resources) to learn if the company had workers comp insurance. After a little over two weeks, I finally received a response with an inexcusable explanation for the delay. (After browsing the Internet for complaints against Sykes, I realized such delays were typical.) The HR department called on January 30, nearly a month after the attack, and I had been working steadily. Actually, I was scheduled to sign in to work that afternoon.
I was informed that they indeed carry workers comp insurance but they were certain I would be denied.
That proved to be true. Colorado does not recognize mental trauma as a valid injury.
A new law was passed in 2013, stating otherwise, but the only attorney willing to explain
why WC attorneys were ignoring me or refusing to assist,
explained that the law was legislated in such a way to make it nearly impossible to prove.
Eventually, Alpine's insurance company called to interview me,
and the snotty interviewer also assured me it would be denied, and it was.
So, there was no recourse. The law was designed to be flawed and therefore ineffective, useless, and Alpine Access used it as its weapon of choice against me.
To return to my train of thought before I derail, during that call on January 30, Ms. G, asked what occurred on the day after Christmas. Mind you, this was over a month earlier and I had been working; however, she reacted as if it had happened that day or the previous day before she took the time to call with the obvious pretense of concern. Her reaction? Sheer and totally unrealistic panic, which I am now convinced was feigned in an effort to save them from any liability, albeit passive. So, she played it out to the end. The end of my employment with Alpine Access.
Of course, it was upsetting to recount the attack [and still is] but Ms. G made the decision to call 911 to get help for me. AT NO TIME did she ask if I felt suicidal as I did after the attack in December, and AT NO TIME did I tell her I was. This is how I knew, without doubt, that her declared concern was all an act. She instructed me not to sign on for work that day and REMOVED me from my work schedule. She did not bother to ask IF I believed I could continue working, although in reality, a clear thinking person would have considered the fact that I had been working for over a month since the incident.
Due to her panic--feigned, or genuine which I doubt--I was confronted with drama, and I detest drama.
Subsequently, I was asked to have my physician complete an ADA Evaluation form and my doctor's diagnosis was PERMANENT PTSD.
When I asked Ms. G how I was supposed to survive without an income, her response was that I could not return to work without a clearance from my doctor, and that I could go to the COUNTY for help.
Well, clearly my doctor was not about to give me clearance to return and that was made perfectly clear in her diagnosis. What part of "permanent" did they not understand? Amazing.
So, I was forced to apply for assistance, including disability, and that is not what I wanted. I should have been permitted to continue working after PROVING I was fully capable of doing so for over a month after the attack. Instead, Alpine plunged me into poverty, and into the system, where I did not want to be. Oh, but they had not fired me, so I had to submit an email to DHS wherein Ms. G stated I could not return to work without a doctor's clearance. As fact, I was not notified that I was fired until October 6, 2014, and this was in an EMAIL. The effective date of termination was August 13, 2014, over a month AFTER the Social Security Administration declared I was indeed disabled, approving me for disability benefits. Disabled due to an on-the-job incident, and yet they're permitted to fire me because of that disability. Yet here is the senseless termination email, which was actually sent because I had been desperately requesting that they send the recording of that vicious attack to an interested attorney. Alpine has made the decision to shield that insane bully.
THE FARSICAL TERMINATION EMAIL
"In February 2014, your health care provider informed us that you could not perform the essential functions of your job as a Customer Care Professional. Importantly, she indicated there were no reasonable accommodations we could provide to help you return to your job. As a result, we offered to provide you a leave of absence until your health care provider released you to return to work with or without a reasonable accommodation. Even though you rejected that request, we extended your employment hoping that additional time would enable you to return to work. Despite our efforts, we did not hear from you again and on August 13, 2014, your employment was terminated.
I understand you may be unsatisfied with this result and have mentioned potential legal action. As such, please feel free to have you or your legal representative contact our Sr. Employment Counsel, Jonathan S. Forman, at 813-470-3991."
My Rebuttal
My physician diagnosed me with PERMANENT PTSD, and when I asked if there were other positions available that did not involve direct customer contact, I was told none were available at the time and advised my doctor who called me to ask about other positions before submitting the evaluation. (And I asked on two occasions. I asked the Dragon Lady, and later, Ms. G in HR.) Also, if any became available, I was never notified.
Alpine sent me an LOA form at the very same time they sent the ADA Evaluation form. I did not want an LOA, which was unpaid, I wanted to continue working. Money is required to survive.
Why extend my employment with the hope I would be able to return to work when, once again, my doctor diagnosed me with PERMANENT PTSD? And if they had taken that diagonsis into consideration, why ADD TO or EXACERBATE my condition by not allowing me to continue working, as I had been for over a month after the attack? They did not care about me as a fellow human being.
"Despite our efforts"? What efforts? An effort would have been to contact me about possible non-direct contact job opportunities. An effort would have been to respond to my email requests and not ignore me when I was requesting that recording. So, they did "hear" from me again (and I retain emails), but chose to ignore my requests, employ stall tactics to prevent a workers comp appeal, make the decision to SHIELD THE MALEVOLENT PRIVILEGED BULLY, and finally to inform me VIA EMAIL that I was fired back in August.
ALPINE ACCESS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF CORPORATE DECEPTION!
If one employee is allowed to enjoy good experiences, then ALL should. NOT ONE employee
should feel totally victimized by an employer. I gave my absolute best to them, and in return, I was betrayed, stabbed in the back, and left to suffer without legal or civil recourse. They prize the insane bully, but not me. They chose him and his brutality over me.
And, most assuredly, other customer service reps have been
[and will continue to be] attacked.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Response to Noelle
#2Author of original report
Sat, June 06, 2015
I completely understand the nature of the beast, i.e., customer service, having worked for a 5-Star 5-Diamond hotel for over five years as a reservations sales agent. And I did so AFTER the death of my son. Colorado is notorious for its treatment of employees, and that needs to be changed. What I was forced to endure at the hands of Alpine was far worse than the attack. (Also, that Hotel had/has safeguards in place for its agents.)
My complaint here is that I continued working well AFTER the incident and Alpine made the decision to remove me from my work schedule well AFTER the incident. Ms. Genge in HR spoke to me as if the incident had just occurred, and made the decision to remove me from the work schedule based on HER emotions, not mine. Then when I asked how was I to survive, she told me to get help from the county, plunging me into poverty. I continually checked to see if I had been returned to the schedule, which never happened, of course. I wanted to work, NOT rely on pitiful and meager government assistance.
Unreasonable expectations? So, now it is unreasonable to expect people to be human beings rendering to other human beings their due? I was a great rep and deserved the respect and consideration I EARNED. Not what one weak little female dished out based on her own mental instability. Speaking of which, it was determined that what I need to mend is JUSTICE, not therapy.
Also, based on what these lame cowardly lawyers in Colorado claim, if an employee's condition is made worse by an incident on the job, the employer is liable and must pay. BUT because they are lame useless cowards, they choose what's easy, e.g., broken limbs, back injuries, and CTS. That amendment to the WC law to include mental trauma was indeed written as to have the effect of NO EFFECT, meaningless empty words to protect corporations NOT employees. And, again, there's not ONE attorney or legislator in this country willing to challenge it. LIVES matter but who cares? No one.
No Justice, No Peace.
(By the way, thank you for the condolences although I don't believe they are genuine but part of the "script.")
Noelle
Colorado Springs,Colorado,
USA
unreasonable expectations
#3UPDATE Employee
Sat, June 06, 2015
Customer service - regardless of whether you work from home or in a brick & mortar center & regardless of what client you work for (directv, CPK, AT&T, Tmobile, etc) - carries the potential of speaking w/ an abusive individual. Over my 15 years in customer service/tech support for several different companies (WFH & brick/mortar) I can't even count the number of people who have gotten irrationally angry and abusive.
I had a customer at TMobile threaten to track me and my family down and kill all of us because he thought that Tmobile had stolen money from him (turned out to be an auto bill pay deal that he didn't realize he setup). I've been called horrible names, had to deal with excessively rude individuals, and occasionally guys who wanted to have phone sex with me (while working tech support). Sadly, when people call in for assistance with just about anything they are emboldened to act in extreme fashions that they would not normally in person (although, you can find examples of people going nuts like that in person).
Because there's no way to screen for this sort of thing in the automated systems, there's no real way for a company to protect their employees from that entirely. If a rude/bullying interaction will give you permanent PTSD, then this is not the career field for you. I'm sorry that you had such an awful experience and were given a permanent disability rating, and I hope you are seeing a therapist/psychiatrist to manage your ongoing mental healthcare.
The information provided to you regarding the legalities of WC was correct, and they would not be able to release the recording of that call to your lawyer w/o having an official subpeona due to non-disclosure agreements with the client. Colorado, being an at will state with historically red legislators, has some pretty awful employment laws that make it extremely difficult for employees to get WC/UI.
Unfortunately, it sounds like you had unreasonable expectations of the management/hr when it came to dealing with your mental health condition that wasn't really due to the job - it was triggered by that interaction but was a mental health issue percolating over a few years prior to that after the tragic loss of a child (my condolences).
