Garland call centres

Has anyone worked in a Garland call centre?
I have applied for a job working for Freeserve BB in one of these call centres and I am scared!!!
I have heard some horror stories of call centres.
I will be working as a "customer technical advisor".

Any input will be gratefully appreciated.

[handyman]

lo, I work for them matey same job :p
Pm me if you need any info.

mark

[edit] at work at the moment, Listening to 'kids in a america' on the garlands radio station. 3 meg ntl cable line and nice pentium 4 work station.

[Nemesis]

Originally Posted by handyman

lo, I work for them matey same job :p
Pm me if you need any info.

mark

[edit] at work at the moment, Listening to 'kids in a america' on the garlands radio station. 3 meg ntl cable line and nice pentium 4 work station.

.... and time to play stupid Friday quizzes ..

[handyman]

Originally Posted by Nemesis

.... and time to play stupid Friday quizzes ..

I was at home nem, don't start till 2.30pm.

Thats said Its so quiet today there would have been no problem if I was in.

[Nemesis]

Originally Posted by handyman

I was at home nem, don't start till 2.30pm.

Thats said Its so quiet today there would have been no problem if I was in.

what time you clock off then ?

[chambece]

Originally Posted by timewarrior2001

Has anyone worked in a Garland call centre?
I have applied for a job working for Freeserve BB in one of these call centres and I am scared!!!
I have heard some horror stories of call centres.
I will be working as a "customer technical advisor".

Any input will be gratefully appreciated.

A Quick search on Google only seem to reveal one 'horror' story...
www.socialistworker.co.uk/1798/sw179806.htm

most of the others seem to be about Chey Garland - I can't seem to find their web site.

Also - I know a couple of other people who work at other call centres, and they don't seem to complain too much about it, so they can't be that bad....

edit - And you've now got someone else to PM about it anyway

And besides, that was pretty feeble horror story that I'm sure is untrue

[chambece]

Originally Posted by handyman

lo, I work for them matey same job :p
Pm me if you need any info.

mark

[edit] at work at the moment, Listening to 'kids in a america' on the garlands radio station. 3 meg ntl cable line and nice pentium 4 work station.

So do are you "monitored by a Big Brother style surveillance system." then?

I personally think that unions etc would have something to say about that....

[handyman]

Originally Posted by Nemesis

what time you clock off then ?

11pm which is fine by me as I dont go out that often. Plus theres 2 days off in 7 for that anyway.

Originally Posted by chambece

So do are you "monitored by a Big Brother style surveillance system." then?

I personally think that unions etc would have something to say about that....

No surveillance system at all. building has cams in of course but for security.

12th floor has a canteen with sega rally, table football and a 60" Plasma also.

[chambece]

Originally Posted by handyman

11pm which is fine by me as I dont go out that often. Plus theres 2 days off in 7 for that anyway.



No surveillance system at all. building has cams in of course but for security.

12th floor has a canteen with sega rally, table football and a 60" Plasma also.

That sounds similar to the one one of my friends' works in, theyve got XBOX etc there...

[handyman]

Originally Posted by chambece

That sounds similar to the one one of my friends' works in, theyve got XBOX etc there...

We have a xbox and a ps2 set up if we need to go over and test stuff.

[Marge]

We think we're lucky cos we just got plastic knives and forks here... had to bring my own fork in for months now

xbox and ps2

Apologies for starting this thread and then being quiet.
I have been really ill over the weekend with a very very nasty stomach bug.

I am slightly concerned at the Hartlepool Garland call centre report. I have seen the call centre there and it looks like a nice place to work. Perhaps it is made up.

What interests me is whether or not the staff are treat with dignity, I have heard of similar stories to the one form Hartlepool and worse.
Now I will say this, if Garland does treat staff like that they will not get me to work there in a month of sundays, however if they are fair and treat people with respect then I will gladly work there.
I do have concern over working in a call centre, I dont really view myself as the type of person that can sit all day on the phone talking to people. However if it is technical then I feel I may be able to adapt myself and learn a new skill (how to sound bright and cheery when all I wanna do is choke the living **** out of someone).
Wages really dont bother me, its the shift patterns that concern me. I have a life outside of work, and having to work till 11:30pm or after is not going to suit me that much. (I dont want to end up living with my partner and not ever seeing her).

My greatest fears have just come true.........

Went to the open day, expected to see around the call centre, expected to see all the wonderfull things they do.
No I had a piece of paper shoved into my hands with the words "garlands application form" on them. I had to sit a test and then was interviewed by someone that didnt have a clue about what the role was I applied for. Yes she even admitted that to me.
Worst of all.............

£10,000 a year for a technical advisor, I can earn £13,000 pa working for Npower as a CSR. FFS I get £3500 a year in benefits for being a carer.
Now I dont mean to belittle anyone that works for Garlands but come on, the wages are pityfull, the hours are crap beyond crap. The staff I met there werent interested all they did was giggle and mes aorund whilst I was doing the tests. I was not shown around, I was given a job offer after a 10 minute interview where I wasnt even asked If I had any questions.

I'm sorry but this is NOT what I expected, I would work for £10,000pa but not on those hours, I have a partner and a child and they come first I'm afraid.
They interviewer must have known, there was no way I was taking a £5000 pay cut from my last job to work in a call centre and on those hours.

[handyman]

[quote=timewarrior2001]£10,000 a year for a technical advisor, QUOTE]

yeah thats the only bad point about the job, that said you gop to £11,000 after a couple of months and as the centre is expanding its easy to move up positions.

I will be hopefully moving to a nother job in January thats starting at £13,500.

Will be a lot better and I can't wait to go there.

Garlands is often seen as a temp job for most.

IHMO £11,000 at freeserve vs. £12,500 is no comparison. The work load here is a 1/4 of that at ntl. Side perks are I have ftp access to my web space, outlook express that I can configure with my home account, and if only I could eat at the desk then It would be rather good.

It should however be £14,000 plus though.......