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.

Re: Garland call centres
 

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. :tu:

Re: Garland call centres
 

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

Re: Garland call centres
 

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.

Re: Garland call centres
 

:eek: what time you clock off then ?

Re: Garland call centres
 

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

Re: Garland call centres
 

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....

Re: Garland call centres
 

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.

Re: Garland call centres
 

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

Re: Garland call centres
 

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

Re: Garland call centres
 

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

xbox and ps2 :rofl:

Re: Garland call centres
 

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).

Re: Garland call centres
 

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 £10,000 pa 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.

Re: Garland call centres
 

[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.......