Customer Service: Overseas vs US based

[inhawaii]

I called customer service the other day with a VERY complex issue.   I was surprised and so very fortunate to get a US based customer service rep.  I haven't gotten one in along time.  I was starting to wonder if they were even still available. 

I was able to explain the complex issue to him and get it taken care of in minutes. I know it would have taken me at least an hour to try and explain it to someone overseas ... if i even would have been able to explain it at all. 

The difference is like night and day.  

Ebay please do away with your overseas call center(s).

[coffeebean832]

Overseas reps have a very high turnaround and a language barrier which makes even the most simple of calls a challenge at times. I have dealt with a few good overseas reps- but the majority of my experiences have been less than stellar with reps dishing out very wrong information.

My experience mirrors yours in that US based reps are- for the most part- more knowledgeable and easier to work with. Especially when it comes to complex issues.

[ed8108]

Complex issues may often require a supervisor to address, when a rep fails to understand or accept the information you provide.

[gwzcomps]

The overseas "support" has exasperated the need to play whack a mole to get good support. Even more irritating than before. With as high as the fees are you would think eBay could have good support rather than exploiting cheap overseas labor.

[mam98031]

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@ed8108 wrote:

Complex issues may often require a supervisor to address, when a rep fails to understand or accept the information you provide.

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To ask for a supervisor doesn't mean you will actually get a supervisor.  I've played that game a few times without ever actually getting to one.

[epowerbargains]

Our store was taken over by a hacker on 11/10/19. They changed our phone, email, changed the store to an anchor store, added 8 fraud listings, got almost 300 sales in an hour and within 45 minutes over 200 emails hit my email account with buyer questions. 

I was very concerned about how easily I would be able to reverse this mess, refund the buyers and reset our store. 

There were calls back and forth and almost every call was handled by an overseas customer service representative. They managed the mess professionally and reassured me that all would be resolved. They were able to get the restoration done quickly, guide me as to what I needed to do and refund customers quickly.  Most of all they were all professional and were able to talk me off the edge as for a moment I thought both my phone and my head would explode LOL. 

I was very impressed. 

[epowerbargains]

I would also add that early on as a seller some very bad vacation advice from an American representative could have destroyed our account. Thankfully, I had understanding buyers who cut me slack when I needed it - that was when I learned to check the boards for help and direction. 

[mam98031]

Having an accent doesn't mean they are overseas.  There are plenty of Americans with accents.

[epowerbargains]

Hello, Could you please re-read my posting.

I never ever said that anyone had an accent. I said they were overseas. I know that because I asked and they told me - we traded some information about the weather and where we were located - pleasant chit chat.

The individual who gave me the incorrect information also mentioned his location just incidental to a vacation hold for our store.  

I don't make assumptions about people based on their manner of speech or accents. 

Accents are inconsequential to me - what I care about is good customer service and these individuals provided excellent assistance. 

[mam98031]

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@epowerbargains wrote:

Hello, Could you please re-read my posting.

I never ever said that anyone had an accent. I said they were overseas. I know that because I asked and they told me - we traded some information about the weather and where we were located - pleasant chit chat.

The individual who gave me the incorrect information also mentioned his location just incidental to a vacation hold for our store.  

I don't make assumptions about people based on their manner of speech or accents. 

Accents are inconsequential to me - what I care about is good customer service and these individuals provided excellent assistance. 

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My apologies.  My bad.  I meant that as a general remark, not to your posting specifically.  I know better, completely my fault.

[div_style]

Besides this account, with an anchor store, I sell on 4 other accounts.  But if I ever need to call CS, I always call from this account and always get a US CSR.  Then I tell them what ID I'm calling about.  I'm actually pretty pleased with CS.

[epowerbargains]

No worries, thank you so much for your clarification- it is much appreciated! 

[mam98031]

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@epowerbargains wrote:

No worries, thank you so much for your clarification- it is much appreciated! 

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I would have reacted just like you did.  I'm typically more careful than that.  I have no excuse for my oversight.  Again, I'm sorry.

[epowerbargains]

I really appreciate you and all you do to help people here on the boards.  Please, don't have any concerns - you totally cleared it up - you were making an important point. 

[rpalma]

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