Barclays Greed

lancsdave · 06-03-2007, 14:30

630 people to lose jobs in Manchester so they can save money by moving the call centres to India.

Ths company made 7.14 bn pounds profit last year

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/m...er/6422893.stm

accymel · 06-03-2007, 14:34

Cheapskates!!!!! But as there are many moving their call centres to India & the like - some are reverting back to UK call centres probably due to the level of disgruntled customers complaining of scripted customer service!!! Bt is another Indian call centre scripted nonsence!!

Yet Mr Blair wants people to work - Yet jobs are being lost of abroad!!!

seems like a lot of businesses are looking for the cheap angle but dont realise how much it effects their custom!!

***Mr D*** · 06-03-2007, 14:47

Typical.

Mel your right a few insurance companies are bringing back there 24hr First Responce Claims helplines.

Mainly due to the communication facors.

You try to explain that your emmersion heater has leaked to someone who doesnt know what a emmersion heater is.

entwisi · 06-03-2007, 14:47

Dave, there is far more to stories than is reported as you and everyone else knows. Barclays have a number of Call Centres around the north west, one for Barclaycall in Salford Quays, another for loans in Liverpool, another for branch helpdesks in knutsford. Along with vast number of branches the odds are anyone who doesn't want to take the redundancy package should be able to find an internal transfer. I should also point out that Barclays redundancy package is far in excess of what they legally have to provide. Even the story printed tells of pay until October and help to find other work. This includes Barclays paying for people who want to retrain in another skill.

Please tell me of another company that offers this level of support cause I don't know of any.

With respect to the profits the company made. The majority of this comes not from the day to day banking of you and I, that actually costs the bank to provide as does the 2000 or so ATMs that Barclays runs. Most profit comes from business banking and investment banking. If you look at profit against total turnover the profit margin is actually quite low(if a pub was to run on teh same % it would be closed in no time). Add to that that 1/3rd of the profit goes to the goverment in tax that helps support the NHS, education etc then a profitable banking industry is something that should be encouraged. As a shareholder I want my investment to grow and by being profitable I can look forward to my pensions etc providing a comfortable old age. (PS, the major shareholders in Barclays and other banks are pension funds so your pension is also directly linked to a profitable financial services industry)

grego · 06-03-2007, 14:48

Yeah there nothing worse than being put through to one of these centres, its very difficult to get your point across and cant always work out what they are trying to say.

lancsdave · 06-03-2007, 15:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by entwisi

Dave, there is far more to stories than is reported as you and everyone else knows.

Thats why we rely on insiders to tell us the full story

Would you still be as pleased if you were just a customer and not a shareholder ?

garinda · 06-03-2007, 15:20

From a public relations point of view it does seem a strange move. Especially as was pointed out, lots of companies are relocating their call centres back to the UK.

accymel · 06-03-2007, 15:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by ***Mr D***

Typical.

Mel your right a few insurance companies are bringing back there 24hr First Responce Claims helplines.

Mainly due to the communication facors.

You try to explain that your emmersion heater has leaked to someone who doesnt know what a emmersion heater is.

LOL thats the thing with outside call people is they read from script - & wooh be tide u go of that tick list thats them ballsed up.........

.....funny thing is if u really need a sence of amusement, i like to mess their script up by jumping ahead [cos they do the thicky Homer route 1st], eeee i have so much fun with BT Broadband LOL!!!!!!!!! Or when United Utilities [darn they get english people for me now lol] - fun to get them in a debate cos they have no clue cos its off their script & i like pointing it out

But sadly there are times when things cock up & u need someone that knows wtf u are taling about

entwisi · 06-03-2007, 15:47

dave,

I see businesses exactly for what they are, businesses, there to make money for whoever owns them. If they offer better value/service than any competitor I will use them quite happily

garinda · 06-03-2007, 16:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by entwisi

dave,

I see businesses exactly for what they are, businesses, there to make money for whoever owns them. If they offer better value/service than any competitor I will use them quite happily

I understand what you are saying, but would you also buy clothes/trainers etc., even if they were good value for money, if you knew that company used child labour to keep costs low and their business booming?

entwisi · 06-03-2007, 20:23

Err, hello, like most people we shop at Tesco/ASDA/ etc for some stuff, your not telling me that they make jeans for 3 quid paying minimum wage. By shopping there we all acknowledge that someone is being ripped off. However the culture in this and many other 'civilised' countries is that of "I'm alright Jack as long as its cheap". the difference is that I know it and can balance it in my conscience with the good stuff I do and support.

garinda · 07-03-2007, 01:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by entwisi

Err, hello, like most people we shop at Tesco/ASDA/ etc for some stuff, your not telling me that they make jeans for 3 quid paying minimum wage. By shopping there we all acknowledge that someone is being ripped off. However the culture in this and many other 'civilised' countries is that of "I'm alright Jack as long as its cheap". the difference is that I know it and can balance it in my conscience with the good stuff I do and support.

Err, hello, I don't shop at Tesco/ASDA, and wouldn't but jeans at three pound a pair. Not because I'm taking some moral high ground, but because I wouldn't knowingly patronise a company that exploited child workers.

The question I asked was actually 'would you but clothes/trainers from a company that you 'knew' (which in this case we don't about Tesco and ASDA) used childs labour to keep costs low and their business booming?'

Mancie · 07-03-2007, 02:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by entwisi

dave,

I see businesses exactly for what they are, businesses, there to make money for whoever owns them. If they offer better value/service than any competitor I will use them quite happily

The acceptable face of capitalism eh entwisi?.. most of the profits made are from shall we say the less well off...these corperations are not in the business of providing a service to people.. the only time customer service comes into the equation is when a competitor gives a better offer to the "target" customers"...Barcleys would ditch anyone of thier "valued customers" if the advidsors tell them it's good business... and they would not hesitate to ditch you if surplus to requirements.

entwisi · 07-03-2007, 08:25

As they weren't 30 months ago when I was outsourced to Accenture from Barclays. However even then I could understand the business reason for doing it. I may not have liked the idea but again they negotiated probably one of the best oursourced deals going in terms of benefits and protection for the employees involved. I was actually more secure in my employment as part of the outsource deal than I was if I had been staying with Barclays.

So even having been dealt a carppy end of a stick I can still see the reasons and agree that they were right in doing it from a business perspective. I guess I'm just better at separating the emotions of something from the rational aspect of it.

WillowTheWhisp · 07-03-2007, 08:52

Moving call centres to India is not a good Google Page Ranking move. Trying to communicate with Barclays over the phone is already bad enough without having to go through somebody who hasn't the faintest idea what you're talking about and tries to convince you that they are called Gordon or Abigail!

I've nothing against Indians and if I was dealing with an Indian company in India I would expect to speak to an Indian person about Indian things, but trying to communiate with an Indian person in India about English things in England is sometimes like trying to swim uphill through treacle