Heather Robinson

Have you had reason to call 115 recently to report a problem with a landline? Have you tried to pay your telephone bills using the toll-free number? Have you tried to call Cable & Wireless' head office to complain about these services?

Have you been able to get a straight line number for the president of the company and complain about the type of service being offered to us as customers? My answer to all these questions is a resounding yes.

Last Saturday I realised that I was unable to receive calls on my Cable & Wireless landline at home. It rings once and stops. When I tried to answer I heard nothing. I tried to immediately report the fault to 115, but gave up after holding on for several minutes. Instead I tried to tell members of my family that they should call me on either of my cellular phones which I have been leaving on during the nights.

On Monday morning at about 6.05 I rang 115 in another attempt to report the problem. I held on for 24 minutes without speaking to a single soul. "We are sorry, all our agents are busy handling other calls. Please continue to hold and your call will be handled in the order it was received," was the message that was transmitted intermittently until I was able to repeat the apology with the female voice.

This message comes after one has been asked to follow some fairly complex instructions to access the appropriate repair service. There is also an option to leave a message on a voice mail feature which will be logged within 24 hours and attended to within five days. Eventually, I left a message on this voice mail.

My other efforts included trying to call Cable & Wireless's head office using 926-9700. This was an exercise in futility as attempts to use the phone keypad to dial by name were totally unsuccessful. Eventually, I called someone and got the straight line number for Rodney Davis, the company's president.

Apologised

I explained my problem to his secretary. She politely took the information and apologised for the difficulties they have been having with their new call centre.

Having spoken to her I tried once more to call 115, and got the following response: "We are sorry. All our circuits are busy at this time. Please try your call again later. This is a recording from Cable & Wireless." This response is also frequently heard on the toll-free number, when attempts are being made to pay telephone bills without joining a physical line and paying the $35 service charge.

With the advent of new technologies several employers have sought to use them to enhance their costs. But with these changes have come untold problems that seek only to increase the gap between the customer and the provider. Gone are the days when one was able to speak quickly to a real person, and get a solution to a problem.

Re-examine decision

I can only suggest that Cable & Wireless re-examines its decision to outsource its call centre, as failure to do so could prove disastrous in this very competitive environment. Companies that have been operating in Jamaica for over 50 years ought to have an edge, but this is hardly the case with Cable & Wireless. They must find a way to get the new technologies to work in their favour.

And in the meantime, my telephone is still not working, and a second call to the office of the president has not yielded the desired outcome. I shudder to think what happens to the thousands of other subscribers with similar problems.

Heather Robinson is a life underwriter and former Member of Parliament.