Echostar (Dishnetwork)
Just opened a call center in Hilliard, Ohio. I applied for a job as a customer service representative and had an interview with 3 individuals.
In the interview I was told that because we would be the first employees in the new center that we would help shape-mold the new center. They stated that our feedback would be taken seriously and also that we would be first in line for promotions and other things.
The most important thing though, is that we were told that the job was "customer service based" answering billing questions etc with light up selling. On the first day of training we had to meet at a hotel because they hadn't gotten the certificate of occupancy yet.
I was shocked to find the training on that first day was hard sales. The trainer actually told us that it is ok to "embellish" the truth when dealing with a customer.
One person was so upset she quit the next day. After she left, the CEO came in to talk to us because we were questioning why we were not told the truth about the job. He tried to ease our minds by telling us that the calls would be easy because we would be dealing with existing customers who already want to upgrade.
He forbid us to call it sales - which is exactly what it is. For those of us like myself that left another job to go to Echostar/Dishnetwork we were really upset but stayed because the only other choice would be to quit. I could not just quit because of course I have bills to pay. But we did inform Echostar/Dishnetwork that if we had known what the job really was we would not have left our old jobs.
After a co-worker voiced her concerns, a supervisor would pull her aside periodically and ask her if she was looking for another job. She had the nerve to tell her "We're not going to pay to train you and you leave when you find another job-that's not going to fly"
My opinion on this is that we would not be in this situation if they hadn't lied in the beginning so, if we are looking then so what?
But I decided that I would stay and try to make the best of it. Everyday it was something else, the dress code constantly changed, one day a tee shirt would be appropriate and if that same shirt was worn again the next week-they threatened to send you home.
We weren't provided office supplies (we have to bring in our own) and forbidden to use the printers-not even for work purposes.
We were told that if we needed to use the bathroom we would have to log out because Echostar/Dishnetwork will not pay for us to go to the bathroom. We immediately objected to this and they then changed it to, if you use the bathroom you have to take that time away from your break.
We are not able to call out for any reason, even if we need to call a customer.
If you object to anything, you are called into the office.
One day for lunch a group of us decided to go out and the Supervisor and trainer went with us. The supervisor paid for our appetizers which came to about 20.00.
The next week we took a test that everyone did ok on so they said that we will have group lunch. Some of us didn't want to go spend our lunch break with the group and asked if we could do our own thing. We were told that we had to go (even though we were all paying for our own food and it was not a paid lunch)
The supervisor took offense that we didn't want to go and that night held us over after work to yell at us for not having pride about working for Echostar/Dishnetwork. She also threw up the fact that she paid for our appetizer the week before out of her own pocket. She said that we had to be "faking it" in the interview to get the jobs. I was in shock again. If anyone faked it in the interview it was the recuiters not us.
The training is horrible because we are using a different system than the trainers use so if we have a question or need help we are told to use the the transfer button to call another customer service location.
Let me just tell you that the customr service is horrible. Most of the customers I speak with have been transferred several times before they get to me. A lot of the times, techs dont show up for service calls.
This company is horrible.
They have hired two more training classes and the one thing I can say is after we were lied to in our interview, hr made sure that they were honest with the new hire class about the nature of the job.
To be fair I will say that the center is nice, there are plasma tvs with a nintendo system for us to play on our breaks and they are starting us at a good wage.
Most of us in the first training class are looking for other employment.
BEWARE
New2thefam
Columbus, Ohio
U.S.A.
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