Admiral and foreign call centres (quite long)

[Xmas]

Does anyone know an appropriate route to complain to Admiral Insurance
about their foreign call centres - preferably one where my letter won't
just be binned unread?

I was trying to do something that seems incredibly straightforward to
me. I had a policy with Admiral due to start in the middle of October,
but in the interim I'd sold the insured car and got another one, so
wanted to have that insured instead. I had a quote from their Sales
people and had a reference number for that. Should have been a very
straightforward conversation.

Except I got routed to India, and the phone call took forty minutes
without going anywhere. The person I spoke to was unable to understand
English (told me they couldn't find 'wrist spoiler' when I said the car
had a 'rear spoiler', for example), and wasn't able to process the quote
number their Sales people had given me. I gave them all the car details
again and they quoted me a figure which was 15 quid more than the Sales
people had quoted.

I explained that I had been given a quote that was less than that and
had been told it was good for 60 days, so I wasn't prepared to accept
that quote. We went round on this for a bit then I asked to speak to
her manager.

To cut a long story short, the manager was even less helpful. Tried the
next day and ended up talking to another Indian call centre who told me
I would have to cancel my existing policy (which hadn't even started
yet) before they could insure me for the new car.

I ended up giving up on this entirely, phoning around and finding
somewhere 50 quid cheaper. I would like to let Admiral how they've
managed to turn away and alienate a customer who had already had a quote
from them and was *trying* to give them his money!

The whole issue here is just one of communications. I've had excellent
service from Indian call centres in the past, but this should have been
a five minute conversation and the communications barrier turned it into
a nightmare.

I wasted an hour of my time (and theirs) and it was clear from my
conversation with them today that they've added notes to my record that
I am being unreasonable. As I said to them, if this is the level of
service I get for something straightforward where I'm trying to give
them money, what kind of service can I expect if I actually have a
problem?

[Tumbleweed]

Post by Xmas
Does anyone know an appropriate route to complain to Admiral Insurance
about their foreign call centres - preferably one where my letter won't
just be binned unread?

Thats worrying because in the past when I've called Admiral I've always had
a UK person and very good service. :-(

[Xmas]

Post by Tumbleweed
Thats worrying because in the past when I've called Admiral I've always had
a UK person and very good service. :-(

I did manage to get through to a UK person yesterday who said that
someone from the UK-based Customer Services would call me back the next
day. They didn't.

It may be that I've just been very unlucky, but I've called them five
times and have had satisfactory service once. I certainly wouldn't
recommend them to anyone.

[Pip]

Totally agree tried to renew my insurance, Delhi India call centre, hardly spoke English and could not understand me , no way was I given them personal info so gone to admiral instead, I would say I was happy with admiral until they moved call centre

[Chris in Makati]

On Mon, 28 Aug 2023 04:45:03 +0000, Pip

Post by Pip
Totally agree tried to renew my insurance, Delhi India call centre, hardly spoke English and could not understand me , no way was I given them personal info so gone to admiral instead, I would say I was happy with admiral until they moved call centre

A story from 17 years ago.

[PJT]

Happened to me today. Utter waste of oxyge

[Colin Wilson]

Post by Xmas
I wasted an hour of my time (and theirs) and it was clear from my
conversation with them today that they've added notes to my record that
I am being unreasonable.

IANAL

That might be worth getting looked into - indian call centres are still
covered by the Data Protection Act when hired by a british company
AFAIK, and you should be able to make a subject access request to see
exactly what they put on the notes.

Companies House will release the home addresses of the directors I
believe for around £3, and you can guarantee that would focus their
attention.

[Xmas]

Colin Wilson says...

Post by Colin Wilson
That might be worth getting looked into - indian call centres are still
covered by the Data Protection Act when hired by a british company
AFAIK, and you should be able to make a subject access request to see
exactly what they put on the notes.

Well, to be honest I don't really care what they put on my notes - I'm
not a customer of theirs any more and certainly won't ever be in the
future. I'm sure that the manager I spoke to put lots of things down to
cover their own arse for their department's inability to fulfil a simple
request and for the inability of their employee to understand English.

For example, I would not be surprised if their records have me down as
an unreasonable yelling racist for saying loudly that the problem was
that their employee just couldn't understand what I wanted to do, but is
it worth the time and trouble to investigate and try to amend records
that they shouldn't be able to share with anyone else?

Post by Colin Wilson
Companies House will release the home addresses of the directors I
believe for around £3, and you can guarantee that would focus their
attention.

Hmm, might be worth a try. I'm not after compo or anything, but I find
it hard to believe that a company is knowingly providing such poor
service. I'd like to let them know that they turned away a paying
customer and why I won't be back, and perhaps writing to the directors
is the only way to ensure that the complaint actually gets read.

Cheers

[Kev]

Post by Xmas
Colin Wilson says...

Post by Colin Wilson
That might be worth getting looked into - indian call centres are still
covered by the Data Protection Act when hired by a british company
AFAIK, and you should be able to make a subject access request to see
exactly what they put on the notes.

Well, to be honest I don't really care what they put on my notes - I'm
not a customer of theirs any more and certainly won't ever be in the
future. I'm sure that the manager I spoke to put lots of things down to
cover their own arse for their department's inability to fulfil a simple
request and for the inability of their employee to understand English.
For example, I would not be surprised if their records have me down as
an unreasonable yelling racist for saying loudly that the problem was
that their employee just couldn't understand what I wanted to do, but is
it worth the time and trouble to investigate and try to amend records
that they shouldn't be able to share with anyone else?

Post by Colin Wilson
Companies House will release the home addresses of the directors I
believe for around £3, and you can guarantee that would focus their
attention.

Hmm, might be worth a try. I'm not after compo or anything, but I find
it hard to believe that a company is knowingly providing such poor
service. I'd like to let them know that they turned away a paying
customer and why I won't be back, and perhaps writing to the directors
is the only way to ensure that the complaint actually gets read.
Cheers

I had a problem with British Gas on Saturday. The person speaking with
a heavy eastern European accent said that he was in South Yorkshire
anyway he kept wanting to consume my account number. In the end he gave
up when I kept querying why he wanted to consume my account number.
When I eventually got through to somebody to complain they said that
they cannot refuse to employ somebody with inadequate English as that
would be discrimination.
I had better start learning Polish and Czech the in that case.
It is funny how they can discriminate against me because the
non-English speaking call centre worker can't understand me.

Kevin

[linkuk]

When I eventually got through to somebody to complain they said that
they cannot refuse to employ somebody with inadequate English as that
would be discrimination.
I had better start learning Polish and Czech the in that case.
It is funny how they can discriminate against me because the
non-English speaking call centre worker can't understand me.

This isnt a new problem and not confined to call centres.
Going back to the early 1970's we had a funny experience at a hospital.
(funny now but not at the time)
My wife used to suffer from fits and when she was out she almost got knocked
over on a crossing and it really shook her up to the extent that although
she got home okay when i got back she was suffering from memory loss.
I took to her to A&E and was seen by a doctor YU HU. I suggested he address
any general questions to me because of the memory loss.
For about 10 minutes we went around in circles with him asking if her feet
were okay and i kept explaining there was nothing wrong with her feet and it
was her memory which was the problem.
In the end a nurse came to our rescue and said he means how are her fits.
instead of feets! lol

I remember this every time i get an overseas call centre. lol

[Bedders]

x-no-archive: yes

here's a thought-- i wonder if these cal centres have a tiered sustem, where
big spenders gert through to their local language, and low value ones get
farmed out to indiacom or whatever..?

[Miss L. Toe]

Post by Bedders
x-no-archive: yes
here's a thought-- i wonder if these cal centres have a tiered sustem, where
big spenders gert through to their local language, and low value ones get
farmed out to indiacom or whatever..?

The airlines definately have that system, different numbers to call for gold
card members etc.