back to article Recession prompts job cuts at PC World call centres

Capita will cut up to 42 jobs at call centres it runs for PC World owner DSGi in Sheffield and Nottingham because of falling call numbers. The outsourcing giant informed staff of the redundancy programme, which will hit mainly team leaders, on Monday. Those affected today enter a 30 day statutory consultation period. Some may …

COMMENTS

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  1. Paul Gomme

    Another reason would be...

    Because you can get more useful information by talking to a tree...

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Meanwhile in the stores...

    The business centre has been axed and other staff will be out of a job in 45 days time in my local store - according to a friend who works there (and will soon be jobless). The eventual plan is to bin off PC World as a separate store and relocate it inside Currys (not far to move then since they are always next to each other in retail parks).

    Typical reaction for "profits are down!" (but wait, you're still MAKING a profit.. oh those poor shareholders I forgot about them), but IMO they were always overstaffed and stupidly positioned nextdoor to Currys everywhere anyway.

  3. Alexis Vallance

    Zzzz

    Ironically, I bet you now get through fairly quickly.

    No doubt it'll be back to 15 mins in the queue when they ditch the jobs.

  4. Steven Foster
    Flame

    Lol, crapita.

    So glad I left PCSC when those clowns took over.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    customer support for what sales?

    The other day I went to the Curry's/PCWorld "double whammy of depression" stores near my office and between the two of them they didn't have a single PS3 controller in stock, How can sales not be disappointing when they have nothing left to sell....

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    It's not by any chance,

    That customers are are so enraged by their poor customer service that they don't want to give the company another penny, let alone pay a penny a minute to be messed around by people instructed to be as unhelpful as possible.

    I should have known better then to buy from PCWorld, I really, really, really should. You'd get a better level of service from some 'Geezzer' in a pub car park.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Once upon a time....

    ...there were actually 1st/2nd line support people at PCSC/TTG or whatever you want to call it that "actually" knew what they were talking about. Long time gone are those days indeed.

  8. Luis Ogando
    Stop

    Sad

    I'm sure this won't be the last story about DSGi sacking people. It certainly isn't the first...

    The real shame is that not every member of staff within DSGi is a complete moron. In the 'Contact Centres' (even in the old DSG<no i> days they hated the term 'Call Centre') a majority of the staff work hard, do a thankless task and get treated like cattle. Let's face it, most commenters are less than complimentary about DSG(i) and a huge majority of callers to their customer service lines hold the same level of contempt. These staff are in the firing line and get treated like crap by the customer (perhaps with good reason due to poor products) and then by the company who want more than the standard pound of flesh. Then, when things go bad, due to the company not learning from its mistakes, the poor customer service bods in the call centres get the rough end of the stick.

    It isn't (entirely) the fault of the workers. DSGi is, and always will in my opinion, be an organisation of box-shifters with no concept of humanity, worth or direction (other than 'down' it would appear).

    Good luck to the soon-to-be jobless. I hope you find something better. Good riddance to DSGi. I hope you find the exit!

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    I remember when....

    .... you could actually buy PC hardware in PC World. I even bought a caching disk controller many years back. Now they seem interested in selling tellies. The fact the PC World is going to be moving inside Currys doesn't seem that far from where they are now.

  10. Steven Foster

    @Once upon a time.....

    Tell me about it. Interestingly, they started to disappear around about the time Crapita took over.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Aren't they mutually exclusive.

    How can you have 'customer service' and 'PC World' in the same article.

    I suggest it would be far easier communicating with aliens about your wants, needs problems etc that it is with them. I'm sure most of them have only just crawled out of the oceans

  12. The Fuzzy Wotnot
    Thumb Up

    Great!

    So the support desk skills and IQ quota just went up then!

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @Once upon a time.....

    AFAIK DSGi actually make the calls on what hours staff work (like the work longer hours in winter so you can work less in summer policy) and other such things. Capita just pay the wages and run the facility, DSGi make the calls on what actually happens.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    hmm it'll take longer to call and complain

    Typical sales runs along the line of order 2 items one in stock one out of stock, wait for them to ship then notice that the originally in stock item is now out of stock and you only get half your order.

    Spend hours being passed round while they try to get the word Sorry out of where it's stuck in their collective throats.

    So no suprise that people don't order there anymore

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    @AFAIK DSGi

    I am well aware of the structure in place having worked there pre and post capita ;) , my comment wasnt regarding shift patterns it was regarding the quality of worker employed there at one time in comparison to what it was before I left.

    but having heard of said patterns mentioned.. 30 hrs in the summer and 50 in the winter... recipe for disaster if you ask me, here.... work 30 hours and we will pay you for 40 but come the winter you will need to work 50.... so wait til shifts change and leave...like SOOO many did....!!

    Once again this all happened a long time after I left but I know plenty of people still there and I am one nosey biatch :P

    I'll get my coat because its fecking cold in the snow!!!!

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It may not be a bad thing

    After the dumbing down at the call centre the average quality of the 1st level is atrociously poor. It isn't the agents fault in most cases anyway. When Crapita took over the want as many calls answered as possible. Its how they get paid by DSG. If a customer calls once for 20 mins and its solved it doesn't make as much money as if they call in 4 times at 5 minute a piece. So Crapita want agents to FOB customer's off as it makes the $$$. As to the management being axed so be it some of them spend all day doing nothing but watching Grand Prix and playing hand held games consoles and I do hope the weak links are removed. However some are genuinely good people and I feel their pain.

    When DSG tell Crapita to save cash they have to, its art of the deal.

    As to this bonus scheme that costs sooo much, why didnt they get rid of that first???

  17. Ascylto

    Hurrah!

    Any job loss at Crapita is a gain for the general public.

    Sorry for the people who lose their jobs but working for Crapita has to be risky in every sense.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    Good thing it's not your job at risk 'eh!

    Regardless of what you think of DSGi, or their products please remember that these are people who have children and mortgages. They are loyal, honest and genuinly care about what they do.The vast majority have worked there for many years. There have been times that were good, and times that were terrible - these people are the ones who stuck around. Yes there are a few weak links - have you honestly ever worked in a large organisation where everyone was equally talented and motivated? If you say yes then you are deluded or lying. Most people do a great job - they are mainly a customer service centre,although PC World is only a small part of the work that they deal with, so it's only natural that you only deal with them when you are displeased with something. Unfortuntley some people are not happy when they do not get exactly what they want - but then we don't always get what we want in life, do we. It is a shame that Capita, who are doing very well in the money stakes, do not feel more loyalty to these people. They are running a business and have to make money to survive, that obvious, but the additional insults that these people have received are a kick in the teeth. At this point only statatory redundency payments are being made. Payments of £30000 per period are being paid in bonuses (maybe a max of 2% of this goes to the managers in question). £20000 is being spent to hold the selection process for managers in a swanky hotel, despite having excellant training facilities on site. Managers have to get themselves to and from the hotel at their own cost. Managers MUST attend work before and after the selection process. Times are hard, and money is tight all around. If you cant get a 360 controller in a PC World store, it's an inconvienience. DSGi will suffer the consequesnces eventually if they can't fulfil their customer needs. If you lose your job through no consequesnce of your own - thats a major thing and people need to have a little more compassion. To those involved - please keep your head up. Perform to the best of your ability to the end and, if you have to walk out of that door, then you can do so with your head held high!

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