“Apple Computer is planning to set up a technical support center in Karnataka on the lines of the one which Dell has in India. Director of Software Technology Parks of India, Bangalore, B V Naidu gave no details on investment and hiring plans noting that it’s for the company to make an announcement in this regard,” The Press Trust of India reports.
Karnataka is a state in Southern India. Bangalore is a city within Karnataka which is best known for its tech industry.
Full article here.
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Oh great!
I hope it’s tech support for their Indian customers. Apple is top dog in tech support ratings, it would be stupid to risk that just to save a few bucks.
This would make me very happy indeed. I like to hear Indian accents.
I don’t have any idea how this could possibly be a worse move for Apple. The India call centers for support have rendered horrible customer feedback for Dell, Cingular Wireless, and many more. This is not a wise “cost-saving” measure at all.
now this really angers and disgusts me.
BOO!!!!
I’m pretty sure they already route some calls to an Indian centre; either that or I am speaking to Indians in some other country with quite strong regional accents. I have no problem with this as long as they are competent, and of course the people answering with British and American accents don’t always score top marks for this either.
Oh no!!!!!!!!!!!
First of all, this would probably not save a few bucks… it would probably be millions upon millions per year. However, if this is true, I absolutely hate this decision. The best thing about apple support is that every time you call you know you are going to speak to someone who actually knows how to speak the english lanuage, and does not have an accent that could kill a cow.
no~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh no! I have a Dell laptop and their tech support is the absolute worst. Not only is the information bad, it’s hard to understand with tech supports thick accents. Bad information + bad communication = horrible support.
It’s a shame to see they’re selling out too. Dell and Microsoft’s customer service has gone to hell since moving their operations to India, and I’m sure Apple’s will follow suit as well. Companies should keep their customer service regional for their customers. There is no excuse for having to call halfway around the world for help with a problem and creating a major language barrier between the customer and the support staff. If you live in India, you should speak to a support person in India. If you live in Europe, it should be someone in Europe, etc.
there goes the neighborhood
The use of Intel chips, the beginning (maybe) of whatever those bad things are that infect Windoze, and now overseas tech support. Well, its been a great 20 years. I just hope I’m overly pessimistic.
This is a terrible move! I have made a practice of quitting any company that goes to foreign tech support.
Let it be known that you don’t like this.
Think of the beautifully labeled “Made In California”.
You slam everyone else with emails that say the
slightest thing negative about Apple, slam Apple
about this. This is absolute doo-doo.
Horrible idea! Indian support centers have bad track record. Apple should know better!
They should talk to the Governor of NC about tax breaks to build here – cheaper labor than California and a skilled native english speaking base of tech workers!
Anyone have Steve’s email addy? I feel like lodging a complaint.
Where’s the MDN take slamming Apple for this.
btw, I’m not inherently against it.
I hope not. I don’t like Indian accents (not the people just the accents). Now Jamaican accents I really like, Mon.
hey, db are you racisist? you don’t think of any situation that English doesn’t work? English is not always good way to talk unlikely you think. well, you only speak English right? learn foreign language. at least, they speak two. you’re not. me? I am speaking three different language (Korean, spanish, Russia, expect English), living in U.S.
A local Indian report says that Apple will be opening a support centre there. As usual, Apple have said nothing.
People who live in America seem to imagine that the whole world revolves around the US. They may be surprised to discover that Macs are sold in other countries and those customers will also need support.
Until such time as Apple announces that an Indian call centre will be taking over from an American one for American customers, there is no need for any of this hysteria.
No! That would be a huge mistake for Apple. When I first got my G5, it had the famous video-card problem. My first tech call was a person who had a hard time with English, and actually gave me an instruction which would have damaged my Mac. I hung up, called again. This time, good ol’ Apple Service did their magic!
Apple, re-think this blunder.
Not a good idea.
I hope the European centre stays in Ireland. I love the Irish accents, even the really harsh Ulster ones.
Apple should set up a technical support center in Wales also. That way we could hear similar accents to the Indian ones and not understand either of them.
Hmmm… MDN quiet on the hard ones? Weenies.
Anyone have email addresses of Apple dignitaries.