Complaint about an offensive ad to a government body?

rohanp16 on 14/03/2013 - 22:59

Good evening,

I have seen this ad recently and find this ad quite offensive, especially the 'Not in India or the Philippines'. It's a Southern Phone ad, here is the video

http://vimeo.com/58080942

I can completely understand,

a) Marketing the fact that there are real humans answering over those automated voices, and that the phones are answered by,

b) Australians locally.

I don't see why they have to explicitly state that line and I feel it's quite offensive. They can very well push the fact that it's answered by human beings as opposed to automated machines and these customer service reps are local.

I've never done this before, but which is the most relevant government body where I can lodge a complaint ?

Thank you !

General Discussion

Comments

      • rohanp16 on 19/03/2013 - 20:12

        Interesting you bought that up. I didn't want to bring that up, assuming people of any background are capable of making objective decisions.

        But I had a small thought in my head that adding a few people (Aboriginal and Torres Strait representatives, some minority representatives) to diversify the board (still have "public members with a range of backgrounds and experience" as they mentioned in the email) wouldn't hurt and may be beneficial.

        http://www.adstandards.com.au/aboutus/theadvertisingstandard…

        • Macgyver on 19/03/2013 - 21:39
          +1

          Some people don't agree with you so they must be Anglo Saxon? Even a person commented said he wasn't Anglo Saxon and didn't agree what said in the ad was that racist.

          Don't you think maybe your just a tad too precious?

        • rohanp16 on 19/03/2013 - 21:49

          Maybe I'm too precious ? Or have too much time ? Maybe both eh ? Hahaha :D

        • Macgyver on 19/03/2013 - 21:57
          +1

          Maybe.

          Honestly I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure you have more important things to do with your time.

          It is true there is racism in Australia but where isn't racism? I'm sure Australia is a lot better then some places.

        • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 19/03/2013 - 22:09

          That's true Macgyver but it shouldn't be a reason to excuse what's happening on our doorstep. The ad itself isn't too harmful but combined with so many negative views and current debate surrounding immigration and the public feeling towards immigrants it has opened a can of worms.

          Those are my thoughts. I could be completely wrong.

        • PresidentClinton on 19/03/2013 - 22:17

          You wouldnt worry about it, would you..

    • grasstown on 20/03/2013 - 08:02

      The board are simply community members representing community standards. They hold no particular expertise. Love this reasoning: "First, the Southern Phone TVC does not specifically target a particular racial group. The lady in the café asks the Southern Phone employee whether her call will be answered by “someone” in India or the Philippines, not an Indian or a Filipino". It's not a particularly reasoned decision, no reference to laws and theory, just previous board decisions.

      If I was making a complaint to them, I would be backing up my complaint with things they can rely on and expertise commentary on disparaging And pejorative comments and how, though small, have impact on viewers unconscious. Refer to dplau below http://www.ozbargain.com.au/ozbapi/comment/1298977/listvotes.

  • Luke212 on 19/03/2013 - 11:13
    +1

    If the Indian understood Australian culture and had an easy to understand accent and sentence structure, it would be racist to disfavour their service. Because after all the only difference would be they are Indian. But because there are big difference in quality of the phone conversation, you are getting a difference of service from the Australian. So its not based on race but difference in quality of service. Bit of a fine line here!

    • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 19/03/2013 - 19:47

      That's really narrow minded.. Your comment and mindset is exactly why this debate exists.

      Australian culture? What does that have to do with your phone service?? You're not interviewing them to date your daughter, you're getting them to resolve an issue with a company you chose.

      People are different. What does someone's accent have to do with your level of service. Do you honestly find it that difficult to understand these reps or do you instantly assume they are hopeless when you hear their accent?

  • Make it so on 19/03/2013 - 13:05
    +1

    I have had good and bad experiences from both local and overseas call centres. In general most of them are polite, and I have had little problem understanding overseas call centre operators. The supposed "lack of understanding of Australian issues" has never been in my way for overseas call centres.

    I do not like these types of ad, because they promote negative attitudes towards other countries in people who do not understand the difference between "an Australian may understand Australian issues better" and "Foreigners are bad". There is nothing wrong with liking your own country (patriotism) as long as you don't dislike other countries (nationalism), but because some people do not understand the difference you need to tread carefully.

  • tramperleo on 19/03/2013 - 13:21
    +1

    I am not an Aussie and have accent of my English. I feel somewhat uncomfortable to this ads. But compare to the annoying of talking to someone very hard to communicate and cannot solve your problem after hours online and being hung-up/disconnect suddenly, I'll choose the one with Aussie service. The former seems especially cannot understand other people also with accent. I once experience 3 hours online being transferred one by one those kinds of receptionists and repeat the problems again and again until lucky got the last Aussie reception solve it in a few minutes. That's a nightmare I never want to experience again.

    • Roman Sandstorm on 19/03/2013 - 19:28

      Your specific example highlights exactly what I described in my post above.

      You describe a history of having difficulty understanding people at call centres. Then (in another, separate issue) you have a specific terrible '3 hour' ordeal, which is finally resolved by the white Aussie knight in shining white armour at the end.

      Your perception then is that 'difficult accent' = bad service. 'Aussie accent' = problem solved.

      This could be looked at entirely differently. Rather than the call centre's accent being the problem, maybe the lack of training may contribute? Maybe the company is simply cheap and doesn't provide enough information for their staff to be able to help? Maybe their procedures do not give enough responsibility to individual staff to make decisions of their own, to actually solve your issue?

      Yes, there may be a few cases of non-Australian resident call centre staff having communication issues with specifically Australian-centric problems (like meanings of idiom, or less-well know locations, etc), but it's more likely the main issues relate to procedure rather than understanding of accent.

      And, given that companies use offshore call centres TO SAVE MONEY isn't is likely that they also may cut corners in training and management procedures?

      • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 19/03/2013 - 19:57

        You're damn right Roman. I know some of this from experience. Cutting corners to increase profits is a necessity when competition is so fierce and in the end the customer will suffer (not really if they aren't Hitler and just interacted with the reps instead of instantly assuming they're incompetent).

        Maybe their ad should be, "we're not as cheap as other providers but stop being a tightarse if you want an Aussie phone operator"

        That's the real issue here. People being tightarses and whinging about issues they're the cause of. There was a time that everyone complained about the wait time to have their call answered. Now that the wait time is fixed thanks to offshore call centres the issue is the accents and inability to talk about the weekends footy results. What a bunch of whingy little twats.. Be happy and get used to the modern era. There are other ethnicities in the world and it's about time people accepted it.

        If offshore call centres didn't exist do you honestly think there wouldn't be instances where you are transferred between departments for 3hours. This is just an easy excuse for the narrow minded..

  • aussieaubs on 19/03/2013 - 13:36
    +2

    this isnt a racist ad….

    • Roman Sandstorm on 19/03/2013 - 19:19
      +2

      Thank you for adding so articulately and meaningfully to the discussion.

  • tsunamisurfer on 19/03/2013 - 14:16
    +1

    I feel sorry for the employees of the Board are subjected to claims of 'racism' like this.

    It must be a very frustrating job to shuffle through the many shallow claims to identify a real one.

    It must be even more frustrating to have to maintain a level of professionalism when replying to a claim such as the OP's.

    I know how I'd like to word the response but sadly it would in turn mean there'd be a subsequent claim of 'racism' again.

    • bunk on 19/03/2013 - 15:03

      Nicely pointed out :). Now the only issue now is whether the OP will be offended by your comments. Would in turn mean there'd be a subsequent claim of 'racism' again.

    • Roman Sandstorm on 19/03/2013 - 19:18

      And who has placed the employees of the company in such a position? Oh, it's the marketing department, and the advertising agency they contracted, and the management who approved what at most generous would be described as 'ill advised', and 'possibly inflammatory', but less charitably may be considered offensive and racist.

      Yes, I too feel sorry for the unfortunate 'perfect Aussie speaking' support staff of SouthernPhone who may suffer some unwarranted abuse due to their own company's dodgy advertising tactics. Perhaps if they supply sufficient feedback to their management as to the reason they may be copping such abuse then management may review their marketing strategy. Then again, they may well be pleased with it, given the old adage of any 'publicity being good publicity.'

      After all, in business, as we all know, the means always justify the ends.

      • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 19/03/2013 - 20:30
        +1

        I'd like to see the customer satisfaction rate for Southern Phone and compare.

        • Macgyver on 19/03/2013 - 21:53
          +2

          Well this has just turned into a troll fest by Roozy and Roman.

        • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 19/03/2013 - 22:11
          +1

          Come on, I think my contributions are informative and spark healthy debate :)

        • Roman Sandstorm on 20/03/2013 - 14:46
          +3

          You suggest we are trolling?

          You know, if you click on a users' name here, it lists all their posts. When I click 'Macgyver' all I see is a long list of one-line negative snarky and smarmy comments.

          "Racist!"
          "I'm sure you have more important things to do with your time."
          "Didn't you know only white people can be offensive and racist?"
          "Perz79 you don't really have much of a idea at all. "
          "Some people are either too precious or have too much time on there hands."
          "I thought it was normal people vs iSheep?"
          Yet you have the audacity to claim people who are making intelligent and meaningful contributions to a thread about an important social issue, are trolls.

          And we are the trolls?

        • kwaker on 21/03/2013 - 00:37

          i think the term precious and troll is just being used as a personal attack in a situation where you (Macgvyer) were not winning your point of view and could not come up with an decent logical debate. I agree with Romans comment above and seriously stop resorting to name calling condescending remarks and shaming tactics to try and win. Its a civilized discussion/debate there is no prize for the winner. I appreciate the meaningful contributions and the differing opinions of which everyone can learn from.

        • Eivad on 21/03/2013 - 10:16
          +2

          Agreed. I think Roozy and Roman are the main 2 people contributing meaningfully to this discussion. Reading their comments has been enlightening.

  • lplau on 19/03/2013 - 19:01
    +2

    LOL, in 20 years they will find these ad's to be ok…..

    Wasn't raunchy ad's offensive like 20 years ago before the sexual revolution. Now they are ok, even with mags publishing scantly clad women on their covers.

    I'm sure everybody have had their share with overseas call centres, and I bet that 90% of the experience with them has been appalling. I haven't heard any of my friends telling me anything good about a overseas call centre.

    Also, it is extremely well known that most of them are in India or Philippines. When people think of call centres, they think of Indian call centres. Just do yourself the small survey of people in your office, ask them what nationality is the usual call centre staff that they speak to. They WILL say Indian…. LOL

  • perz79 on 19/03/2013 - 20:26
    -1

    people who think this ad is not racist are bunch of Bogans.. Really .. Really?? YES..
    how about someone from India /Philippines or China comes to Australia , Become Australian Citizen and than work at So Called Australian call centers .. i am sure These BOGANS will say .. can i speak to someone from AUSTRALIA.. Really , Really, BOGANS…soon you Bogans accept the fact that having a Southern Cross Tattoo on your body does not make you Australian, the better it is for the country. And by the way its your AUSTRALIAN companies who are taking your Jobs. so if you have problem .. go and protest in front of the street against all Banks, Telcos,Miners and Retail Giants,, Really ,, Really..
    i wont surprise someone will reply to my comments and say "GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY" sorry Mate i am Australian and i am not going anywhere.. Really ?? Really …

    • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 19/03/2013 - 20:38

      You're absolutely right. I actually mentioned earlier that I work for a company that has an Australian based call centre and I get so many complaints about the offshore call centre….. You summed it up perfectly, Bogans. Bogans of all backgrounds.

      • Macgyver on 19/03/2013 - 21:05
        +1

        Perz79 you don't really have much of a idea at all. If this angers your blood then I hate to see you when something really hurtful and racist is said to you.

        Its true that some people really have too much time on their hands.

        • perz79 on 19/03/2013 - 21:23
          +1

          My comments was not to hurt anyone but to address the view of people who simply dont want to accept the reality that this is such a beautiful country and we are so proud to be part of it.

          i find it so sad when people simply are xenophobic. common we dont blame our Australia companies who move over jobs overseas, not blaming our government who allow this to happen. but if someone pick up your call who wake up at 4.30 am in the morning and often get abuse because he cant speak to the Australian Accent . i dont think its fair .. we proudly say that Australia and and Australians is a country that believe in "FAIR GO" and therefore i called those people bogans who thinks Really Really is Really True.. and i know they are only in minority in Australia as most of us does not share the same view.. once again apologies if this offends anyone .. its just an eye opener for few…

        • sash213 on 19/03/2013 - 22:50

          This has bean Really!?! With Perz79

        • Luke212 on 20/03/2013 - 16:05
          +2

          you just did what you accuse others of doing. congratulations.

        • perz79 on 20/03/2013 - 22:46

          Sash, yes i can see that from your comments a real eye opener

        • sash213 on 21/03/2013 - 21:26

          Chill out and watch SNL and you'd understand ;)
          http://vimeo.com/17495696

  • uncool on 19/03/2013 - 23:24
    +1

    Maybe those who are so sensitive towards the matter have chip on their shoulder?

    Roosy's comment for example, doesn't sit well with me. previous comments he/she say "Population of Australia" forgive me if I'm wrong since English is my second language, but doesn't that mean that mean "Australia in General" have this attitude towards non-white? really?? isn't that stereotyping.

    and why do you guys prejudice Bogans now???

    I was a victim of racism on the more extreme side, because of my skin color, so I do understand how that feels, but seriously, I don't start getting overly sensitive by the little comments people made, that can be perceive racist but not necessarily intended that way.(be truthful to yourself and tell me anyone who never say racist word/joke unintentionally or even innocent thoughts that can be perceive racist).

    I certainly not going to call a nation racist just because that small group of people was racist towards me in the past.

    as long we live in a multicultural place, face it some racism will exist, but remember hatred/violence sometimes start from a little comment people make that someone took offense of that gets drag on and blown out of proportion.

    Chill out a little guys! and find those Bargains and post'em! I'm sure every Ethnicity will be happy to snatch on good bargains :)

    • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 20/03/2013 - 01:04

      Lol are you serious about prejudice towards Bogans?? You realise they aren't an actual nationality, more the bottom of Australian society.

      If you haven't watched the news in the past few years immigration, boat people, hijabs, ethnic groups taking over suburbs and shopping centres (castle hill mall etc), french woman being assaulted in bus for singing in french, mosques, halal food, have all been hotly debated topics.

      I obviously didn't survey the entire Australian population prior to typing my comment but any idiot could see that I'm referring to current affairs and the feeling of many Australians, not all, not a particular percent. It isn't some hidden secret, it's all over the media. I'm sorry if you don't agree that it is a current affair but there's a nationally broadcasted show called….. A Current Affair that gets great ratings for bringing up topics like that fortnightly… In a prime time spot no less… That's reserved for programs that get the most viewers/ratings/advertising revenue. I believe they've won little gold statues called Logies selected by the Australian population for their programming. Obviously when I say the Australian population I'm not generalising. If I had said the entire or whole population then maybe.. You seem to be the only one confused by this…

      Try not to read between the lines.

      • uncool on 20/03/2013 - 11:22

        You can be prejudice towards nationality or specific group of people (that meets the description of a Bogan in this case), I don't see why you should be prejudice towards them? they may come from unsophisticated background and not exactly great with manners, but does not necessarily mean they are racist.

        Ouchie! I don't see a reason why you should be condescending in your reply, anyway ok I'm worse than an idiot, maybe you are right… but the immigration issue has always been a hot topic, it's not just in recent years, before the Indians, there was us Asians! its probably come into your attention because you can relate to it more. and immigration issue is not always a racial issue. (stop hating dude)

        name me a Developed Country that does not have immigration issue from people coming from a Developing Country?

        WoW!!! really??? The show "A Current Affairs" is what we use to measure what is actually Current now??? when were they elevated to be benchmark of current issues, since they get Logies??? you may be a troll after all. :P

        • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 20/03/2013 - 12:28
          +1

          The word Bogan itself is prejudice to the person or persons you classify as being bogan.. If you accept the term then you too are part of the issue as you're stereotyping those you perceive to be of an 'unsophisticated background'.

          What do other countries immigration issues have to do with Australia? Are you saying it's an excuse and that we shouldn't strive to improve?

          The Asian population of Australia is still a debated topic. Watch the response of Castle Hill locals regarding the Asian only level at Castle Hill Mall. It was either on ACA or TT. I debated this issue in another forum so before you go assuming I'm getting whipped up about the nationalities mentioned here, you should know I'm just anti-racism and will voice my opinion wherever I see xenophobic comments. Lakemba, Hurstville and Cabra. I didn't want to bring up those suburbs as examples previously as I didn't want anyone to be offended and I don't personally see an issue with it but since you assumed I was only talking about Indian and Phillipinos I thought I should correct you. The fact that you relate my comments of immigrants to Indians and those that aren't of asian appearance is quite racist in itself.

          Like it or not, ACA gets ratings for a reason. Their programming can be quite off the mark but if a large audience sit down every night to watch this then it does become a current affair. I personally think the show whips up alot of the issue but there needs to be a responsive audience for that to happen…

          You sir are the troll. Actually, I just think you don't understand as you seem to be hung up on a comment that you incorrectly perceived and no one else seems to see an issue with. You brought it up half way through this thread and got nowhere and once more now.

          Some of your responses are based on incorrect assumptions of me rather than the topic at hand.

        • perz79 on 20/03/2013 - 23:08
          +1

          here you go .. see what your ACA says Mr Uncool… http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/11/09/all-asian-mall-aca-beat-…

        • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 21/03/2013 - 00:04

          Cheers for posting that Perz. Its crazy how some people reacted to the 'asian mall'. Like it was somehow taking their rights away as full blooded Australians.

          I had so many posters on another forum telling me how wrong it was that they had to walk through places run by asians and that they should assimilate or go home.. Absolutely disgusting. Castle Towers (a massive Westfield -like shopping centre) is literally 300m away… plenty of 'normal' shops for the KKK to shop at.

          The mall obviously did what it could to survive but some people would rather see them go out of business than turn one of three levels into an Asian orientated shopping experience… Racists

  • phokati on 20/03/2013 - 02:35

    Ok well, sitting with three aussie friends of mine and watching this AD 2 of them said it is racist.

    I felt the racism straightaway. Pretty sure it was NOT intended but it did came out this way.

    It was not just facts in the AD, the way that old women expressed the dialogues, i can see She looked more disgusted about the the call centres in India or Philippines rather than being happy about this one being in Aus.

  • SpaceNinja on 20/03/2013 - 02:48
    +1

    This is so offensive; no one is prepared to believe the white Caucasian guy in the ad.

  • f38r1 on 20/03/2013 - 11:00
    +1

    Sorry for the Indians out there. I have my personal experience in this. IMO, the call centers / customer services in India are terrible.

    They think like robots, can't make decisions. Sometimes they are rude too.

    I found speaking with Aussie cusomer service is better.

    • Macgyver on 20/03/2013 - 11:34
      +1

      Racist!

    • grasstown on 20/03/2013 - 12:54

      Note that the ad does not go into any of these things. The ad simply suggests that Aussie call centers are better than call centers in India and Philippines. The ad is unfortunate.

      • phokati on 22/03/2013 - 02:45
        +1

        The ad do suggest aussie all centers are better, they also suggest india and phillpine call centres are shit…

  • perz79 on 20/03/2013 - 15:45

    Here we go again .. Aussi call centres are better than Indian/Philippines/China call centres. As i said in my previous comments WHO HAS MADE THIS DECISION. OUR SO CALLLED AUSSIE BANKS, TELCOS, AND Retailers and Miners SO WHO SHOULD YOU BLAME .. Australian companies. really ?? really. So common bogans GO AND PROTEST ON THE STREETS. Who allow the Aussie companies to sack all efficient REALLY Australian call centre operators out of job . its Australian Government which allow this to happen .. Really Yes Really .. so who is responsible . Our Australian companies and Australian Government.. Really ? Yes Really. but no one is talking there because they are Australians right .. Really ?? Really. These bogans live in their dinosaur age and simply xenophobic to foreigners. I feel so inhuman approach when they do care about their cats and dogs but when someone comes via boat and risk his/her life we called them ‘BOAT PEAOPLE” ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS “ BLAH BLAH BLAH when you actually don’t know the facts that there are 30000+ people in Australia come via Plane and currently have overstayed their visa .. Really ?? Really .. go check with the government data. We don’t care about them but we do care about some thousand refugees. Really ? really. .. Did anyone have seen how they live in the detention centres. Your cats and dogs lives in much better condition than them .. this is the reality .. go and check yourself. Typical “THEY CAME HERE AND TAKE OUR JOB’ TYPE bogans.. common who want to work as TAXI driver, In supermarket or work as a Cleaner/ security , Railways , Maccas or as bus Driver. No one but again these Bogans will complain if Chinese /Indian or any other nationality work on these blue collar jobs. People are more interested in the JUICY news in ACA or today tonight. No body cares about the issue of Old age pensioner, lack of public health facility, public transport, crime rates or issues with teenagers and impact of drugs or alcohol.. All Bogans start raise your voice to these address this issues rather than Really Really thing.. This is what you called Perfect BOGANS…I am Australian and I am proud to be.. But I am not BOGAN and my comments is to show the mirror to those bogans who are in minority in Australia. .. that’s it..

    • Luke212 on 20/03/2013 - 16:07
      +2

      your english is terrible. are you an indian phone support technician? this is the problem. i cant understand you. people like you do not offer the same service as an australian because you have poor communication skills in english. thats all. its true whether someone is allowed to say it or not.

      • _Bruce_ on 20/03/2013 - 16:16

        Have you tried to understand the English of the average Australian lately?

        • perz79 on 20/03/2013 - 23:01
          -1

          i am Australian , i did passed my English test which i bet you will fail .. i also passed my citizen test which i also bet you will fail .. so lets not go there .. i understand the Average Australians English and they all are very nice and friendly . they all believe in Multiculturalism and have a great tolerance towards all ethnic background. not Bogan like few who have nothing to do other than saying Really with the most disgusting face..

        • blablabla23 on 20/03/2013 - 23:12
          +3

          by golly! Pray do tell, which english test you took?

          or put bluntly: are you sure it was an english test?

        • perz79 on 20/03/2013 - 23:22

          its called IELTS, and yes it was an English test.. every migrant has to score between 6 -7 bands out of 9 in each components , reading, writing, speaking and listening .. its the basic requirements blablala. go google yourself..

        • blablabla23 on 21/03/2013 - 00:07
          +1

          it's called sarcasm, and yes it is a way to use irony to mock or convey contempt.. Not every person has the ability to comprehend sarcasm, such as those who have brain damage, dementia and autism (although not always) .. It's argued to be one of the most basic forms of communication, perz79. Go google yourself..

        • perz79 on 21/03/2013 - 10:58

          I thought I was answering to your question “which English Test you took? And are you Sure it was an English Test? "
          I said IELTS and ask you to google for that so you will understand what the Test is all about. Now you are going on separate topic of sarcasm, brain damage, dementia and autism, which are irrelevant here. You have asked the question as you have done Phd in English language and i have to justify that in fact I can speak, read ,listen or write English. I working in Australia with Australian companies for the last 10 years and 90% of my staff are Australians. I have not seen any feedback on my communication skills since last 10 years of work. Some of my workmates are my best friends and almost all of them have great respect to Multiculturalism. It’s unfortunate to when you raised some real questions and some people just don’t like it and reply with totally irrelevant answers such as “ what English test “ I passed or was the test was “ An English Test” . Just answer logically to the issues I raised without being xenophobic. I repeat it once again. The issues I raised were. What do you think who is responsible for moving our Jobs overseas?? Is it Australian Companies who have made those efficient Australian Call centre operators jobless or The Government which allow this to be happen?? Or both are responsible?? So instead of complaining the poor Pilipino/Indian or any Asian chap who get abuse almost 10 times in a day because he can’t speak “English”; protest against our Government and Australian companies who are responsible for this situation, and make sure you use the same Tone and anger the way you treat these Indian/Pilipino or Asian call centre operators.that all i want to say .. Now i won’t be surprise if someone will reply to my post once again with totally irrelevant answer.

        • blablabla23 on 21/03/2013 - 22:50
          +1

          not sure if you're being deliberately obtuse but i've got nothing better to do for the time being so might as well take the bait.

          I thought I was answering to your question “which English Test you took? And are you Sure it was an English Test?

          my response to your original question was supposed to convey my disbelieve, because let's be honest- your english is pretty hard to comprehend. It's important to note here that i was not trying to insult, merely a bit of good-humoured teasing.

          I said IELTS and ask you to google for that so you will understand what the Test is all about.

          here you demonstrated your inability to grasp the sarcasm. And of course i know what IELTS is; i've got quite a few friends taking it.

          Now you are going on separate topic of sarcasm, brain damage, dementia and autism, which are irrelevant here.

          yet again, you failed to understand what was intended to be a parody of your reply. I replied using your original sentence structure but replaced it with what i thought was a rather humorous reply.

          You have asked the question as you have done Phd in English language and i have to justify that in fact I can speak, read ,listen or write English.

          i have done nothing of that sort. Besides, why do you feel the need to 'justify' your comprehension of the english language to me, a faceless avatar on the internet? Many people can speak, read, listen and write english (or to condense the whole lot, english-literate), but whether they do it well is a wholly different matter. I do not claim prowess in the english language, nor do i aim to demean those whose first language isn't english.

          I working in Australia with Australian companies for the last 10 years […] I have not seen any feedback on my communication skills since last 10 years of work

          there's a reason for that, and it's all legal mumbo-jumbo. You can't just say these things to someone's face and expect to get away with it without consequence. Ever heard of back-stabbing?

          Some of my workmates are my best friends and almost all of them have great respect to Multiculturalism.

          i may be wrong here but i don't think you can 'respect' multiculturalism as it has no attributable abilities, qualities, or achievements per se. However I certainly accept the fact that globalisation is rendering 'races' and 'ethnicity' obsolete and have no qualms about it.

          Just answer logically to the issues I raised without being xenophobic.

          in what way was i being xenophobic, may i ask?

          What do you think who is responsible for moving our Jobs overseas??

          that is a complex question, the root of which i believe, lies with mankind's inherent greed. Less cost = higher profits, as any first year economics student would tell you. How people respond as well as their attitude is a different matter.

          hopefully you can take what i've written here as constructive criticism instead of being butthurt over random things random people say.

        • perz79 on 22/03/2013 - 00:25

          if i go again for another page to address the same way you did this will be the endless argument. i have no problem to accept your critic on "let's be honest- your english is pretty hard to comprehend" as this is what you think.
          " there's a reason for that, and it's all legal mumbo-jumbo. You can't just say these things to someone's face and expect to get away with it without consequence. Ever heard of back-stabbing?"
          i know what back stabbing is and i did encountered that in past but overall my workmates are my best friend and in fact they do provide me constructive feedback on my work on regular basis. so in my case i do trust them 100%.

          "hopefully you can take what i've written here as constructive criticism instead of being butthurt over random things random people say."
          100% as i dont find anything illogical in your argument.. this is what i expect from a healthy debate.. people can express their views openly and also have a gut to accept criticism. i have no problem to give you + on that :)
          but the my main issue here is why we dont go to the root of a problem and blame who is responsible rather than do Really really thing.. To be honest i personally feel that it is a bit racist.. i dont have any problem if anyone say " proudly Australian" as i also believe that we should support Australian businesses and Australian economy .. The problem arise when someone try to put other countries down to get cheap publicity.. i think doing this is UN Australian.. now again sorry if you cant understand this as English is not my first language…. thats all i want to say..

        • phokati on 22/03/2013 - 02:47

          Impressive Vocabulary there , But this isn't the IELTS test LOL…

        • perz79 on 22/03/2013 - 10:38

          As long as you understand i passed my Test .. LOL .. Take it easy

        • leiiv on 27/03/2013 - 18:15
          +1

          You would not pass the test with the way you wrote your comments here. The misuse of capital and punctuation in your comments makes them hard to read.

      • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 20/03/2013 - 16:30

        To be fair, some of the worst english I have encountered is spoken/written by Australians born and raised here. I say this with experience as recruitment is part of my job. I think that highlights the issue Perz79 is trying to illustrate. More focus on education to stop this illiteracy rather than popular topics that win votes with small minded people.

        I for one am very surprised by the statistics of those that have overstayed their visa. I know this happens but didn't realise how it dwarfs the 'boat people numbers/issue'

        • uncool on 22/03/2013 - 03:02

          oh isn't the media (ACA) the ones prompting the a issue like boat people, shouldn't they focus on the greater issue such as those who overstayed their visa. ;)

        • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 22/03/2013 - 08:58

          Congratulations, your first intelligent contribution to this topic!

          Pity you meant it in sarcasm and actually don't see that the unpopular issue of 30,000+ visa overstayers is possibly a greater issue than 1000 boat people…

  • perz79 on 20/03/2013 - 16:55

    ok rephrase it again.. the issue is about Bogans.. so the only thing i want to say in Simple English is people ( i called them BOGANS) who think that someone from Australia should pick up thier phone .. Go and Complaint to the Companies or Goverment or on the streets…. The Ad is Racist and i have already lodged the complaint to the relavent body .. my English is terrible Really, i am a Graduate unfortunatly.. LOL.. so blame the Australian University that gives me this Degree… are you an indian phone support technician? LOL again.. i have said i am an Australian Mate .. i can see you are going off the track of BOGAN CITY.. sorry mate.. as long Bogan can understand what i typed and what i am trying to say its all good to me ..
    we are not debating a grammer lessons here.. LOL. Take it easy..

    • _Bruce_ on 20/03/2013 - 20:55

      Punctuation is really useful in helping people read and understand your writing. I understand you have used '.' quite a number of times as well as capitalisation, but I really don't think you understand what these are for.

      • perz79 on 20/03/2013 - 22:41
        +1

        As I said before , this debate is not about my grammar or punctuations. It’s about people who are bogans ( the definitions in Oxford dictionary says” an uncouth or unsophisticated person, regarded as being of low social status:”). I don’t need someone to teach me the English lessons..i have done it already when i was in year 5 in school. I think its better if you use your time and energy to address the issues which I have raised before. I have a degree from Australian University and have done 20+ assignments in three years and none of them had any feedback about my grammar or punctuations. We are talking about people who are hypocrites and show their two faces to the society; one shows that we believe in “FAIR GO “and other shows the true face of racism and therefore I called them Bogans.

        • _Bruce_ on 20/03/2013 - 23:11
          +1

          My point is I can't even read most of what you type, it is just a wall of text, so there is no debate.

        • perz79 on 20/03/2013 - 23:26

          i hope you did read my previous post and try to figure out what the issues are ..

        • _Bruce_ on 21/03/2013 - 08:48
          +1

          If you can't be bothered to communicate clearly, why should you expect anyone be bothered to read what you write?

        • perz79 on 22/03/2013 - 00:30
          -1

          keep going..

        • uncool on 22/03/2013 - 02:51
          +1

          I promise the wife I not to waste time here anymore, but i cant resist ;p

          I don't see Bogans being describe as racist in that dictionary. people who are unsophisticated/low social status doesn't necessarily mean they are racist.

          why don't you just stick to the correct term "Racist"? or is that not sophisticated enough?

        • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 22/03/2013 - 09:00

          Listen to your wife

        • perz79 on 22/03/2013 - 10:50

          its the problem with Bogans that they dont even realise that they are racist by ingnorence. the lady in the ad is the perfect example of that..
          its just like the person who bully to others thinks that he is not bullying at all and its ok to be a bully because its nothing wrong with it. you have to ask the other person who is victim or feel that he is victim..

          its the same thing with people if you tell them " you are racist" what they reply " No i am not " i am just telling you the " Fact".

  • ozbargained on 20/03/2013 - 19:14
    +2

    Stop wasting your time.

  • poppit88 on 20/03/2013 - 23:58
    +1

    Seriously, what is offensive about the ad? The fact that a company is stating that they employee Australians and that as a customer you'll speak to a staff member who speaks fluent English, is Australian, employed in Australia & can answer a question that is 'outside of the box'.

    Or is the offence, that so many companies are moving their call centre operations off shore where the 'slave labour' is hidden, but somehow legitimate. A case of out of sight out of mind. Maybe the ad gives some that squeamish feeling. (Because it did that to me!)

    I just closed two credit cards with St George Bank for this very reason. I'm sick of speaking to call centre staff who are polite and friendly, but can not answer the most basic questions or provide me with the most simple piece of information. Yet I notice my annual card fees aren't reduced, my interest rate isn't reduced etc.,

    Note to self, write to Advertising standards board, with a congratulatory note for a company who is prepared to say it the way it is. It's unfortunate that our world is so politically correct, that we are no longer allowed an opinion.

    After all if I wanted to be served by some of the clowns that ring me, I'd immigrate to that country of choice - quiet obviously I haven't because my feet are still firmly attached to Australia.

    Where possible I want my business to employee Australians, in Australia, who actually live in Australia. After all, I am Australian myself! Please tell me why I(or why anyone else for that matter) would not want to support my own fellow citizens!

    • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 21/03/2013 - 00:45
      -2

      You failed to see the point. It's fine to promote an Australian call centre but this ad targeted Indian and Phillipinos. Instead of me explaining what's already been said, check out what others have commented.

      Also your comment about 'slave labour' is obviously an uneducated assumption in the case of Indian call centre workers. They are actually paid very well and are in the range of the middle class. The converted dollar figure isn't much to us but it's high over there.

      If anyone can be bothered this link gives a westerners perception and experience of working for an Indian call centre.

      http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/05/indian-call-cent…

    • phokati on 22/03/2013 - 02:50

      Completely agree there, I would want aussies to work for my business too. But i wont point out others being shit.

      I know its not really very racist, but coz its a TV ad it affects, what individuals think doesnt really matter.

      But a TV ad does make a difference.

  • SpaceNinja on 21/03/2013 - 11:19
    +1

    Why is this thread in the General section? being not related to anything in general to bargains; this should be in the "off-topic" if anything. Mods?

  • The Gent on 21/03/2013 - 14:44
    +1

    http://htmlimg2.scribdassets.com/50gt2s87k05xnf4/images/1-01…

    Here is a form you can fill out if you really wanted to…

  • Sounds on 21/03/2013 - 22:01
    +1

    Not offensive at all.

    • uncool on 22/03/2013 - 02:53
      +1

      how dare you to have an opinion!

  • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 22/03/2013 - 00:09
    -1

    If this ad isn't offensive I should be able to replace the countries mentioned with other countries and still have a neutral feeling, correct?

    "You mean to say I won't speak to someone from Lebanon or Palestine? Really? "

    "REALLY"….

    • perz79 on 22/03/2013 - 00:38

      good one Roozy .. what about adding France, Italy, Russia, Germany, Spain,and all Latin American countries… LOL :) really .. just imagine how the ad will gona look like ..

    • phokati on 22/03/2013 - 02:54
      +2

      Promoting aussie call centres is good i find them a lot better myself. However you can't just name countries and make disgust faces while naming them.

      Also its really really hard to understand for you guys unless you are minority.

      I would say again that what a individual say or think that would not matter.
      But a TV ad or any ad for that matter influences what people think.

      • The Gent on 22/03/2013 - 17:23

        They're referring to the countries, not the people.

        It's implied, I'll grant you, but when they say "Aussie", that does include people such as yourself who, from the name, I assume are from an Indian background…?

        You live legally in Australia (I assume) so you're an Aussie. You are not included in the people that they (we) don't wish to deal with.

        • rohanp16 on 22/03/2013 - 17:36

          They're referring to the countries, not the people.

          Last time I checked 'someone' implied people.

        • The Gent on 23/03/2013 - 01:28

          As I said I believe it to be implied.

          Australia in general is a very informal place (I say as a recent immigrant to the country) so that kind of language is not meant to be taken so literally.

        • rohanp16 on 23/03/2013 - 08:37

          Australia in general is a very informal place (I say as a recent immigrant to the country) so that kind of language is not meant to be taken so literally.

          So 'someone' doesn't mean people here in Australia ? Jeez, I have to recalibrate the meaning of basic English words now.

        • The Gent on 23/03/2013 - 14:38
          +1

          It's not the literal meaning; it's the implied meaning. They're using words like "Aussie" and "Local".

          This honestly might be a language thing as English is one of the most non-intuitive languages when it comes to this kind of stuff.

        • rohanp16 on 23/03/2013 - 16:26

          Sure.

  • phokati on 22/03/2013 - 03:10

    I like this thread and i cannot lie, you other brothers cant deny…

  • AlanHB on 22/03/2013 - 11:28
    +1

    I'm not personally offended, but I support people's right to free speech so I have no issue with the complaint.

  • ZRXS12 on 22/03/2013 - 12:28

    I'm not at all offended by this add.
    It's virtually pointless dealing with these call centres in india and philippines because they barely understand english.
    I'm not sure what replacing the words philippines or india with lebanon or some such is going to achieve, I've yet to knowingly receive any phone support from a Lebanon based call centre (maybe it's a conspiracy by the Lebanese call centres pretending to be Indian to give the Indian call centres a bad rep).

    In regards to the OP posting this thread I am disgusted and have many choice words I would like to say to you, unfortunately that would see me banned for long long time… Perhaps we can just wrap the whole world in bubble wrap, would that make you happy? So Un-Australian.

    In regards to perz79,
    Please attend a TAFE english course, if not for yourself do it for the rest of Oz Bargain :)

    • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 22/03/2013 - 12:36
      +1

      Comments like, "they barely understand english" show what type of person you are…

      • ZRXS12 on 22/03/2013 - 12:44
        +1

        Really?
        Am i that far off?
        My opinion from my own personal experience.
        It's one thing being able to repeat a few sentences quite another understanding it.

        I should add that I find the Filipino call centres easiest to deal with as they in general have a much better understanding of the English language, but a lot of them also have very heavy accents.

        I guess it all comes down to how much the company which contracts the call centre is willing to pay.

        Example contact Paypal as a regular customer get crappy to average service, call back as a business customer get completely different premium service without wait times.

        • rohanp16 on 22/03/2013 - 13:33

          Hahahha you make me laugh. A lot. :D You can personal message me your 'choice' words. Your words will affect me SO much, I highly value your opinion ! Yes, please bubble wrap the whole word for me, you would do that ? Really ? :) Or would that be 'Un-Australian' ? ;) I guess I missed the memo where that was Un-Australian.

          On a more serious and less sarcastic note, I'd just say one thing (assuming you are able to understand reason and follow logic).

          The issue with this ad isn't the level of quality (be it stemming from the hold of the English language, technical knowledge or whatever tickles your fancy) in overseas call centres vs Australian ones. That is a separate issue and one we can discuss in another thread if you like. We can do what reasonable people do - see what research is out there addressing that question, what variables have been quantified, scrutinise their research methodology etc. But that's not what I'm interested in here.

          Here, the simple issue is that of explicitly naming overseas countries in a negative light.

        • ZRXS12 on 22/03/2013 - 13:49

          What is negative about not wanting to do business with call centres in those countries?

          In recent years there have been many Australian job losses to call centre etc in those 2 countries.

          As r3dfusi0n says below "Did someone say Appeal to Patriotism?".

        • rohanp16 on 22/03/2013 - 14:07

          Once again my friend, the issue is NOT with having call centres in Australia (be it for ANY REASON WHATSOEVER, fact or opinion - keep jobs in Australia, better customer service, better English, etc etc). Sorry for the caps and bold, my patience has run thin repeating this many times over. Makes me wonder how people go about reading and following a discussion. Anyways to get back to it,

          Promote, market your company as having call centres locally, answered by 'Australians' (however one wishes to define that) by stating that aspect. An example is "Our call centres are in Australia, not overseas". I lack creativity so excuse the lack of 'impact'.

          That line is completely different to EXPLICITLY naming and undermining call centres overseas.

          If you don't feel there is any difference in those two lines and it's connotations, then I can't make you see it.

          Oh, and if you feel I've been 'oversensitive' or 'have too much time', save yourself the keystrokes, many enlightened people here have already given their valuable opinions in that regard. :)

        • perz79 on 22/03/2013 - 14:26

          ZRXS12.. oh well. i have repeated 20 times already.. complaint to the Companies that allows this issue of overseas call centres and job loss to happen and also complaint to our Government and opposition party who have nothing to do but look at how many boat has arrived in this country last month. so show your Patriotism by protesting against Australian companies on Streets or Outside the Parliament. putting someone down shows no Patriotism but shows how much respect do you have for anyone other than Australia and Australians ( sorry i am Australian too but you may ask my citizenship certificate and even if i show it to you still wont believe) ..

        • ZRXS12 on 22/03/2013 - 14:27

          The thing is you don't get it, as long as their competitors are using call centres in India and the Philippines Southern Phone has a valid point using that line in their adds.

        • ChmpgneTasteBeerBdgt on 22/03/2013 - 14:36
          +1

          India and the Philippines are in the top 10 countries in the world with english speaking residents by population. India is 2nd only to The US.

          http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_English-…

          Do you think a large organisation would filter through all the best speakers to choose someone who you can't understand and vice versa? Read my link in a previous comment about the selection criteria.
          Edit* here you go. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/05/indian-call-cent…

          You sir are that person that immediately is blinded to the level of service due to your intolerance..

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