This Blog has the intended purpose of keeping my friends and family up to date with my daily life while I am here in India. It has the further advantage of allowing me to verbalize my daily challenges as a way to de-stress after a day of challenges here on the Sub Continent. For all readers please enjoy my experiences or use them as a cautionary tale. In general, I try to find the humour in daily life wherever it presents itself. I hope you do too.
Preparing to go to India presented a host of challenges on its own. India requires a Visa for all travelers and they have contracted this out to a BPO, a particularly ineffective BPO. Now, I work for a BPO and before that I managed a small personnel placement service so I have nothing against the use of BPOs. The difference is that our company really does try to help the caller, not put them off to another day.
Even the incoming IVR says we are very busy so call back later, they give no sense that they intend to help at any point. After my Visa had been delayed beyond the promised time, I began calling in as to its status. Each day there was a promise to “open an enquiry” after the 3rd day I asked why would we need another enquiry, what happened to the last one, and was told there were no enquiries on my files, so I had been lied to three times at that point, this person promised an enquiry and when I asked how I could trust that an enquiry would be put in, he promised that he was the right person and since he had never promised an enquiry I would be able to believe him. Difficult to believe so rather than wait a day, I called back 10 minutes later and found out that, yes , in fact, he had put in an enquiry. The dispute then moved to emails.
Since I put down that I was to be a trainer, they wanted documentation from the university that was sending me over to train. We went back and forth for a while, with them not moving from their request. This was my final email to them
Even after resubmitting, I still had to do battle with them on a semi-regular basis, since I could no longer trust them, I shepherded my own Visa through their system, calling them to make sure it had moved from one step to another, each conversation required me to begin shouting at some point and calling them liars, etc. Every conversation started with them not being able to find any documentation from me and asking me for constant inputs of info but I was sophisticated enough to have the answers before they asked the questions, repeating what I had been told in a previous conversation with my characteristic "so this is what (name) said, so was he lying or are you" then suddenly the info would miraculously appear and another hurdle is cleared, Second last call was a Tuesday and we danced again for a while, no there is no application, oh, it is held up for lack of info, blah blah blah, me: no so and so said it was at the embassy for approval who is the liar, then suddenly (after about 15 more minutes of me shouting) oh, here it is yes we have it, we are dispatching it to you today, you should have it within 2 days, me: thank you, this is all I wanted when we started this conversation. To my final discussion, on Friday, them: no we do not have it, no it is held up for documentation, i will put in an enquiry, Me: no you said you were returning it on Tuesday i just want the tracking number so i can get after the courier and see why they didn’t deliver, no, I was told by (name) on Tuesday it was being shipped so is he lying or are you. Finally, after more shouting by me, miraculously a tracking number, thank you this is all I wanted when we started. So I finally had my Visa.
I had adopted a could care less attitude about it, which made it easier to deal with these people, didn’t care if they said no anymore so I went in guns blazing, always started out polite but every time they would start with, we can’t find any record of you and off I went like a rocket. If they had said kiss my *** you are not getting a Visa I would have said thank you give me my passport back. Seven weeks in a border community without a passport. I even threatened to bring in the RCMP one time for illegal seizure of a federal document.
Now I HAVE to go to India.
Preparing to go to India presented a host of challenges on its own. India requires a Visa for all travelers and they have contracted this out to a BPO, a particularly ineffective BPO. Now, I work for a BPO and before that I managed a small personnel placement service so I have nothing against the use of BPOs. The difference is that our company really does try to help the caller, not put them off to another day.
Even the incoming IVR says we are very busy so call back later, they give no sense that they intend to help at any point. After my Visa had been delayed beyond the promised time, I began calling in as to its status. Each day there was a promise to “open an enquiry” after the 3rd day I asked why would we need another enquiry, what happened to the last one, and was told there were no enquiries on my files, so I had been lied to three times at that point, this person promised an enquiry and when I asked how I could trust that an enquiry would be put in, he promised that he was the right person and since he had never promised an enquiry I would be able to believe him. Difficult to believe so rather than wait a day, I called back 10 minutes later and found out that, yes , in fact, he had put in an enquiry. The dispute then moved to emails.
Since I put down that I was to be a trainer, they wanted documentation from the university that was sending me over to train. We went back and forth for a while, with them not moving from their request. This was my final email to them
- I responded to your last email suggesting that the letters we sent were in support of a business visa. Thus we will not be submitting letters from a University. I further requested that you change the box that says RESEARCH AND TRAINING to a box that is more suitable to the supporting documents that we sent. I had hoped that by now this would be completed, further, once the application is changed to a business visa then the dollar amount that was sent would match up with the visa type that we actually require. You did not respond to that email so one week later we are no further ahead. Also, the list has grown from 2 outstanding issue to 5, I have no way whatsoever of understanding what you want me to do. I did supply a photo, you did not mention it in your previous email as being missing, you didn't mention a missing signature, I do not know how I would send you a signature. And the dollar amount you keep referring to is because we do not want a Research Visa (thus will not be supplying documents for a Research Visa). I need a resolution to this, I need you to tell me exactly what needs to be done to change this request from a research visa to a business visa. There are literally hundreds of people waiting for my arrival in India so that they can be trained to take over their new jobs. May I ask that you please do not request that I provide Supporting Documents for a Research Visa. We are requesting a Business Visa only. Email me or call me and tell me what is required to end this stalemate. People's livelihoods are depending on this. Please do not wait 1 more week before you respond again. I need this resolved, other people need this resolved. Thank you in advance for your timely assistance.
Even after resubmitting, I still had to do battle with them on a semi-regular basis, since I could no longer trust them, I shepherded my own Visa through their system, calling them to make sure it had moved from one step to another, each conversation required me to begin shouting at some point and calling them liars, etc. Every conversation started with them not being able to find any documentation from me and asking me for constant inputs of info but I was sophisticated enough to have the answers before they asked the questions, repeating what I had been told in a previous conversation with my characteristic "so this is what (name) said, so was he lying or are you" then suddenly the info would miraculously appear and another hurdle is cleared, Second last call was a Tuesday and we danced again for a while, no there is no application, oh, it is held up for lack of info, blah blah blah, me: no so and so said it was at the embassy for approval who is the liar, then suddenly (after about 15 more minutes of me shouting) oh, here it is yes we have it, we are dispatching it to you today, you should have it within 2 days, me: thank you, this is all I wanted when we started this conversation. To my final discussion, on Friday, them: no we do not have it, no it is held up for documentation, i will put in an enquiry, Me: no you said you were returning it on Tuesday i just want the tracking number so i can get after the courier and see why they didn’t deliver, no, I was told by (name) on Tuesday it was being shipped so is he lying or are you. Finally, after more shouting by me, miraculously a tracking number, thank you this is all I wanted when we started. So I finally had my Visa.
I had adopted a could care less attitude about it, which made it easier to deal with these people, didn’t care if they said no anymore so I went in guns blazing, always started out polite but every time they would start with, we can’t find any record of you and off I went like a rocket. If they had said kiss my *** you are not getting a Visa I would have said thank you give me my passport back. Seven weeks in a border community without a passport. I even threatened to bring in the RCMP one time for illegal seizure of a federal document.
Now I HAVE to go to India.
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