Call centers

jackson5

Registered
Joined
Oct 14, 2009
Messages
6
Likes
1
The call center industry is thriving here in Buenos Aires, but the actual scene doesn't look as rosy as it seems. Here are some inside info that may or may not be helpful...but it sure is informative.
Numerous times, I check craigslist, looking at jobs and what's out there for people who have just moved here and are interested in English speaking jobs.

What is it like, working in a call center in BsAs, how much does it pay, growth, opportunity, I speak English, an universal language...does that help ??
Here we go...

Opportunity, career, growth prospects… you can pretty much forget about that, there is absolutely no room for growth in the call center industry. They only need heads to call and call all day long.
If you ever get past the 3, 4 multiple interview process, that usually lasts weeks.
The interviews itself are no joy rides, the personal info that you have to disclose, are you married, why are you here, how many kids do you have, how long are you going to live here, etc.
This is what you should expect…Do not expect to get paid more than 20 pesos a day when you are in training, say for about 2, 3 weeks.…travel allowance, what’s that ???
Most of the companies will pay you cash, which is fine to a certain extent, but you can forget about medical or any kind of insurance, which may cost anywhere between 200 to 300 pesos.
If after 2 weeks of stupid brainwashing session, you can’t take it anymore and quit, you can forget about your 20 pesos a day also. The time u spent in training, you are not going to get compensated for it.
Congrats, you have made it through training, now you are on the phone, on an automated dialer, that will not let you rest on your seat even for a few seconds. The automated dialer keeps spitting call after call at you.
Your job, should u choose….is to qualify them, listen to their cursing and perverted talks and transfer them to an actual salesperson who will sell them something that they don’t need, say subscription to some stupendous magazine that is obviously not selling because of its poor quality and content.
Their call scripts are so structured, that basically they pound you with free stuff, but they need your credit card for security purposes. Lies, lies and more lies.
These are the few companies I would suggest to watch out for, I have been following them for say about 6 months and they advertise for jobs quite regularly, obviously, it’s because of the high turnover, shitty hours, bad pay.
Logistelsa, emochilla, bizpeo, axialent, etc.. trust me, there’s a lot more. Feel free to add to the list.
Standard pays is around 1200, 1400 pesos a month, you can pretty much forget about living in BsAs with that amount of money, never mind the brain damage and the therapy needed.
By the way, you do not get paid till the 15th of the next month, so you are pounding the phones for 45 days, before you can see your first pay check…after taxes…a measly 1000 pesos, if that.
Other thing to consider is age, if you are over 25, you can pretty much forget about being hired.
The call center industry is not a good place to work at all, prying on people and selling them things they don’t need.
Do not hesitate to add your input.

Cheers,

Michael Lives.
 
My ex wife was making AR$3500 to AR$5000 a month + OSDE, 8 hours a day (Mo/Fri), in an American /Argentine owned Human Resources firm, as a recruiter.
That was 2.5 years ago and she is in her mid 50's.
 
I don't know how your comment is relevant here.

1. Your wife worked in the HR dept as a recruiter, so its not a call center job.
2. Your wife is in her mid 50's, so its obvious she's experienced, hence that
justifies the salary.
3. You mentioned that its a Human Resource firm, not a call center where you
are calling in and selling products or services.

I fail to understand your post...
 
This is an ad I came across on Craigslist / jobs / Buenos Aires.
I guess another person got burned by these call centers and their pathetic illegal practices.

Watch out for a company called Lead to reality or Bizpeo.
Their business practices are unprofessional, Plus the reason they have
ads all the time is the high turn over rate. They pay only around 1400-1500 pesos.
And you can't survive on that. That is the same amount someone at Mcdonalds is paid here.
The constant postings are a result of their high turn over rate, taking advantage of foreigners here
by having them work double with half the pay.


Not only that, an acquaintance of mine who works at a call center notified me that at they were recycling the phone numbers they had in their database rather then spend some money to get more leads.
The result...the same people are called again and again, obviously they are frustrated by the same company calling and pushing the same products 3,4 times a week and they will either get abusive on the phone or bang the phone down.
 
I would think that foreigners who accept that job have savings or another job that pays them a salary(bar, English teacher, etc) So if they can get this job they have to teach less and have some kind of income, which is offcourse better then spending your savings
 
The post in craigslist was written by me...
I have visited bizpeo several times, and I can assure you the working conditions are poor and dont even count on the commission they rave about.
I had been talking to the owner on the phone before I arrived to Argentina, to arrange an interview thinking the call center would pay a decent amount since they were recieving money from the U.S. in dollars. The owner assured me the pay was better than english teachers make and that it is enough to live a comfortable life here. Low and behold this was the exact opposite. They start you off at 1200-1500 depending on what kind of slave labour they want you to endure.
Trust me dont put the effort in contacting them. It was one of the reasons I came here, and I was completely let down.
 
i have been shocked... at the salaries here.. of course i dont expect american type wages.. but to work 50 hours a week and to get 1400 pesos a month.......I would rather go down to the casino and try my luck...
yes be VERY CAREFUL with the call centers.. there is a reason they are searching ALL THE TIME in craigslist.... lets face it about 90% of those jobs are bogus.... or jobs with no pay.... well great post.... thank you!!!
 
Ive been here a while and work for one of the companies that hires one of the companies that Jackson listed - and its great! good pay with the commisions, good work environment, good people. Its still a call center, but no complaints here!
But thats about it - the rest in Bs As are shite!

STAY AWAY from 2 companies for sure - Euromaxx and Buenos Aires Language School!!!! I worked for them and they REFUSED to pay me!! and 2 other people of the 5 who worked there... and they made us redundant, we didnt quit. they are liars, well buenos aires language school are, Euromaxx are just pricks... But have started legal proceedings on them, so fingers crossed they pay me my money owed!!! ....
 
Back
Top