h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

One of the best resources I have found in learning how to deal with difficult people has been Verbal Judo by George J. Thomson. It has helped my improve my conflict resolution skills no end be it with angry motorists, people suffering a mental illness, my brothers etc. Try it.

We read so much from the victim's point of view. What so many telephone operators forget is that very few people start out with the intention of being difficult.

A problem of huge proportions in the UK today is the use of call centres both at home and abroad. About a year ago, I phoned Marks and Spencers, on behalf of my elderly father, to get some information about closing his account. I got through to a call centre in India, and the chap could speak very little English. I tried to explain that my father was unable to speak to him, and would he tell me what to do about closing the account. He kept butting in with : You account holder? So I try to explain, and he said : Not account holder, no speak. Eventually he cut me off ! So I rang the local M and S, and they apologised, and promptly put me through to the Indian call centre again, where I encountered the same problem. I rang the local store again, and they apologised again, and put me through to head office. Head office passed me back to the local store, who gave me the number of the Indian call centre !

My patience, and that of thousands of British people, is tested like that quite often.

Next time you get a difficult person, try to remember that you are probably the seventh person who has been unhelpful to them.

Same with B.T. and by the time you do get through,you are very,very angry.So I think a lot of these companys bring this on themselves.

I understand your point of view WarholPlaysBanjo. I have often been inconvenienced by indian callcentres and their associated annoyances.
Speaking as a lowly callcentre operative, I would like to venture my side. Callcentre work, by any stretch of the imagination, is not a job that people intend to stay in. I, like a lot of my colleagues, am in the middle of my degree and working to pay off debts before returning to study. We all try to start the day bright eyed and eager to help people, but will steadily be battered down by people who are determined to be awkward. The line I work on is a direct number, so there is no way that anyone could be passed from pillar to post. This has led me to believe that people automatically expect to be badly treated by callcentre staff so therefore bring this negativity into their call. It's a shame though, as 99 times out of 100 it is not the customer service agent who has caused offence.
People ought to realise that the person on the other end of the line is in that job out of necessity and is an actual person actively trying to help them.