Who called from 8139366206

HERE IS THE ADDRESS OF THIS CALL CENTER!!!  ALSO A PHONE NUMBER TO THE GUY IN CHARGE OF HIRING FOR THIS LOCATION!!!


Have I got a treat for you guys... please read this until the end.  So today is November 4th, 2008.  I have been out of a job for a while and have been searching Craigslist for something.  I live in Tampa, FL, USA.  A few weeks ago I responded to an add for a "customer service" position.  Well yesterday I got a call back from a guy named Tony.  He asked referred to my response to their ad on Craigslist and asked me if I still needed a job.  I told him that I did need a job and he asked me to come in tomorrow (being the 4th) at 4pm.  I agreed and arrived at the location on time.

I went through the interview / training period, which really only consisted of filling out a job application, reading from a script, and being told what to fill in the blanks with.  They told me that we were calling people in Canada.

For those of you who have never had a call-center job, allow me t explain the typical set-up of an average (telemarketing) call-center.  The cold-callers sit in semi-cubicles in long rows.  You have a computer, a phone, a headset, and a box that connects the headset to the phone and computer.  The calls are on an auto-dialer.  The computer has a script on it.  When the call is made the computer fills in it's own blanks with the information attached to the phone number.  The caller reads the script and has a menu at the bottom of the page.  The menu consists of common responses by the "customer".  You select the menu option that best matches the customer's response to your initial pitch, and it brings up a different script.  You repeat this process until the call is terminated by the customer, or a sale is made.

When a sale is made the caller then transfers the customer to a "closer".  The closer finalizes the sale, gathering payment and delivery information, and using high-pressure tactics if the customer begins to have second-thoughts.

After my orientation they took me into the call room.  It was a small room with maybe 20 call stations in it, and more or less set up like a traditional call center.  One glaring difference was the lack of computers.  After a few more words of "training", they basically told me to "get to it".  I had a phone and headset, a three-page paper script, and little sheets of paper about 4 inches wide and 2 inches tall.  These papers were the leads.  They had names, phone numbers, dates of birth, and email addresses on them.  There was some other information, but nothing like CC numbers or home addresses.  I was expected to call the phone numbers, read the script, record whether or not the customer was married, and send the sale to a closer if the customer went for it.  I ended up leaving after making one call (where I got an answering machine anyway).  I decided that this was not something I wanted to be a part of.

They did not volunteer any information about pay.  The evening shift is 5pm - 11pm (Eastern time), and I'm guessing the morning shift is 11am - 5pm.  The employees there are not given ANY breaks other than to go to the bathroom, and they blare horrible Christian-Rap music all shift long.  They told me I would have to speak loudly because the headsets have a noise canceler, so the customer would not hear the background chatter or music playing.

Anyway, at the bottom I will list the physical street address for this particular call center, as well as the phone number for the man that offered me the job.  I figured giving you guys as much information as possible might make it fun for you the next time they call you.  You could ask them how they feel about not having breaks, for instance, and see if you can generally screw with them :)

AAA International
13153 N. Dale Mabry Hwy
Suite 102
Tampa, FL  33618

Tony (the man who hired me)
813-477-9069

Maybe you guys can inspire him to get a new phone number hehe.