All my stars in heaven…how stupid are people???

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    I called Fidelity Investments at 1-800-835-5097 and got to an operator.  All i asked her for was the ticker symbol for a publically traded fund they offer for sale to anyone off the street.  She said she couldn’t give me that information because I didn’t have an account with them and didn’t know my husband’s pin number for his account.

    I then got into an arguement saying “That’s a silly policy.  IF you cannot get the ticker symbol, how can you research the fund so you know whether or not to invest in it???”  She then confided she had NO idea what a ticker symbol was and transferred me to a supervisor.

    The question is, shouldn’t you be at least MODERATELY trained in your product if you are going to be dealing with customers and potential customers?  (She was definately an African American Woman and most assuredly either IN New York or FROM New York, based on her voice inflection, so it’s not like I was talking to someone from Nigeria or Abu-Dabbi)


  • Nope, Merrimack, NH

    They still have a major facility there, but announced last week a massive new campus being built outside of Raleigh.

    Also, which number did you use?  Their payroll divisions?  401(k) allotment re-adjustment?  Remember most of these folks are data entry/analysis; not investment counselors.

    Unless you called their Trade office, then you probably would NOT get someone who could help you.  Like most major financial companies, their employees have highly specialized knowledge, and minimal general knowledge.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    @ncscswitch:

    Nope, Merrimack, NH

    They still have a major facility there, but announced last week a massive new campus being built outside of Raleigh.

    Also, which number did you use?  Their payroll divisions?  401(k) allotment re-adjustment?  Remember most of these folks are data entry/analysis; not investment counselors.

    Unless you called their Trade office, then you probably would NOT get someone who could help you.  Like most major financial companies, their employees have highly specialized knowledge, and minimal general knowledge.

    I called the number on the statement showing how many shares we had and it’s dollar amount on that day.  I figured, heck, this HAS to be the best number to get a knowledgable person on their products!

    I figured wrong.

    New Hampshire huh?  I knew it was in the United States.  Not many native New Yorkers are going to move to India to get a job in customer service. heh


  • The number you called is the one to reach a person who can make the data entries to change allocation.

    The actual financial advisors would be listed in the start up pack info, or the account prospectus.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Okay, but even given that, wouldn’t you think a high school graduate (or at least someone with a GED) would know what a mutual fund ticker symbol was???  No wonder our economy’s in the toilet!  I bet that person cannot even write a check correctly!


  • At least she spoke English.

    Would’t it have been so much better if you reached India and got someone who had no clue what a ticker symbol was?

    BTW: That is an arcahic term and has widely gone out of practice.  The common term now is “Stock Symbol” or “Fund Symbol”, dpending on the type.

    And you can look those up on Yahell :-)


  • I’d be surprised if the first person you called in a (inter)national company’s customer service line would know more than how to direct your call.  :-)

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Yea, I used stock symbol too, when trying to communicate with her.

    it’s just frustrating that you can speak the same language as someone and still not communicate due to lack of education.


  • Jen, it is nothign new.

    I call my own coprporate offices to get someone in the technical department (equipment specs), and I get the Lab instead.

    People who get paid 20ish or 30 somethign ish a year and answer the phone probably are not the most highly skilled, highly educated folks on the planet.

    And if htey don;t watch business news (like 95% of people do not) and it is not in their job description, then they probably simply do not know.


  • @Jermofoot:

    I’d be surprised if the first person you called in a (inter)national company’s customer service line would know more than how to direct your call.  :-)

    I think you’re on to something here.  My receptionists are highly skilled at what they do.  Still, if you asked them the differential diagnosis for something as simple as a pneumonia, i’m pretty sure they’d say “ahhh . . . i think i’ll let you speak to the doctor”.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    You know, my office manager at The Outer Edge Solutions was kick but(t)!  She handled all the proof reading, taught herself Publisher and Adobe, handled all the phone calls, learned about our products on her own time so she could be knowledgable for our technicians and customers to relieve stress on the management team.

    I guess I was just spoiled.  Here I thought being professional was more important then earning $0.50/hr more.  I also view it as a company’s responsibility to reward professionalism.  (We offered 100% tuition assistance for every ‘A’, 90% for every ‘B’; all expenses paid health, dental and vision insurance; bonuses based on annual revenue over expectations, 15 days paid vacation (working days) etc.)

    My addage:  If you pay the best, demand what can be produced, never lower your standards, be reasonable and allowed your staff to have an outside life, you’ll get the best employees, contractors and customers.  (Customers come when you have the best contractors and employees…it’s really amazing how the free market works when you don’t interfere!)


  • Maybe you should make a grievance with them and not on an axis and allies general discussion board?


  • This discussion encompasses my wife’s pet peeve, people who don’t do their jobs.  She’s constantly frustrated at having to correct errors or follow up on delayed actions.

    Sadly, it’s not just the lower echelon that needs attention.  It seems that people are indeed promoted to their highest level of incompetence.


  • I hear managers complain all the time about how the youth and fresh college grads don’t have a work ethic.  In my observation, there’s just as many incapable managers.  :evil:


  • I won;t even get into how bad my immediate supervisor is…

    He is supposed to be in charge of logistics for 15 field routes covering Eastern North Carolina…

    But he still has yet to figure out that Oxford (40 miles north of Raleigh) is no where near Sanford (45 miles south-southwest of Raleigh).  I won;t even mention the random stacks of paper in his office.  Not just on his desk but on 2 extra desks, the floor, the tops of several filing cabinets, and a “literature rack” with more than 100 slots…  BTW:, these “stacks” are what he is supposd to route in the most efficient manner possible for those 15 employees.  It would be funny if not so sad.

    And then there is the voice mail I received yesterday morning at 6:14 a.m. letting me know about a 6:30 a.m. staff meeting (not kidding).

    Did I mention the guy just got promoted?  Would be funny if it were not so damn sickening.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    I was self employed for a long time.  Now i just get a check every year from the company (3% net profits, not a bad deal) for the very reason that I couldn’t stand stupid people working with me!

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