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snakeplissken22 · 02-27-2007, 10:20 PM

Hmm, something along this subject matter has been touched upon in other forums. Alot of businesses these days do not want to take relay calls because so many of them are Nigerian Scam calls. I know, as a relay operator, just how many fraud calls that we get. Some businesses have lost literally thousands as a result. I had a call one time, where the business owner started screaming at me about " Do you realize how much money I lost because of one of these calls?,"
I'll tell you who is to blame for alot of this, the phone companies themselves. The rules are set up in such a way, that our relay explanation scripts are downright confusing and 90% of our rules are made to accomadate the people that abuse relay. ( In addition to scam calls, lots of kids think that it is funny to use a relay operator to prank call businesses and homes, most kids seem to find it hilarious to have an operator voice things that they are too cowardly to say). I have had calls, where I as an operator, ( and many other operators) have gotten into trouble for trying to help the deaf user by breaking protocol. Several times, I have had, for example doctor's offices hang up on me saying " We are not interested in buying relay",. Now, when the deaf user instructed me to redial, rather than announce relay I said " I am an operator with a deaf caller that is trying to schedule an appt,". They always become apologetic, generally saying stuff like " OH OH , I am sorry I thought you were a telemarketing service,". Here is the bad part. My company wrote me up and gave me a warning for doing so. According to the supervisor who wrote me up, I was supposed to announce relay and unless the business asked me specifically what is relay? I was not supposed to tell them anything about it being a service for the deaf, I was just supposed to stick to the explanation script as to how it works. I am telling you, if there is anyone that needs to be complained to, it is the phone companies that allow the system to be run by scam callers, kids playing pranks and having rules that make it almost impossible to help the very people that they are supposed to be servicing.

02-27-2007, 10:20 PM	#15 (permalink)
snakeplissken22 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 36	Other forums Hmm, something along this subject matter has been touched upon in other forums. Alot of businesses these days do not want to take relay calls because so many of them are Nigerian Scam calls. I know, as a relay operator, just how many fraud calls that we get. Some businesses have lost literally thousands as a result. I had a call one time, where the business owner started screaming at me about " Do you realize how much money I lost because of one of these calls?," I'll tell you who is to blame for alot of this, the phone companies themselves. The rules are set up in such a way, that our relay explanation scripts are downright confusing and 90% of our rules are made to accomadate the people that abuse relay. ( In addition to scam calls, lots of kids think that it is funny to use a relay operator to prank call businesses and homes, most kids seem to find it hilarious to have an operator voice things that they are too cowardly to say). I have had calls, where I as an operator, ( and many other operators) have gotten into trouble for trying to help the deaf user by breaking protocol. Several times, I have had, for example doctor's offices hang up on me saying " We are not interested in buying relay",. Now, when the deaf user instructed me to redial, rather than announce relay I said " I am an operator with a deaf caller that is trying to schedule an appt,". They always become apologetic, generally saying stuff like " OH OH , I am sorry I thought you were a telemarketing service,". Here is the bad part. My company wrote me up and gave me a warning for doing so. According to the supervisor who wrote me up, I was supposed to announce relay and unless the business asked me specifically what is relay? I was not supposed to tell them anything about it being a service for the deaf, I was just supposed to stick to the explanation script as to how it works. I am telling you, if there is anyone that needs to be complained to, it is the phone companies that allow the system to be run by scam callers, kids playing pranks and having rules that make it almost impossible to help the very people that they are supposed to be servicing.