Moral Dilema - honesty/job related
12 January 2010, 05:05 PM
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Moral Dilema - honesty/job related
I friend of mine has been working in telemarketing, she has just left the role.
No one explained at the interview but during training it turns out she has to phone companies and pretend to a different person (name to match someone from the company who contracted the telemarketing company) and set a meeting with a senior person by lying about who she is and her role. Or she calls up, lies about he job and that she is new to the company and trying to meet a few of thier customers sets an appointment for her and a colleague to meet knowing full well the 'colleague' is the only one who will make the meeting as she (my firend) is office bound working for a telemarketing company.
The whole thing seems to be based on deception and lies, she even has to lie and say she is new to the job as area manager and trying to get out to meet their customers.
If you are not prepared to tell the pre-scripted lies then you loose your job, so, you have to deceive people to keep the job.
This is being done for some of the largest names in vehicle fleet hire and leasing.
Is it legal to do this? it certianly isn't morally right...
No one explained at the interview but during training it turns out she has to phone companies and pretend to a different person (name to match someone from the company who contracted the telemarketing company) and set a meeting with a senior person by lying about who she is and her role. Or she calls up, lies about he job and that she is new to the company and trying to meet a few of thier customers sets an appointment for her and a colleague to meet knowing full well the 'colleague' is the only one who will make the meeting as she (my firend) is office bound working for a telemarketing company.
The whole thing seems to be based on deception and lies, she even has to lie and say she is new to the job as area manager and trying to get out to meet their customers.
If you are not prepared to tell the pre-scripted lies then you loose your job, so, you have to deceive people to keep the job.
This is being done for some of the largest names in vehicle fleet hire and leasing.
Is it legal to do this? it certianly isn't morally right...
Last edited by The Zohan; 12 January 2010 at 05:09 PM.
12 January 2010, 05:16 PM
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The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations Act of 2008:
Misleading actions
5.—(1) A commercial practice is a misleading action if it satisfies the conditions in either paragraph (2) or paragraph (3).
(2) A commercial practice satisfies the conditions of this paragraph—
(a) if it contains false information and is therefore untruthful in relation to any of the matters in paragraph (4) or if it or its overall presentation in any way deceives or is likely to deceive the average consumer in relation to any of the matters in that paragraph, even if the information is factually correct; and
(b) it causes or is likely to cause the average consumer to take a transactional decision he would not have taken otherwise.
(3) A commercial practice satisfies the conditions of this paragraph if—
(a) it concerns any marketing of a product (including comparative advertising) which creates confusion with any products, trade marks, trade names or other distinguishing marks of a competitor; or
(b) it concerns any failure by a trader to comply with a commitment contained in a code of conduct which the trader has undertaken to comply with, if—
(i) the trader indicates in a commercial practice that he is bound by that code of conduct, and
(ii) the commitment is firm and capable of being verified and is not aspirational,
and it causes or is likely to cause the average consumer to take a transactional decision he would not have taken otherwise, taking account of its factual context and of all its features and circumstances.
Misleading actions
5.—(1) A commercial practice is a misleading action if it satisfies the conditions in either paragraph (2) or paragraph (3).
(2) A commercial practice satisfies the conditions of this paragraph—
(a) if it contains false information and is therefore untruthful in relation to any of the matters in paragraph (4) or if it or its overall presentation in any way deceives or is likely to deceive the average consumer in relation to any of the matters in that paragraph, even if the information is factually correct; and
(b) it causes or is likely to cause the average consumer to take a transactional decision he would not have taken otherwise.
(3) A commercial practice satisfies the conditions of this paragraph if—
(a) it concerns any marketing of a product (including comparative advertising) which creates confusion with any products, trade marks, trade names or other distinguishing marks of a competitor; or
(b) it concerns any failure by a trader to comply with a commitment contained in a code of conduct which the trader has undertaken to comply with, if—
(i) the trader indicates in a commercial practice that he is bound by that code of conduct, and
(ii) the commitment is firm and capable of being verified and is not aspirational,
and it causes or is likely to cause the average consumer to take a transactional decision he would not have taken otherwise, taking account of its factual context and of all its features and circumstances.
12 January 2010, 05:31 PM
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many companies lie it seems to be standard business practice.
As to morality .......go to Tesco's and look at some of their BOGOF they have obviously increased the product price recently so that there is enough margin to run this type of promotion or as seen on watch dog they run multi packs at more than buying the items individually where you have the implied image that multi packs will be cheaper which is morally doubtful
As to morality .......go to Tesco's and look at some of their BOGOF they have obviously increased the product price recently so that there is enough margin to run this type of promotion or as seen on watch dog they run multi packs at more than buying the items individually where you have the implied image that multi packs will be cheaper which is morally doubtful
12 January 2010, 05:51 PM
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TBH the overseas call centre people are asked to pick a UK name because we can't get out heads round their real names. Apparently the big problem is they all want to call themselves David Beckham!!!
Telemarketers can be contracted by a company to make calls/handle calls on their behalf. In this case saying you are calling from or 'on behalf of' XYZ plc isn't an issue.
Fibbing about the meeting is poor though and they should be given a job title that they can say like "customer liaison executive" so it is less of a swizz.
For me it depends who she is calling and what they are flogging. If it turns into hassling old biddies for double glazing, losing the job wouldn't worry me.
5t.
Telemarketers can be contracted by a company to make calls/handle calls on their behalf. In this case saying you are calling from or 'on behalf of' XYZ plc isn't an issue.
Fibbing about the meeting is poor though and they should be given a job title that they can say like "customer liaison executive" so it is less of a swizz.
For me it depends who she is calling and what they are flogging. If it turns into hassling old biddies for double glazing, losing the job wouldn't worry me.
5t.
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12 January 2010, 06:40 PM
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The amount of calls I get from companies who ask to speak with the person that deals with the Yell / Google account who are not actually from Yell or Google really pisses me off. They then try and make out they are calling on behalf of them but are only resellers. Like I'm going to work with these companies who try and mislead you from the start.
12 January 2010, 07:42 PM
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I friend of mine has been working in telemarketing, she has just left the role.
No one explained at the interview but during training it turns out she has to phone companies and pretend to a different person (name to match someone from the company who contracted the telemarketing company) and set a meeting with a senior person by lying about who she is and her role. Or she calls up, lies about he job and that she is new to the company and trying to meet a few of thier customers sets an appointment for her and a colleague to meet knowing full well the 'colleague' is the only one who will make the meeting as she (my firend) is office bound working for a telemarketing company.
The whole thing seems to be based on deception and lies, she even has to lie and say she is new to the job as area manager and trying to get out to meet their customers.
If you are not prepared to tell the pre-scripted lies then you loose your job, so, you have to deceive people to keep the job.
This is being done for some of the largest names in vehicle fleet hire and leasing.
Is it legal to do this? it certianly isn't morally right...
No one explained at the interview but during training it turns out she has to phone companies and pretend to a different person (name to match someone from the company who contracted the telemarketing company) and set a meeting with a senior person by lying about who she is and her role. Or she calls up, lies about he job and that she is new to the company and trying to meet a few of thier customers sets an appointment for her and a colleague to meet knowing full well the 'colleague' is the only one who will make the meeting as she (my firend) is office bound working for a telemarketing company.
The whole thing seems to be based on deception and lies, she even has to lie and say she is new to the job as area manager and trying to get out to meet their customers.
If you are not prepared to tell the pre-scripted lies then you loose your job, so, you have to deceive people to keep the job.
This is being done for some of the largest names in vehicle fleet hire and leasing.
Is it legal to do this? it certianly isn't morally right...
Or drag it out and take the pi55 while finding another job!
12 January 2010, 07:53 PM
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No, she left because she could not stand to keep on lying day in day out and sick of being boll0cked for accidentally giving the wrong name(s) asshe worked on different accounts/names and it got confusing.
Last edited by The Zohan; 12 January 2010 at 07:57 PM.
12 January 2010, 08:04 PM
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She should get a free consultation with an employment lawyer. She may well have a case because it's certainly not legal what she's being asked to do.
13 January 2010, 11:20 AM
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I friend of mine has been working in telemarketing, she has just left the role.
No one explained at the interview but during training it turns out she has to phone companies and pretend to a different person (name to match someone from the company who contracted the telemarketing company) and set a meeting with a senior person by lying about who she is and her role. Or she calls up, lies about he job and that she is new to the company and trying to meet a few of thier customers sets an appointment for her and a colleague to meet knowing full well the 'colleague' is the only one who will make the meeting as she (my firend) is office bound working for a telemarketing company.
The whole thing seems to be based on deception and lies, she even has to lie and say she is new to the job as area manager and trying to get out to meet their customers.
If you are not prepared to tell the pre-scripted lies then you loose your job, so, you have to deceive people to keep the job.
This is being done for some of the largest names in vehicle fleet hire and leasing.
Is it legal to do this? it certianly isn't morally right...
No one explained at the interview but during training it turns out she has to phone companies and pretend to a different person (name to match someone from the company who contracted the telemarketing company) and set a meeting with a senior person by lying about who she is and her role. Or she calls up, lies about he job and that she is new to the company and trying to meet a few of thier customers sets an appointment for her and a colleague to meet knowing full well the 'colleague' is the only one who will make the meeting as she (my firend) is office bound working for a telemarketing company.
The whole thing seems to be based on deception and lies, she even has to lie and say she is new to the job as area manager and trying to get out to meet their customers.
If you are not prepared to tell the pre-scripted lies then you loose your job, so, you have to deceive people to keep the job.
This is being done for some of the largest names in vehicle fleet hire and leasing.
Is it legal to do this? it certianly isn't morally right...
Not the kind of company one would want to be working for, as if they'll do that to customers.....
13 January 2010, 11:21 AM
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Temp worker only been there a few months. I do think it worth talking to Trading Standards as it seems wrong. The multinational companies employing the telemarketing agency are fully aware of what is being done, it seems to me that it is deception and it is certianly morrally wrong and shoddy practice by the telemarketing company.
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