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UPC, call centre work. how much do they pay?

  • 31-05-2011 11:54pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 49


    Hello!

    Just wondering if anybody knows anything about working for UPC? I'm looking for a job and saw a vacancy there. Are they good to their employees? Do they pay well? Or should I stay away? Hope somebody can help me because I need a job badly!!!

    Thank you for reading.

    Emrk.


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3 Bipolar


    did you ever take this job as i have just had an offer from them and was wondering what they are like


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,006 ✭✭✭✭callaway92


    i'm in the Clonmel one but the Limerick one is run the exact same way.

    €9.13 p/h. 40 hours p/w. Always looking for people to do overtime which is also €9.13 p/h.

    They don't pay extra for bank holidays, just the normal €9.13, but if you take those hours off on another day you will get paid for those hours, if you get me :/ People volunteer to work days like bank holidays and christmas day. You can't be scheduled for those days unless you say you will do them.

    Timekeeping is essential. When they say you start at 9 am, you must be ready for your first call at 9, so really you should be there to log into your computer at 8:45 am in case it is slow.

    They don't pay for sick leave unless it is the death of an immediate family member - Up to 3 days paid leave for that.

    It is a good job as long as you don't take the abuse from customers personally. It can be stressful, but the time in there does fly if it's a busy day. All the staff are lovely. You would have 3 weeks training there first and that is funded by Fás. You have to be entitled to Jobseekers Allowance to get paid for those 3 weeks.

    Ask for any more info and I'll let you know.

    EDIT: JUST ANSWERED A QUESTION FROM JUNE.. FML


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3 Bipolar


    thanks for that callaway, job title is customer loyalty advisor, they are paying a basic plus 2 bonuses a year and commission also. seems like an ok offer.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,006 ✭✭✭✭callaway92


    Bipolar wrote: »
    thanks for that callaway, job title is customer loyalty advisor, they are paying a basic plus 2 bonuses a year and commission also. seems like an ok offer.

    ahhhh.. you'd actually be in the department dealing with exclusively cancellations of their whole UPC service. If they ring us saying they want to get rid of UPC, we transfer them to you. You have to try and convince them to stay :p


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 446 ✭✭HoggyRS


    I was in the Cork one, it was 8 euro an hour plus commision, which is fairly unattainable if you are doing outbound.

    I found it to be absolutely soul destroying, wouldn't ever do anything similar to it again.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,207 ✭✭✭Pablo Sanchez


    callaway92 wrote: »
    i'm in the Clonmel one but the Limerick one is run the exact same way.

    €9.13 p/h. 40 hours p/w. Always looking for people to do overtime which is also €9.13 p/h.

    They don't pay extra for bank holidays, just the normal €9.13, but if you take those hours off on another day you will get paid for those hours, if you get me :/ People volunteer to work days like bank holidays and christmas day. You can't be scheduled for those days unless you say you will do them.

    Timekeeping is essential. When they say you start at 9 am, you must be ready for your first call at 9, so really you should be there to log into your computer at 8:45 am in case it is slow.

    They don't pay for sick leave unless it is the death of an immediate family member - Up to 3 days paid leave for that.

    It is a good job as long as you don't take the abuse from customers personally. It can be stressful, but the time in there does fly if it's a busy day. All the staff are lovely. You would have 3 weeks training there first and that is funded by Fás. You have to be entitled to Jobseekers Allowance to get paid for those 3 weeks.

    Ask for any more info and I'll let you know.

    EDIT: JUST ANSWERED A QUESTION FROM JUNE.. FML

    €9.13 an hour for what is probably one of the toughest customer service enviroments in the country (UPC's generally perceived lack of service is well known), is not a great salary. I would say its a very stressful job.

    But then a jobs a job as they say.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,503 ✭✭✭thefinalstage


    €9.13 an hour for what is probably one of the toughest customer service enviroments in the country (UPC's generally perceived lack of service is well known), is not a great salary. I would say its a very stressful job.

    But then a jobs a job as they say.

    Still not worth it for that pay.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,207 ✭✭✭Pablo Sanchez


    Is the minimum wage not €8.65? Not much of a bump above that.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,207 ✭✭✭Pablo Sanchez


    I would actually go further and call that an exploitative wage, its 0.48c extra per hour, or €19.20 extra per week above minimum for what is a semi skilled job. I have spent many years working in tough call centre enviroments (albeit in a very different industry) and i know how tough the guys in UPC have it.

    Everyone knows the reputation for poor customer service the company has, i dont know if is down to poor caliber people in the call centres themselves or bad managment and systems behind the scenes, but either way people generally end up with a bad taste in their mouth having to deal with them.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 49 emrk


    Hey, thanks for all your replies, didnt think i'd get any, just logged on to see out of curiousity! No never took the job, just read the threads and don't think i'd join any call centre job after reading! Thanks again :)


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,503 ✭✭✭thefinalstage


    I would actually go further and call that an exploitative wage, its 0.48c extra per hour, or €19.20 extra per week above minimum for what is a semi skilled job. I have spent many years working in tough call centre enviroments (albeit in a very different industry) and i know how tough the guys in UPC have it.

    Everyone knows the reputation for poor customer service the company has, i dont know if is down to poor caliber people in the call centres themselves or bad managment and systems behind the scenes, but either way people generally end up with a bad taste in their mouth having to deal with them.

    It most certainly is. All the call centres that are remotely technical are slashing wages. Some I know of are getting paid only 8.90 an hour.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,292 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    Despite the rate, I'd take it over the dole, any day.

    And presumably once you have call-centre experience there, it's easier to get into other better paying ones.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,207 ✭✭✭Pablo Sanchez


    JustMary wrote: »
    Despite the rate, I'd take it over the dole, any day.

    And presumably once you have call-centre experience there, it's easier to get into other better paying ones.

    Yeah, the fact that it could lead on to bigger and better things is about the only reason why it trumps working say in a fast food restaurant or as a cleaner etc.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,207 ✭✭✭Pablo Sanchez


    Its all relative, if you dont have a mortgage/schools fees etc, its definitly a good introduction into the work place, without even knowing it you would pick up many of the skills which are attractive to employers, IT skills, time managment, customer service skills, complaint handling, record keeping etc etc


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,122 ✭✭✭✭Jimmy Bottlehead


    I've posted it on here before, but I went from being a snooty tosser with a degree who looked down on people working in call centres, to being on the dole... and then finally getting a job in a call centre, which I was delighted to get.

    YES it can be tough work, soul-destroying at times
    NO it doesn't pay extremely well, but it pays better than the dole and gets you out of the house

    At the end of the day, from being on the phones, you are in a position to move your way up to supervisor, manager, and so on. If you want to move elsewhere, it automatically puts you ahead of a lot of unemployed people, as currently employed people are attractive to employers.

    If you have the opportunity to work in a call centre, go for it. Worst case scenario, it's awful and you simply go back on the dole. Best case scenario, you get ahead, move on up and move to a better job.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,375 ✭✭✭Sin City


    Bump, cant be that bad, I hear you get benifits like free health insurance and free upc tv broadband phone packages. They pay for upskilling yourself,and they even make you sit a fetac course in house to get you a level 5 in call center /tech support which isnt bad., wages are low to start off with bit they do increase to around 30k (including benifits and commision etc) ...so Im told anyway


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,006 ✭✭✭✭callaway92


    Sin City wrote: »
    Bump, cant be that bad, I hear you get benifits like free health insurance and free upc tv broadband phone packages. They pay for upskilling yourself,and they even make you sit a fetac course in house to get you a level 5 in call center /tech support which isnt bad., wages are low to start off with bit they do increase to around 30k (including benifits and commision etc) ...so Im told anyway

    LOL. Big no to both.

    Ya you sit the FETAC Level 5 in customer care. 30k per annum including benefits. If you believe this you are in dream world, sir.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,375 ✭✭✭Sin City


    callaway92 wrote: »
    LOL. Big no to both.

    Ya you sit the FETAC Level 5 in customer care. 30k per annum including benefits. If you believe this you are in dream world, sir.

    Can only say what I was told., but.if you work there now and say no then I stand corrected


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,513 ✭✭✭Ray Palmer


    callaway92 wrote: »
    LOL. Big no to both.

    Ya you sit the FETAC Level 5 in customer care. 30k per annum including benefits. If you believe this you are in dream world, sir.

    A friend of mine works in the broadband section and the people there get free broadband and TV. He doesn't as he is part of the "contract" staff. No idea about VHI but I wouldn't think so.

    The number of call centres in Ireland is dramatically down from the peak and I wouldn't see it as a stable career path as I wouldn't expect them to remain in Ireland. Very easy to move a call centre.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 934 ✭✭✭LowKeyReturn


    I work in a different company but it's call centre based. We get the product for free, health insurance and 22K basic. Good sales people will clear 30K easily, approaching 40K with overtime and bonuses but they would be exceptions.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 912 ✭✭✭bmm


    callaway92 wrote: »

    €9.13 p/h. 40 hours p/w. Always looking for people to do overtime which is also

    So that's €365 for 40 hrs

    How much tax and prsi and usc on top of this? i.e. What's the take home for a single person?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,563 ✭✭✭dd972


    I know the world doesn't work this way but the sh!ttier and more stressful a job is the more the person doing it should be remunerated.

    One thing that makes me laugh about Call Centres is the earnest, poker faced, up their own fundament Team Leader who's on €3K more than you but act's like it's €30K, every call centre has one, I used to nickname the one where I worked Mr Gravitas.

    Then on top of it all there's this weird dissonance of being micromanaged, monitored and disciplined like the Stasi coupled with this weird Glee / American High School shiny, happy, people culture being rammed down your throat.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,672 ✭✭✭seannash


    I think the people who complain about call centre work are gonna complain about any job.

    its a great stepping stone for someone who has no college education and wants to eventually command a decent wage.


    team leads in eBay earn 40k a year which is a decent wage to most people and is attainable within a couple of years of working in a call centre.

    give it a go


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,375 ✭✭✭Sin City


    seannash wrote: »
    I think the people who complain about call centre work are gonna complain about any job.

    its a great stepping stone for someone who has no college education and wants to eventually command a decent wage.


    team leads in eBay earn 40k a year which is a decent wage to most people and is attainable within a couple of years of working in a call centre.

    give it a go


    I have friends that work in call centers , most have university degress


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,672 ✭✭✭seannash


    Sin City wrote: »
    I have friends that work in call centers , most have university degress

    good for them,what I said was its a great way for someone who doesn't have a degree to potentially earning a good wage by progressing onto a managerial role


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