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

emrk · 31-05-2011 11:54PM #1

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.

Bipolar · 10-12-2011 12:46PM

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

callaway92 · 10-12-2011 12:52PM

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

Bipolar · 10-12-2011 01:46PM

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.

callaway92 · 10-12-2011 07:10PM

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

HoggyRS · 12-12-2011 04:39PM

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.

Pablo Sanchez · 12-12-2011 08:55PM

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.

thefinalstage · 13-12-2011 09:35PM

Pablo Sanchez wrote: »

€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.

Pablo Sanchez · 13-12-2011 09:44PM

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

Pablo Sanchez · 13-12-2011 09:55PM

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.

emrk · 14-12-2011 02:51PM

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

thefinalstage · 14-12-2011 07:52PM

Pablo Sanchez wrote: »

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.

Mrs OBumble · 14-12-2011 08:32PM

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.

Pablo Sanchez · 14-12-2011 08:55PM

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.

Pablo Sanchez · 14-12-2011 08:57PM

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

Jimmy Bottlehead · 20-12-2011 04:11PM

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.

Sin City · 20-07-2013 10:10AM

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

callaway92 · 20-07-2013 09:43PM

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.

Sin City · 22-07-2013 06:17AM

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

Ray Palmer · 23-07-2013 01:15PM

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.

LowKeyReturn · 23-07-2013 01:19PM

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.

bmm · 26-07-2013 12:33PM

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?

dd972 · 27-07-2013 06:14PM

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.

seannash · 28-07-2013 12:04PM

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

Sin City · 28-07-2013 12:25PM

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

seannash · 28-07-2013 02:33PM

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

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

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