I'm in the process of getting a Verisign SSL certificate for a new site I'm launching. It's a pain in the butt process.
They need some documentation, and I needed to speak with them. At first I was speaking to a woman who I assume is American, or at least sounded like it. We were disconnected, I called back, and the guy I spoke with (who introduced himself as "Robert") sounded like he was from New Delhi. I could not understand one single word he said.
I finally hung up, looked at some other SSL companies, then tried Verisign again. This time I got a woman named Ellen. She sounded like she was from Mumbai. Near as I could tell, she wanted me to fax her a copy of my food license, a photo of my shoe, and a notary. She didn't tell me how to get the notary through the fax machine, though. I just gave up, and will do everything online. I'm pretty sure that 0's and 1's are universally understood.
Last week, while driving (yes, with a headset), I called one of the big pharmaceuticals to ask about possible side effects of a drug I'm taking. The first woman I spoke with sounded southern (Arkansas, maybe), and took all of my pertinent information, which took about half an hour (I didn't realize I was that pertinent).
I was then transferred to the drug safety department, which I could swear is probably right on the border with Pakistan. The man I spoke with had such a heavy accent that I couldn't tell if he was saying "hello" or "jello", and it just went downhill from there. Now, if I was trying to get instructions on how to put a monitor back in the shipping box, this would all be acceptable, but when it's about prescription drugs, I'd really like to know if 55 milligrams is going to kill me or make my "dug hair hud".
After about half an hour of me shouting (foreigners understand english much better if you speak very loudly), I was transferred to the prescription drug information center. I think it was in Hyderabad, as it was harder to understand "Bill" in Hyderabad than it was "Robert" in New Delhi. He needed all of the pertinent information I'd already given to the Arkansas lady half an hour prior. I asked why he needed it again, but I have no idea what his explanation was. I think he either needed it to verify that I didn't have "dug hair hud", or he was trying out for the Miss Arkansas competition.
I have no problem with people who can barely speak english doing things like working at convenience stores ("pack six?") or driving cabs ("footy siven evenews?") or even performing surgery or designing nuclear warheads, but when I'm trying to protect credit card information, or keep from overdosing or winding up with "dug hair hud", couldn't I please speak to an American?