My accent

That may be, Mrs R. My DH was bitterly disappointed to find I don't have a Southern accent despite being from the South (I never did. I guess I watched too much TV as a kid). And when Brits fake a US accent, it's almost always some kind of rootin' tootin' Texany thing, have you noticed?

And when Brits fake a US accent, it's almost always some kind of rootin' tootin' Texany thing, have you noticed?

My old manager ( ) mocked my accent once and did the rootin' tootin' Texan thing, and I'm from Philadelpha.

I hope it somehow gets better, Navie--or that it somehow magically won't bother you as much anymore...

And when Brits fake a US accent, it's almost always some kind of rootin' tootin' Texany thing, have you noticed?

I expect that's because it's the easiest one to "imitate."  But it swings both ways--Americans who fake a British accent usually sound like a cross between Princess Margaret and Julie Andrews. 

I have a hard time hearing well on the phone (accents that is) which made it worse.

This is my fear.  I have an administrative background and answering phones will be a necessary part of my future job in the UK.  I just know I'll have a hard time understanding some accents and tick people off by saying 'pardon, could you repeat that please?'

Ugh. I'm terrible understanding people on the phone here. I take the most astonishingly wrong phone messages because I don't like to make people repeat themselves.

My Scottish husband works in retail here in the US and is always mistaken for being Irish.  My husband is from the borders and has a goofy mix of Scottish and Geordie sound so I can see why most people don't peg him as being Scottish nor English...but still he finds it completely frustrating.  These days he just goes along with it and says he is Irish.

But the real problem is understanding him over the phone...he absolutely hates having to call the bank, utilities etc as for some reason his accent becomes impenetrable over the phone.  Even I have a hard time understanding him sometimes. 

Anyways, I'm sorry to hear you are getting mocked on your job...what sort of call center is it?  It probably depends on the clientele...if they are a rather chavvy lot I can see them finding anything to mock about in a person whether you are American, East Indian or Polka Dotted.

what sort of call center is it?  It probably depends on the clientele...if they are a rather chavvy lot I can see them finding anything to mock about in a person whether you are American, East Indian or Polka Dotted.

Oddly enough, it's American Express... so you're talking some of the biggest spenders in the UK.  For our lowest cards you still have to have an individual income of greater than 20k, which rules out the chav working at KFC factor.  The vast majority of the customer base is educated, affluent, and high earners. 

Oddly enough, it's American Express... so you're talking some of the biggest spenders in the UK.  For our lowest cards you still have to have an individual income of greater than 20k, which rules out the chav working at KFC factor.  The vast majority of the customer base is educated, affluent, and high earners. 

Yeah, and what's worse is that they are calling American Express. Shouldn't they expect to hear an American accent? Lame.

Haha!  I was SO going to say what Jewlz just said!!  LOL
As for accents, some people need to comment just to hear themselves talk... or to make themsleves feel smarter.  Any time my Scottish boyfriend and i are in a pub in the states, someone inevitably asks him "What part of Ireland are you from?" He loves correcting them!!!

Yeah, and what's worse is that they are calling American Express. Shouldn't they expect to hear an American accent? Lame.

LOL good point Jewlz!

Are you sure they are mocking you in a nasty way or just joking with you to try to be friendly?

In other words, are these customers angry to begin with?

There are lots of regional accents in the UK and I hear people teasing each other about accents all the time, no harm intended.

Are you sure they are mocking you in a nasty way or just joking with you to try to be friendly?

In other words, are these customers angry to begin with?

There are lots of regional accents in the UK and I hear people teasing each other about accents all the time, no harm intended.

The mocking of the accent routinely occurs not to my face, but as something i hear them do as they put the phone down at the end of the call, either to themselves or to someone else in the room.

The rest is all out malicious, as someone has mentioned earlier... when they are angry/upset/pissed off it gives them something to grab onto. 

Oddly enough, it's American Express... so you're talking some of the biggest spenders in the UK.  For our lowest cards you still have to have an individual income of greater than 20k, which rules out the chav working at KFC factor.  The vast majority of the customer base is educated, affluent, and high earners. 

Not everyone who earns less than £20k a year is a "chav working at KFC".

Your statement suggests that you would expect low earners to be rude or more likely to mock your accent - why? Being on low income doesn't make you a chav or less educated, it just makes you less wealthy. Most low earners and fast food workers would probably not appreciate being looked down upon because they couldn't qualify for an American Express card and lumped together as "chav"

Being a big spender or even "the biggest spenders in the UK" makes you no less "chav" than a someone on benefits on a very limited fixed income, if "chav" is anything at all, it is a lifestyle choice that you can adopt at any income level, Kerry Katona, Katie Price, Wayne Rooney are all "chav" ( in my opinion), and they could certainly qualify for any credit card going.

I used to work and train people in a bank call centre, for collections actually, and very rarely had a bad experience, and these were desperate people about to lose their houses, often they'd start off angry and shouty, but by the end they'd be sorry and crying, when people are scared or frustrated or angry they'll lash out, and as a disembodied voice on a phone, you're the obvious target. It's part of the job and the downside of call centres the world over, you either have to learn a way of not letting it get to you, or of finding somewhere else to work (even in this harsh economy)

I'm a real believer that when you're hitting a wall with something, the easiest change you can make is within yourself, you can't change your customers or easily change your job, but your attitude and your outlook is easily changed with a little effort, and in doing so you might find that you're able to deal with things much more easily without letting them upset you. Yes it's a pain and unfair that you have to do that, but you'll feel better quicker, trust me!

Cheesebiscuit, ginger1981 had just asked what sort of clientele Navie had. Navie wasn't saying that low-earners would be more likely to mock her accent - in fact, she was saying the exact opposite, that the higher-earning clientele were the ones mocking her accent.

Secondly, just because someone says that a 20k minimum eliminates the 'chav working at KFC', that doesn't mean that that person implies that everyone making under 20k is a 'chav' (whatever that is, sorry, new here). That's a logical error (not trying to offend, but I'm a logic student and that sort of error bugs me).

I didn't mean it like that.  

what sort of call center is it?  It probably depends on the clientele...if they are a rather chavvy lot ...

I was asked this and replied in turn.  It's not that I feel everyone under the £20k/annum mark is a chav, I was merely discounting that the average "chav" is not someone I speak to through the course of my job.  

Sorry if I offended or did not make this clear.