DialAmerica Closes One More Call Center

News

Employees at the DialAmerica call center downtown yesterday learned that all 110 would lose their jobs.

DialAmerica Marketing Inc.’s office in the Oppenheim Building had been a survivor in the region’s once-thriving outbound call center industry. But the industry’s nationwide troubles, combined with one major client’s cutbacks, doomed the local site.

As recently as last year, the site employed about 200, mostly part-time. The site shutdown comes as tough times continue nationally for the outbound call center industry.

The industry took a major hit in the mid-1990s from a backlash of angry consumers bothered by unsolicited evening phone calls. Telespectrum Worldwide in Dunmore was one of the first to close in 2000.

States and the federal government started compiling “do not call” registries and clamped down on outbound call centers with fines. As millions opted not to be called by telemarketers, a major shakeout ensued that in 2002 claimed companies such as RMH Telemarketing in Scranton, FutureCall in Dunmore and ACC in Scranton.

Read the story at The Times-Tribune.

 

Comments

  • 0
    Just me
    Keep in mind that they still have a call center in Florida, in the 727 area-code area.
  • 0
    angela
    | 1 reply
    yeah it really sucks.i worked at telespectrum worldwide and was really happy their.they treated their employees wonderful and really reconized true hard work and rewarded us with gifts and achevement rewards.it was horrible that day.we came into work they had a new training class starting that day and we were all on the phones having a good morning then they called a meeting and told us the call center was closing immediately.we had no warning.it was horrible walking out that door to be bombarded by the media......
  • 0
    Lawrence replies to angela
    Well you know its better that these people who complain about the calls do not get disturbed while they are eating than you feeding your family
  • 0
    Fifteenmins
    | 2 replies
    there are 2 types of Telemarketing firms.
    A) Call centers that converge on the lines of Legality and loop holes
    &
    B) The kind that use the rules to help consumers  as well as them selves get deals on products they either already have or have shown interest in and are now getting follow up calls.


    Dial america is B. And just as Angela's experience, I got to say, DialAmerica has some of the best people to work with. Dial America Single Handedly saved the Leukemia and lymphoma society by donating the money they needed back... 8-10 years ago when they were on the verge of bankruptcy.  
    Accumulatively they have raised hundreds of millions of dollars for non for profits like L&L, Light the Night, & MooseHeart.

    Its crazy to be working for a company that not only cares about their customers & employee's but truly care about giving back to those in need.

    For a company to last for 52+ years... It says they've been doing something right.
  • 0
    Vivian
    It's third-party telemarketing. DA calls lists given by your bank, credit union, etc (referred to as "the client"). They are within the law yet totally unethical.

    If a customer gets mad enuf to raise hail, DA simply fires the individual telemarketer and replaces him with another, continuing the same telemarketing.

    By the way, they have NOT been in business over 50 years. They simply change and re-change the name of the affiliations, subsidiary and parent company then TOTAL all those years to give a big number like 50 years.
  • 0
    Kendall replies to Fifteenmins
    DA is just another "boiler room." The people at the top and the client may more $$ than you could ever know as a mere telemarketer.

    By the way, the client is YOUR bank, post office, etc  -- whoever you gave your personal info to in a routine transaction.

    Also, DA has NOT been in business for over 50 years. They simply total their subsidiaries, mergers, etc to come up with that number.
  • 0
    Alex
    Dial America was not a bad job nor a great job.
    It had part time hours. A must on Saturday & if someone missed their day & wanted to make up on a Saturday,  sometimes they gave your seat away.
    There goals were impossible on some programs,  some ran smoother.
    I had a new supervisor monthly?
    Some calls were unwanted, some renewal magazines (those sucked) products that ppl asked for info & calls on were better.
    But it just depended on the program.
    They had other programs I never got to do.
    I moved on from the company because it really felt like a losing battle.
    I was promised I could go for a promotion & they never let me apply.
    I see they have reopened near another area, though I was told my old company & the new company aren't related I know they are
  • 0
    Rich replies to Fifteenmins
    You have got to be NUTS.  DialAmerica EXPLOITS it's workers with low wages and NO FULL TIME POSITIONS for call center people.  *uck DialAmerica AND Conway!

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