AOL laying off 1,300, closing AZ & NM call centers

[Human Torch]

AOL laying off 1,300, closing call centers
New Mexico, Arizona moves part of previously announced restructuring

Updated: 1 hour, 47 minutes ago

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - AOL announced Wednesday it will lay off 1,300 employees by closing call centers in New Mexico and Arizona as part of a previously announced restructuring plan.

AOL, the Time Warner Inc. online unit formerly known as America Online, also plans to sell its call center in Ogden, Utah.

The cuts include 900 layoffs at the Albuquerque call center and 400 jobs at the center in Tucson, Ariz., AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham said. The Arizona and New Mexico call centers each have operated for 10 years.

The closures are part of a restructuring plan that Dulles, Va.-based AOL announced in August. At the time, the company said as many as 5,000 employees would be laid off within six months — a quarter of its global work force.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15320351/

[Deja Q]

1. When will 5000 more pop up in Asia?

OTOH, let's face it: AOL sucks elephant scrotums. People are probably fleeing from their flimsy service. While most cases of offshoring are about greed, some people still make crap products. AOL, Ford, and GM rank right up there. (so it's not the quality of service, it's the quality of the product -- and more often than not, the product is manufactured as cheaply as possible. (oops.))

[KoKo]

8. Well just Dance on the Graves, Buddy....you hate these companies so

much you don't realize that AMERICAN WORKERS are DISSED and DISCARDED in this terrible GAME of the GLOBALIST/STOCK MARKET TRADERS!

How CRASS...how cruel....:-(

[Ian David]

2. Die, AOL, Die! n/t

[KoKo]

5. Yeah...maybe you don't have wife/partner/family who will be affected by

this. Is that why you cheer this? Folks are desperate for jobs in USA these days. If you have to work for a crappy company...you have to work to feed yourself and family. Cheering this seems really "heartless and cruel."

I'm glad you employment and work life is so great you could cheer this. :shrug: You must be one of the "Bush Chosen" to post such a thing..

[Ian David]

6. The working-class people being laid-off have my sympathy

HOWEVER...

We still need to act to discourage dishonest, reckless, and irresponsible corporations.

Do you think I'm going to shop at Wal-Mart because I'm afraid that the greeter will get laid-off if I don't?

Oh, come on.

Die, AOL, DIE!

[KoKo]

7. Well...you don't identify yourself as "working class" assuming that's a

dirty word...for you, perhaps the "untouchables that you were smart enough to avoid?"

[Ian David]

9. Trust me. I'm working class. I've been down in the trenches...

slogging it out in the cubicles with the rest of you, all my life.

Some of my jobs involved things like screwdrivers, ladders, and power tools.

Most of them involved sitting in front of a computer and pushing paper around.

I've worked for some companies and for some people I'm not proud of, either.

But comsumers have to hold companies and corporations accountable for their actions.

And it is unfortunate, but regular, working-class people always get hurt.

Saving the world is hard.

Should I just shut-up and donate blood?

[KoKo]

10. maybe not speak about "working class" using that term....

:shrug: Use Working People...Average Worker...Folks like most Americans?

[Ian David]

12. I don't see "working-class" as a perjorative. n/t

[AlamoDemoc]

3. This means AOL is loosing customers

their call-center-telemarketers aren't generating enough new customers. Every company knows that it costs far less to hold on to a customer than to acquire a new one, hence, this call-center layoffs would allow them to sustain and offer lower costs to their existing customers.

[KoKo]

4. How the MIGHTY FALL.....and the jobs go down with it....n/t

[blues90]

11. Why don't these corps just get it over with ?

they should all do their awful outsourcing at once then at least we would be done with it . It does people no good to sit at a job wondering when their job will be shipped or closed down .

This is like waiting for a bomb to go off and if enough people were out of a job then there may be a movement in this country . not that i wish anyone to loose their job but as if goes we just sit here and don;t stand up for others when it does not effect us and we all loose . i am out of work for 7 months now so i can speak with some knowledge of what it;s like to hear rumors and panic each day kissing someones feet hoping you will somehow be spared .

JUST where are these people to find a new job anyway there is nothing out there and unemployment does not cover much even if you get the top amount and it lasts for 6 months only .

It is certainly not america in so very many ways and it is a real crime it got like this . no one cares about these people and no one stands up to help stop this runaway train of lost jobs .

for each job at AOL lost there should be 20 AOL subscribers who cancel their service .

[Generic Other]

13. AOL just gave all the customers the right to their email addresses

without having to pay for the service. Right out of the blue. That was the same week they released the files of customer's search records. I quit that day in protest.

It seemed like they were intentionally liquidating their assets. I asked why they would do this when I called to cancel. The guy at the call center said they would make up for it in ad revenue by letting everyone access their content.

Cheaper. Less labor intensive. More revenue. The little subscribers were too much bother.