Tech Support?

Ever wonder why tech support is so bad for Home? Well, another insider has given us some information. This person worked in the tech support area for Sony, and has since stopped. From the sounds of it, they didn't part on good terms. With that in mind, here's some great info via email:

Well, for starters, are you aware that very little of SCEA's tech support / customer service is actually done in Foster City? There are 3 levels of Tech Support, they are referred to as Tier 1 (front line agents), Tier 2 (supervisor level agents), and Tier 3 (special teams). Foster City is where you find the Tier 3 and the "in-house" Tier 2 agents who have the most authority. But most of the actual Tech Support is contracted to a 3rd-party company called Sitel, [Home-Watch note: I looked up this company, and they do exactly what this person says they do. Check their website here] and the call center is located in Las Vegas, Nevada. One of the reasons the Tech Support and Customer Service for PlayStation Home is as bad as it is, is due to the clowns who run this call center, and the misfits they hire to staff it. The so-called "elites" that you refer to on the PS forums generally speaking have more knowledge of PS Home and the PS3 than the Tier 1 (and Tier 2) agents who staff this call center. I'm sure that doesn't surprise you. For the most part they are poorly trained, are not given adequate support to do their jobs (in terms of material resources or knowledge), and the turnover rate is high, so there are few agents with much experience. Another factor has to do with actual Sony policies, which are not very consumer friendly. Example: Consumer buys Midway tickets for PS Home, but never receives tickets. The vast majority of Tier 1 agents don't even understand this issue and will probably try to brush off the consumer. Those few who do understand the issue aren't given adequate information as to what might be causing it, or how to resolve it. All they can do is kick it up to the Tier 3 level, but if a solution is found, it likely won't be communicated back down to the Tier 1 level. Same applies to consumers who buy Home items like clothing or furniture but don't receive them. Or those who have missing items from their inventory, both free and purchased items, which one day just aren't there.