Saw this article.
Fairly interesting, but this line or two annoys me:
OnStar has three operations centers that receive calls; one each in Michigan, North Carolina and Canada. So if you are not driving in one of those places, the operator is likely to be unfamiliar with the area you are asking directions about.
There’s a certain amount of logic there - if someone asks for directions in a city or state in which you live, you’ve probably got a fair idea of what they’re talking about, at least in broad terms. I think he stretches it through when he seems to imply that, if you’re driving in Canada, the Canadian call centre will be familiar with the area to which you are referring.
Your average person probably has a good working knowledge of their city of residence, and a decent idea about their region, but beyond that it gets downright fuzzy. Your average Canadian could probably give you most of the capital cities; maybe give you a general idea as to where they are on the map, but that’s about it, and that’s not at all what people use direction software for.
They never say, “I’m in Alberta and I want to get to Vancouver, should I head East or West?”. More likely it’ll be “Direct me to the nearest public washroom, NOW. My kid’s had half a litre of soda pop!”
So, was the implication that a Canadian call centre rep would be familiar with the whole country real or imagined?
Is it sloppy phrasing on their part, or does this writer have a real misperception on the size and scale of Canada?
