BP Phone Operator: Calls to BP Are Pointless

Ticker

Monika Bauerlein,
CEO

Dear Reader,

The next few months are make-or-break for Mother Jones’ fundraising, and we need more online readers to pitch in than have been of late. In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we take a level-headed look at the brutal economics of journalism, why investigative reporting like you get from us matters, and why we're optimistic we can grow our base of support in a big way—starting with hitting a huge $300,000 goal in just three weeks. Please learn more and donate if you can right now.

The next few months are make-or-break for Mother Jones’ fundraising. We need to raise $300,000 quickly, and we need more online readers to pitch in than have been. Please learn more in "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," where we go into the brutal economics of journalism, and what makes Mother Jones unique and worth supporting if you can right now.

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

An anonymous operator from a BP call center in Houston tells a local TV station, KHOU, that the thousands of calls coming in are falling on deaf ears. “We take your information and then we have nothing to give them,” the source says, adding that the call center, where 100 operators take spill cleanup suggestions and inquiries about the Vessels of Opportunity program, is “just a diversion to stop [callers] from getting to the corporate office, to the big people.”

Some operators don’t even bother taking notes: “And they just put down, type: ‘Blah, blah, blah,'” the operator says.

Of course, BP denies those claims. Here’s the full video: