Published since 2005. San Francisco is a city that belongs to the people of the world. Hence this blog has a global focus. The name "Sam Spade's San Francisco" refers to an exciting era in the City's history, the time of Dashiell Hammett's fictional gumshoe and San Francisco character, Sam Spade. My name is Tom Dunn and I edit the blog. I'm not as exciting as Sam Spade, but I am definitely a San Francisco character.Contact or on Twitter -- Search blog below.
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Tuesday, July 15, 2008
CSAA Tells San Francisco: Get Screwed!
The California State Automobile Association (CSAA) is part of the American Automobile Association (AAA), commonly known to generations of Americans simply as "The 3-A" or "triple-A'.
A hundred years ago enthusiasts started CSAA, an auto club created to provide advocacy for automobile drivers, who as a group were relatively unknown. It's no longer a "club" in the traditional sense of the word. It's a big old insurance company now. CSAA sells its insurance and road service products to 4 million customers (or members as they are called) in Northern California, Nevada and Utah.
CSAA has always been a San Francisco operation. They maintained a large presence in San Francisco. They kept their headquarters on Van Ness Avenue and a lot of their employees lived and worked in San Francisco and other SF Bay Area communities. They were good citizens - were - as inpast tense.
CSAA is closing their Van Ness building and moving out of San Francisco.As if that is not bad enough, now they intend to can another 900 local folks and move their call centers to Oklahoma and Arizona. Of course the CSAA corporate spin doctors insist they are not canning anybody. They say their employees are welcome to leave their Bay Area homes and move to Oklahoma if they want to keep their jobs. Oklahoma? Yeah. Sure.
In the photo: The gecko says, "Hello mates. Don't worry. If Oklahoma was such a bad place they wouldn't call it OK, now would they."
CSAA has demonstrated an absolute and total absence of corporate responsibility to the community that created, nourished and sustained the bastards for the past 100 years. Since CSAA has abandoned San Francisco, its time for San Franciscans to abandon CSAA.
Dump the bums and shop around for insurance elsewhere.
I don't know why any companies would want to do business here if they didn't have to. The mindless bureaucracies and costly fees, permits and rules this city imposes drive businesses to less costly locales. Chevron took thousands of jobs to the East Bay to escape the punishing city politburo.
I agree with John, last I checked we are still in a Free Market-Capitalistic Economy and for now we as Americans and the corporations that operate in them have the freedom and the right to do business when ever and where ever we want or would you rather CSAA stay in SF and go under, closing its doors forever? Would that make you happy SS? Interesting you have the initials "SS", how interesting reminds me of another Fascist.
As far as I know no one was offered a move to Oklahoma. There employees in the call centers either transfered into District Office or found jobs elsewhere. They had good employees who were loyal and took pride in working there. Hopefully someone in Calif will be able to get around traffic jams, as those in Oklahoma know nothing about our traffic,streets or detours.
Sunday, August 10, 2008 9:44:00 PM PDT
Anonymous said...
A couple of items not divulged to the press by AAA:
This move out of California was planned a few years ago. The assets of CSAA were to be sold and used to fund a new "umbrella" company called ACA which would not be based in California. ACA was to consolidate smaller AAA units (Arizona, Ohio, Oklahoma, etc.), including Northern California, into one new unit.
The CSAA coffers were looted to fund this venture and it is failing (in my opinion) as service and quality are suffering resulting in long hold times, reduced services, and poor member retention.
CSAA has been in existance for over 100 years (surviving the great depression) and once provided the best quality.
Perhaps this is an indication of the state of business, in general, in the United States.
Livermore call center is closed a few there to tie up ends. Also rumor has it that Oklahoma has gone from a 1200 employee to a 800 call center. Also there was to be a 2nd center open elsewhere not happening. That leaves a call center in Arizona and Oklahoma. Good luck you are destory a great company.
Thursday, August 21, 2008 10:20:00 AM PDT
Anonymous said...
So I guess moving the headquarters to Walnut Creek was fiction? I am totally surprised by what I have just read. I took early retirement from CSAA after 23 years and the disappoint is overwhelming in what I am hearing here. I am so tired of hearing about outsourcing when the jobs should be staying in "California", hence CSAA!!!
People lived in a much different world more than a hundred years ago when CSAA was formed. Many of the choices we make today are dictated by the world we live in, not by the companies doing business in today’s world. Nothing lives forever, not even companies or nations. To exist the longest is the goal. CSAA could not continue and survive if it did not change. The gecko you show is a fine example. Forty years ago it wasn’t the same company it is today. The changes at Geico were forced upon them in order to survive. Remember, GEICO stood for Government Employees Insurance Company. It evolved from that to a cash cow for Warren Buffet and his fellow shareholders today (Service wasn’t the reason he bought it).
Most of the changes are brought upon us by today’s technology.
CSAA was a little late seeing the need for change and now is playing catch up. Look where the GEICOs, STATE FARMs , ALLSTATEs, PROGRESSIVEs and other insurance companies have their call centers. Look how many exist online only with no offices. CSAA can’t compete with the competition if it can’t lower it’s cost structure to the level of it’s competition. If you want to be nostalgic that’s fine. But the day’s of walking into a bank and getting a loan approved by the manager are gone and so are locating call centers and offices in high cost areas. Frankly, I’m surprised CSAA didn’t move their main office completely out of the bay area, even out of state.
8 comments:
I don't know why any companies would want to do business here if they didn't have to. The mindless bureaucracies and costly fees, permits and rules this city imposes drive businesses to less costly locales. Chevron took thousands of jobs to the East Bay to escape the punishing city politburo.
I agree with John, last I checked we are still in a Free Market-Capitalistic Economy and for now we as Americans and the corporations that operate in them have the freedom and the right to do business when ever and where ever we want or would you rather CSAA stay in SF and go under, closing its doors forever? Would that make you happy SS? Interesting you have the initials "SS", how interesting reminds me of another Fascist.
Francis
As far as I know no one was offered a move to Oklahoma. There employees in the call centers either transfered into District Office or found jobs elsewhere. They had good employees who were loyal and took pride in working there. Hopefully someone in Calif will be able to get around traffic jams, as those in Oklahoma know nothing about our traffic,streets or detours.
A couple of items not divulged to the press by AAA:
This move out of California was planned a few years ago. The assets of CSAA were to be sold and used to fund a new "umbrella" company called ACA which would not be based in California. ACA was to consolidate smaller AAA units (Arizona, Ohio, Oklahoma, etc.), including Northern California, into one new unit.
The CSAA coffers were looted to fund this venture and it is failing (in my opinion) as service and quality are suffering resulting in long hold times, reduced services, and poor member retention.
CSAA has been in existance for over 100 years (surviving the great depression) and once provided the best quality.
Perhaps this is an indication of the state of business, in general, in the United States.
Livermore call center is closed a few there to tie up ends. Also rumor has it that Oklahoma has gone from a 1200 employee to a 800 call center. Also there was to be a 2nd center open elsewhere not happening. That leaves a call center in Arizona and Oklahoma. Good luck you are destory a great company.
So I guess moving the headquarters to Walnut Creek was fiction? I am totally surprised by what I have just read. I took early retirement from CSAA after 23 years and the disappoint is overwhelming in what I am hearing here. I am so tired of hearing about outsourcing when the jobs should be staying in "California", hence CSAA!!!
CSAA stand for customers first and employees last.
People lived in a much different world more than a hundred years ago when CSAA was formed. Many of the choices we make today are dictated by the world we live in, not by the companies doing business in today’s world. Nothing lives forever, not even companies or nations. To exist the longest is the goal. CSAA could not continue and survive if it did not change. The gecko you show is a fine example. Forty years ago it wasn’t the same company it is today. The changes at Geico were forced upon them in order to survive. Remember, GEICO stood for Government Employees Insurance Company. It evolved from that to a cash cow for Warren Buffet and his fellow shareholders today (Service wasn’t the reason he bought it).
Most of the changes are brought upon us by today’s technology.
CSAA was a little late seeing the need for change and now is playing catch up. Look where the GEICOs, STATE FARMs , ALLSTATEs, PROGRESSIVEs and other insurance companies have their call centers. Look how many exist online only with no offices. CSAA can’t compete with the competition if it can’t lower it’s cost structure to the level of it’s competition. If you want to be nostalgic that’s fine. But the day’s of walking into a bank and getting a loan approved by the manager are gone and so are locating call centers and offices in high cost areas. Frankly, I’m surprised CSAA didn’t move their main office completely out of the bay area, even out of state.
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