JOHN LEE, receiver/manager for the failed call centre operation, Teleservices Jamaica Limited, has put the company up for sale as a going concern.
National Investment Bank of Jamaica placed the company in receivership two months ago, after it failed to meet interest obligations on public loans, and following media reports that the telemarketer was having difficulty covering its operational costs.
NIBJ president Rex James said then that serious talks were underway with one of three potential investors interested in the call centre, but the advertisement placed last week for expressions of interest in the business and its assets suggests that the parties failed to agree on terms.
The advertisement did not name the company, but PricewaterhouseCoopers in which Lee is a partner, confirmed Tuesday that the ad referred to Teleservices.
The offers to purchase are due by Monday, August 18 and must be accompanied by a business profile of the interested buyer.
Teleservices operates from leased facilities in the Montego Bay Free Zone and Portmore, which is the larger facility at 25,000 square feet, to MoBay's 21,000. Together they account for 670 telemarketing stations, plus 80 training seats. The operation uses voice over Internet protocol, with seven international private line circuits. Lee's sales pitch for the company also included Teleservices' free zone status and revenue contracts. Its most lucrative contract is said to be with West Corporation, a Nebraska company.
Teleservices is reported to have had some $400 million of public funds invested in it over a two-year period. NIBJ says the company's worth is well in excess of its liabilities. It currently employs 590, having failed in its promise to create thousands of jobs.
