Over the past three weeks, Campbell Live spoke to many 018 callers. Many complained of being misunderstood, waiting too long for a number and doing the work for the operators and then being charged for it.
Campbell Live compared the Kiwi service in Palmerston North with the operators in Manila.
Using the high profile number of the New Zealand Parliament, the Palmerston North operator gives out the number within five seconds. However it wasn't so fast in Manila.
After 92 seconds and a lot of confusion, the operator transfers the call to her support desk.
Yellow, which is responsible for 018, say they are still in the gradual transitional phrase.
"Some people have reported service below the level they were used to," the said in a statement. "While others have been complimentary about how operators have gone the extra mile."
Campbell Live found two out of the eight Manila-handled calls as impressively slick, but the others were frustrating.
That frustration is upsetting for Mosgiel resident Heather Overend, who uses the 018 service frequently. She's almost completely blind and dependent on the telephone to stay connected.
She says that it's only a matter of time before someone's safety will be compromised in an emergency situation.
Yellow says it is teaching Manila operators local knowledge and that it is providing "a tailored training programme, including Maori pronunciation, Kiwi accents and colloquialisms and familiarity with New Zealand businesses and geography".
Ms Overend says a high profile New Zealand business stumped the operator she was recently talking to.
"I rang up for The Warehouse number and they asked me to spell 'The Warehouse'," she says.
They also had problems with the common surname 'Brown'.
A Palmerston call centre operator says that for the cost of one Kiwi operator, Teletech can get three Manila operators.
She says the high turnover in Manila will also mean the service will not improve.
New Zealander Janelle Bromby is appalled that the shift to Manila has been allowed to happen and says she would love to be a 018 operator.
However the prospect of more Kiwi jobs seems unlikely. Yellow CEO Bruce Cotterill says the reality is that 018 volumes and revenues are gradually falling.