This is disturbing. KHOU.com's interview with a Houston BP call center employee exposes the empty PR operation that is supposed to be sincerely concerned with ideas for cleaning up the oil spill in the Gulf.

According to the employee, the operators are supposed to take down the information from callers and enter it into a database. Because employees believe the information stops with them, some aren't even bothering to note the information given by callers or enter it into the system.

This call center is not responsible for claims. That responsibility has been assigned to third-party risk manager and claims administrator ESIS, Inc. ESIS has field offices in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

The Houston call center's responsibility, according to KHOU.com:

They answer phones from the hotline number designated for the Vessel of Opportunity Program and for cleanup ideas.

I can understand the overwhelming nature of the calls coming into BP from around the globe, but if I were BP, I'd be thinking hard about the wisdom of ignoring calls in about cleanup suggestions and even containment suggestions, given the White House's order to BP to step up their game and stop more of this oil from pouring into the Gulf.

If this operator's allegations are true, it is another nail in BP's strategy to do whatever they please while appearing to care. Might be time for them to actually DO what they pretend to do.