Early this week, when I took MRT to work, we heard an announcement when we reached Marsilling MRT station, “There’s a sudden train fault. Please alight.” In a rush, I left my notebook on the seat. The staff-in-charge on the platform took my contact number and promised that I could collect it back at Bukit Batok MRT station where I’m staying. But when I went to collect it, the staff at BB seemed did not even know what’s going on. They called Marsilling station. The manager at that station did not seem to know either. “What time did the incident occur?” “Around 8am.” How come they do not have a record? I was completely puzzled. After further investigation, the manager of Marsilling station called me. “There’s no way that we can find your notebook.” “Why?” “Our staff informed Woodlands station soon after you reported. But when the train reached Woodlands, their staff went to check and found your notebook was not there.” “How come? The passengers, your staff on the platform and myself saw with our own eyes that it was there on the seat after the door closed and there was no one on the train. …..” “Hello… hello…” The line had been cut off. The next morning, that staff on the platform called me. “Sorry, I forgot to call you. They did not find anything after the train reached Woodlands station.” I was puzzled, hence, called the customer service.
“We need to investigate, and we will let you know.” Later, he called and told me, “The train was back to normal after a while. So, it didn’t go to depot as we thought. Instead, it went to Woodlands, and picked up passengers there. After that we can’t find your notebook.” “But I informed you before you picking up the passengers. You should do something.” “Sorry, it was rush hour. We have no time to search for you. After all, it’s your responsibility not to leave anything on the train.” “But it was not the normal case. Your train was faulty, and we rushed down to cooperate.” “Yes, in our announcement we simply informed you to alight the train and board the next one. We never asked you to leave your stuff on the train…” I was indeed unhappy with their service. Of course it passengers’ have a responsibility to take care of their own property. But in such an emergency cases, the Railway had caused so much inconvenience for us. On top of that, they refused to find my notebook for me even though I had reported to them before hand. And more, they never apologized to me! Instead, they simply put the blame on me. Is this really the world class service that they claim to be providing?
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Worst Service Provider in Singapore
The worst customer service provider is OCBC. Since last year, their service has been consistently poor. I have had lots of problems with them. At first (starting from last April), we had some dispute which supposed would be easily solved. They promised they would call me after they checked the account. But who knows if they ever did and after a while, I also forgot - as I’m a working professional under the severe stress from both work and family. In the end, I experienced delay in my payment and a penalty. Of course, I wouldn’t agree to pay for other people’s mistakes. That caused a big fight between us. Each month when I received the bill, the amount would become higher by at least S$60 dollars more because of the late payment charges and interest. Until the End of the year, it went up as high as S$350+. I was so angry that I lodged a complain against them to their headquarters and that finally escalated the entire situation. I was disturbed so much as they called me each day more than 20 times to chase me down to make the payment. (oddly they only called me when seeking to collect the payment. Other than that, it’s quite difficult to find them).
After that, they tried to persuade me to apply for two more credit cards. They said as long as I spent any amount, I should be able to get a S$20 rebate for each card. Until January, I didn’t receive anything. I called them and they said “not so fast“. It should come in the following month. In February, I received a rebate from one of the cards. So I called them again. They told me the other one would take longer and they said that by March I should get it. Until the March bill came, it was still not there. Again I called. This time, the staff said the promotion was only eligible to certain people. I told them right from the beginning that they had already confirmed that I was one of the eligible candidates. He said he needed to check and that it would take three working days. He would call me the following week. In fact, this is their practice. They always tell customers the check will take a certain time and they will get back to them - just like what happened to me last year. But they will never call. Just as what I had predicted, I never received any call from him. I’m very experienced since I went through it all last year. After almost 2 weeks, I thought I couldn’t wait any more. Again this time the staff told me exactly the same thing. I asked him why the check took such a long time. He promised me he would definitely call me the following day. On the phone, I told him this would be the last time I trusted that bank. If by the following day, I still did not receive any call from him. I would guarantee him that I would not back down. I wouldn’t be so patient any more and I told him do not test my limit. He assured me I could definitely trust him. But guess what happened? Nobody called me the whole day. Next day, I called and a lady answered phone. She again said the same thing. But this time, she finally called me back and told me I shall receive a S$20 Best Denki voucher not rebate by next time. Though it is different from what they promised and voucher is not as good as rebate, I decided to give up. Let’s hope I really will receive the voucher by next month.
After that, they tried to persuade me to apply for two more credit cards. They said as long as I spent any amount, I should be able to get a S$20 rebate for each card. Until January, I didn’t receive anything. I called them and they said “not so fast“. It should come in the following month. In February, I received a rebate from one of the cards. So I called them again. They told me the other one would take longer and they said that by March I should get it. Until the March bill came, it was still not there. Again I called. This time, the staff said the promotion was only eligible to certain people. I told them right from the beginning that they had already confirmed that I was one of the eligible candidates. He said he needed to check and that it would take three working days. He would call me the following week. In fact, this is their practice. They always tell customers the check will take a certain time and they will get back to them - just like what happened to me last year. But they will never call. Just as what I had predicted, I never received any call from him. I’m very experienced since I went through it all last year. After almost 2 weeks, I thought I couldn’t wait any more. Again this time the staff told me exactly the same thing. I asked him why the check took such a long time. He promised me he would definitely call me the following day. On the phone, I told him this would be the last time I trusted that bank. If by the following day, I still did not receive any call from him. I would guarantee him that I would not back down. I wouldn’t be so patient any more and I told him do not test my limit. He assured me I could definitely trust him. But guess what happened? Nobody called me the whole day. Next day, I called and a lady answered phone. She again said the same thing. But this time, she finally called me back and told me I shall receive a S$20 Best Denki voucher not rebate by next time. Though it is different from what they promised and voucher is not as good as rebate, I decided to give up. Let’s hope I really will receive the voucher by next month.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Not as Good as a Fish / 人不如鱼
最近世界杯足球赛进行得如火如荼，虽然未能捧红哪个球星，或哪支球队，却意外地捧红了章鱼歌-Paul。话说这Paul，那来头可就大了，他生于英国，长于德国，见过大世面，而且还是出身名门望族呢，他的妈妈便是个百发百中的算命师。难怪他那么得厉害了。听说他预测西班牙将夺得本次比赛的冠军，那还等什么？听罢我立马便买了一张足球彩票，希望能借这位海底黄大仙的光发上一笔。比赛完后的清晨，妈妈便打电话给我，声音激动地在颤抖，“恭喜你，终于中奖了。”
等到领奖那一天，我兴冲冲并小心翼翼地递上自己的彩票，用虔诚的眼光看着并期待着这一神圣时刻的到来，毕竟这是俺第一次中奖哦！这时意想不到的事发生了，当职员打入我的身份证号码后告知我，“对不起，你没中奖。”“什么？”我简直不敢相信自己的耳朵，“为什么？”“因为西班牙没赢，它们和了。”“你没看电视么？这么大的事你都不知道，西班牙把奖杯都抱回家啦，人家正在庆祝呢，怎会没赢？”“只算前面的90分钟。。。”只觉得一阵的晕眩，接下来她说的话什么也没听见，踉踉跄跄的走回家，给爸爸打电话，爸爸听后也觉得诧异，经分析爸爸才得出结论，这不用说是Singapore Pools算错了赔率，赢得人太多了，他们没钱给了，只好耍赖。要说着Singapore Pools也真够惨了，拥有那么多的硕士，博士，还有什么精算大师，居然算不过一只章鱼，真悲哀哟！可他们又不能听章鱼的，于是造成了上述惨剧。唉！
The world Cup Soccer Match in South Africa was definitely the hot topic this year. But not even one individual or a particular team gained the limelight. The only one who gained popularity was an octopus – Paul. Paul was born into a famous family. His mother was an outstanding fortune teller. He inherited such intelligence from his mother and made only one mistake in his life time. My father said that he predicted Spain would be the champions this time. Then why wait? I must quickly do something. I rushed out to buy a lottery ticket. I had hoped to be able to make my fortune through him! The next morning, mother called me, voice already trembling, “Congratulations! You won finally!”
When I went to collect my prize, I handed in my ticket carefully, yet also excitedly, waiting for that sacred moment to come. You know this was the first time for me to strike a win on the lottery in a lifetime! After checking my IC number, the officer told me, ”Sorry, you have not won a prize.” “What? How can this be?” I couldn’t believe my ears. “Because Spain did not win, it was a draw game.” “What? You did not watch TV? Spain brought away the trophy and now they are busy celebrating.” “We count only the first 90 min, so…..” I felt a sudden dizziness, and did not really hear what she said. Walking home stumbling, I called Father. My father also felt surprised. Finally he concluded that It must be because the Singapore Pools miss calculated the odds and too many people won the game. Therefore, they could not afford to pay. With so many master and even PHD holders, Singapore Pools was not even able to compete with a fish. But how could those so called experts bow to a fish? Alas!
沉痛悼念保罗的不幸逝世，保罗永远活在我们心中！
等到领奖那一天，我兴冲冲并小心翼翼地递上自己的彩票，用虔诚的眼光看着并期待着这一神圣时刻的到来，毕竟这是俺第一次中奖哦！这时意想不到的事发生了，当职员打入我的身份证号码后告知我，“对不起，你没中奖。”“什么？”我简直不敢相信自己的耳朵，“为什么？”“因为西班牙没赢，它们和了。”“你没看电视么？这么大的事你都不知道，西班牙把奖杯都抱回家啦，人家正在庆祝呢，怎会没赢？”“只算前面的90分钟。。。”只觉得一阵的晕眩，接下来她说的话什么也没听见，踉踉跄跄的走回家，给爸爸打电话，爸爸听后也觉得诧异，经分析爸爸才得出结论，这不用说是Singapore Pools算错了赔率，赢得人太多了，他们没钱给了，只好耍赖。要说着Singapore Pools也真够惨了，拥有那么多的硕士，博士，还有什么精算大师，居然算不过一只章鱼，真悲哀哟！可他们又不能听章鱼的，于是造成了上述惨剧。唉！
The world Cup Soccer Match in South Africa was definitely the hot topic this year. But not even one individual or a particular team gained the limelight. The only one who gained popularity was an octopus – Paul. Paul was born into a famous family. His mother was an outstanding fortune teller. He inherited such intelligence from his mother and made only one mistake in his life time. My father said that he predicted Spain would be the champions this time. Then why wait? I must quickly do something. I rushed out to buy a lottery ticket. I had hoped to be able to make my fortune through him! The next morning, mother called me, voice already trembling, “Congratulations! You won finally!”
When I went to collect my prize, I handed in my ticket carefully, yet also excitedly, waiting for that sacred moment to come. You know this was the first time for me to strike a win on the lottery in a lifetime! After checking my IC number, the officer told me, ”Sorry, you have not won a prize.” “What? How can this be?” I couldn’t believe my ears. “Because Spain did not win, it was a draw game.” “What? You did not watch TV? Spain brought away the trophy and now they are busy celebrating.” “We count only the first 90 min, so…..” I felt a sudden dizziness, and did not really hear what she said. Walking home stumbling, I called Father. My father also felt surprised. Finally he concluded that It must be because the Singapore Pools miss calculated the odds and too many people won the game. Therefore, they could not afford to pay. With so many master and even PHD holders, Singapore Pools was not even able to compete with a fish. But how could those so called experts bow to a fish? Alas!
沉痛悼念保罗的不幸逝世，保罗永远活在我们心中！
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
My lost keys
I went out last Saturday with my friend. After coming back slightly after 12:00pm, I simply threw my stuff on the sofa. I was carrying quite a lot. One handbag, one bag stuffed with frozen food, and one umbrella. I couldn’t remember whether I had removed the key from the door or not. After making 2 long phone calls, I fell into asleep and woken up by an sms from another friend, letting me know me know that he’s arrived and was waiting downstairs. Only until that time, I started searching for my keys, but couldn’t find them anywhere. I contacted to the security chief downstairs and he came up to investigate. My tenant went out at around 2:00pm and had not seen any keys let in the door. And so it’s possible that sometime between 12:00pm and 2:00pm someone may have taken them. Security cameras are only in the lobby and not on my level. Lunch was from 12:00pm to 1:00pm, so it would be unusual for anyone to be around at the time. After that the cleaners might. So I asked him to bring the supervisor of the cleaning company to my house. Meanwhile, he gave me some phone numbers to contact a locksmith just in case if I couldn’t find them before the day ended. I called and made an arrangement. It cost $60 only to change to cylinder inside with 3 new keys. But I still needed to settle the rest. My office key, my bedroom key, my drawer, and so on. It was quite a lot and quite expensive to settle all of them. I checked with the supervisor who told me that began work at 1:00pm in the afternoon to clean these few levels. I thought that perhaps one of the cleaners may have taken my keys and I requested that the matter be investigated. The supervisor denied my request, becoming irritable and unwilling to help. The Chief of Security volunteered to help me to search the house. Finally he found the keys underneath the cushion of the sofa. That God! That saved me a lot of trouble. That guy was all the way patient during the whole process. A nice old man! That’s the kind of security officer we need.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
You Dare to Visit This Beauty Salon? / 野蛮美容院
本来很瘦的我在Citispa导购小姐的劝说下，签了一个瘦身配套，她用她那甜美的声音，柔柔地对我说：“这个配套可以帮助到你。”并信誓旦旦地保证能让我看到效果，无须节食，运动，并说他们与8波道合作了一个节目，极有信誉。她接着又说：“你可以任选全岛的任何一间分店，任选适合你的时间。”听完她的介绍，心里充满了期盼。
第一次预约，相当顺利，正当我以为一切都很美好的时候，噩梦在一步步向我靠近，只是我还没有察觉罢了。首先美容师说的比起导购小姐来要保守多了，她们说怎样也是要配合才能见效，所谓配合是指少吃多动，我想算了，既来之则安之，我忍。。。
导购小姐也介绍说做瘦身配套一定要勤劳，不能像做美容那样，美容洗脸一个月最多做两次，如果做得太勤了，反而对皮肤有伤害，而瘦身则需一个星期做两次，否则就没有效果。按照导购小姐的指示我在做完第一次后便要求拿第二次预约，这是前台的服务人员就变了，她说星期三已经满了，既然是Ang Mo Kio分店卖给你的，你不如回去找她们，叫她们帮你解决。我当时有些不高兴，因为这跟当初所讲的不一样，当初说好哪间分店都行，但她把订单给我看，四月星期三都满了，没办法，星期三我只好去Ang Mo Kio分店做，我告诉她帮我把五月的订上，免得到时出现同样的问题，但她说五月的计划还没有出来，暂时无法预定，当时她也说星期三已无法解决，但保证我星期六或星期天一定会帮我解决，因为我周末实在无法去Ang Mo Kio，太远了，来回要两个小时。事已至此，也只好算了，心想只要周末给我订了也就迁就了。五月二号当我去预定时，她们竟又说满了，只肯给我一个星期天晚上的，我跟她们讲晚上我不方便，我比较喜欢星期六下午，不耽误我做事，晚上经常要出去逛街回不来，好说歹说她们终于同意给了我星期天中午的，将就啦；订接下来的星期，给了星期六中午的，接着商量再下一个星期，她们就翻了脸，先是说满了，我不相信，为什么前面两个都有，而更远的却没有，这显然不合乎逻辑，我要求看预约单，被拒绝，我要求见她们的经理，同样遭到拒绝，她们说“经理没空见你，她不在。”我建议打手机找她，她们说经理正在跟顾客谈话，我说我也是顾客，哪里可以付了钱的你们就不管了。她们无奈承认说她们要把时间留给新加入的顾客，这真是岂有此理，做生意岂能这样，拿了人家的钱却不提供服务？是可忍孰不可忍？我就跟她们吵了起来，其中的一位野蛮美容师毫不示弱，竟指着我的脸破口大骂，“你以为你是谁？你想要什么就要给你什么？”我被这突如其来的侮辱给吓懵了，毕竟长这么大还从未见过这种服务方式嘞。士可杀，不可辱，于是我只得勇气，跟她吵下去，“你以为你是谁呀？竟敢用这种口气跟顾客讲话？”我气愤地推了她一下，谁知在场的三个服务人员竟诬陷我打了她一巴掌，到底我没证人，而且一看便知这三人是久经沙场的老将，我哪里是她们的对手？眼看着要吃亏，只好三十六计走为上，她们不依不饶，所谓的经理更是向我吼叫，命令我到一个房间里去，“给我进去，你给我进去，你听到了没有？”她大声地吼叫着，然后叫来了商场保安，然而恶人始终就是恶人，当保安上来时，恰巧看到了这些人围攻我的一幕，而且还有陆续围上来的一些过路的，也看到了。结果当然是保安并没有站在她们一边，真是弄巧成拙。这是走投无路的她们又叫来了警察，我对警察讲了实情，并对他们讲述了我的忧虑，她们毕竟是一伙的，且存心想陷害我，可当时并没人路过，而且我还有两百多块钱在她们手上；警察安慰我说他们会尽力调查，不会只听一方的证词，他们也建议我联络起总部，要求换去别的分店，这间绝对不能再来了，否则安全无法得到保障。
听了警察的建议，我回到家给她们的总部打电话，接电话的小姐声音甜美，一口答应帮我解决，要我给她们两天的时间，最迟星期二她们便会给我一个答复。听了她的话，我总算放下了压在胸口的一块大石。可是等啊等啊，到了星期二晚上却没有任何人打电话给我，我只好由硬着头皮给总部打电话，自称是负责人的以老女人接听了电话，我对她说想换另一间，谁知她竟无礼地打断了我说：“这件事已交给警方处理了，现在我们将停止对你的服务，直到警方的报告出来为止。”我说这种瘦身的程序必须连续做，否则就没有效果了，还没等我讲完，她再度粗暴地打断了我，“你到底听不听得动我在讲什么？”然后便挂断了电话，无论我怎么再打，她们只要听到是我的声音或是看到我的号码，她们边挂机，毫无商量的余地。无奈之中我联络了CASE, 工作人员建议我带上相关证据，在星期六亲自到他们那里去备案。正当我要去的时候，星期五晚上突然接到了她们打来的电话，说她们一决定把剩下的款项全部退还给我，还说她们会进一步核实其数额，星期一打电话给我。这次态度变得和蔼可亲，正因为这样，我取消了星期六去CASE的计划，毕竟太麻烦了嘛。可是等啊等啊，今天已经是星期四了，也没见有什么电话来，看来这个星期六我是非得去CASE不可了。
I’m actually already quite slim. But I was persuaded by the promoter from Citispa when they had their road show at Ang Mo Kio NTUC Hub to sign a slimming package. “This will definitely help you,” said she with her sweet and soothing voice. She also said the result was guaranteed and there was no need to go on a diet or exercise. “We produced a TV program together with Channel 8 about this slimming course. Don’t worry, we are a very reputable company. You can choose whichever branch from all over Singapore and a time slot that will suit you.” After hearing what she said, I was indeed fascinated and full of hope in my heart.
My first appointment was quite smooth. While I was weaving my beautiful dream, the nightmare had already started forming without my knowledge. First I found that the beautician was much more conservative than the promoter had been. According to her, we must have more discipline, meaning eat less and exercise more. What to do? I’ve already made a payment. I was thinking, well, just let it be….
The promoter told me that their slimming course was different from their facial programme. Facials are done up to a maximum of twice a month. But the slimming course must be twice a week with a minimum of ten appointments or there won’t be any effect. Based on her instruction, I straight away requested a second appointment after the first treatment. Their faces suddenly changed. They told me Wednesday already fully booked. Since Ang Mo Kio branch sold you this package, you’d better go back to them. She also showed me the booking list. No choice, I went back to Ang Mo Kio for Wednesday’s treatments until the end of April. Ang Mo Kio branch was not very convenient for me because I had to sacrifice my lunch hour. So I requested them for the May appointments so that I could book earlier to avoid such problem. But she told me May schedule was not out yet. On the second of May, soon after my treatment, I requested to book for the rest of my appointments. Guess what they said? “It’s already fully booked.” Finally they agreed to give me an evening slot for the following weekend (9/5/10). I was not happy, and told them that the evening was not at all convenient for me, because on the weekends I go shopping and would not be able to come back before night time. After we had argued for a while, I was given a 2pm slot. For the following week I was given a slot on Sat at 2:00pm. But for the final booking, no matter what I said, they still insisted that it was fully booked, and that they would not be able to do anything. I found it very hard to believe that if early May was ok, then how could later in the month be already booked out? I requested to see their schedule list. They said it’s confidential. Then I said I’d like to see their manager. They replied that their manager was busy with another customer and was not available to see me. I was not happy and said “I’m also your customer. Are you trying to tell me that only those who haven’t made the payments are customers and those who had already paid don’t have to bother any more?” They said they couldn’t find her at the time. Then I said why not call her on her mobile? Finally they admitted that they’d like to reserve the slots for the new customers from the road show. This was indeed too much. So I started quarrelling with them. One of the beauticians shouted at me while pointing to my face, “who do you think you are? Why does everything have to follow your schedule ” I was shocked, as I have never experienced ‘service’ of this kind in my life. I was forced to gather some courage and continue this battle. “Who do you think you are? How dare you talk to me like this?” Meanwhile I pushed on her shoulder with anger. Who knew that three of them would make a false accusation of slapping her. I had no witness, and it was very obvious to me that all three were definitely ‘old birds’, and so I thought it better to leave the premises. They called security from the Mall, who arrived only in time to see that so many of them had cornered me in a small room. The so called manager shouted at me. “Go inside, go inside.” When they saw that the security guards were not going to take sides they called police. I told the policemen the truth and also my concerns, “They are simply framing me.” “Don’t worry, we will investigate. We don't have any bias for either side.” I told them I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get my money back, and that it was more than 200 dollars. They suggested I contact the head office and change to some other branch. “You should not come here any more. It won’t be safe for you.”
After going home, I called the head office. The lady who answered the phone had a sweet voice and she promised settlement with the dispute being resolved promptly. She requested that I give them 2 more days. I felt such a relief after hearing this. I waited until Tuesday, there was no call. So I called them. A woman who claimed to be the person-in-charged answered. She was extremely rude. “This has already become a police case. We have to wait for the police report and then decide what to do next. Currently your treatments have been suspended.” “But the slimming course needs to be continuous or there won’t be any effect.” “Do you understand what I’m saying? We can not serve you any more. Wait for the police report.” Then she cut me off the line. No matter how many times I called, she refused to pick it up. I contacted CASE (Consumer Association of Singapore). They arranged to come down with the evidence on Saturday. On Friday night, I suddenly received a call from the manager of the beauty salon. To my surprise, they agreed to refund me the money. “How much are you going to refund me?” asked I. “We will discuss and let you know by Monday. Will that be OK with you?” “Sure.” was my answer. Again this time, the lady’s voice was sweet and soothing. So I cancelled my plan to visit CASE. But I waited and waited, there was no phone call coming. It looks like I have to go to CASE this Saturday.
第一次预约，相当顺利，正当我以为一切都很美好的时候，噩梦在一步步向我靠近，只是我还没有察觉罢了。首先美容师说的比起导购小姐来要保守多了，她们说怎样也是要配合才能见效，所谓配合是指少吃多动，我想算了，既来之则安之，我忍。。。
导购小姐也介绍说做瘦身配套一定要勤劳，不能像做美容那样，美容洗脸一个月最多做两次，如果做得太勤了，反而对皮肤有伤害，而瘦身则需一个星期做两次，否则就没有效果。按照导购小姐的指示我在做完第一次后便要求拿第二次预约，这是前台的服务人员就变了，她说星期三已经满了，既然是Ang Mo Kio分店卖给你的，你不如回去找她们，叫她们帮你解决。我当时有些不高兴，因为这跟当初所讲的不一样，当初说好哪间分店都行，但她把订单给我看，四月星期三都满了，没办法，星期三我只好去Ang Mo Kio分店做，我告诉她帮我把五月的订上，免得到时出现同样的问题，但她说五月的计划还没有出来，暂时无法预定，当时她也说星期三已无法解决，但保证我星期六或星期天一定会帮我解决，因为我周末实在无法去Ang Mo Kio，太远了，来回要两个小时。事已至此，也只好算了，心想只要周末给我订了也就迁就了。五月二号当我去预定时，她们竟又说满了，只肯给我一个星期天晚上的，我跟她们讲晚上我不方便，我比较喜欢星期六下午，不耽误我做事，晚上经常要出去逛街回不来，好说歹说她们终于同意给了我星期天中午的，将就啦；订接下来的星期，给了星期六中午的，接着商量再下一个星期，她们就翻了脸，先是说满了，我不相信，为什么前面两个都有，而更远的却没有，这显然不合乎逻辑，我要求看预约单，被拒绝，我要求见她们的经理，同样遭到拒绝，她们说“经理没空见你，她不在。”我建议打手机找她，她们说经理正在跟顾客谈话，我说我也是顾客，哪里可以付了钱的你们就不管了。她们无奈承认说她们要把时间留给新加入的顾客，这真是岂有此理，做生意岂能这样，拿了人家的钱却不提供服务？是可忍孰不可忍？我就跟她们吵了起来，其中的一位野蛮美容师毫不示弱，竟指着我的脸破口大骂，“你以为你是谁？你想要什么就要给你什么？”我被这突如其来的侮辱给吓懵了，毕竟长这么大还从未见过这种服务方式嘞。士可杀，不可辱，于是我只得勇气，跟她吵下去，“你以为你是谁呀？竟敢用这种口气跟顾客讲话？”我气愤地推了她一下，谁知在场的三个服务人员竟诬陷我打了她一巴掌，到底我没证人，而且一看便知这三人是久经沙场的老将，我哪里是她们的对手？眼看着要吃亏，只好三十六计走为上，她们不依不饶，所谓的经理更是向我吼叫，命令我到一个房间里去，“给我进去，你给我进去，你听到了没有？”她大声地吼叫着，然后叫来了商场保安，然而恶人始终就是恶人，当保安上来时，恰巧看到了这些人围攻我的一幕，而且还有陆续围上来的一些过路的，也看到了。结果当然是保安并没有站在她们一边，真是弄巧成拙。这是走投无路的她们又叫来了警察，我对警察讲了实情，并对他们讲述了我的忧虑，她们毕竟是一伙的，且存心想陷害我，可当时并没人路过，而且我还有两百多块钱在她们手上；警察安慰我说他们会尽力调查，不会只听一方的证词，他们也建议我联络起总部，要求换去别的分店，这间绝对不能再来了，否则安全无法得到保障。
听了警察的建议，我回到家给她们的总部打电话，接电话的小姐声音甜美，一口答应帮我解决，要我给她们两天的时间，最迟星期二她们便会给我一个答复。听了她的话，我总算放下了压在胸口的一块大石。可是等啊等啊，到了星期二晚上却没有任何人打电话给我，我只好由硬着头皮给总部打电话，自称是负责人的以老女人接听了电话，我对她说想换另一间，谁知她竟无礼地打断了我说：“这件事已交给警方处理了，现在我们将停止对你的服务，直到警方的报告出来为止。”我说这种瘦身的程序必须连续做，否则就没有效果了，还没等我讲完，她再度粗暴地打断了我，“你到底听不听得动我在讲什么？”然后便挂断了电话，无论我怎么再打，她们只要听到是我的声音或是看到我的号码，她们边挂机，毫无商量的余地。无奈之中我联络了CASE, 工作人员建议我带上相关证据，在星期六亲自到他们那里去备案。正当我要去的时候，星期五晚上突然接到了她们打来的电话，说她们一决定把剩下的款项全部退还给我，还说她们会进一步核实其数额，星期一打电话给我。这次态度变得和蔼可亲，正因为这样，我取消了星期六去CASE的计划，毕竟太麻烦了嘛。可是等啊等啊，今天已经是星期四了，也没见有什么电话来，看来这个星期六我是非得去CASE不可了。
I’m actually already quite slim. But I was persuaded by the promoter from Citispa when they had their road show at Ang Mo Kio NTUC Hub to sign a slimming package. “This will definitely help you,” said she with her sweet and soothing voice. She also said the result was guaranteed and there was no need to go on a diet or exercise. “We produced a TV program together with Channel 8 about this slimming course. Don’t worry, we are a very reputable company. You can choose whichever branch from all over Singapore and a time slot that will suit you.” After hearing what she said, I was indeed fascinated and full of hope in my heart.
My first appointment was quite smooth. While I was weaving my beautiful dream, the nightmare had already started forming without my knowledge. First I found that the beautician was much more conservative than the promoter had been. According to her, we must have more discipline, meaning eat less and exercise more. What to do? I’ve already made a payment. I was thinking, well, just let it be….
The promoter told me that their slimming course was different from their facial programme. Facials are done up to a maximum of twice a month. But the slimming course must be twice a week with a minimum of ten appointments or there won’t be any effect. Based on her instruction, I straight away requested a second appointment after the first treatment. Their faces suddenly changed. They told me Wednesday already fully booked. Since Ang Mo Kio branch sold you this package, you’d better go back to them. She also showed me the booking list. No choice, I went back to Ang Mo Kio for Wednesday’s treatments until the end of April. Ang Mo Kio branch was not very convenient for me because I had to sacrifice my lunch hour. So I requested them for the May appointments so that I could book earlier to avoid such problem. But she told me May schedule was not out yet. On the second of May, soon after my treatment, I requested to book for the rest of my appointments. Guess what they said? “It’s already fully booked.” Finally they agreed to give me an evening slot for the following weekend (9/5/10). I was not happy, and told them that the evening was not at all convenient for me, because on the weekends I go shopping and would not be able to come back before night time. After we had argued for a while, I was given a 2pm slot. For the following week I was given a slot on Sat at 2:00pm. But for the final booking, no matter what I said, they still insisted that it was fully booked, and that they would not be able to do anything. I found it very hard to believe that if early May was ok, then how could later in the month be already booked out? I requested to see their schedule list. They said it’s confidential. Then I said I’d like to see their manager. They replied that their manager was busy with another customer and was not available to see me. I was not happy and said “I’m also your customer. Are you trying to tell me that only those who haven’t made the payments are customers and those who had already paid don’t have to bother any more?” They said they couldn’t find her at the time. Then I said why not call her on her mobile? Finally they admitted that they’d like to reserve the slots for the new customers from the road show. This was indeed too much. So I started quarrelling with them. One of the beauticians shouted at me while pointing to my face, “who do you think you are? Why does everything have to follow your schedule ” I was shocked, as I have never experienced ‘service’ of this kind in my life. I was forced to gather some courage and continue this battle. “Who do you think you are? How dare you talk to me like this?” Meanwhile I pushed on her shoulder with anger. Who knew that three of them would make a false accusation of slapping her. I had no witness, and it was very obvious to me that all three were definitely ‘old birds’, and so I thought it better to leave the premises. They called security from the Mall, who arrived only in time to see that so many of them had cornered me in a small room. The so called manager shouted at me. “Go inside, go inside.” When they saw that the security guards were not going to take sides they called police. I told the policemen the truth and also my concerns, “They are simply framing me.” “Don’t worry, we will investigate. We don't have any bias for either side.” I told them I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get my money back, and that it was more than 200 dollars. They suggested I contact the head office and change to some other branch. “You should not come here any more. It won’t be safe for you.”
After going home, I called the head office. The lady who answered the phone had a sweet voice and she promised settlement with the dispute being resolved promptly. She requested that I give them 2 more days. I felt such a relief after hearing this. I waited until Tuesday, there was no call. So I called them. A woman who claimed to be the person-in-charged answered. She was extremely rude. “This has already become a police case. We have to wait for the police report and then decide what to do next. Currently your treatments have been suspended.” “But the slimming course needs to be continuous or there won’t be any effect.” “Do you understand what I’m saying? We can not serve you any more. Wait for the police report.” Then she cut me off the line. No matter how many times I called, she refused to pick it up. I contacted CASE (Consumer Association of Singapore). They arranged to come down with the evidence on Saturday. On Friday night, I suddenly received a call from the manager of the beauty salon. To my surprise, they agreed to refund me the money. “How much are you going to refund me?” asked I. “We will discuss and let you know by Monday. Will that be OK with you?” “Sure.” was my answer. Again this time, the lady’s voice was sweet and soothing. So I cancelled my plan to visit CASE. But I waited and waited, there was no phone call coming. It looks like I have to go to CASE this Saturday.
Good Neighbors / 好邻居
This morning, I went to deposit S$1100 at the ATM machine outside our condo. Suddenly a strong gust of wind blew most of my money away. I had tried my very best to grab what I could, but the wind was too strong and I couldn’t respond in time. One man outside the lift (unit no, #05-04) and another woman inside the lift helped to grab S$100 each. She also spotted another S$100 that was stuck in the lift gap. In such a hurry, I didn’t even have any chance to thank them because after counting there were still 4 x 50 dollars notes were missing. I was so worried, as we are now already in a big financial strife and S$200 is enough to cover the cost of my mother’s treatment for one day. The condo management then called out the emergency service engineer from the lift company. Meanwhile, there was one electrician who was under the condo management and also my neighbor (unit no #01-03) who volunteered to help. The electrician managed to see a S$50 note on my neighbor’s aircon ledge. (Later he also borrowed a ladder to check some other places in the basement) She quickly went to the aircon ledge to get it back for me. A while later, the serviceman came. He went down below and found the other 3 notes. When he heard about our financial problems, he kindly let me off the usual S$30 charge for emergence call out.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those people for their kind help. Their kindness made me feel that I’m not alone in fighting this harshness and that there’s still a bright side to life. Once again thank you all so much.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those people for their kind help. Their kindness made me feel that I’m not alone in fighting this harshness and that there’s still a bright side to life. Once again thank you all so much.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Best Internet Service in Singapore
When discussing the best internet service, I’ll definitely recommend Starhub. They not only have very good expertise, but they are also very polite. Before this Chinese New Year, my pc was invaded by a virus and it would automatically shutdown every 20min, as well as being super slow. I had Windows XP reinstalled by myself. After installation, I couldn’t access the internet. Can you imagine for that holiday we stayed at home for 4 days. Apart from New Years Eve, I had nothing much to do. So without the internet, life would have been extremely boring. So I called Starhub for help. The manager very patiently answered all of my questions. He told me as long as the other pc can serve, then the internet service had no problem. The problem lied with my pc. I asked him how to solve this problem as my pc was no longer under warranty. He was himself unfamiliar with the problem, but would try to help by consulting one of his colleagues and would call back later. He did call me as promised the following day. He explained that I would need to install a driver before connecting to the net service. Then we found out that we did not have any driver software. I told him I would need to go back to my company to get the software. I hoped that he would call again after the holiday was over. Again he called. My software was not yet ready, because my colleague and I were not sure how to download it. That was on the Wednesday. My colleague told me that he would go back and find out the next day and then save it on my thumb drive. Next day I went to see him. He still hadn’t done it yet due to his tight work schedule. At night, Starhub staff called again. I again apologized for not being ready with my software. He rest assured me that the following day, he would arrange somebody else to call me as he would be on leave. In the end I got my software on Monday. During this period, he had called me many times. It is very difficult to find a company who would do the same thing here in Singapore. On a previous occasion, I had signed up with Singtel, and the staff seemed not to be very well trained. They failed to solve most of the problems and worse still, they would simply answer that such problems were not covered by their service. So for quality service, I would strongly recommend Starhub.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Service in Singapore / 新加坡的服务水平急剧下降
新加坡的服务水平越来越差。大约两个星期前，我去位于Ang Mo Kio的NTUC Hub四楼的Foodcourt吃饭，发现桌子上一片狼藉，根本没人收拾，我期待着我吃着吃着便会有人来，可等我吃完了都还没来；而且他们很少擦桌子，除非你要求，但即使你要求了，擦得也不干净，如果你让他们在擦干净点，他们马上就不高兴，一块脏抹布到处擦，从不见他们洗。但如果是在十多年前，情况截然不同，那时候的新加坡比其他国家好多了，十分注重卫生，我记得那时候的中国跟新加坡比起来差很远，那时候经常会发生服务人员与顾客争吵的情形，有时他们也会以次充好；但现在的情况则完全不同，中国有了大幅度的提高，而新加坡却止步不前。昨天我去Bukit Batok地铁站边的NTUC买nectarine，一盒中居然发现已有5个烂了，我觉得如果政府不及时想办法的话，新加坡很快就会落人后了。
The service in Singapore is getting worse and worse. About 2 weeks ago, I went to the Foodcourt inside Ang Mo Kio NTUC Hub. The tables were so messy with the plates and leftovers from previous people because the staff there are so slow. I had to clear some space for myself meanwhile waiting for the staff to clear the table for me. But no one came, even after I’d finished my eating. And this in fact happens in every Foodcourt in Singapore. Even though they clear the table, they don’t even wipe them. You have to make a request if you want them to wipe your table. But even if you do make a request, they simply wipe with the same piece of cloth again and again without washing it. Even if they do wipe it for you, you are still able to see the stains on the table. But if you insist that they clean it further, they will soon become very annoyed with you. So disgusting!
Yesterday, I went to NTUC near Bukit Batok MRT station to buy nectarines. After I got back home, I found 5 out of one box were already rotten. Ten years ago, if you compared Singapore and other countries, you would find Singapore was much better. But today, other countries have already caught up. Singapore is getting worse. For example, it used to be that if you went to China, you would find that the standard of service was quite poor and you might even get cheated. But today, I find that customer services in China are even better than Singapore. Can the Government please do something? If not, I believe we will be left behind.
The service in Singapore is getting worse and worse. About 2 weeks ago, I went to the Foodcourt inside Ang Mo Kio NTUC Hub. The tables were so messy with the plates and leftovers from previous people because the staff there are so slow. I had to clear some space for myself meanwhile waiting for the staff to clear the table for me. But no one came, even after I’d finished my eating. And this in fact happens in every Foodcourt in Singapore. Even though they clear the table, they don’t even wipe them. You have to make a request if you want them to wipe your table. But even if you do make a request, they simply wipe with the same piece of cloth again and again without washing it. Even if they do wipe it for you, you are still able to see the stains on the table. But if you insist that they clean it further, they will soon become very annoyed with you. So disgusting!
Yesterday, I went to NTUC near Bukit Batok MRT station to buy nectarines. After I got back home, I found 5 out of one box were already rotten. Ten years ago, if you compared Singapore and other countries, you would find Singapore was much better. But today, other countries have already caught up. Singapore is getting worse. For example, it used to be that if you went to China, you would find that the standard of service was quite poor and you might even get cheated. But today, I find that customer services in China are even better than Singapore. Can the Government please do something? If not, I believe we will be left behind.
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