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Customer Care? - No, couldn't care less - lah!!

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Marita
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Customer Care? - No, couldn't care less - lah!!

Post by Marita » Thu, 08 Dec 2005 3:39 pm

Anyone who’s lived in Singapore for more than a couple of months will be familiar with the “cannot-lah”

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Baron Greenback
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Post by Baron Greenback » Thu, 08 Dec 2005 3:53 pm

Excellent post - well written & a good story of good & truth triumphing over evil with a happy ending.

Congratulations on your victory & thank you for sharing, naming & shaming.

I am sure the boys will be over the moon with their working ipods - an excellent present as well by the way.

ps very eloquent for an essex girl as well - I am impressed :wink:
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools."
Hemingway

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samantha
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Post by samantha » Thu, 08 Dec 2005 3:57 pm

Okaaay... You really had an idiot serving you. Well actually, being a Singaporean myself, I can say our customer service here is disaster.. Most are rude, arrogant and downright ignorant (ever seen a salesperson who doesn't know what he's selling?). They are not helpful, they are not sure of what they are supposed to do :evil:

I don't care how many award we win all.. Comapre our service here to that of Bali, we should be ashamed. In England, customer service wasn't very good (they couldn't find my packet of cheese, which i gave to them to keep for me), but at least they weren't rude and they were genuinely willing to help. :wink:

I hope your sons enjoy their iPods. :lol: :lol:
I'm so stupid that I surprise myself sometimes...

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madwolfie
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Post by madwolfie » Thu, 08 Dec 2005 4:14 pm

Marita, I'm so sorry to hear that you've had to encounter this.

I can't say for all but the employers have a part to play in cultivating good customer service, in any field of business. Even for police officers serving over the counter, they have to know what customer service is about these days.

There are always black sheeps and I'm sure you will encounter various positive experiences in your stay here. :console:

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Bubbles
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Post by Bubbles » Thu, 08 Dec 2005 4:51 pm

Marita, you go girl!! Being a Brit myself I totally understand your reactions. There is nothing quite so infuriating as someone who will not take responsibility for their actions, whether it's customer service or not.

I am not a disagreeable person but I ALWAYS make a point of returning everything which does not come up to standard, be it an ipod, a pair of shoes or even a meal. Why should anyone have to hand over hard earned money for something which is not fit for the purpose it's advertised as?

I must say that it's in no way unusual to get sloppy service here in the UK, but to be fair they always hand over a replacement because it's the law. And there's always Watchdog or the Standards Commission if they're going to be difficult about it. And of course that good old Brit standard response to these dorks which is writing to the local paper in great detail, telling the culprits you're going to do it, then seeing them named and shamed. Great.

However, it does not compensate for the frustration you feel at the time but thankfully your story has a happy ending, and I, for one, will now be very wary of buying electronic items when in Singapore if this really is the norm for product replacement. Everyone....has this happened to you? Or can you get your money back easily? Here in the UK you can get same for same replacement within 2 weeks at the store, and replacement from manufactures ...usually within a year....as your product has an automatic guarantee, in the form of your till receipt.

Put the boot on the other foot.....would they let you walk out of the shop with $100 worth of free stuff? No. So why would we just walk in and give them the same amount for free?

Good for you.
Bubbs.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Dylan Thomas.

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samantha
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Post by samantha » Thu, 08 Dec 2005 4:59 pm

Put the boot on the other foot.....would they let you walk out of the shop with $100 worth of free stuff? No. So why would we just walk in and give them the same amount for free?
I like this one... Bubbles... You wanna help me do my GP homework?? :P :P :P
I'm so stupid that I surprise myself sometimes...

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Bubbles
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Post by Bubbles » Thu, 08 Dec 2005 5:09 pm

Hey Samantha

Be pleased to help, but think of the comments from the teachers when they saw my tell it as it is stuff. You'd be out the door I think, especially when they saw the 'Yeah right, these facts are total rubbish' and 'Why am I studying this as it's just so boring?' type retorts!! lol.

Bubbs.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Dylan Thomas.

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samantha
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Post by samantha » Thu, 08 Dec 2005 5:25 pm

:lol: :lol: :lol: There is a reason why GP= General paper? There is no right or wrong... Just make sure you have good, valid points and you argue them well... Studying is never boring to me... :P :P
I'm so stupid that I surprise myself sometimes...

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Wind In My Hair
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Post by Wind In My Hair » Thu, 08 Dec 2005 5:40 pm

hey Marita, or would that be Your Majesty? :lol:

sorry, couldn't resist. thanks for sharing. i'm local and used to the bad service here in most cases, but that remark really takes the cake. if i were you i'd write in to the singapore tourism board with your story verbatim and let them deal with that shop. in fact, please do if you can find the time. they may compensate you in some way hopefully, and you'll also be doing singapore a favour by highlighting the need for drastic change and fast.

that said, sim lim square is known for cheap stuff which is not always reliable. and budget stores and good service seldom go hand in hand in singapore. funan centre is much better for IT stuff. not as cheap as sim lim but the salespeople there are quite polite and most are actually competent.

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Re: Customer Care? - No, couldn't care less - lah!!

Post by benjamin » Thu, 08 Dec 2005 5:48 pm

[quote="Marita"]Anyone who’s lived in Singapore for more than a couple of months will be familiar with the “cannot-lah”

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Post by Wham » Thu, 08 Dec 2005 6:11 pm

Queen Marita! You deserve an award!!! Well done! VICTORY!!!!

I have purchased some electronics from Challenger, and while they say NO REFUND the secret is that IF you push, they WILL give a cash refund.

I hope you walk around LIKE THE QUEEN for a few weeks - you deserve it.
"He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man." Samuel Johnson

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seraphim
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Post by seraphim » Thu, 08 Dec 2005 6:30 pm

Excellent Marita!

Good job on putting a rude shop assistant in place. Questioning you in that manner in completely unacceptable.....and it was unprovoked as well!
And the sultans - yeah the sultans
they play creole...Creole, baby

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Global Citizen
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Post by Global Citizen » Thu, 08 Dec 2005 9:02 pm

You go girl!

Feel terrible that you had to go through this and I agree with WIMH that you should highlight this incident or even write to the forum page of the Straits Times. It's about time that some people learnt the meaning of Customer Service and how to keep a customer.
One man's meat is another's poison.

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Carpe Diem
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Post by Carpe Diem » Thu, 08 Dec 2005 9:20 pm

I have to say that I never experienced such problems at Sim Lim square, quite the opposite. People have been helpful and nice (still I have to say that I avoid the first 2 floors...)

I just wonder whether I am lucky, or is it because I am a man?

I might be opening a can of worms here... (I like that expression, I learned it on the forum in fact :lol: )... but would you agree with me that "local" men tend to have a sexist attitude towards "expat" (western) ladies?

Listening to stories from different people makes me wonder. What do you think?
Last edited by Carpe Diem on Thu, 08 Dec 2005 9:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Global Citizen
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Post by Global Citizen » Thu, 08 Dec 2005 9:36 pm

CD, I may be opening another can of worms here by what I'm about to say. Yes, some may think Western women are more gullible but some are also under the mis- impression that they're easy.
One man's meat is another's poison.

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