Things I don't like about Singapore

[x9200]

Normally they ask because the shortest route is not necessary the cheapest, they are checking if you dont mind paying the extra ERP surcharge. On the whole I am very impressed with the taxi service in Singapore, cheap (compare to UK), clean and efficient. If there is one gripe, there is no clear guidelines on picking people up from the roadside. Some roads you can some you cant. They should make it obvious otherwise you will have mystified tourists.

They also ask sometimes during weekends and even if there are no ERP gates on the way. I have no experience with UK but for me the major plus of the local taxi services is that they are cheap and price-wise predictable. You do not need to worry to be ripped off - so comforting coming back from Thailand for example . They are also reasonably clean. The rest in my humble opinion sucks to larger or smaller extent. I guess you have never lived in the suburbs like CCK and tried to get a cab in the rush hours to go there from more central area. You would need to experience how picky they are and that you can be thrown out of the cab already after taking the seat just because they don't like to go there.
I have to admit many things got improved in the last 2-3 years but still there are many totally sub-standard like the one you mentioned - this is not the road, this is the driver waiting for a call that will give him 1 dollar more. Not the case when he picks you up from the curb.

[nakatago]

Here's a good one:

Given that Singapore was a British settlement in the past, given the number of foreigners from all over the world, including most of the Western world coming (and going) here over the decades, given the number of Christian locals with Western names, given that the country has access to Western media, you'd think they will get spelling names right when you're talking on the phone. I mean, if your name is pretty common in the Western world, you'd think they'd get it right. At the very least, the other party would--oh, I don't know--ASK YOU if he or she isn't sure how to spell your name!

[Nath21]

The name one mentioned above drives me crazy as I try to email people in the company and cant locate them on the ctr K function because they spell their names phoentically or just plain ridiculously. e.g Sareh, Alen

The other thing driving me crazy at the moment is the stupid bar service system thye have here. You order a drink get the drink and then have to wait nearly until you finish that drink to get change. All because they have a special change person on the register. They must think every bar staff here is a thief and they dont trust them. Also this is meant to speed up service and it fails miserably. You end up cloggin up the bar with people waiting 15 minutes to get their change thus reduce serving more people. OFten the bar guy who served you has nothing to do and the register peosn is sitting there rushed.

The ++ is a joke its false and misleading advertising. In OZ its illegal to falsly quote prices (including GST) and intentionally mispresent the true price. just tell me the real cost!

And similar to thye above on false and misleading advertising you can say what you want here. Cures cancer Miracle Super Cream blah blah blah. The fact that so many stupid people lap this up should tell the govt to do something about it.

[sundaymorningstaple]

The name one mentioned above drives me crazy as I try to email people in the company and cant locate them on the ctr K function because they spell their names phoentically or just plain ridiculously. e.g Sareh, Alen

Walk into any ghetto in the US if you think the spelling of names here is whacked!?!

[Nath21]

Actually the weirder the name the easier it is is to find unless it similar to an enlgish name. Lucky, Asia, Lakeisha, Carlos, Raymon, Cool, Whacked are all easy to find. In Hong Kong it easy because they all have nick names like Pokeman etc (no joke) on the email listing and a spreadsheet to match them.

The weirdest email I have recived to date from our Hong Kong Office "'xx the front office girl for 15 years who was well known to everyone was brutally murderd yesterday. Her replacement is xx."

[hey_smile]

Actually the weirder the name the easier it is is to find unless it similar to an enlgish name. Lucky, Asia, Lakeisha, Carlos, Raymon, Cool, Whacked are all easy to find. In Hong Kong it easy because they all have nick names like Pokeman etc (no joke) on the email listing and a spreadsheet to match them.

"

Yea, hong kongers got one of the most interesting names... like delprado... or some never heard of latin-like name... In Singapore, you have some Western names, but people just change the spelling in order to be different - terence, terenz, terrence whatever...

[nakatago]

but is it too much to ask for for them to confirm if they got your name right? weird spelling or not

[QRM]

Actually the weirder the name the easier it is is to find unless it similar to an enlgish name. Lucky, Asia, Lakeisha, Carlos, Raymon, Cool, Whacked are all easy to find. In Hong Kong it easy because they all have nick names like Pokeman etc (no joke) on the email listing and a spreadsheet to match them.

"

Yea, hong kongers got one of the most interesting names... like delprado... or some never heard of latin-like name... In Singapore, you have some Western names, but people just change the spelling in order to be different - terence, terenz, terrence whatever...

I saw a name tag in HK "Elvis Singh", and "Brick Fung"

[morenangpinay]

The weirdest email I have recived to date from our Hong Kong Office "'xx the front office girl for 15 years who was well known to everyone was brutally murderd yesterday. Her replacement is xx."

oMg lol that is weird and awkward.

oh yah...i always get confused when i hear "Flem" instead of film..

[Barnsley]

The weirdest email I have recived to date from our Hong Kong Office "'xx the front office girl for 15 years who was well known to everyone was brutally murderd yesterday. Her replacement is xx."

oMg lol that is weird and awkward.

oh yah...i always get confused when i hear "Flem" instead of film..

If you are from the North-East of England you are more than likely to say F-lem or Flem if they speak quickly as opposed to film.

[dbenne22]

- Having to spell your name phonetically over the phone using obscure country / place names. Even if your name is Smith
- Behaving like a selfish pr**k and then studiously avoiding eye contact (especially applies to car drivers & MRT commuters)
- Feeling the need to abbreviate everything
- Appalling grammar on signs
- Appalling grammar (and abbreviations) in Forum posts
- Trying to get a tradesperson to understand that a 300% margin on their costs for a simple job is unreasonable
- Walking slower than a hamster
- Never saying Please or Thank You
- Ambulances having no right of way
- Travelling the world on 5 Stars Tours (grammar again) with other Singaporeans, eating Chinese food and generally avoiding any form of contact with local culture. Or maybe my rant incriminates me in this one as well...

[nakatago]

- Travelling the world on 5 Stars Tours (grammar again) with other Singaporeans, eating Chinese food and generally avoiding any form of contact with local culture. Or maybe my rant incriminates me in this one as well...

when I went to Australia and not having gone outside of East/Southeast Asia before, one of my rules was NO ASIAN FOOD. Well, someone brought me to a Thai place but ordered something with kangaroo meat in it

[x9200]

Nothing Singaporean specific. As a matter of fact I am always shocked seeing the Westerners eating in all the resorts around the region s**ty bacon/toasts and tasteless pulp of diluted scrambled eggs or dining mainly in McDonalds and similar places.

[hey_smile]

I remembered this post, while I was in a cab this morning - with a driver that looked 90 year-old and couldn't ever hear me properly.... I am not biased against the elderly... but I didn't even dare ask him to speed up... Do they have an age cap for taxi drivers???

Not true, unless they are new cabbies. Most of them know the twist and turns, and the roads with heavy traffic to avoid.

True true, you only have to realize that it depends on the locations you typically travel to and yours are unlikely similar to mine. You may also simply not know the best route so you believe they do a good job.
I can give you an example where vast majority of the cabbies typically fails: going from the Queensway/Botanic Garden location to NTU. During morning rush hours PIE is very often blocked and the cabbies will still go over there via PIE having 2 alternative faster and shorter routes.
Yes, situation improved after more cabs got GPS onboard but not really that dramatically.

[x9200]

Probably there is an age limit but there is really a lot of retirees earning some extra income for their families.