Why is SG customer service so bad??
04-17-2007, 11:14 AM
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Why is SG customer service so bad??
Hi all
although this has nothing to do with RX8 but i think its related in a certain way.
i think everyone has their experiences with lousy services, be it any forms of purchase and servicing, in this case, in this forum, buying a car and getting the servicing you want.
Maybe everyone might want to share your bad experiences with any car-related services. Share with the bros and sis here and at least help prevent similar cases happening to others.
maybe quite boliao but i think its valid. especially i feel a lot of things are taken for granted in Singapore and alot of us consumers are simply taking **** in our faces everyday for fear of trouble or bochap.
its all part of the reason why our local service standards are dropping from day to day. And come this July, the additional 2% of so-called GST really makes feel what i paying this extra for: better service?
although this has nothing to do with RX8 but i think its related in a certain way.
i think everyone has their experiences with lousy services, be it any forms of purchase and servicing, in this case, in this forum, buying a car and getting the servicing you want.
Maybe everyone might want to share your bad experiences with any car-related services. Share with the bros and sis here and at least help prevent similar cases happening to others.
maybe quite boliao but i think its valid. especially i feel a lot of things are taken for granted in Singapore and alot of us consumers are simply taking **** in our faces everyday for fear of trouble or bochap.
its all part of the reason why our local service standards are dropping from day to day. And come this July, the additional 2% of so-called GST really makes feel what i paying this extra for: better service?
04-17-2007, 12:03 PM
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Originally Posted by gfoo
Aiyohh... everyone knows the additional 2% GST is an offering to appease the Lee dynasty and their mini-stars mah.... 'rob the plebieans blind and enrich the elite!'
04-17-2007, 01:37 PM
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Culture can be changed..
Just see how much HK has changed, from worse cs than us to 10 times better... maybe because they view it as a matter of survival.
S'poreans just too complacent lah.
Lawreo, maybe the 'Services' in 'Goods n Services Tax' is misleading.. but then, 'Value Added Tax' is also not very clear, even though it describes exactly what it is.
But make no mistake, the GST is not to enrich the Lee dynasty, but to provide funds for public spending. Running or owning GLCs, on the other hand, is a different matter....
Just see how much HK has changed, from worse cs than us to 10 times better... maybe because they view it as a matter of survival.
S'poreans just too complacent lah.
Lawreo, maybe the 'Services' in 'Goods n Services Tax' is misleading.. but then, 'Value Added Tax' is also not very clear, even though it describes exactly what it is.
But make no mistake, the GST is not to enrich the Lee dynasty, but to provide funds for public spending. Running or owning GLCs, on the other hand, is a different matter....
04-17-2007, 10:58 PM
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HK is really a relative comparison as they were way behind Sin and way above now..... The differences are, when you are in a protected turf like us, you will not fear of losing your "Rice Bowl". HK has seen alots of changes sinced the handover. There is more to worry about, ie: more competition in employment, more demand in personalised service, more hard to handle customers and so on....All such issues contribute to Service Culture.
Employer plays a very important role here as they need to take serious action on employees that is not following company's S.O.P when come in contact with consumers.
Question is, organisations are worries on issues such as terminating and re-employment as most company do not believe in spending more in staff training. In that deptpartment, it is more often seen as service rather than profit.
My reason encounters has confirmed that why do we sometimes or most of the time get such bad service rendered. 2 incidents within a month show that the employers themselves are not professional when come to handling customers, not to mentioned the staff!
Without Prejudice
Case no. 1 - our friend reasonly bought a new nokia phone and found out it is a defective set the moment she got home on the same night.
The next day, she went back to the shop and was referred to the service centre. There, she was told that they will need to check and do the necessary repairs. When she ask for a one to one exchange as the defect phone was only bought the evening before, the answer was, this is not a one dollar shop and we do not practice one to one exchange!
Case no. 2 - I've sent my ride back to the warranty workshop on 3 occassions and my last encounter was really bitter. First and foremost, they drive your ride over the humps like there is no tomorrow and my ride was wash with the same cloth that runs thru soil by the bottom of the bumper and side mudguard hence leaving scratches all over. Next, they use Chisel and hammer to tighten my steering box. When i ask aren't they supposed to use a special tool? The manager answer was: "If every car we got to buy special tool, then no need to do business liao!" Shocking??
After all the back and forth, the boss finally call me one evening and i relate the entire incident to him and he told me that they will pay for my polish. I was trying to tell him that it might cost a bit as this is detailing work due to the scratches, he answered: even if it is 200 over dollars it is very cheap and walk away before concluding the conversation. So, what kind of service do you expect from the employees???
The moral here is "CHANGE"! most companies and employees refuse to change as it is usually "painful" to do so. But, they need to realised that if they do not Change, it is even more Painful!
The drastic drop in service ranking is a good example. Next, you will see a dip in sales as bad service rendered means zero customer retention.
Employer plays a very important role here as they need to take serious action on employees that is not following company's S.O.P when come in contact with consumers.
Question is, organisations are worries on issues such as terminating and re-employment as most company do not believe in spending more in staff training. In that deptpartment, it is more often seen as service rather than profit.
My reason encounters has confirmed that why do we sometimes or most of the time get such bad service rendered. 2 incidents within a month show that the employers themselves are not professional when come to handling customers, not to mentioned the staff!
Without Prejudice
Case no. 1 - our friend reasonly bought a new nokia phone and found out it is a defective set the moment she got home on the same night.
The next day, she went back to the shop and was referred to the service centre. There, she was told that they will need to check and do the necessary repairs. When she ask for a one to one exchange as the defect phone was only bought the evening before, the answer was, this is not a one dollar shop and we do not practice one to one exchange!
Case no. 2 - I've sent my ride back to the warranty workshop on 3 occassions and my last encounter was really bitter. First and foremost, they drive your ride over the humps like there is no tomorrow and my ride was wash with the same cloth that runs thru soil by the bottom of the bumper and side mudguard hence leaving scratches all over. Next, they use Chisel and hammer to tighten my steering box. When i ask aren't they supposed to use a special tool? The manager answer was: "If every car we got to buy special tool, then no need to do business liao!" Shocking??
After all the back and forth, the boss finally call me one evening and i relate the entire incident to him and he told me that they will pay for my polish. I was trying to tell him that it might cost a bit as this is detailing work due to the scratches, he answered: even if it is 200 over dollars it is very cheap and walk away before concluding the conversation. So, what kind of service do you expect from the employees???
The moral here is "CHANGE"! most companies and employees refuse to change as it is usually "painful" to do so. But, they need to realised that if they do not Change, it is even more Painful!
The drastic drop in service ranking is a good example. Next, you will see a dip in sales as bad service rendered means zero customer retention.
Last edited by makimaki; 04-17-2007 at 11:04 PM.
04-18-2007, 12:30 AM
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You want better service? Dye your skin white and dye your hair blonde.
Service in singapore? What service? Even in some high end establishments; the service is woefully lacking.
gfoo: Guan zhi liang ge kou. Just do not get a shock when estate duty is abolish.
Service in singapore? What service? Even in some high end establishments; the service is woefully lacking.
gfoo: Guan zhi liang ge kou. Just do not get a shock when estate duty is abolish.
04-18-2007, 01:35 AM
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Originally Posted by makimaki
HK is really a relative comparison as they were way behind Sin and way above now..... The differences are, when you are in a protected turf like us, you will not fear of losing your "Rice Bowl". HK has seen alots of changes sinced the handover. There is more to worry about, ie: more competition in employment, more demand in personalised service, more hard to handle customers and so on....All such issues contribute to Service Culture.
Employer plays a very important role here as they need to take serious action on employees that is not following company's S.O.P when come in contact with consumers.
Question is, organisations are worries on issues such as terminating and re-employment as most company do not believe in spending more in staff training. In that deptpartment, it is more often seen as service rather than profit.
My reason encounters has confirmed that why do we sometimes or most of the time get such bad service rendered. 2 incidents within a month show that the employers themselves are not professional when come to handling customers, not to mentioned the staff!
Without Prejudice
Case no. 1 - our friend reasonly bought a new nokia phone and found out it is a defective set the moment she got home on the same night.
The next day, she went back to the shop and was referred to the service centre. There, she was told that they will need to check and do the necessary repairs. When she ask for a one to one exchange as the defect phone was only bought the evening before, the answer was, this is not a one dollar shop and we do not practice one to one exchange!
Case no. 2 - I've sent my ride back to the warranty workshop on 3 occassions and my last encounter was really bitter. First and foremost, they drive your ride over the humps like there is no tomorrow and my ride was wash with the same cloth that runs thru soil by the bottom of the bumper and side mudguard hence leaving scratches all over. Next, they use Chisel and hammer to tighten my steering box. When i ask aren't they supposed to use a special tool? The manager answer was: "If every car we got to buy special tool, then no need to do business liao!" Shocking??
After all the back and forth, the boss finally call me one evening and i relate the entire incident to him and he told me that they will pay for my polish. I was trying to tell him that it might cost a bit as this is detailing work due to the scratches, he answered: even if it is 200 over dollars it is very cheap and walk away before concluding the conversation. So, what kind of service do you expect from the employees???
The moral here is "CHANGE"! most companies and employees refuse to change as it is usually "painful" to do so. But, they need to realised that if they do not Change, it is even more Painful!
The drastic drop in service ranking is a good example. Next, you will see a dip in sales as bad service rendered means zero customer retention.
Employer plays a very important role here as they need to take serious action on employees that is not following company's S.O.P when come in contact with consumers.
Question is, organisations are worries on issues such as terminating and re-employment as most company do not believe in spending more in staff training. In that deptpartment, it is more often seen as service rather than profit.
My reason encounters has confirmed that why do we sometimes or most of the time get such bad service rendered. 2 incidents within a month show that the employers themselves are not professional when come to handling customers, not to mentioned the staff!
Without Prejudice
Case no. 1 - our friend reasonly bought a new nokia phone and found out it is a defective set the moment she got home on the same night.
The next day, she went back to the shop and was referred to the service centre. There, she was told that they will need to check and do the necessary repairs. When she ask for a one to one exchange as the defect phone was only bought the evening before, the answer was, this is not a one dollar shop and we do not practice one to one exchange!
Case no. 2 - I've sent my ride back to the warranty workshop on 3 occassions and my last encounter was really bitter. First and foremost, they drive your ride over the humps like there is no tomorrow and my ride was wash with the same cloth that runs thru soil by the bottom of the bumper and side mudguard hence leaving scratches all over. Next, they use Chisel and hammer to tighten my steering box. When i ask aren't they supposed to use a special tool? The manager answer was: "If every car we got to buy special tool, then no need to do business liao!" Shocking??
After all the back and forth, the boss finally call me one evening and i relate the entire incident to him and he told me that they will pay for my polish. I was trying to tell him that it might cost a bit as this is detailing work due to the scratches, he answered: even if it is 200 over dollars it is very cheap and walk away before concluding the conversation. So, what kind of service do you expect from the employees???
The moral here is "CHANGE"! most companies and employees refuse to change as it is usually "painful" to do so. But, they need to realised that if they do not Change, it is even more Painful!
The drastic drop in service ranking is a good example. Next, you will see a dip in sales as bad service rendered means zero customer retention.
yah i agreed. the problem starts with the employers. if they do not set example and enforece that, how will the employees follow? They are the ones who should educate their staffs the proper manner. Like the saying goes:"the customers are always right, at least from the start unless proven otherwise." Practices in the company should be enforced and a efficient system should be set up. Its not easy to have run a company, be it big or small. Dun think that it just money investing money and hiring staffs. PR is very important too, especially in a small economy like ours.
for car servicing, always try not to let them wash your car. they usually do not have proper clothes and shampoo. For me, i do my own car detailing and i know how their stuffs can really hurt the paint work. if possible, ask them to have plastic covers for your seat if they need to shift your car. some technicians might be dirty due to their work and you dun want them to dirty our leather. this is practiced by RiverView autos when i serviced my car there. They are quite organised and service is good. logically, their business is great. however, i do not see their service level dropping despite the hundreds of car they service over the years. their workshops are big but tidy, quite a big diff from others around there.
04-18-2007, 01:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Emperor
You want better service? Dye your skin white and dye your hair blonde.
Service in singapore? What service? Even in some high end establishments; the service is woefully lacking.
gfoo: Guan zhi liang ge kou. Just do not get a shock when estate duty is abolish.
Service in singapore? What service? Even in some high end establishments; the service is woefully lacking.
gfoo: Guan zhi liang ge kou. Just do not get a shock when estate duty is abolish.
04-18-2007, 02:31 AM
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NOW.. lets be frank. Who surfs Ang Moh **** sites... more often than Asians...
Funny thing and thinking.. many asians still look up to our Western neighbours in almost all aspects very muchy... (not just pornographical, girth and cup sizes)
With their mentality and stereotyping that foreigners (not just ang mohs) have got the $$$ to spend(which is also true), we locals are inevitably sidelined for good service. (Even in Lor 31 TH, Gfoo can tell u more)
Who do we blame? Blame on Raffles and Willian BahKuah.. and the colonisation by the British bullshitdogs.. why? Think la..
Funny thing and thinking.. many asians still look up to our Western neighbours in almost all aspects very muchy... (not just pornographical, girth and cup sizes)
With their mentality and stereotyping that foreigners (not just ang mohs) have got the $$$ to spend(which is also true), we locals are inevitably sidelined for good service. (Even in Lor 31 TH, Gfoo can tell u more)
Who do we blame? Blame on Raffles and Willian BahKuah.. and the colonisation by the British bullshitdogs.. why? Think la..
Last edited by INXS; 04-18-2007 at 02:46 AM.
04-18-2007, 09:55 AM
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i guess the main reason is still the 'looking up' to the minorities like foreigners. remember when i was in Japan, when they know i am a SGer and can speak English, they looked at me like some god and one even offered to shake hand with me ....funny
04-18-2007, 11:01 AM
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Originally Posted by Rumboo
Culture can be changed..
Just see how much HK has changed, from worse cs than us to 10 times better... maybe because they view it as a matter of survival.
S'poreans just too complacent lah.
Lawreo, maybe the 'Services' in 'Goods n Services Tax' is misleading.. but then, 'Value Added Tax' is also not very clear, even though it describes exactly what it is.
But make no mistake, the GST is not to enrich the Lee dynasty, but to provide funds for public spending. Running or owning GLCs, on the other hand, is a different matter....
Just see how much HK has changed, from worse cs than us to 10 times better... maybe because they view it as a matter of survival.
S'poreans just too complacent lah.
Lawreo, maybe the 'Services' in 'Goods n Services Tax' is misleading.. but then, 'Value Added Tax' is also not very clear, even though it describes exactly what it is.
But make no mistake, the GST is not to enrich the Lee dynasty, but to provide funds for public spending. Running or owning GLCs, on the other hand, is a different matter....
to pay salary 5 times of the US president, in fact why dun we poach the US president over, pay him 3 times his salary, still got savings.
Last edited by BlackEight; 04-18-2007 at 11:19 AM.
04-18-2007, 11:16 AM
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i have a nasty experience i like to share.....
i got HID lights from Autobacs, the brand was called "Blu Platinum"
Came with 1 year warranty for ballast and 3 months warranty for bulb.
the ballast blew 2 times and the 3rd time when i went back to change like 9 months after i bought them, Autobacs technicians tell me...sorry the supplier dun bring in this brand animore.
i asked them so how? they tell me.... too bad lor u lugi lor.
on top of that, they can tell me even if u claim on warranty,
the supplier can don't honour because the ballast kenna water.
I told them , "Harlo, who installed the ballast there?"
then they gave me their supplier's mobile no. by the name of Ah Boa
and asked me to liase direct with him. so seems like i became
Autobacs buyer for a day.
and when i called this wonderful supplier, he told me....sorry this brand, the factory don't produce animore liao, he dun have stock and dun bring in liao.
i ask him then my warranty how? i push him until he told me
then u dismantle the ballast and i send in to the factory and see what they say?
and of course for the time being i have no foglight to use lah.
So much for great service at big establishments and black and white warranty.
The classic was the 1st time I changed my ballast,
the autobac technician can ask me "who did your wiring, it's a mess!"
I told him "Neh! your colleague over there!"
i got HID lights from Autobacs, the brand was called "Blu Platinum"
Came with 1 year warranty for ballast and 3 months warranty for bulb.
the ballast blew 2 times and the 3rd time when i went back to change like 9 months after i bought them, Autobacs technicians tell me...sorry the supplier dun bring in this brand animore.
i asked them so how? they tell me.... too bad lor u lugi lor.
on top of that, they can tell me even if u claim on warranty,
the supplier can don't honour because the ballast kenna water.
I told them , "Harlo, who installed the ballast there?"
then they gave me their supplier's mobile no. by the name of Ah Boa
and asked me to liase direct with him. so seems like i became
Autobacs buyer for a day.
and when i called this wonderful supplier, he told me....sorry this brand, the factory don't produce animore liao, he dun have stock and dun bring in liao.
i ask him then my warranty how? i push him until he told me
then u dismantle the ballast and i send in to the factory and see what they say?
and of course for the time being i have no foglight to use lah.
So much for great service at big establishments and black and white warranty.
The classic was the 1st time I changed my ballast,
the autobac technician can ask me "who did your wiring, it's a mess!"
I told him "Neh! your colleague over there!"
04-18-2007, 12:41 PM
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I think Ang Mors get better service also partly due to our own fault. If you ever served a Singaporean, even when you smile and greet them, you get a blank look in return, like you owe them something like that. On the other hand, an Ang Mor usually will greet you back and smile and be polite. Service people are also human mah, you're nice to people who are nice to you. I find that when I am friendly and polite with our sales staff, I also get more cheerful service.
BlackEight,
Please don't poach the US president over. Wait until they elect a new one then see. I dowan to have to go and fight in Indonesia and kena blown up by roadside bomb.
BlackEight,
Please don't poach the US president over. Wait until they elect a new one then see. I dowan to have to go and fight in Indonesia and kena blown up by roadside bomb.
04-18-2007, 06:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Rumboo
Please don't poach the US president over. Wait until they elect a new one then see. I dowan to have to go and fight in Indonesia and kena blown up by roadside bomb.
04-18-2007, 10:55 PM
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BlackEight, so sorry to hear about your plight
this is not the first time i hear about Autobacs not being up to standards.
their stuffs are also abit more exp.
unless you are really looking for some special brands, i suggest you go somewhere else to get your stuffs. e.g. if u want detailing stuffs, i get from diygurus.com, an local online sales.
so which Autobacs did u go to ? why dun u just get the stock fogs?
this is not the first time i hear about Autobacs not being up to standards.
their stuffs are also abit more exp.
unless you are really looking for some special brands, i suggest you go somewhere else to get your stuffs. e.g. if u want detailing stuffs, i get from diygurus.com, an local online sales.
so which Autobacs did u go to ? why dun u just get the stock fogs?
04-18-2007, 11:20 PM
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Originally Posted by lawreo
BlackEight, so sorry to hear about your plight
this is not the first time i hear about Autobacs not being up to standards.
their stuffs are also abit more exp.
unless you are really looking for some special brands, i suggest you go somewhere else to get your stuffs. e.g. if u want detailing stuffs, i get from diygurus.com, an local online sales.
so which Autobacs did u go to ? why dun u just get the stock fogs?
this is not the first time i hear about Autobacs not being up to standards.
their stuffs are also abit more exp.
unless you are really looking for some special brands, i suggest you go somewhere else to get your stuffs. e.g. if u want detailing stuffs, i get from diygurus.com, an local online sales.
so which Autobacs did u go to ? why dun u just get the stock fogs?
04-18-2007, 11:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Rumboo
I think Ang Mors get better service also partly due to our own fault. If you ever served a Singaporean, even when you smile and greet them, you get a blank look in return, like you owe them something like that. On the other hand, an Ang Mor usually will greet you back and smile and be polite. Service people are also human mah, you're nice to people who are nice to you. I find that when I am friendly and polite with our sales staff, I also get more cheerful service.
BlackEight,
Please don't poach the US president over. Wait until they elect a new one then see. I dowan to have to go and fight in Indonesia and kena blown up by roadside bomb.
BlackEight,
Please don't poach the US president over. Wait until they elect a new one then see. I dowan to have to go and fight in Indonesia and kena blown up by roadside bomb.
Basic fundamentals are, service staff need to be given reminder by management to be ever professional, friendly and approacheable. If all the above action has been taken, the question will be on wat kind of customer you are serving.
Personally, i always feel that it is important to know your customer and which "Button" to press to make them feel at ease hence getting them to reciprocate. My philosophy, "Customers are not always right! But, they are really important!"
Isn't it right to say that, if you are feeling nasty for the day and a service staff knowing how you feel and able to make you feel better will change your attitude for the day?
Question here is if they know how you feel and how to make you feel good? We people are emotional and more often spoilt! If a service staff can pamper you with the right approach, wouldn't they make your day? The other way around, you can walk into a boutique feeling good and having service staff ignoring your existence and requests will land you with a bad day too!!!
Is a "Chicken and egg issue!" Question is, are we doing our part to be nice as consumers and are the employee educated enough to provide a friendly and professional service? Who should start first?
Service staff do have their days too. But, if you choose to be in the frontline, all unhappy moments and bad days has to be thrown to the back of your mind hence leaving you a smiley, friendly and professional service staff. Is an emotional balance issue and it is not easy to practice.
Personally I'm not in the frontline but do emphatise with them especially when encountering a difficult customer. My takes, it is all about the right up bringing, educating and social environment on both ends.
My 2 long cents......ha ha ha
04-19-2007, 12:01 AM
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Originally Posted by coupe07
if u are into detailing, u shld go mycarforum look for maddriver..... plenty of good stuff at good prices..
04-19-2007, 01:47 AM
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My most awful experience so far, definitely with Cars Motor, the place I got my 8. I swear I'll never go back. Got my ride before Chinese New Year and they still owe me my leather seats and CD changer. After all this is over, I'll probably give a full account of what's happened to me on this forum so that everyone else can be forewarned.
As for service, I agree with makimaki. It's a mutual thing. We can't complain about bad service unless we're absolutely certain that we haven't been crappy customers who give hell for no good reason. Having said that, I do have to say that we're not exactly leading the pack of great service providers.
There're really several reasons why service is better in places like the US. It's a cultural thing. When I was staying in Oklahoma, people actually do smile and greet total strangers on a regular basis. I do the same in Singapore and I get weird stares. But I do it anyways, just cos sometimes I think at some point in time it will catch on. Westerners are just that much comfortable talking to complete strangers than Asians. It's just the way we're brought up.
And then there's the matter of tipping. With a hefty percentage set aside for tips in US, it's a great motivator. Give bad service, and you get less. Give great service and you could practically earn a very decent living even as a waiter.
At the end of the day it all boils down to manners. It's sad when our (rather silly) courtesy campaign doesn't seem to be getting things anywhere. I hate to use this as an example, but I think it's perfectly apt. The recent thread about a Singaporean posting about a tragic accident that happened involving a young man and a taxi driver, asking for the witness to come forward, with an innocent post by a Westerner asking for more information not knowing that it's in Singapore. This was met immediately with the most uncalled for insults with the ever-so-typical "Ang-Moh" bashing.
"Ang-moh" or not, our behaviour speaks volumes, and our self-righteous judgments on others will always cast a bad light on ourselves. So before we slam others for their stupidity and rudeness and lack of proper service skills, perhaps a little reflection is necessary. And I speak to myself where this is concerned, cos I sometimes forget to check myself.
Ending off with the politically correct textbook answer: Just my humble opinion.
As for service, I agree with makimaki. It's a mutual thing. We can't complain about bad service unless we're absolutely certain that we haven't been crappy customers who give hell for no good reason. Having said that, I do have to say that we're not exactly leading the pack of great service providers.
There're really several reasons why service is better in places like the US. It's a cultural thing. When I was staying in Oklahoma, people actually do smile and greet total strangers on a regular basis. I do the same in Singapore and I get weird stares. But I do it anyways, just cos sometimes I think at some point in time it will catch on. Westerners are just that much comfortable talking to complete strangers than Asians. It's just the way we're brought up.
And then there's the matter of tipping. With a hefty percentage set aside for tips in US, it's a great motivator. Give bad service, and you get less. Give great service and you could practically earn a very decent living even as a waiter.
At the end of the day it all boils down to manners. It's sad when our (rather silly) courtesy campaign doesn't seem to be getting things anywhere. I hate to use this as an example, but I think it's perfectly apt. The recent thread about a Singaporean posting about a tragic accident that happened involving a young man and a taxi driver, asking for the witness to come forward, with an innocent post by a Westerner asking for more information not knowing that it's in Singapore. This was met immediately with the most uncalled for insults with the ever-so-typical "Ang-Moh" bashing.
"Ang-moh" or not, our behaviour speaks volumes, and our self-righteous judgments on others will always cast a bad light on ourselves. So before we slam others for their stupidity and rudeness and lack of proper service skills, perhaps a little reflection is necessary. And I speak to myself where this is concerned, cos I sometimes forget to check myself.
Ending off with the politically correct textbook answer: Just my humble opinion.
04-19-2007, 05:50 AM
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Originally Posted by coupe07
if u are into detailing, u shld go mycarforum look for maddriver..... plenty of good stuff at good prices..
now only using Merzerna, a German brand . its not bad, only thing is its not available at normal shops. got to order thru 1 or 2 suppliers.
04-19-2007, 06:05 AM
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Originally Posted by gtsm
My most awful experience so far, definitely with Cars Motor, the place I got my 8. I swear I'll never go back. Got my ride before Chinese New Year and they still owe me my leather seats and CD changer. After all this is over, I'll probably give a full account of what's happened to me on this forum so that everyone else can be forewarned.
As for service, I agree with makimaki. It's a mutual thing. We can't complain about bad service unless we're absolutely certain that we haven't been crappy customers who give hell for no good reason. Having said that, I do have to say that we're not exactly leading the pack of great service providers.
There're really several reasons why service is better in places like the US. It's a cultural thing. When I was staying in Oklahoma, people actually do smile and greet total strangers on a regular basis. I do the same in Singapore and I get weird stares. But I do it anyways, just cos sometimes I think at some point in time it will catch on. Westerners are just that much comfortable talking to complete strangers than Asians. It's just the way we're brought up.
And then there's the matter of tipping. With a hefty percentage set aside for tips in US, it's a great motivator. Give bad service, and you get less. Give great service and you could practically earn a very decent living even as a waiter.
At the end of the day it all boils down to manners. It's sad when our (rather silly) courtesy campaign doesn't seem to be getting things anywhere. I hate to use this as an example, but I think it's perfectly apt. The recent thread about a Singaporean posting about a tragic accident that happened involving a young man and a taxi driver, asking for the witness to come forward, with an innocent post by a Westerner asking for more information not knowing that it's in Singapore. This was met immediately with the most uncalled for insults with the ever-so-typical "Ang-Moh" bashing.
"Ang-moh" or not, our behaviour speaks volumes, and our self-righteous judgments on others will always cast a bad light on ourselves. So before we slam others for their stupidity and rudeness and lack of proper service skills, perhaps a little reflection is necessary. And I speak to myself where this is concerned, cos I sometimes forget to check myself.
Ending off with the politically correct textbook answer: Just my humble opinion.
As for service, I agree with makimaki. It's a mutual thing. We can't complain about bad service unless we're absolutely certain that we haven't been crappy customers who give hell for no good reason. Having said that, I do have to say that we're not exactly leading the pack of great service providers.
There're really several reasons why service is better in places like the US. It's a cultural thing. When I was staying in Oklahoma, people actually do smile and greet total strangers on a regular basis. I do the same in Singapore and I get weird stares. But I do it anyways, just cos sometimes I think at some point in time it will catch on. Westerners are just that much comfortable talking to complete strangers than Asians. It's just the way we're brought up.
And then there's the matter of tipping. With a hefty percentage set aside for tips in US, it's a great motivator. Give bad service, and you get less. Give great service and you could practically earn a very decent living even as a waiter.
At the end of the day it all boils down to manners. It's sad when our (rather silly) courtesy campaign doesn't seem to be getting things anywhere. I hate to use this as an example, but I think it's perfectly apt. The recent thread about a Singaporean posting about a tragic accident that happened involving a young man and a taxi driver, asking for the witness to come forward, with an innocent post by a Westerner asking for more information not knowing that it's in Singapore. This was met immediately with the most uncalled for insults with the ever-so-typical "Ang-Moh" bashing.
"Ang-moh" or not, our behaviour speaks volumes, and our self-righteous judgments on others will always cast a bad light on ourselves. So before we slam others for their stupidity and rudeness and lack of proper service skills, perhaps a little reflection is necessary. And I speak to myself where this is concerned, cos I sometimes forget to check myself.
Ending off with the politically correct textbook answer: Just my humble opinion.
And me, like alot of ppl, are also guilty of that 'crime' sometimes: by being impatient and frustrated when things are not going my way. Of course i try my best to be composed but sometimes ppl might still find me a a@@hole. Well, i am still improving on that....