SNOBBISH CUSTOMER SERVICE IS SUICIDAL

I did not earn the obnoxious name for nothing. I suppose by now you know how I tried to remain the nice person which I am not.

Like the other day, I walked into a shop and asked for the HD video cam to try out. I know I don’t dress the part of a professional photographer or anything like that. But I have the money and I have the skills, you know? But the Ah Beng in the shop wasn’t keen to serve me at all. First he said, no battery. Next, he tried to give me another lame excuse as he wasn’t keen to take down the camera from the shelf. I got pissed and spew all the technical questions that he couldn’t answer. Then…only he started to get his lazy ass off the stool and his Solitare game to bring the camera for me.

I have had many bad experiences elsewhere. Why do customer service people always have that snobbish exterior and treat us like beggars when we don’t put on our fake façade? I remember walking into one of the banks a couple of years back. I wanted to set up an account so that I can withdraw my Paypal to my bank. The first bank I went to, they were clueless what PayPal is. And you know what? They hired all these aunties who are in their late 40s who are so probably living in the 80s when we don’t have internet.

I almost burst a few arteries trying to explain to them that their bank is on the list of Paypal withdrawal bank. But just because they haven’t heard of it, they said they can’t do it. Then, I demanded to see their manager. When the manager came out of his office, he flustered a bit and was trying to hard to act like he knows a lot.

But you know what? He mumbled something that made me almost slap him. He said something like, it is not worth it to apply because of the hassles and the amount of money coming in. That was the end of me ever stepping foot into their bank.

And then, there is another one of the so-called international bank with their polished customer services who are dressed like air-stewardess. You know…all those American slang, polished customer service? I wanted to open a Singapore bank account and I went to enquire if they can do it for me here in Penang.

I explained that I want money deposited into a Singapore bank. The guy said smugly…”Mam…we cannot do it here. However…if you yadda yadda yadda (it is something about education/business purposes), you will need at a minimum SGD50,000 yadda yadda yadda….” When the amount was mentioned, he was trying to say, “Woman, even if we have it, you can’t afford it” kinda tone, with his stupid grin.

Again, that’s the end of it. No more banking with them or even consider doing so. How stupid of banks not to notice that their customer service people are sometimes so full of themselves, snobbish and judge clients by their appearances. Can banking be better? You find out. Plenty of rants like mine over there.

Related posts:

9 thoughts on “SNOBBISH CUSTOMER SERVICE IS SUICIDAL”

  1. On Tuesday, I was at Jusco,QB Mall. Wanted to buy eggs so ask the aunty selling it ‘how much?’. She said, ‘Go and scan la the price’. Hello? Why can’t she just let me know the price or just write it on a label.I was not happy and ask again. She reluctantly said ‘eight ringgit’.And to think that she is THE promoter for this type of eggs… the one that is packed 10 in a box and have 2 boxes in a plastic bag.

    Just next to this egg display, there was a display of Milo, 2 kg pack. Also no price label. So I asked one of the staff. He also say…’Go and scan la’.Wah, I was mad already and said ‘Hey, there is only 1 scanner so far away, why can’t you guys just label the products? I can’t walk back and forth just scanning the products.’ Just then a cashier walked by and volunteered to scan the product for me at the cash register.

    Like that customer service ah?

    A few weeks ago I left my IC at the Maybank QBMall after I withdrew some money. Actually, the teller forgot to give it back to me. I only realized it the next day so I called up the bank and sure enough they have my IC. When collecting it I asked why they did not call me up to tell me about it. One of the ladies said, ‘We don’t have your number’.So I angrily said. ‘Hey, I opened my account here, you guys have all my details.’ What if I had not called them? Is it legal for them to keep my IC with them? I dread to think of the consequences.

    Like that costumer service ah?

  2. After my retirement, I have been doing lots of errands for me and my family and as such have lots of recent experiences at both the private and the public sectors customer services. I really have this funny feeling that somehow or rather, contrary to the usual norm, I feel more confident of getting better services from the government offices than from private offices. I felt comfortable dealing with the Immigration Office at Beach Street, Sungai Ara IC Department, Customs Office at Bangunan Tuanku Syed Putra and even with the Police at Jalan Patani. I collect my monthly supply of my medication (heart/hypertension/diabetic) at the Drive-Thru Pharmacy within minutes and without any fuss. On the other hand, I get insulted at the Chartered Bank, the salesgirl at Farlim SEC treated me like an idiot and made me wait for ages to PAY them for my purchases, the AirAsia staffs behave like enforcers rather than hostesses, the durian seller told me there is nothing to bargain, “if you can’t afford to pay RM15/- for the small D604, you should take one of the RM3/- kampong rejects”. Maybe the world is changing after all, or as the Malays say, “Dunia sudah terbalik”.

  3. Banks staff are useless. Now they don’t encourage money transaction thru the counter. Kept asking me to use the machine without even asking why. Refused to take my money until I showed them it was still in blocks of RM50. I had four blocks with me. One block was worth RM50K. It was still shrink wrapped. How to use machine???? Moeny from where???? Thats another story. 🙂

    Customer service????? Zero at banks. Call centre are for calling only. No answer one.

  4. RHB Pulau Tikus hides the ticket numbering machine under the customer service officer’s table so that you can’t find it until you go and ask for it. Only the customer service officer can generate the ticket so without a written slip you won’t get the ticket. Stupid or not you go try then judge for yourself. Hopeless lah.

  5. Bryan, it’s the same here at PJ New Town RHB. The numbering machine is hidden like you said. So they are consistently hopeless. Me friend call it dat shit bank.

  6. At where I work, our staff will contact the person when a lost item is found especially if there is an identification. We have even called up the bank to check if we find credit cards. After reading Momo’s experience at Maybank at Queensbay, I am glad that my staff are not like them.

    I do agree that customer service at government depts have improved a lot. I have some dealings at Immigration at Seberang Jaya. I have even wrote commendations to the pengarah but he never bothered to read the commendations.

  7. HSBC KL Main branch….they have 5 star reputation but they act like some ….., I want to open an account so it’d be easier for me to withdraw my money in UK, they asked me my Visa lar, passport lar, offer letter from Univ lar..I went there 4 times and each time they asking me to bring this documents lar that documents lar…one of the officer even have a nerve to say ‘even when you have an offer letter, doesn’t mean you confirm going to UK right?’..I was like..’WTH!!”..so if I cannot go I still can open the bank account and use it here in Malaysia right?…but guess what? I went to UK and finished my degree there…

  9. Well, you and I should get used of this kind of service in our country. It’s just normal.

Comments are closed.