# Do you agree that customer service is pretty good in Singapore?



## Linuxpro

In two years I have only had two "glitches".

1. Asus though M1: The free router "bricked". I did not want to wait in a queue with all the other people who had the same problem. I tossed the router in the rubbish. Problem fixed! :boxing:

2. POSB: My phone stopped receiving the text message verification codes. On the phone they told me I had no number registered with them. I went to the branch. The lady told me the same. I showed her all the past messages I had received. She had it fixed shortly. 

In the USA glitches are almost a weekly thing. They outsource customer service to the lowest bidder. One was so immature he changed my name on the account to "Irritated With Us".


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## simonsays

a lot of outsourcing has been happening here, or happened, and some had tough time telling the call center fellows that in SG law, you don't go to the service center for a brand new laptop, failing to boot the next day .. .. as happened with HP, till I finally called HP local and they said 'bring it over, one for one .. ' ..

or the case of the postal provider, had some issues, and instead of resolving, the call center agent insisted I can cancel the service and look for another alternate solution (as if there is another one .. ) till I got a local guy who swore at the outsourced agent and fixed the problem pronto ..

And few insurance calls, insisting you spell your name and then getting it all jumbled up

like a friend, who's name was Adelbert Mayrehofer, but after the agent refusing to let him fax / email his full name, he got a letter, addressed to Albert Mayrofofenern .. all after him spelling the name .. 

and the agent in question said Adelbert is an unusual name (for which he asked her foreign name and gave the same retort back to her .. )

or a colleague, , RAJARAJAN = ??? 

Letter comes addressed to Mr RAHARAHAN (some call center agents can't write / pronounce J as J )

and of late, the outsourcing overseas has been getting reversed, but sometimes, it is an overseas agent sitting in the in-sourced center (agent having become a PR/SC and continuing the same .. )


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## Linuxpro

Wow! I know what you mean about the name thing.

The USA seems to think that everyone has a given name and surname. If you have a three part name, they just pick one part of it and call that your surname. So if you are "That Nact Chin", they will show "That" or possibly "Chin" or even "NactChin" as your surname.

The story about what happened with my wife will need another thread.


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## BBCWatcher

I don't agree with you, Linuxpro. I agree with Ecureilx that customer service in Singapore has slipped considerably. Thanks in part to more effective use of the Internet and offshoring rollbacks, customer service in the United States has actually improved somewhat in recent years.

I've never experienced a worse service failure than the one I'm experiencing at this moment in Singapore. The Singapore government agrees with my experience if you look at the record, repeated fines they've had to impose recently.

I don't think Singapore has excellent service in restaurants to pick another example. Service levels are very inconsistent in that sector, including at some very high priced restaurants.

Singapore Airlines is still decent, but they're definitely well below their past peak service levels.

The supermarket checkout experience in Singapore has probably now fallen below U.S. and U.K. norms, to pick yet another example.

Taxi service is worse than it used to be a couple years ago. The upstarts (e.g. Uber) are having a major impact in other countries but not yet so much in Singapore.

Anyway, I think you're overgeneralizing at least. There are customer service strains, pressures, and delays that are probably associated with Singapore's population growth.


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## Linuxpro

I am soooooo glad I have never encountered those problems.

Being that I grew up in the Barrios, I only ever knew one rule; "might makes right". I grew up with no trust for police. If there is one thing I learned young, it was the fact that there is no situation that does not get worse when they show up. I could never lower myself to litigation, or calling the police for help even if someone was at my door with a gun (thankfully that has never happened).

As you know law enforcement in the USA is "toothless" at best. There is little motivation to worry about rules. That is why it is in the long term best interest of everyone that I do not live there.


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## simonsays

BBCWatcher said:


> Anyway, I think you're overgeneralizing at least. There are customer service strains, pressures, and delays that are probably associated with Singapore's population growth.


the growth has worked in negative ways too, i.e. cultural / communication issues

Now compounding the problem is new restrictions on employing foreigners in service sector .. !!!


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## Linuxpro

As long as they let my wife and I work in Singapore, I am happy. The job market is not so compeditive in Singapore for an angmo. 

I guess I have been lucky with customer service.


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## BBCWatcher

I have no idea why a particular major company in Singapore seems incapable of processing a simple change of address, especially after being notified three times, but so it is. I've never had that particular problem in other developed countries.

....Speaking of which, Singapore Post charges a substantial amount for mail forwarding on a monthly basis with a cap of six months for residential mail forwarding. In the United States it's free for one year. The quality of that mail forwarding is comparable.


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## anon pro

*worst service in the world?*

Really? I have lived and worked in Singapore a while now, but have previously visited several times prior to that. I honestly feel that across the board, in every industry, the customer service here in SG is the absolute worst I have experienced anywhere in the world.

Taxi drivers, waiters, account managers, banks, telcos, spas & beauticians, even the hotel staff here just aren't that great at best, awful at worst.

There is not a service culture here, almost as if the concept of serving others or being of service is seen as beneath a Singaporean.

Many nations are famous for the hospitality, and friendliness of the people, so when service delivery level is slow or even they are blatantly incompetent, it can be borne painlessly with a laugh, as you can see they are happily trying their best and honestly care about the customer experience.

In singapore, however, the incompetence certainly abounds, yet there is no concept of hospitality and any token 'friendliness' is a facade, and not genuine! 

Perhaps because companies have operated for a period with little to no competition? 
eg the telcos and internet providers know you need their service and don't worry that you may take your business elsewhere if treated badly? Perhaps because service charges are built in regardless of service level, and Singaporeans don't seem to enjoy service?

There is a pervasive attitude that the bare minimum is enough and no need to overdeliver or on anything, or try to excel. If current system works, why change? In fact, don't you dare criticise the current system!

If a jobs worth doing, in SG it's worth doing *just* well enough apparently.

Whenever I return after a stint overseas I am appalled at just how bad service is here. Surprised that others are enjoying, it or even finding it world class!


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## luckystar269

yes, services in singapore are never fail me lol


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## Hyden

Their service sometimes apparently seems double standard for certain people for certain reason.


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## simonsays

Hyden said:


> Their service sometimes apparently seems double standard for certain people for certain reason.



:Cry::Cry: 

:wacko: :wacko:

care to explain ??


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## Hyden

ecureilx said:


> :Cry::Cry:
> 
> :wacko: :wacko:
> 
> care to explain ??


They serve you better if you come from X part of the world, but not if you from Y part of the world. Sometimes the locals can feel that same treatment.

I hope you know what i mean.


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## simonsays

Hyden said:


> They serve you better if you come from X part of the world, but not if you from Y part of the world. Sometimes the locals can feel that same treatment.
> 
> I hope you know what i mean.


yep, I know what you mean, but in a different way

in some case, certain 'foreign' CS seems to be proactive attending to their own 'friends' and 'countrymen' than others ..

is that what you mean ???


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## Linuxpro

There is some truth to what Hyden said.

I received poor service from Asus and from M1, only because I am too impatient to wait in a queue over a router. I was unwilling to wait for someone to replace a free router that I really do not need. Sorry, but given the choice between trivial sum and "closure", I would pick "closure" any day. But not everyone feels that way.

I like Indian food. I frequently eat in Indian Muslim coffee shops. They usually serve up the Westerner more bryani than the Indian customers. They charge me the same price. Why? Because I am white?

To be honest with you, I grew up in Southern California and in Arizona. All though my secondary school , they told us, over and over, "White people are 'advantaged' and you must make concessions for other races.". Funny how I lived in the same hood with the "disadvantaged" people. I had an alcoholic father who beat me. I am afraid that I did not enjoy the "advantage" that they told me I had. Well, for once in my life I actually do have an "advantage". I am enjoying it.


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## simonsays

Linuxpro said:


> I like Indian food. I frequently eat in Indian Muslim coffee shops. They usually serve up the Westerner more bryani than the Indian customers. They charge me the same price. Why? Because I am white?


Sorry to let you down slowly, most Indian shops do that.. rarely in A Chinese shop though  



> To be honest with you, I grew up in Southern California and in Arizona. All though my secondary school , they told us, over and over, "White people are 'advantaged' and you must make concessions for other races.". Funny how I lived in the same hood with the "disadvantaged" people. I had an alcoholic father who beat me. I am afraid that I did not enjoy the "advantage" that they told me I had. Well, for once in my life I actually do have an "advantage". I am enjoying it.


 

I hope you were not drunk when you write stuff like that, stuff that ends up in TRS and the likes !!!!


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## Linuxpro

ecureilx said:


> sorry to let you down slowly, most indian shops do that.. Rarely in a chinese shop though
> 
> 
> 
> I hope you were not drunk when you write stuff like that, stuff that ends up in trs and the likes !!!!


"trs"?


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## badsector

do you know out of 5.47 million, only 3.34 million call themselves singaporean


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## Linuxpro

Out of 300,000,000 people in the USA, almost all of them call themselves American because they are not educated enough to know that "America" is not a country.


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## simonsays

badsector said:


> do you know out of 5.47 million, only 3.34 million call themselves singaporean


Really?

5.47 voting population or 5.47 resident population?

Or you mean every long term resident should call himself Singaporean?

Confused I am


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## simonsays

badsector said:


> no sure how many has voting rights only. statistics office
> PRs were not. they not holding SG passport.
> 3.87(latest for 2014) includes citizens and PRs
> 
> generally, i agree that the services has been degrading...
> angmo or not... doesn't makes much differences in my opinion.


you have gone off track, pardon my words

First you said out of the 5.47 million, not many consider themselves "SINGAPOREANS"

Only those who hold Singapore IC are Singaporeans, and Only Singaporeans are allowed to vote (more like, they MUST VOTE) 

why would a Blue IC guy call himself a Singaporean, when is passport is not Singaporean ?

Sorry, if that muddled the issue further !


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## Lynehoops

Customer care in Singapore and around the world is driven by businesses trying to stay profitable. People in Australia dont want to be on the phone 24/7 and especially ppl with the necessary skills


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## ok159

its mixed but manageable..


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## incognito6174

This reminds me of what happened with me yesterday at Marche. A lady ahead of me walked up to the cashier and handed her a debit card to pay. When the bill came back, she was shocked! "How come you charge me for the OCBC free drink, ah?", she barked at the cashier. "I'm sorry ma'am. I will check", the cashier said meekly and tapped a few buttons. The lady rolled her eyes. The cashier then says,"The free drink promo is valid when paying with an OCBC credit card ma'am, you have given me a DBS debit card." Lady - but I have my OCBC card. Takes out card, holds it up. See? Now cut this charge from the bill; and proceeds to put the card back into her wallet.

Cashier and lady spar for a few more minutes; while I start gobbling down the delicious candy kept nearby. When it is all done, cashier girl is flushed with anger. I send my smiling wife ahead of myself with mild trepidation. She instantly calms down and smiles back upon seeing my wife.

Point being: Service is two-way. If customers are being unreasonable with those in the line of service (ahem), then it is reasonable to say, even the most professional service person can get a bit ruffled. And with more and more of us getting impatient nowadays; plus expecting higher standards of service all the time, this is no surprise!


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## Linuxpro

The lady with the credit card must have been an American! Who else would be so rude?

It takes a lot of patence to live in the USA. I am a veteran, and Never quite got over it. Being a person who has no inhabitions, fear, or respect for preceved authority, I felt it best to egress. I live in Singapore because the society does not go around trying my patence. I am bigger than everyone else. If nobody steps on my toes, then I do not grab them by the throught, and the police do not show up. I like it that way.

I really only had one truely bad experience. It was with a dumb scammer...

Downstairs the "tent sale" was going. There is some scammer that sells those "energy savers". I pitty people who buy rubbish off Alibaba for about $2, and sell it for $100. He should know that most Angmos in Singapore are engineers. Most of us know that a home utility meter measures KWH not KVA so power factor correction has no use to the consumer. he tried to talk to us as we walked by. My Myanmar wife gave him a dirty look.

Anyway, for some reason, everyone knows were the Angmo lives, right? The butthole came to my door. I told him to get lost. He gives me a stare. I proceeded to open the security door. I told him that he better get lost before I handle him "Western style". I have not seen him back.


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