# Why is Customer Service so BAD in Dubai



## R_Smithy (Jun 13, 2010)

Why is Customer Service so BAD in Dubai, its an absolute joke. Its about time all these companies stepped up and sorted it out.


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## INFAMOUS (Apr 19, 2011)

why is gas and insurance so cheap?

Can't have it all my friend... Pros and Cons to every place you live!


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

R_Smithy said:


> Why is Customer Service so BAD in Dubai, its an absolute joke. Its about time all these companies stepped up and sorted it out.


Because companies do not hold employees accountable (per first-world standards) as they are employing below-par personnel at peanut salaries.

The bigger reason is you don't have a freaking choice on where/who to buy/get the service from (like most first-world countries).


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## Dozza (Feb 17, 2009)

ccr said:


> Because companies do not hold employees accountable (per first-world standards) as they are employing below-par personnel at peanut salaries.
> 
> The bigger reason is you don't have a freaking choice on where/who to buy/get the service from (like most first-world countries).


Very true words!


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

It's probably quite bad in other third world countries as well.


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## CDN2012 (Jun 15, 2011)

If you had to leave your home country just to work a retail or customer service job and were getting paid 1200aed a month would you care? I doubt it. And like the OP said, we can't have it all.


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

Well gas isnt exactly cheap here but thats another matter

CS in Dubai is bad when compared to a number of first world countries. but it is definitely better than most 3rd world places. In fact it has even become friendlier than cities like KL, Singapore, Bangkok etc

_And as someone who has lived here all my life, i feel that CS has actually improved quite a lot, particularly from 2009 onwards..._


Now as to why it is bad, most ppl have mentioned it, and its:

1) Low paid staff who dont use common sense.
2) Management who dont give two hoots, and as a result the front line staff cant really do much
3) Monopolies; when you are the only store allowed to sell something, its very easy to develop a damn everything attitude
4) Short sighted tunnel vision: this is there in many cities as well, i.e. a store would rather try to unfairly hold on to 1000 of ur dhs today rather than have you spend 4000 dhs over 4 visits.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

CDN2012 said:


> If you had to leave your home country just to work a retail or customer service job and were getting paid 1200aed a month would you care? I doubt it. And like the OP said, we can't have it all.


It would depend on where is "your" home country and what would you be getting paid there.

I doubt if the retail/customer personnel here would get more back at their home countries. Otherwise, what would be their incentive to come here ?

I don't think the blame is on the employees, but the employers, because they probably provided very little (if any) service training - or even know what proper service would be.

And, as said, companies don't care because there are very little alternative choices here...

If you don't like DU phone service, go to Etisalat. If you don't like Etisalat internet service, go to DU... Case in point


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## Guest (Oct 12, 2011)

ccr said:


> If you don't like DU phone service, go to Etisalat. If you don't like Etisalat internet service, go to DU... Case in point


What is it that stands in the way of competition?


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Tropicana said:


> CS in Dubai is bad when compared to a number of first world countries. but it is definitely better than most 3rd world places. In fact it has even become friendlier than cities like KL, Singapore, Bangkok etc


I have to disagree with you on this point having been in KL, Singapore and Bangkok.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

SaritaLaGatita said:


> What is it that stands in the way of competition?


IMHO, lots of red tape (i.e. compete against a State-own enterprise) and cajones to invest in a country that can (and did) change any rule at any moment for any reason.


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## OldFarmer (Jan 15, 2011)

In a moment of honesty with myself, considering just this subject earlier this week, I admitted that, under the circumstances in which most CS people here work, I would have the attitude that I am clearly not paid to think. And thus I would probably meet a similar standard. I'd like to think I'd rise above, but it just seems like the system's built to prevent individuals from benefiting by going above and beyond.


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## Guest (Oct 12, 2011)

ccr said:


> IMHO, lots of red tape (i.e. compete against a State-own enterprise) and cajones to invest in a country that can (and did) change any rule at any moment for any reason.


Interesting. Though I think there's a chasm between the customer service of, say, the USA and the UK, for example.


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## INFAMOUS (Apr 19, 2011)

Tropicana said:


> Well gas isnt exactly cheap here but thats another matter
> 
> CS in Dubai is bad when compared to a number of first world countries. but it is definitely better than most 3rd world places. In fact it has even become friendlier than cities like KL, Singapore, Bangkok etc
> 
> ...


Gas/Petrol is a Fraction of the cost than what the OP would be used to!

CS is bad here in general and people just need to accept it otherwise you become like the OP ranting on online forums, to your family and friends and then you can go postal and up being deported! (joking here)

I think it will slowly continue to get better but this is definitely not an overnight kind of thing.


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

Mr Rossi said:


> It's probably quite bad in other third world countries as well.


 3rd country = bad service. I fail to see the GREAT reasoning behind it. And UAE is not even considered an emergent market still

And...I do not like the way some of you pass judgement. You guys come from places where customer service evolved. It was CR#P in one point back in time. 

It got better because we have in most countries watchdogs and LAWS (consumer protection) to protect consumers. Well we do not have the framework needed here yet! UAE will get there eventually be patient....

I think a valid point is this: If HSBC provides a good service in Canada, why cannot they do the same here ?

Think about it.


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## INFAMOUS (Apr 19, 2011)

Canuck_Sens said:


> If HSBC provides a good service in Canada, why cannot they do the same here ?


With that said a bank rep from HSBC wouldn't come to you to open your accounts in Canada... nor would I get text message notifications of purchases etc.

I have never even had to step foot in a branch here which to me is wonderful.


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

INFAMOUS said:


> With that said a bank rep from HSBC wouldn't come to you to open your accounts in Canada... nor would I get text message notifications of purchases etc.
> 
> I have never even had to step foot in a branch here which to me is wonderful.


you get today SMSss because the fraud in this country was and is sky rocketing. Do not think they do that because it is a nice thing to do. There was and there is still a big problem with fraud, phishing in this country.

If you get an sms you can say whether or not you really made the purchase or transferred funds...

It costs a hell of a money to send SMSsss by banks


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

ccr said:


> I have to disagree with you on this point having been in KL, Singapore and Bangkok.


I have been to both KL and Singapore, multiple times to the former.

In fact i used to believe they would have better CS there (based on the good service one gets in Asian airlines), but my personal experience was that it isnt.
Maybe its better with service providers as the ones in Dubai make me mad.

However restaurants and shops and single stores all seemed to have a lot of people talking in grunts and plain disinterested staff. We ate at roughly 12 places in KL, and service was bad in 7 of them. 

Of course it may be possible that you visited entirely different shops and eateries.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Canuck_Sens said:


> And...I do not like the way some of you pass judgement. You guys come from places where customer service evolved. It was CR#P in one point back in time.


I think I will lose sleep tonight... 

The OP was making the comment which I interpreted that he was comparing CS in Dubai to the standards where he came from (i.e. UK), thus I simply forwarded my opinion of what I feel are the reasons.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Tropicana said:


> I have been to both KL and Singapore, multiple times to the former.
> ...
> Of course it may be possible that you visited entirely different shops and eateries.


Having lived there (myself) versus having visited there multiple times might resulted in different experiences due to exposure.

You mentioned that you lived all your life in UAE, thus might not totally understand the Asian (i.e. Oriental part of Asia) culture or way of interaction.

For example, Malaysia has multiple cultures (Chinese, Malay and Indian) and depend on which shops/restaurants/cultures you were exposed to, the experiences would be all different.


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

I spend a lot of time working in KL and, believe you me, CS there makes you appreciate CS here. Dealings with Maxis, one of their telecoms suppliers, make me appreciate Etisalat. Just go into one of their high end department stores in a mall and see how long it takes for the staff to stop talking on their personal mobile, texting, talking to a colleague/friend, filing their nails, plucking their eyebrows to even acknowledge your presence. if a company tells you they will do, send or deliver something by a certain time on a certain day, you have to keep calling and following up until zero hour and it's only then they will tell you they can't make it for another week. I cancelled a service at the end of July for my office and I still have not received the final account for the service. And that's their income!!


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

ccr said:


> It would depend on where is "your" home country and what would you be getting paid there.
> 
> I doubt if the retail/customer personnel here would get more back at their home countries. Otherwise, what would be their incentive to come here ?


It's been proven in actual studies of blue collar manual workers through to white collar execs that working "only" for money leaves a person unfulfilled. And giving them more money changes little either.

This is why hiring cheap labour and expecting them to be grateful for it doesn't work either.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

INFAMOUS said:


> why is gas and insurance so cheap?
> 
> Can't have it all my friend... Pros and Cons to every place you live!


I'd quite happily pay 10 times more for my petrol if it meant I could contact a bank in the UAE and not have to fight my way through a dozen brain dead morons before giving up. The banks here are worse than f***ing Nigeria and that's no joke.

I genuinely fear the day I snap and have my Falling Down moment, it will come.

I'm starting to think it's got nothing to do with how much people are paid, it must be something deeper that makes these people completely unable to process a logical thought. It's not lack of desire to work, it's not lack of training, it's something else I can't explain. The sheer stupidity I'm forced to deal with on a daily basis is beyond any of that.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Gavtek said:


> ...It's not lack of desire to work, it's not lack of training, it's something else I can't explain. The sheer stupidity I'm forced to deal with on a daily basis is beyond any of that.


Could it be... stupidity ?  (joking)


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

I got free KFC last week because of bad customer service  

It's all about how far you are willing to go to make a point as a customer that you will not accept bad service.


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

ccr said:


> Having lived there (myself) versus having visited there multiple times might resulted in different experiences due to exposure.
> 
> You mentioned that you lived all your life in UAE, thus might not totally understand the Asian (i.e. Oriental part of Asia) culture or way of interaction.
> 
> For example, Malaysia has multiple cultures (Chinese, Malay and Indian) and depend on which shops/restaurants/cultures you were exposed to, the experiences would be all different.



I do understand Malaysia as a country quite well and know their quite distinct cultures. 
And Bedougirl in this thread has worked in KL and she feels CS here is better, so there you go, people who have lived there think that as well.

but i agree that having lived there would result in different exposures so you may be right as well.



i can actually say some fo the differences in detail, but it will be politically incorrect.

Suffices to say that CS in Malaysia is worse than here if you consider 1 segment of CS workers in Dubai, however it is friendlier (and better) than another segment of cs workers in Dubai


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Nobody has yet mentioned the culture of bullying yet. I've witnessed all cultures here shouting at a hapless shop assistants for no reason. It's only when you've lost the rag yourself you realise how conditioned most of the service industry is and whether a genuine grievance or not, it falls on deaf ears.

On top of which the hierarchical bullyng within a company. The amount of times I've asked for something to be told it's out of stock or we do not have only to find it on the shelves with further looking. I can only assume that the shop assistant would rather BS a customer rather than find out from a supervisor because of the reprimand they would receive.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Tropicana said:


> i can actually say some fo the differences in detail, but it will be politically incorrect.


I believe I understand what you are (not ) saying perfectly, as I had experienced the same. Actually, I feel that it is far worse in Asia on that aspect.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

It is a vicious cycle. 

I've discovered that quite often I can get the solution I'm looking for by 'bullying' the shop assistant or the bank clerk because being nice and polite rarely ever gets anywhere. Raise your voice, demand to see the manager and presto, the missing item turns up or the credit is refunded to your bank account. 

Then the service workers soon realise that they don't have to do anything until someone starts bullying them. 

It's rather sad. I hate having to do it and always feel guilty afterwards but I also hate the fact that smiling politely and being friendly has rarely ever taken me anywhere.

Part of the customer service problem in Dubai does arise out of cultural differences. Most of the service workers are from countries with a rigid social hierarchy and they are conditioned to never disobey their managers and to always follow the rules to the letter. When someone comes along and asks for something that requires: 1) action that isn't addressed by the existing rules/regulations, 2) the worker to do something that may not be his specifc job task, that's when you hit the stone wall. 

In the West there's an implied expectation for self-autonomous decisions built into our understanding of customer service relationships. We're all conditioned to know that while there may be an official rules list there will also be times and circumstances where the rules don't apply or aren't sufficient to solve the problem and the customer service worker also has a great deal more autonomy to help out the customer and defuse whatever crisis without having to resort to a manager. 



Mr Rossi said:


> Nobody has yet mentioned the culture of bullying yet. I've witnessed all cultures here shouting at a hapless shop assistants for no reason. It's only when you've lost the rag yourself you realise how conditioned most of the service industry is and whether a genuine grievance or not, it falls on deaf ears.
> 
> On top of which the hierarchical bullyng within a company. The amount of times I've asked for something to be told it's out of stock or we do not have only to find it on the shelves with further looking. I can only assume that the shop assistant would rather BS a customer rather than find out from a supervisor because of the reprimand they would receive.


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## zin (Oct 28, 2010)

BedouGirl said:


> I cancelled a service at the end of July for my office and I still have not received the final account for the service. And that's their income!!


I see your July and raise you a May. We cancelled with DU in May and we are still waiting for the final bill whilst getting charged rental fees every month since. Without fail though we receive calls from DU weekly telling us if we don't pay our bills they will disconnect us. Still not sure what they are going to disconnect as we've stopped using all their services and still waiting for follow-up calls about the bill getting charged in the first place.

No one has touched on the fact service delivery roles are fairly non-existant here or if they are they hire some hopeless local with no training to do it. Companies in the US and UK hire service delivery managers who have to create processes and ensure that line managers get their staff to adhere to them or everyone risks losing their jobs. 

My bank's service delivery manager here seems to think her role is to simply be a messenger to the business with things like. "IT says they don't have time to fix this" or "The call center manager said this is how it is" rather than actually offer a solution.


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## Kawasutra (May 2, 2011)

A lot of managers here in the UAE are from various developed countries with diplomas and degrees. They should know how to provide good customer sales and after sales service.
*Why don`t they start instructing their staff how to do it...???*


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

Kawasutra said:


> A lot of managers here in the UAE are from various developed countries with diplomas and degrees. They should know how to provide good customer sales and after sales service.
> *Why don`t they start instructing their staff how to do it...???*


Because a lot of them graduated with "engineering" degrees


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## CDN2012 (Jun 15, 2011)

Canuck_Sens said:


> you get today SMSss because the fraud in this country was and is sky rocketing. Do not think they do that because it is a nice thing to do. There was and there is still a big problem with fraud, phishing in this country.
> 
> If you get an sms you can say whether or not you really made the purchase or transferred funds...
> 
> It costs a hell of a money to send SMSsss by banks


Agreed. I had to call hsbc in Vancouver just yesterday collect and they were so helpfull. When I opened up an account here it was like pulling teeth to get information from the agent. Plus we got no help from them. As we were in the branch we had to CALL customer service to get help, unbelievable.
We just have to remember as advanced as this country is it's well behind and we just have to accept it. Like most people on here we chose to be here, we can leave at anytime and go back to our countries and get better customer service, but were al still here. And as I don't see this as my home I not gona complain about it except on here, lol.


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## Rutilius (Jan 22, 2011)

Kawasutra said:


> A lot of managers here in the UAE are from various developed countries with diplomas and degrees. They should know how to provide good customer sales and after sales service.
> *Why don`t they start instructing their staff how to do it...???*


Why do you expect so much?

There is very little talent in the GCC, just loads of trash talkers.


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## Kawasutra (May 2, 2011)

Rutilius said:


> Why do you expect so much?
> 
> There is very little talent in the GCC, just loads of trash talkers.


But who is hiring "little talent" from overseas for much money.....

or is it like,

...no tax, cheap labour, I start my own business and get rich without any clue about it, seems like...


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## R_Smithy (Jun 13, 2010)

CDN2012 said:


> If you had to leave your home country just to work a retail or customer service job and were getting paid 1200aed a month would you care? I doubt it. And like the OP said, we can't have it all.


Some good points raised. CDN2012 I understand what you are saying but if you have a bad attitude and dont use your common sense/brain you will always be earning 1200AED a month. Surely its better to go the extra mile,try and deliver a good service,get promoted and increase your salary at the same time.


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## OldFarmer (Jan 15, 2011)

And what if, because of my country of origin, color of my skin or some other factor, I get a feeling that no level of "above and beyond" would serve that purpose? What if I have a degree in IT but I can only land jobs in hospitality service, and there, I've hit a ceiling? What's the motivation, especially once I discover how stingy most people are with tipping?


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## sanjaysm (Sep 23, 2011)

CS is bad for Businesses who do not pay attention but can also be a great way for others to grab business from competition by improving theirs


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

R_Smithy said:


> Surely its better to go the extra mile,try and deliver a good service,get promoted and increase your salary at the same time.


In probably 30-40% shops here, delivering better service does not lead to promotions or increases in salary. One worker can be smarter, better, and work harder than the others, but when it comes to promotions, instead of performance, other _critical _ factors are looked into such as nationality.

The good thing is in the other 60% of businesses, performance indeed is the main criterion, but in the 40%, staff can be disillusioned, when they work hard and smartly and are then shortchanged because "you are from x/y/z"

And until recently staff could not change jobs easily either, so there was little motivation as they wouldnt get promotion nor would they be allowed to move elsewhere wheit they would be better appreciated


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## imom (Jun 4, 2011)

I haven't found the service itself to be bad at all - it's all the non-English speakers in English-speaking roles who do my head in. You can spend 10 minutes trying to order a salad without tomatos and you still don't know what you'll get, or you could call a car service centre and ask to speak to one of the mechanics and the voice at the other end of the phone doesn't know what a mechanic is. This is a daily frustration.

Reminds me of this incident:

Walmart Employee: 'Hello 'dis be Walmarts, how can I help you?'

Customer:' I would like to order a cake for a going
away party this week.'

Walmart Employee: 'Lemme ax what you want on da cake?'

Customer:'Best Wishes Suzanne' and underneath that 'We will miss you'.


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

@Zin LOL (although I shouldn't because it isn't funny). Reminds me of what we always used to say about Du when they first started up - Du don't! I have been trying to close out an Emicool account on a company villa for almost three months. They are a nightmare to deal with, to such a degree that their own staff even admit it!!! As we close our company account with them, we are assisting our staff member living in the house to open his account with them. I have lost count of the times our staff have been to their office, only to have to come back saying Emicool now needs something further from us/him. In fact, the staff member told me that they have to keep going to the office to ask for their bill because receiving them is so hit and miss - occasionally he comes home to find one shoved under his gate and they can't go on line because the system stopped working months ago. A friend of his was also living out at Motor City and was leaving Dubai at the end of his lease. He had NEVER received a bill from Emicool, despite going to the office to ask for them. For the final bill, he went to their office numerous times - to no avail and, in the end, he just walked away/flew out leaving the bill unpaid. There is no way the tenant's and landlord's total of Dhs. 6000 deposit would have covered his final bill. Unbelievable!


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## wazza2222 (Sep 7, 2011)

*Tipping?*



OldFarmer said:


> ... jobs in hospitality service, and there, I've hit a ceiling? What's the motivation, especially once I discover how stingy most people are with tipping?


Everyone here tips 10% wether it is deserved or not! 
Check the bill, you have no choice.
Ironically, food service is one area where I would not hesitate to tip in Dubai. My experience (so far) is that the standard is very high (in comparison to my home country) and only the language barrier can make things a bit dodgy... sometimes we are 'over served' and it is a bit oppressive


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

wazza2222 said:


> Everyone here tips 10% wether it is deserved or not!
> Check the bill, you have no choice.


Not all the restaurants add tips automatically, from my experience.


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## Rutilius (Jan 22, 2011)

Out here, they ought to tip you for just showing up at their restaurant(at least at most of the restaurants).


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## R_Smithy (Jun 13, 2010)

OldFarmer said:


> And what if, because of my country of origin, color of my skin or some other factor, I get a feeling that no level of "above and beyond" would serve that purpose? What if I have a degree in IT but I can only land jobs in hospitality service, and there, I've hit a ceiling? What's the motivation, especially once I discover how stingy most people are with tipping?


OldFarmer I totally undertsand what you are saying and its totally unfair for educated people to be working in unskilled low paid jobs because of the country of their orgin, but I have dealt with professional people in dubai who are hold a professional position and they have still delivered a rubbish service.


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## wazza2222 (Sep 7, 2011)

*Hmmm?*

I think its regulation in Dubai my friend, 10% Metro fee and 10% service charge (figures may be wrong but its something like that)



ccr said:


> Not all the restaurants add tips automatically, from my experience.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

wazza2222 said:


> I think its regulation in Dubai my friend, 10% Metro fee and 10% service charge (figures may be wrong but its something like that)


If so, then they don't always show up on the bill - ate twice today in restaurants and didn't see either time.


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## sandypool (Sep 12, 2009)

I believe its only those attached to hotels that are permitted/obliged to add tax and service, is the case in AUH anyway.

To be honest it is not the cs per se i find infuriating it is often the systems in place which are inflexible and often a barrier. When the guy/gal at the end of the phone then can't help you frustration kicks in. 

For example I find a telecomms company charging a 2000 AED deposit for roaming and also not storing messages whilst you've been away odd, compared to home, but that's the policy as opposed to the person's fault. 

The only thing I find to be endemic in the UAE is setting themselves unrealistic time frames, if it's going to be a month I'd rather know so I am not sat in all day tomorrow with nothing but a promise, waiting for etisalad. It is also a bonus if I am not charged for that month of waiting too.


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## hubbly_bubbly (Oct 17, 2010)

"If people and their manner of living were alike everywhere, there would not be much point in moving from one place to another." Paul Bowles.

Just a thought.


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## Dozza (Feb 17, 2009)

Well - I have moved house today & the service I received from all companies involved (Removal Company, Curtain Maker & Installation, etc) was top notch, all arrived on time, did what they had to do (In good time) & cleaned up properly (Not common practise).....

:clap2:


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## fcjb1970 (Apr 30, 2010)

wazza2222 said:


> I think its regulation in Dubai my friend, 10% Metro fee and 10% service charge (figures may be wrong but its something like that)


@wazza2222...Only restaurants in a hotel charge a 10% service fee. Of that service fee 1/5 or 2% of the amount goes to the employees (that is the standard). The employees includes ALL service employees in the hotel (e.g, housekeeping). Your actual waitress is seeing less than 1%. The hotel owners themselves are banking most of that, so don't kid yourself into thinking you are paying a tip because there is a service fee. When you stiff the waitress, she is getting nothing.

Even in a 5* hotel they do not give employees motivation to do well. The person doing a great job makes the same AED 1000/month as the one doing the bad job. Tips are split even so you can't even use tips to motivate.


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## Guest (Oct 15, 2011)

Customer service isn't exactly hot in the UK either, but perhaps many people forget that if they've been away a while. When we moved house earlier this year, it took British Telecom 6 weeks to install a phone line/broadband for us. Meanwhile, a current fault on our telephone is now into its third week with no resolution, despite complaints (but of course, they still expect us to pay for this non-service). Meanwhile, Orange's mobile phone service is so awful you can't even get a decent signal in central London, let alone the countryside (yet they too still expect money for this). 

So, please don't think that bad customer service is exclusive to the UAE. It's alive and kicking here too.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

R_Smithy said:


> but I have dealt with professional people in dubai who are hold a professional position and they have still delivered a rubbish service.


Previous job, I had to bank quite a bit of cash in low increments. I'd have got a better reaction walking in with the contents of my cat's litter tray.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

SaritaLaGatita said:


> So, please don't think that bad customer service is exclusive to the UAE. It's alive and kicking here too.


True, but I doubt there is anywhere in the UK you'd be told to "go away, the system is down" or just left standing, blatantly ignored while the person checks their blackberry / email funnies.


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## zin (Oct 28, 2010)

Dozza said:


> Well - I have moved house today & the service I received from all companies involved (Removal Company, Curtain Maker & Installation, etc) was top notch, all arrived on time, did what they had to do (In good time) & cleaned up properly (Not common practise).....
> 
> :clap2:


Hi Dozza,

I am unsure where you were meant to post this but this is the Dubai forum.


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## Guest (Oct 16, 2011)

Mr Rossi said:


> True, but I doubt there is anywhere in the UK you'd be told to "go away, the system is down" or just left standing, blatantly ignored while the person checks their blackberry / email funnies.


The first *did* happen to me in HSBC two years ago. The cashier slammed her laptop down, crossed her arms and scowled at me. So I closed my account there. The second used to happen to me *all the time* when I lived in Spain, usually in clothes shops when there were huge queues.


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## zin (Oct 28, 2010)

SaritaLaGatita said:


> The first *did* happen to me in HSBC two years ago. The cashier slammed her laptop down, crossed her arms and scowled at me. So I closed my account there. The second used to happen to me *all the time* when I lived in Spain, usually in clothes shops when there were huge queues.


Spain, Italy and Greece do not count. Customer service is not even a concept there. There's a reason their economy is in the gutter.


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## Dozza (Feb 17, 2009)

zin said:


> Hi Dozza,
> 
> I am unsure where you were meant to post this but this is the Dubai forum.


:focus:


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

To put the cat amongst the pigeons, I'm glad we don't have the American tipping-nazi culture here. It's up to the restaurat owners to ensure their staff are adequately remunerated, not the customer. A tip should be a little extra as a thank you for a job well done, not a subsidy of someone's salary.


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## Dozza (Feb 17, 2009)

Gavtek said:


> To put the cat amongst the pigeons, I'm glad we don't have the American tipping-nazi culture here. It's up to the restaurat owners to ensure their staff are adequately remunerated, not the customer. A tip should be a little extra as a thank you for a job well done, not a subsidy of someone's salary.


Agreed :clap2:


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## Barbalee (Mar 26, 2011)

I have been reading posts in this thread with great interest as I have certainly run into quite a bit of bad service. I must add, however, that now 'n again, I've been pleasantly surprised by excellent service, sometimes in unexpected places. Once, I even had excellent service from a Du representative! Take joy where one can even while wearing the overly-tight patience hat.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Gavtek said:


> To put the cat amongst the pigeons, I'm glad we don't have the American tipping-nazi culture here.


That culture isnt here because you guys just do not tip, but the people who are working in restaurants are paid complete **** just as in the usa.


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## wazza2222 (Sep 7, 2011)

******

**** wages are relative
I tip for good service, not because it is expected and certainly not because it is required.



Jynxgirl said:


> That culture isnt here because you guys just do not tip, but the people who are working in restaurants are paid complete **** just as in the usa.


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

wazza2222 said:


> **** wages are relative
> I tip for good service, not because it is expected and certainly not because it is required.


So if we were to then relate your statement to the nature of this thread, is it safe to assume that you do not tip usually because service is so bad in Dubai?

If I earned 800dhs a month waiting on arrogant expats (speaking generally here) who can clearly afford to pay the equivalent of my entire salary on one meal but feel the pinch in leaving 10dhs behind, I wouldn't exactly bother with good customer service either.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

2500 to 3000 dirhams is complete ****... no matter what nationality you are. And this is what the girls who live in the building beside me, get paid. They work at atlantis by the way. Not exactly a crap hotel who should pay their employees crap wages. Tell them that it isnt complete crap wages and they should be grateful for it. I always love to hear westerners talk about wages are relative.... We are ALL living in the same city.

Adding - Once people find out I am american, they become much nicer... Because they know I am going to tip.


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## NeoPhoenix (Oct 17, 2011)

pamela0810 said:


> So if we were to then relate your statement to the nature of this thread, is it safe to assume that you do not tip usually because service is so bad in Dubai?
> 
> If I earned 800dhs a month waiting on arrogant expats (speaking generally here) who can clearly afford to pay the equivalent of my entire salary on one meal but feel the pinch in leaving 10dhs behind, I wouldn't exactly bother with good customer service either.


Very well said!

I haven't had any issues with any CS so far, granted i've only been here a little while but its the first i am hearing about CS being bad in Dubai tbh.

Metro is a fine example of exemplary CS.


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

Jynxgirl said:


> 2500 to 3000 dirhams is complete ****... no matter what nationality you are. And this is what the girls who live in the building beside me, get paid. They work at atlantis by the way. Not exactly a crap hotel who should pay their employees crap wages. Tell them that it isnt complete crap wages and they should be grateful for it. I always love to hear westerners talk about wages are relative.... We are ALL living in the same city.



3000 dhs is actually on the higher side for a waiter.

As for wages being relative, you are right; its funny to hear people (westerners and others) claim some people need more money to live, up to 5 or 6 times more even though both live in the same city !

Everything from healthcare to eating out to housing costs the same for everyone. 

The only thing where there is a difference is in house mortage costs "back home", but even that is relative; a house in Mumbai will be costlier than most normal houses in the US...


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

pamela0810 said:


> If I earned 800dhs a month waiting on arrogant expats (speaking generally here) who can clearly afford to pay the equivalent of my entire salary on one meal but feel the pinch in leaving 10dhs behind, I wouldn't exactly bother with good customer service either.


Its Catch 22, if someone "assumes" i wont tip them and offers bad service, i will tip them 5% and write in the comments card that they woudl have had 15% if they offered better service

Waiting staff who assume and offer bad service deserve low tips, its a vicious cycle and they will be the only ones to lose out.

If I get good service, i will give at least 15%, but definitely not 80% as many Americans often do


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

Tropicana said:


> Its Catch 22, if someone "assumes" i wont tip them and offers bad service, i will tip them 5% and write in the comments card that they woudl have had 15% if they offered better service
> 
> Waiting staff who assume and offer bad service deserve low tips, its a vicious cycle and they will be the only ones to lose out.
> 
> If I get good service, i will give at least 15%, but definitely not 80% as many Americans often do


How do you know that they have assumed this? Is it in your demeanour perhaps? 

Maybe they were just having a bad day, it's not always about us. I know people who work 16 hour shifts because they need to earn the extra cash so they're waiting on tables during regular hours and then out on the field at a catering job for the hotel.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

Jynxgirl said:


> That culture isnt here because you guys just do not tip, but the people who are working in restaurants are paid complete **** just as in the usa.


I very rarely leave a restaurant without tipping, however, I enjoy that it's at my discretion to do so and that the recipient is generally grateful for the gesture. Not like it is in the US where you get chased down the street for tipping a "measly" 15% of the bill.


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## CDN2012 (Jun 15, 2011)

Can't we all just get along


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

CDN2012 said:


> Can't we all just get along


But then Dubai would be so booooooorrrriiiingggg! 

For everyone on this thread


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

pamela0810 said:


> How do you know that they have assumed this? Is it in your demeanour perhaps?
> 
> Maybe they were just having a bad day, it's not always about us. I know people who work 16 hour shifts because they need to earn the extra cash so they're waiting on tables during regular hours and then out on the field at a catering job for the hotel
> 
> .



I wasnt talking of myself, I was responding in general .....

You said staff may give bad service if they believe they wont get tips, which is an assumption on their part....

I rarely get bad service nowadays, but when i do, i believe there is a difference between someone who looks "off" in general; and someone who is smiling and rushing to some tables while ignoring and showing attitude to me...


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Gavtek said:


> I very rarely leave a restaurant without tipping, however, I enjoy that it's at my discretion to do so and that the recipient is generally grateful for the gesture. Not like it is in the US where you get chased down the street for tipping a "measly" 15% of the bill.


That has never happened in my life.... 

Why do brits non stop bash americans and anything they deem 'americanized' ?


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Jynxgirl said:


> deem 'americanized' ?


That would be 'Americanised'


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Thanks Rossi... perfect example.


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## Guest (Oct 17, 2011)

Why do so many issues on this forum get reduced to national stereotyping? I don't understand this assumed collectivisation based on the geographical position where one is born.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

SaritaLaGatita said:


> Why do so many issues on this forum get reduced to national stereotyping? I don't understand this assumed collectivisation based on the geographical position where one is born.


Don't you have some sheep to be worrying? (Mr Rossi in 5, 4, 3...)


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

Why can't we all just get along??


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## Guest (Oct 17, 2011)

Gavtek said:


> Don't you have some sheep to be worrying? (Mr Rossi in 5, 4, 3...)


Intelligent and insightful. Well done.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Gavtek said:


> Don't you have some sheep to be worrying? (Mr Rossi in 5, 4, 3...)


After Saturday, I'm keeping schtum.


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## zin (Oct 28, 2010)

Don't waiting staff in the US actually get trained and are professional and thus are deserving of the "required" tip? i.e. they don't just recite the menu back to you like here or in Europe, they actually give you something to think about when making a menu choice and actually know what everything on the menu is?


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## wazza2222 (Sep 7, 2011)

*Not at all*



pamela0810 said:


> So if we were to then relate your statement to the nature of this thread, is it safe to assume that you do not tip usually because service is so bad in Dubai?
> 
> If I earned 800dhs a month waiting on arrogant expats (speaking generally here) who can clearly afford to pay the equivalent of my entire salary on one meal but feel the pinch in leaving 10dhs behind, I wouldn't exactly bother with good customer service either.


No, not the case! I have had excellent service from most establishments in Dubai (excellent by New Zealand standards anyway) I have had notably bad service from the sorts of places where non-expats dominate... but then, who tips a bank teller anyway?

I can't agree with your logic on tipping, it seems a bit 'chicken and the egg' to me. A waitperson has no more idea of what I can afford than I do him/her, if they have an expectation of a big tip from an arrogant ex-pat, they need to work for it and make my dining experience special. No one should be rewarded for mediocrity!


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Jynxgirl said:


> Why do brits non stop bash americans and anything they deem 'americanized' ?


Pure jealousy AFAIK 

Americans have much better teeth  don't have to be drunk at every outing :spit: and spells "aluminum" correctly :boxing:


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

zin said:


> Don't waiting staff in the US actually get trained and are professional and thus are deserving of the "required" tip? ?


AFAIK, staff in the US offer better service because they know they will get good tips for good service.
I dont think waiters in the US are trained any more than in other parts of the developed world


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## CDN2012 (Jun 15, 2011)

Tropicana said:


> AFAIK, staff in the US offer better service because they know they will get good tips for good service.
> I dont think waiters in the US are trained any more than in other parts of the developed world


I'm pretty sure they are if it's anything like Canada. Back in the day I remember having cs training for min wage jobs. companies i worked for would bring is specialized trainers for a day or two on top of our normal training and go through specific drills and exercises to hone our skills. Companies invest a lot of money in training back in north America as opposed to here. And as I moved onto better jobs getting the job would only given to you upon successful completion of this seminars. It got pretty intense at times. Boy am I glad those days are over for me. 
In hindsight they were very useful. Over here you can tell people just memorized lines to regurgitate to you if a situation should arise.


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## loca (Feb 22, 2011)

Coming from China where tipping is not the norm and I love it since CS is really crappy, I was super happy with CS here at first. My friend recently came to visit me also from China, and she was SUPER HAPPY, she kept saying: Wow, people here actually smile when telling you a price, and they do NOT throw your change to the table....

I do find many reasons why some of the wait and service staff couldn't care less about giving a good service... their salary will be the same **********, most people I know, their salaries will even be late (2 months late), no matter how good their service, their report, their comment cards, they will NOT be promoted other than to "supervisor" position, and no salary increase. 

Most companies (restaurants, shops, suppliers) owners and top managers don't care about costumer satisfaction UNLESS it affects the money they are getting every month... so why bother bringing someone to do staff training, or why pay a little bit more to someone a bit more qualified if he/she is still receiving his/her "hard earned revenue"....


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

ccr said:


> Pure jealousy AFAIK


Here's one of your good ole' boys summing it up in 30 seconds


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

*******, gun toting, truck, dog in back..... 

Ahhh, I love Texas.


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## OldFarmer (Jan 15, 2011)

Thanks for all the fun today. I for one really needed the laughs, and you delivered.


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## wazza2222 (Sep 7, 2011)

*Yeeeeeeeharrr!*

I have all 5 series of 'Squidbillies' on my laptop if you wan't to go all nostalgic Jynxy 
Sounds like Early Cuyler would be your sort of fella!



Jynxgirl said:


> *******, gun toting, truck, dog in back.....
> 
> Ahhh, I love Texas.


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## sandypool (Sep 12, 2009)

The tipping thing in the US confuses me too, I pretty much always tip even when service can be described as mediocre at best. 

Once in America when we were served the wrong food, stone cold we complaine; we were then lied to and given abuse (the service was not at all what I'm used to in the US to be clear, usually it's tip top) anyway when we declined to tip we were followed out the door asking why we hadn't left a gratuity by the same waitress that had mouthed off at us..... just weird. Also I always thought waiting wages were dire in the US but, having a few friends from Seattle, i soon learned they did a crap load better than me before tips when I had my Uni job.

That all said, the UK is the other extreme where some people who I couldnt have been nicer to would often leave a tip less than 50p. Guys let's face it the Brits (some of us) have being tight down to an art, in the UK it's confusing; here when I see a friend waiting for 3 AED change from a taxi driver I resort to shoving them into the street and reminding them of how tight they are.

And Jynxy it's not things that are Americanised that get me, it's when you hear a Teenager from Chelsea say " dude that was sick" in an accent similar to the queens that you wonder at the demise of English (as you might afte reading this garbage I just tried to type on an iphone)


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

sandypool said:


> blah blah blah....I just tried to type on an iphone....blah blah blah


Looks like perfect English to me  Steve Jobs will be proud


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## R_Smithy (Jun 13, 2010)

sandypool said:


> Guys let's face it the Brits (some of us) have being tight down to an art, )



The Scotts are the masters! If being tight was an Olympic Sport, Steve Redgrave would be unheard off!


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

R_Smithy said:


> The Scotts are the masters!


I'm surprised that there is a direct correlation between a collective that shares the same first name and frugality with money but every day, is indeed, a school day.


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## zin (Oct 28, 2010)

Mr Rossi said:


> I'm surprised that there is a direct correlation between a collective that shares the same first name and frugality with money but every day, is indeed, a school day.


You tell them Rossi!!!!





(what is it exactly you just said?)


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## Fatenhappy (Jun 23, 2009)

R_Smithy said:


> Why is Customer Service so BAD in Dubai, its an absolute joke. Its about time all these companies stepped up and sorted it out.


Been back in Oz for a few months now .... There was a report here just the other night on this same thing, only this time in Oz so you can be sure its not just the ME


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## rocky123 (Oct 22, 2011)

R_Smithy said:


> Why is Customer Service so BAD in Dubai, its an absolute joke. Its about time all these companies stepped up and sorted it out.


YOu will be surprised, in 2008 one of the execs told me that there is no reason to step up service and pay more money as customers keep coming anyway. I would have thought they would have changed with the crisis ....i guess not


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Sorry for dredging up an old thread but this is very interesting and fairly true as well in my limited experience.


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## imom (Jun 4, 2011)

I had a great experience with the car rental company yesterday. I called ahead to check that I could leave the car at the airport, Terminal 2, because the car needed a service anyway. They agreed that I could do that and when i returned I could pick up the car. Seemed like a solid plan.

But when I got to the airport, I got the typical "not possible, sir!" response. Not possible? Just how is handing them the key an impossibility? And they even got hold of the guy with whom I arranged the whole plan and verified it. Do you think they would bend the rules to make up for their own mistake? Noooo. I could only argue for 20 minutes before I was forced to ditch the car somewhere and get my flight, which I only just managed to do. 

Unfortunately the poor level of communication and the complete unwillingness to use common sense or initiative is missing in Dubai.


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## wawesh (Nov 20, 2011)

Hey all expat contributors.Picture this:A commerce graduate comes to dubai on visit visa looking for a job.Because of the limited time that the visit visa offers,he takes up a job as a security officer in a hotel.Once there the graduate tries to work his way up the professional ladder but for one reason or another the move gets blocked.So the graduate grugdingly continues working as a guard but not without feeling scorned because the people working above him or in the commerce related departments don't have the qualifications but managed to secure jobs because of the passport they hold or nepotism.What makes you guys think that such a guy(read me) gives a hoot about CS.All he does is report to work,appear to be working.Of course not to get fired coz he needs the visa and concentrate all his energies into job hunting.The rest,CS included does not appear in his world.Bottom line is that most service staff in dubai ain't happy and that contributes to poor CS.


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## wawesh (Nov 20, 2011)

Hey all expat contributors.Picture this:A commerce graduate comes to dubai on visit visa looking for a job.Because of the limited time that the visit visa offers,he takes up a job as a security officer in a hotel.Once there the graduate tries to work his way up the professional ladder but for one reason or another the move gets blocked.So the graduate grugdingly continues working as a guard but not without feeling scorned because the people working above him or in the commerce related departments don't have the qualifications but managed to secure jobs because of the passport they hold or nepotism.What makes you guys think that such a guy(read me) gives a hoot about CS.All he does is report to work,appear to be working.Of course not to get fired coz he needs the visa and concentrate all his energies into job hunting.The rest,CS included does not appear in his world.Bottom line is that most service staff in dubai ain't happy and that contributes to poor CS.


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## gionni_l (Dec 10, 2011)

You nailed why CS can be so bad in some countries, there is a fatalistic culture where it is assumed that "nothing will change" despite whatever you are going to do.

In some other cultures, every person you are being nice to, could be the right one to change your life, for a second with a smile, or for the life (offering maybe a better job to the security guard pictured below).



wawesh said:


> Of course not to get fired coz he needs the visa and concentrate all his energies into job hunting.The rest,CS included does not appear in his world.Bottom line is that most service staff in dubai ain't happy and that contributes to poor CS.


Even if that was the case, I can't see what there is to gain, when you are not happy, to behave like s**t. 
I mean, it requires the same effort to behave nicely and it's not like it will make you happier.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

wawesh said:


> What makes you guys think that such a guy(read me) gives a hoot about CS.


You said hotel... but by chance, are you a security guard in Discovery Garden who takes delight in pissing off the people who live there but does NOTHING that has to do with your job itself??? I dont blame you about not caring about your job making all of 800 dirhams a month but on purpose doing stuff to people because you are miserable is uncalled for. Actually, I heard they have gotten rid of the 800 dirham guys and now the new guys make 650 a month for 6 days a week, 12 hours a day  

So in the end, the issue is that so many people from certain countries, are willing to come and underscore anyone here, thinking by accepting these ridiculous salaries, they are getting their foot in the door by getting here. Reality is that slave labor is alive and well in dubai/uae and they are now part of it and no way they will ever get out of. 2 options - Either suck it up and be happy knowing they are making more then back home or just be miserable. No way they are leaving for *2 *years.... They dont have the money to buy their way out of the visa debt the company slaps on them so no way to get their passport back and no way to even buy the plane ticket home most the time!


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## fcjb1970 (Apr 30, 2010)

wawesh said:


> Hey all expat contributors.Picture this:A commerce graduate comes to dubai on visit visa looking for a job.Because of the limited time that the visit visa offers,he takes up a job as a security officer in a hotel.Once there the graduate tries to work his way up the professional ladder but for one reason or another the move gets blocked.So the graduate grugdingly continues working as a guard but not without feeling scorned because the people working above him or in the commerce related departments don't have the qualifications but managed to secure jobs because of the passport they hold or nepotism.What makes you guys think that such a guy(read me) gives a hoot about CS.All he does is report to work,appear to be working.Of course not to get fired coz he needs the visa and concentrate all his energies into job hunting.The rest,CS included does not appear in his world.Bottom line is that most service staff in dubai ain't happy and that contributes to poor CS.


This is a load of s**t. You took a job, knew what the salary was and accepted that salary and those working conditions. You took the risk of coming here on a visit visa *assuming *you would get a good job in one month's time. You then blame your employer for not getting promoted. This then becomes your reason for intentionally doing a bad job, thus assuring you will never be considered for advancement, which you continue to blame on others. Suck it up, you took the job, now take some pride in yourself and do a good job. Especially in a country like the UAE you never know when the person you are being nice to may be able to give you a better job with the snap of his fingers.

Despite that rant I do agree with most of what Jynx says above.


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

fcjb1970 said:


> This then becomes your reason for intentionally doing a bad job, thus assuring you will never be considered for advancement, which you continue to blame on others. Suck it up, you took the job, now take some pride in yourself and do a good job. .


Its all Catch 22 isnt it ?

Is he not going to be promoted because he is doing a bad job or is he doing a bad job because he wont be promoted? I dont know many places out there where an overqualified person in a dead end minimum wage job with no chance of leaving his job in the near future would be an enthusiastic top performer...

Bad CS is annoying but when you have guards working 12 hours a day, no day off, working even on Eid days, no chance of salary rise, and then told their 900 dhs are too much and they will be replaced by people earning 600 dhs, i cant see many of them doing a great job


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

Jynxgirl said:


> r. Actually, I heard they have gotten rid of the 800 dirham guys and now the new guys make 650 a month for 6 days a week, 12 hours a day
> e!


In our building, few months back there were guards earning 1200 dhs and on the whole were reasonably smart. They were then replaced by ppl earning 700 , half of whom know nothing more than a few English words and none in Arabic.
After one of them did not understand anything i said , i did ask him whether he knew English , "small..." was the reply.


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## R_Smithy (Jun 13, 2010)

You can understand someone who earns 650-1000AED a month having a bad attitiude but there are people in well paid positions who I have dealt with in Dubai and provide a poor service and are absolute joke. If I was the boss I wouldnt put them in charge of the shredder.


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## CDN2012 (Jun 15, 2011)

Everybody's situation sucks i get it.....but it is what it is...We can sit around and complain about it or we can try and do something to improve our situations. My Mom grew up so poor that the province took her and her sister's away from her parents when they were kids and shipped them over a 500km's away. Never once did she let that get her down and now her and my dad living nice. We don't know what the future holds but if we don't try to improve it we will most likely be stuck in the same position for a loooooong time.

just my $0.02


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

CDN2012 said:


> Everybody's situation sucks i get it.....but it is what it is...We can sit around and complain about it or we can try and do something to improve our situations. My Mom grew up so poor that the province took her and her sister's away from her parents when they were kids and shipped them over a 500km's away. Never once did she let that get her down and now her and my dad living nice. We don't know what the future holds but if we don't try to improve it we will most likely be stuck in the same position for a loooooong time.


Which is great for your Mom but "work hard and go far" is also the BS mandatory for keeping people in their place. Capitalism needs both those with capital and those without and the greater the divide the more the have-nots will remain so.

If anyone thinks that someone can go from weighing the veg at Carre Four to procurement manager simply through hard work is either patronising, delusional or both.


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

Mr Rossi said:


> Which is great for your Mom but "work hard and go far" is also the BS mandatory for keeping people in their place. Capitalism needs both those with capital and those without and the greater the divide the more the have-nots will remain so.
> 
> If anyone thinks that someone can go from weighing the veg at Carre Four to procurement manager simply through hard work is either patronising, delusional or both.


Very well said. Its often (and i have heard it a lot during this healthcare debate) that we hear some people claim "I know a janitor/clerk/street bum who worked hard and is now a millionaire", implying that all it takes to get out of poverty is work, and bingo , you become a millionaire. Even in the USA, where its easier than in other countries to jump 'upwards' in society, for every 10-20 minimum wage worker working their a***** off, probably 1 makes it big. It takes hard work and lots of luck to get out of the type of poverty some people can be in.


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## CDN2012 (Jun 15, 2011)

So i guess sombody who chose to take a deadend job and then complain about it online should gain my sympathy!? I think not. We all go through rough situations in life but those who have real character will make the best of it and try and improve it. Everyone in entitled to their opinion in life but i'm glad i dont share alot of yours.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

CDN2012 said:


> So i guess sombody who chose to take a deadend job and then complain about it online should gain my sympathy!? I think not. We all go through rough situations in life but those who have real character will make the best of it and try and improve it. Everyone in entitled to their opinion in life but i'm glad i dont share alot of yours.


Ouch....


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

CDN2012 said:


> So i guess sombody who chose to take a deadend job and then complain about it online should gain my sympathy!? I think not. We all go through rough situations in life but those who have real character will make the best of it and try and improve it. Everyone in entitled to their opinion in life but i'm glad i dont share alot of yours.


I agree.

I rather work as hard as I can independent of my current situation than sit on my behind and complain. Since there is no guaranty in life (except death), either way might not change my situation but I can hold my head high with the former.

So far, the harder I work, the luckier I get...


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)




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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

ccr said:


> I rather work as hard as I can independent of my current situation than sit on my behind and complain. Since there is no guaranty in life (except death), either way might not change my situation but I can hold my head high with the former.
> 
> So far, the harder I work, the luckier I get...



I presume *****ing around on the internet is within your job remit and not besmirching your otherwise Stakhanovian work record?


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

be·smirch (b-smûrch) tr.v. be·smirched, be·smirch·ing, be·smirch·es. 1. To stain; sully: a reputation that was besmirched by slander

*Stakhanovite | noun 1. a worker in the Soviet Union who regularly surpassed production quotas and was specially honored and rewarded. adjective *


Just helping out fellow ef'ers from having to google those.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Mr Rossi said:


> I presume *****ing around on the internet is within your job remit and not besmirching your otherwise Stakhanovian work record?


I have you know that I am still on vacation...


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Jynxgirl said:


> Stakhanovite | [/FONT][/URL]noun 1. a worker in the Soviet Union who regularly surpassed production quotas and was specially honored and rewarded. adjective [/B]


Represented by the work horse Boxer in the allegorical novel Animal Farm. Who, having worked hard all his life out of blind loyalty, was sent to the glue factory rather than the retirement pasture as previously promised by the pigs.

Apt.


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