06 February 2007

CB Has Opened Up, Cocky No More

Yesterday I received an email reply from CB about my earlier complaint feedback. I can't help but feel that the email looked rather like a standard reply. The bank probably only filled in the blanks with my surname and the date of my email:

"Dear Mr Koo,

Thank you for your email dated 03/02/07.

Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience you had experienced.

At CB, we place significant emphasis on the quality of our service and customer satisfaction. We truly appreciate your time in providing us your feedback and we will endeavour to continue to improve our level of service in order to serve our customers better.

We wish to thank you for taking the time to provide us with this valuable feedback. We have since forwarded it to the relevant parties to assist you directly with your queries.

Thank you and have a nice day.

Sincerely,
JS
Direct Banking"

At slightly past 7 pm tonight, my handphone rang. I glanced at the caller-ID display - it was an unfamiliar handphone number. I answered the call. It was JY. He had called to offer me his apologies. He said that after reading my blog, he realised that he was "too much" that day. He explained that he was not himself that day. So it must be his identical twin brother whom I spoke to that day.

I said that I hoped that he learnt something from this incident. Not everyone was a pushover. He said he surely did. I reminded him about Helen, the coffee lady and told him that I accepted his apologies and asked him to convey my acceptance to the bank.

Now that JY had apologised, I am willing to put this incident behind me and I hope that CB and JY could too, without any hard feelings. Please don't retaliate by raising my loan interest rate some more. I am really at your mercy. On the other hand, it would be good to show how genuinely apologetic you are by slashing the interest rate.

Actually, I would very much have preferred JY to offer his apologies by commenting on my blog. Then, I would look less like Mr Lee Dai Soh telling a one-sided grandfather story here. Yes, it would be nice if JY could do what bluemad did, when I complained provided feedback about my not-so-pleasant experience when shopping around for an LCD TV.

I know what Mr Lam Chun See is thinking - that I look more and more like a difficult customer who likes to complain rather than that the service standards in Singapore sucks, am I right? Sheesh.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have a qn to ask - how did he know your blog? You placed it somewhere in your letter, or my dear GD is simply famous? :D

Anonymous said...

Template, and fill in the blanks, man! Very obvious!

eastcoastlife said...

Mr Koo, Maybe you would like my reply.


Dear Mr Koo,

Thank you for your email dated 03/02/07.

Sorry my staff is so kurang ajar la. Dun worry ok, I f#*@ him oredi la. How can be so no big no small! Although your deposit is not so fantastic huh, but we cannot look down on small people aso ma.

The quality of our service if I say we are number 2, nobody dare admit they are number 1. Sure customer satisfied wan.

We very appreciate you take time to complain. However, we cannot do anything about your loan. The bank is not my lao bei's one.

Thank you and have a nice day.

Sincerely,
eastcoastife
Direct Banging

eastcoastlife said...

Another email after reading your blog.

Walau Mr Koo,
You still buay song arh. I say solly oredi leh. Wat you want?
You dun respect wine u dun drink, drink punish wine ok. Dun play play.

You want to come out and one-to-one? simi lc.

问候,
lin lao bei


This is what eastcoastlife do to people like you. Complain some more.

Victor said...

GNE - The bank's website got a "Contact Us form" for you to fill in one. Can fill in your handphone no., your IC no., whether bank customer and details of your feedback (max. 1000 char. - want to scold more also cannot). Of course, I just cut-and-paste my blog links there lah. What for do things 2 times? Some more, my 2 posts definitely more than 1000 char what. But hor, cut-and-paste question get cut-and-paste reply lor, sigh.

You neber complain before hah? LOL.

Tigerfish - I underlined the name and date one. But it really looks like they got to use templates because they probably get a lot of 'feedback'.

ECL - Wah, your PR very good hor? Can write 2 letters so stinking, I mean stinging one some more. Last time PRO before hah? Haha.

tigerfish said...

Not only those underlined, the entire message is so mechanical, just like their automated phone message that lets you listen to music till the ear become red and pain. And most ironical is, during that robotic phone message, they will say "your call is important to us"....arrrggghhh....important then pick up lah!

Anonymous said...

I got treated much worse by Canon before. Actually insulted is better word. In army lingo, "if you don't want to buy our product, you can FO, we got plenty of other customers lining up." but of course use very polite and elegant language.

Somemore later saw big advert by MD of Canon claiming how much they value customer and all that BS.

But LCS is forgiving type; sensitive but forgiving, hence cannot forget.

eastcoastlife said...

ahem.... Mr Lam, I get the hint, I will never be disrespectful to you again.

Unknown said...

Its really silly that they only apologise after such a long tirade. Unfortunately, few customers have the stamina and energy to pursue such a course of action.

In my line, as ECL would probably guess, I often have to answer very harsh complaints from the public. Its always apologising first and listening out to them. Thereafter to get back to them (and really do that) within a certain timeframe.

If the damage to the customer experience is bad, some form of genuine restitution would be offered like free tickets for another day at the museums.

The unfortunate thing is that bad customer service is not just an isolated incident in Singapore. It is so commonplace that it is tragic, and can be a major factor in the holiday destination stakes.

Unknown said...

I forgot to add that your posts and headlines are getting more and more sensational lately.... So are ECL's.

Seriously are the two of you one leg? ;)

eastcoastlife said...

walau cool insider!
You trying to 扇风点火!!!
Just becos I say u silent d___'s bite is fatal, u liddat arh!
si bei tok (poisonous)! 好毒哦!

Victor said...

Tigerfish - "Sorry to keep you waiting... all our officers are engaged at the moment... your call is important to us... please continue to hold (repeated several times)... sorry, you have exceeded the time limit, please leave your message after the tone and we will get back to you asap... beeeeep... sorry, our voice box is full... please call again... have a nice day... click (hang up)". Muahahaha.

Chun See - Canon Brand (hey, it's also CB) is very famous for their imaging technology. You always see the largest crowd around their booth in computer shows. As Jayne would say, "if they claim to be no. 2, nobody dare claim to be no. 1". In other words, they are "count 1 count 2". That's why they are just as cocky as the other CB.

The best course of action is to boycott them. I recommend that you go buy Nikon Brand (NB) instead. It also has very good optics and imaging technology.

Walter - Really ah? My posts and headlines getting sensational? Thanks for the compliment. I didn't intentionally gang up with Jayne or compete with her in this area. She writes her blog and I write mine. 井水不犯河水. I checked all the words up in a dictionary before I used them - it didn't say that they were sensational words wor. Haha.

Talking about feedback to museums, several weeks ago, I mentioned in our discussion forum that SAM had a wrong "Forfar House" caption on its "Outram Park" photo. Er... I didn't hear any follow-up action taken so far leh. Also, I have not received my free museum tickets yet. LOL.

Chris Sim said...

Congratulations, Victor! With the rate you're going, our service standard will raise a few notches in time to come. Remember how shabbily you were treated by the salesman at one of the megastore and how he chanced upon your complaint (as usual) in your blog? He, too, apologised, didn't he? Woa, the wonder of technology and blogging, hor?

But you complained so much. Your mouth, I meant, fingers not tired ahh?

LOL.

Victor said...

Chris - I want to complain some more. How come nowadays you are one of the last one to comment on my blog? Last time you used to be first, you know. Your service standard has also deteriorated to an unacceptable level. Next time, if you take more than one day to comment I won't respond. LOL.

Chris Sim said...

Pls lah Victor, first you Davinder Singh Chun See, now you Davinder Singh me. You quite famous leow mah..... I can't keep up with your other fans lah. LOL.