What goes around comes around

Remember how I was grumbling about bad service at Muji? I got a taste of my own medicine, and on my birthday as well. What luck! What a thing to get for a birthday 'present'.

I do not usually go on customer service counter that often. Most of the time, I am stationed at the advisory counter. For the last few days though, branch was short of staff and I was roped in to man the counter on my own.

I would say lots of interesting things happened and turns out, not so nice things happened too. There was this old man who, either genuinely or purposely, could not find the books that he wants and was insisting that I find it for him immediately. Then our online catalogue was down and I could not find the exact call number for him. I told him to be patient but he kind of expected me to give him a miracle.

There was a queue forming and so, I told him to please go browse at other books first and I would help him later. Next in line was this lady, who knew that she could scan her card at this machine to check the due dates of the books she borrowed but just decided that she wanted to check the books one by one.

I was getting a little agitated. For one, I did not like people who were not self-reliant (I know I should not be like that but at that point of time, I could not help it). Secondly, while I was serving her, someone cut in to tell me that there was no power supply in the powerpoint outlets and they could not charge their laptops.

According to this female patron, I started shaking my head and I slammed down her books which was bad customer service. She wrote in to complain against me. Said I was rude and that I should be trained to handle stress with a smile etc, etc. Oh, and she had to stress that she was a trainer in customer service.

SO WHAT???

If she was a trainer then she should be even more aware of how to be good customer. She jolly well knew that she could check the machine (for she apologised and mumbled that she knew she could check from the machine before requesting me to check).

She should even be more empathetic towards customer service officers who may be overworked (can't say if we are underpayed. Depends on company I guess).

I mean I give a piece of my mind and although I often 'threaten' (to my friends only. Not even to the service provider) to write in, I rarely do.

I think that Singaporeans (including myself...sometimes) are too obnoxious and not gracious enough as customers. From the point of view of the service provider and a customer myself, I think these things go both ways.

If you think "Customers are King", I think customers are king of giving you bullshit. Myself as a customer included.

P/S: I make no excuses for myself as I do admit that sometimes I can be a lousy customer too. Depending on sitaution though, it could be that the service provider 'provoked' me first.

Older yet again

I wish time could stand still and stop at the times when I was young and carefree, when I don't have to fall into self-denial and say that I am not that old. Age is...can be...a relative thing. The only thing that is not relative are all your wrinkles that start to appear and fats that refuse to go away.

Stay tuned for more UN-interesting updates on this day I was born.

Cats can be scary too!

This morning, I had woken up, brushed my teeth, and gone straight back to bed. Because I did not want to wake my housemate up, I did not close the door.

I was still in my blissful power sleep (as I call these quick naps of 10-15 minutes), when I heard a loud "Meow!" and saw the cat right before my eyes, in my room!!!!!

Goodness gracious me! Holy SH*&t! The cats have let themselves out of the room!!! I have heard them trying to open the door before but they never really did succeed. This time, it was freaky and eerie coz they did not only manage to open the door, they turned on the lights too!!!!!!

Why I say freaky is coz I was the one who fed them last night as my housemate came home late. I remembered specifically that I switched off the light after putting food into their dishes, half wondering whether they would be ok, eating in semi-darkness. Looks like I do not have to worry so much anymore.

I am still in quite a state of shock mixed with amusement as I type this. I am just thinking, "What next?"

I mean I know that my ex sis in-law's Russian Blue could turn the door knob and all, but...but...anyhow, I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry when I found him in my room and so, I did a half-scold. Really wasn't that awake to use my boom voice and did not want to wake my housemate up. Plus I didn't want neighbours to think I was cat-abusing. ("P)

Horrible Muji

Despite the fact that it is a Japanese company (who pride themselves with impeccable services and products), Muji has never had really good customer service.

This is not the first time that I am annoyed with their customer service, or lack thereof.

I was at the Paragon outlet and was happily picking up items to buy. The normal thing to do when you need to pay, is to queue up. I was in the queue but this stupid bitch who came after me, walked in front of me (there was a big gap between the queue poles and the cashier itself).

This bitch acted so bloody polite by asking this other couple whether they wanted to go first as they already had their stuff on the counter. That couple said it was ok and she went ahead!!!

Stupid staff at the cashier did not say anything and processed her payment. I was so angry I wanted to put down everything and go. There was however, a bag that I really liked and it was the last piece. I decided to queue up and give the cashier a piece of my mind.

I told the cashier that it was pointless to have a queueing system or any queue poles if the staff are not going to abide by the queueing rules. You treat the customer like stupid by making them stand there and not serve them; asking them to abide by the rules while you don't. I was so angry that I did not even reply or look at the cashier when he spewed out the whole strong of standard apologies that I really did not want to hear at that point of time.

I was angry at the staff. More so, I was angry at myself. My eyes were ready to flip and roll. I was about to spew gibberish from my mouth. I was still so angry that when I reached home, I wanted to puke. That was really bad, I know, but that was how mad I was. Why was I so bloody polite? Why was I so bloody timid and not shout at when the bitch was right in front of the cashier? Shout out that the queue is rightfully where I was standing? In this way, I could have felt better. In this way, I could have no need to scold an unnecessary person.

Actually, as a service person myself, I hold him half responsible for what had happened. He, as a staff could have been more attentive and regulated the queue. He should have been sharp enough to see who was in the queue and who was not. He should not have simply be intimidated by that bitch (according to my Spacecake, she overhead how the woman was very demanding and was being a bit difficult on staff).

I demand that level of service for I myself give that sort of service. I almost always go by queue order. There was this once, this colleague's wife wanted to cut queue (just because she could not control her son and he was running all over the library), I told her matter of factly that I was actually serving another customer and that she would have to join the queue. Only on second 'pleading' did I ask my customer for permission to serve her first.

Even then, I was really agitated. I felt there was a bit of an abuse of rights in a way. Plus the most ironical part is that her spouse was in charge of customer service in our organisation. SIGH!

I would like to think I treat all my customers equally, even the young ones. When I am at the Children's counter, an adult might come along while I am serving a young boy/girl. I will tell them nicely that I am helping them. I think it is my way of showing that they are as important as an adult and hopefully, just hopefully, in a small little, that this little gesture will stick in their minds that they should treat other people like that too. Equally.

Thinking back though, I there was really nothing to be so angry about and there are better things to be angry at. Customer service levels are just this bad that then few that are good are like treasures found. Many of my friends have resigned to fate but I just refused to take things lying down. Maybe it is time I should. Then I would be able to live longer. Hahaha!

p/s: I know some of you might have heard the story about the colleague's wife more than once but sorry, I have not blogged about it before and I wanted it to go down in Internet history (Hahaha!!). So here it is.

My own idol

No, I am not going to start my own show. It is just that I met one of my teen-hood idol today. She is Marion Nicole Teo. She was Miss Singapore/ Universe 1985. This was the year that Miss Universe was held in Singapore and all eyes were on Miss Singapore.

She happened to be from my Primary school and then, went to Singapore Chinese Girls' School for her Secondary education, which my cousin went to. I remember this clearly for we were arguing which school she belonged to and both of u wanted her to be from our school only. Hehe....childish, I know, but we still had some childish-ness in us yet, at that time.

I remember our teachers telling us proudly that she was from our school too! That day when the programme was broadcasted live (which was a super-duper big deal during that time, we all skipped lessons to go to the AV room (where there was a big tv) and we watched the whole show Our teachers miraculously 'disappeared' too!

Anyway, she taught us grooming today. It was somewhat like Jill Lowe's "Colour me beautiful" except that she gave it a more local context so that it was more relevant to us. We learnt heaps and even had fun with the make-up.

For me, it was a treat, to have my teen-hood idol up close and personal. She is still immaculately pretty and her frame seems much smaller than it was on tv. Either she slimmed down a lot, or the tv really did not do her justice. I had fun!

Good 'ol spaghetti bolognaise

Recently, I have been eating a lot of this. I had it for lunch on 25th Feb, after my health screening. It was at Swenson's and tonight, the same dish at PS cafe, Paragon. I think just like broccoli, I got my taste for bolognaise back again.

You see, my dislike for broccoli and cualiflower started when I stayed in homestay in Aussie land. During the week, they would cater food and because broccoli and cauliflower are 'sturdy' veggies, they gave a lot of that. When weekend comes, she would usually cook her daughter's favourite, which was? You guessed it! Spaghetti Bolognaise!

Well, I did not dislike spaghetti like I dislike the veggies. It was more like I coud not find authentically good ones in Singapore that could give hearty servings. Many places that serve this dish give poor imitation of the real deal.

PS cafe though, managed to make it such that it feels like a very home-cooked one done by an Italian mama. Mama mia!

What is there to compare?

Just came back from visitig my second uncle and his family. They just came back from the States and they were proudly telling us about their experience.

I was not really paying any attention until my aunt was talking about how strict customs was over there. She told us how my uncle had to go for full body search because of the fact that he has got some implant in his knee.

My uncle then pointed out that she too had some implant on her back. She then said she had no problem when passing through the security gate. There was no beep or anything. She then proudly announced that her implants were titanium etc, etc.

Really. What is there to be proud of, these implants?? I don't find anything to brag about. It means that there is something wrong with your body. Yet, this aunt is the same one that goes around comparing with my third aunt, which specialist is better and which specialist she got to see at every family gathering. It is as if she were collecting trophies by seeing these specialists.

I find it even more absurd to have to compare about what these implants are made of. They are your typical kaisu sort, who likes to compare everything, from children's homework right down to the type of washing detergent you use. Theirs would have to be the cheapest type and yet, they will tell you it's the best.

I am not sure whether I have blogged about her or about this 'phenomena' before but her son now is a doctor and her daughter, a lab tech (or was it researcher) who has just gone over to San Diego to work. To me it is rather interesting that her son has become a doctor. It is almost like she could keep him as his personal physician in that sense.

Well, this is the family I do not like. Snobs and know-it-alls, all except my doctor cousin. He seems to be the nicest of the lot. Who knows though, that he may be chauvanistic like his dad. I am keeping my fingers crosse that he is not.