More than a month ago, I wrote about NTUC FairPrice opening its finest outlet at Scotts Square and raised several questions on whether, as a co-op, it should have opened an outlet in the heart of the city where rentals are exorbitant.
However, I did not not alert the co-op to my posting.
On Monday, I was pleasantly surprised when I received an email from Winston Ng, its assistant manager for Corporate Communications, thanking me for my feedback before launching into all the things it had done to promote its social mission of moderating the cost of living in Singapore and to help the needy.
It went on to explain that the FairPrice Finest concept was first launched in 2007 "to cater to customers who aspire for finer things in life".
"While it carries a selection of cosmopolitan products that cater to customers who are looking for more sophisticated products, it also offers a wide range of daily essentials that are affordably priced," Mr Ng says.
He also made the point that all its prices are the same at its various outlets, including those at Scotts Square.
While I appreciates Mr Ng's attempt to explain and make the case that the co-op has not veered away from its mission, unfortunately he did not address my main question which is:
"Why is the co-op venturing into the upmarket area when it should really be concentrating on the more residential places where the ordinary Singaporeans live?"
My argument was that rental was high in that district and if prices were to be priced the same as the other outlets, the profit margin would inevitably be lower or it might even make a loss. This would impact on its bottomline and have a cascading effect.
So, I decided to reply to Mr Ng. Here's my email:
"Dear Winston,
Thank you for taking the trouble to address my concerns and in giving such a comprehensive account of what FairPrice is doing.
I accept all your points about how the co-op is going all out to serve the people and that prices are the same in all its stores, including the outlet at Scotts Square.
However, I still cannot see the logic of paying such high rental in the Orchard Road area when the majority of your customers are living outside that area.
Further, I do not think anyone living outside the city would go to that outlet to shop for obvious reasons. So the people who would pop in would likely be those who live in the expensive condominiums in the vicinity or the tourists staying at the five-star hotels nearby.
Even if you were to argue that there is some value in branding the FairPrice finest brand, I would not buy it because your brand is now well-established among Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans alike, and there is no need to waste unnecessary money which can be put to better use.
I believe that as a co-op, it is important to remember that a dollar saved is a dollar credited to its customers who are mostly from the lower strata of our society.
I sincerely hope that your management would bear this in mind when it next sets out to expand its business."
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
DBS's 'slow and disorderly' way in handling Thazin's HDB loan application
It is their first time applying for a housing loan but from the way Thazin describes it, it must have been a thoroughly frustrating experience dealing with some of the DBS loan officers at its Toa Payoh branch.
Her regret was that she had not checked the Web before making the application. She told me in her email: "A quick search on the web has made me realised that I am just one of the many who are disappointed by DBS's service standards."
It all started when she and her husband went to the branch last month to get a loan for a HDB apartment.
"To our disappointment, the process has been slow and disorderly," she said.
"First of all, our case was handled by several different people due to understandable reasons (they were on leave because of the Chinese New Year).
"However, the way the case was handed over from one DBS person to another has resulted in much trouble for my husband and I.
"For instance, we were only informed through email about our next contact at DBS but the email addresses were wrong.
"We were given contact numbers but no one answered our calls. We were given vague reasons on why our loan cannot be processed and were asked for answers/documents without stating exactly what kind of answers/documents were needed.
"Soon, we were tired of been pushed around from one officer to another, having to explain our case from scratch again and again.
"At one point, we went down to the branch and requested to take our documents back and change to another bank.
"But the officer we met that day told us specifically that his manager will take over our case entirely and that we would not have to deal with the original officer.
"However, to our disgust, it was just a one-off show. Soon after our loan was approved, paperwork settled and when we thought the worst was over, the original officer contacted us again and told us of more outstanding issues, more papers to sign and request to us to go down to the branch repeatedly.
"These requests were done through one-liner emails and phone calls where the person over the phone speaks hastily without bothering to give proper explanation or even introduction.
"Since it is our first home and first time applying for a HDB loan with DBS, we would have enjoyed the process if the persons in charge were friendlier and more meticulous when handling the case.
"I regret that I did not do a thorough research about DBS service standard before going ahead with accepting their loan.
"I hope that my post would help other couples think twice about the bank they choose to get their HDB loan from. A pleasent experience with the bank goes a long way for a young couple embarking on their life journey together."
As I am writing this, Thazin sent me another email, saying: "Another incident with DBS today has made me very angry again.
"As I have explained earlier, DBS says that there are still documents left to sign.
"Hence, they sent a courier to my office yesterday to pass the documents back to me. The courier was a stern-faced man who told me coldly to pass the documents back to him once I signed it. Of couse, I signed it on the spot.
"There were some check boxes to tick on the page, but I did not tick them because I could not understand what each of them means.
"There was also no one to explain to me as the stern-faced courier man did not know about the documents."
She decided to make arrangements for her husband to go down to the bank today to find out and understand what the check boxes were about before ticking them on her behalf.
"But when my husband arrived at the bank as they had scheduled, the person in charge, called Annie, did not have the documents ready," Thazin said.
"Annie immediately accused me of holding on to the documents and my husband called me frantically to make sure that I had passed them back to the courier. "
Her last sentence was: "My husband is still at the bank waiting for the documents."
I could almost hear her sigh!
Her regret was that she had not checked the Web before making the application. She told me in her email: "A quick search on the web has made me realised that I am just one of the many who are disappointed by DBS's service standards."
It all started when she and her husband went to the branch last month to get a loan for a HDB apartment.
"To our disappointment, the process has been slow and disorderly," she said.
"First of all, our case was handled by several different people due to understandable reasons (they were on leave because of the Chinese New Year).
"However, the way the case was handed over from one DBS person to another has resulted in much trouble for my husband and I.
"For instance, we were only informed through email about our next contact at DBS but the email addresses were wrong.
"We were given contact numbers but no one answered our calls. We were given vague reasons on why our loan cannot be processed and were asked for answers/documents without stating exactly what kind of answers/documents were needed.
"Soon, we were tired of been pushed around from one officer to another, having to explain our case from scratch again and again.
"At one point, we went down to the branch and requested to take our documents back and change to another bank.
"But the officer we met that day told us specifically that his manager will take over our case entirely and that we would not have to deal with the original officer.
"However, to our disgust, it was just a one-off show. Soon after our loan was approved, paperwork settled and when we thought the worst was over, the original officer contacted us again and told us of more outstanding issues, more papers to sign and request to us to go down to the branch repeatedly.
"These requests were done through one-liner emails and phone calls where the person over the phone speaks hastily without bothering to give proper explanation or even introduction.
"Since it is our first home and first time applying for a HDB loan with DBS, we would have enjoyed the process if the persons in charge were friendlier and more meticulous when handling the case.
"I regret that I did not do a thorough research about DBS service standard before going ahead with accepting their loan.
"I hope that my post would help other couples think twice about the bank they choose to get their HDB loan from. A pleasent experience with the bank goes a long way for a young couple embarking on their life journey together."
As I am writing this, Thazin sent me another email, saying: "Another incident with DBS today has made me very angry again.
"As I have explained earlier, DBS says that there are still documents left to sign.
"Hence, they sent a courier to my office yesterday to pass the documents back to me. The courier was a stern-faced man who told me coldly to pass the documents back to him once I signed it. Of couse, I signed it on the spot.
"There were some check boxes to tick on the page, but I did not tick them because I could not understand what each of them means.
"There was also no one to explain to me as the stern-faced courier man did not know about the documents."
She decided to make arrangements for her husband to go down to the bank today to find out and understand what the check boxes were about before ticking them on her behalf.
"But when my husband arrived at the bank as they had scheduled, the person in charge, called Annie, did not have the documents ready," Thazin said.
"Annie immediately accused me of holding on to the documents and my husband called me frantically to make sure that I had passed them back to the courier. "
Her last sentence was: "My husband is still at the bank waiting for the documents."
I could almost hear her sigh!
Monday, February 6, 2012
LTA waives penalty for my 'late' road tax renewal
Exactly a week after I complained about having to pay a $40 penalty for 'late' renewal of my car's road tax (see January 30 post below), I received good news yesterday from the Land Transport Authority.
The LTA said it had considered my appeal and would waive the late renewal fee.
I am glad the LTA had considered my email to Reach, the government's feedback unit, as an appeal when my purpose was really to point out the injustice of having to pay a penalty.
I had forgotten to renew the road tax because of a family emergency. An alert was sent to me by MyeCitizen, a service provided by the government, a day after its expiry.
When I made my renewal minutes after receiving the alert, I was surprised to discover that I had to pay the $40 penalty. I disagreed with this because I had not even driven my car out of my porch.
In its email to me, the LTA says the rule is that it is an offence for anyone to KEEP, use or allow the use of a vehicle without a valid road tax.
If that is the case, I wonder whether all the car companies are paying road tax for those unregistered cars in their showrooms.
I hope the LTA would consider imposing the penalty two days after the expiry to give a chance for motorists who have been alerted by MyeCitizen to pay up without being penalised.
Otherwise, MyeCitizen should be sending out its alerts a day earlier -- on the expiry date itself.
The LTA said it had considered my appeal and would waive the late renewal fee.
I am glad the LTA had considered my email to Reach, the government's feedback unit, as an appeal when my purpose was really to point out the injustice of having to pay a penalty.
I had forgotten to renew the road tax because of a family emergency. An alert was sent to me by MyeCitizen, a service provided by the government, a day after its expiry.
When I made my renewal minutes after receiving the alert, I was surprised to discover that I had to pay the $40 penalty. I disagreed with this because I had not even driven my car out of my porch.
In its email to me, the LTA says the rule is that it is an offence for anyone to KEEP, use or allow the use of a vehicle without a valid road tax.
If that is the case, I wonder whether all the car companies are paying road tax for those unregistered cars in their showrooms.
I hope the LTA would consider imposing the penalty two days after the expiry to give a chance for motorists who have been alerted by MyeCitizen to pay up without being penalised.
Otherwise, MyeCitizen should be sending out its alerts a day earlier -- on the expiry date itself.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
United Airlines faces the music for its poor customer service
I thought my blog is a novel and effective way to get companies, retailers, institutions and others who are lagging behind in service standards to buck up...until I saw this video by musician Dave Carroll on YouTube.
Apparently, in 2009, he had trouble with United Airlines whose baggage handlers damaged his $3500 custom guitar, and he spent more than nine months trying to get the airline to pay for damages but to no avail.
In his last exchange with its customer relations manager, Carroll said he was left with no choice but to create a music video for YouTube to expose the airline's lack of cooperation.
The manager response? "Good luck with that one, pal."
Carroll shot and put up his video, United Breaks Guitars, on YouTube.
After more than 11 million visitors had viewed the video, United contacted him to try and settle in exchange for pulling the video.
Carroll's response? "Good luck with that one, pal."
When Taylor Guitars saw the video, its management sent Carroll two new custom guitars in appreciation for the publicity of its product. It has led to a sharp increase in orders.
Moral of the story: There are many ways to get back at those people who think they can dish out poor customer service and get away with it.
Enjoy the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo&NR=1
Apparently, in 2009, he had trouble with United Airlines whose baggage handlers damaged his $3500 custom guitar, and he spent more than nine months trying to get the airline to pay for damages but to no avail.
In his last exchange with its customer relations manager, Carroll said he was left with no choice but to create a music video for YouTube to expose the airline's lack of cooperation.
The manager response? "Good luck with that one, pal."
Carroll shot and put up his video, United Breaks Guitars, on YouTube.
After more than 11 million visitors had viewed the video, United contacted him to try and settle in exchange for pulling the video.
Carroll's response? "Good luck with that one, pal."
When Taylor Guitars saw the video, its management sent Carroll two new custom guitars in appreciation for the publicity of its product. It has led to a sharp increase in orders.
Moral of the story: There are many ways to get back at those people who think they can dish out poor customer service and get away with it.
Enjoy the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo&NR=1
Monday, January 30, 2012
MyeCitizen alert that came too late
I have just written to REACH, the government's feedback unit, and MyeCitizen, the portal that offers sms/email alerts and reminder services from government offices and agencies.
This was after I had reluctantly paid a penalty of $40 for "late" renewal of my road tax which expired last Saturday (Jan 28).
I was alerted to the expiry by sms from MyeCitizen the following day (Jan 29). It asked me to renew my road tax immediately if I had not done so.
I do not normally leave such things till the last minute, but this time I had forgotten completely about it because of a family emergency last week.
Immediately after the sms alert, I went online to onemotoring to do the renewal.
To my surprise, I discovered that I had to pay a penalty of $40. I had no choice but to comply.
Although I appreciate very much the services of MyeCitizen, I wonder why the alert came only a day after the road tax had expired.
If I was going to be fined for "late" renewal, surely it would have been more helpful if the alert had been sent on the expiry day itself!!!
MyeCitizen must have gotten its information about the expiry from the Land Transport Authority. So why didn't LTA think about having the alert on the day when I still had time to do the renewal without being penalised???
Another reason for my unhappiness is the fact that I had to pay the penalty when I had not even driven my car out of the porch on Jan 29, the day when the new road tax period starts.
Does one have to pay a penalty when one purchases an airline ticket on the day that the flight takes off?
Stay tuned as I wait for Reach and MyeCitizen to reply.
This was after I had reluctantly paid a penalty of $40 for "late" renewal of my road tax which expired last Saturday (Jan 28).
I was alerted to the expiry by sms from MyeCitizen the following day (Jan 29). It asked me to renew my road tax immediately if I had not done so.
I do not normally leave such things till the last minute, but this time I had forgotten completely about it because of a family emergency last week.
Immediately after the sms alert, I went online to onemotoring to do the renewal.
To my surprise, I discovered that I had to pay a penalty of $40. I had no choice but to comply.
Although I appreciate very much the services of MyeCitizen, I wonder why the alert came only a day after the road tax had expired.
If I was going to be fined for "late" renewal, surely it would have been more helpful if the alert had been sent on the expiry day itself!!!
MyeCitizen must have gotten its information about the expiry from the Land Transport Authority. So why didn't LTA think about having the alert on the day when I still had time to do the renewal without being penalised???
Another reason for my unhappiness is the fact that I had to pay the penalty when I had not even driven my car out of the porch on Jan 29, the day when the new road tax period starts.
Does one have to pay a penalty when one purchases an airline ticket on the day that the flight takes off?
Stay tuned as I wait for Reach and MyeCitizen to reply.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
FairPrice Finest outlet at Scotts Square raises several questions
I received an eight-page brochure yesterday from NTUC FairPrice to announce the opening of its latest FairPricefinest outlet in the heart of the city -- at the newly-opened Scotts Square.
While I am happy that there is yet another outlet nearby for us to shop, it is unlikely that we will be going there often because of the parking charges.
I guess the outlet is to cater to those people who live in the expensive apartment blocks in the vicinity or tourists who stay in the five-star hotels around there.
Although I do not know the size of this outlet, FairPrice must be paying a hefty per square foot rent for the premises.
My curious mind is wondering whether the co-operative is charging the same prices for similar products that are available at its finest outlets elsewhere.
If it does, then it would either be making a lower profit margin or maybe even a loss for such products because of the higher costs. If it does not, then regulars would naturally avoid going there to shop.
Several other questions come to mind:
* Why is the co-op venturing into the upmarket area when it should really be concentrating on the more residential places where the ordinary Singaporeans live?
* Would prices at other finest outlets continue to be reasonably priced if the Scotts outlet does not measure up because of the higher operational costs?
* Is this an indication that the co-op is slowly veering away from its social mission to moderate the cost of living in Singapore?
NTUC Fairprice Co-operative Ltd was founded by the labour movement in 1973 and its first NTUC Welcome supermarket at Toa Payoh was opened by PM Lee Kuan Yew on 22 July 1973.
Ten years later, NTUC Welcome merged with the Singapore Employees Co-operative to form NTUC Fairprice Co-operative Ltd.
FairPrice has since grown to become the largest retailer. Its network of more than 230 outlets include FairPrice supermarkets, FairPrice Finest, FairPrice Xtra, FairPrice Xpress and Cheers convenience stores.
On its website, NTUC FairPrice says it has evolved to make "the dream of living well accessible to everyone by moderating the costs of the good life."
I hope the opening of the Scotts outlet is not an indication that it has forgotten about its social mission.
While I am happy that there is yet another outlet nearby for us to shop, it is unlikely that we will be going there often because of the parking charges.
I guess the outlet is to cater to those people who live in the expensive apartment blocks in the vicinity or tourists who stay in the five-star hotels around there.
Although I do not know the size of this outlet, FairPrice must be paying a hefty per square foot rent for the premises.
My curious mind is wondering whether the co-operative is charging the same prices for similar products that are available at its finest outlets elsewhere.
If it does, then it would either be making a lower profit margin or maybe even a loss for such products because of the higher costs. If it does not, then regulars would naturally avoid going there to shop.
Several other questions come to mind:
* Why is the co-op venturing into the upmarket area when it should really be concentrating on the more residential places where the ordinary Singaporeans live?
* Would prices at other finest outlets continue to be reasonably priced if the Scotts outlet does not measure up because of the higher operational costs?
* Is this an indication that the co-op is slowly veering away from its social mission to moderate the cost of living in Singapore?
NTUC Fairprice Co-operative Ltd was founded by the labour movement in 1973 and its first NTUC Welcome supermarket at Toa Payoh was opened by PM Lee Kuan Yew on 22 July 1973.
Ten years later, NTUC Welcome merged with the Singapore Employees Co-operative to form NTUC Fairprice Co-operative Ltd.
FairPrice has since grown to become the largest retailer. Its network of more than 230 outlets include FairPrice supermarkets, FairPrice Finest, FairPrice Xtra, FairPrice Xpress and Cheers convenience stores.
On its website, NTUC FairPrice says it has evolved to make "the dream of living well accessible to everyone by moderating the costs of the good life."
I hope the opening of the Scotts outlet is not an indication that it has forgotten about its social mission.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Why is DBS compromising our security without telling us first?
Despite the ATM thefts amounting to $1 million through skimming, what DBS and UOB said recently would give the jitters to anyone who has some money in these banks.
Following the thefts at its ATM machines in Bugis Street, DBS came out to say that it has no full security measures at all its ATMs.
Jitter technology is employed to shake the ATM card when it is inserted and removed to make it difficult for the thieves to instal a skimming devices. It was not used at the Bugis machines.
And the bank's explanation for this was: these measures will lead to a "meaningful increase in customer queue times".
DBS has also admitted that by not activating all the measures at many of its ATMs it could leave these machines vulnerable to thefts.
But what floored me was the remark by its spokesman that "even if the jitter function was on, it is highly unlikely that it could have circumvented the card skimming incident."
Then, almost in the next breath, he added: "It is fair to say that the more security measures you leave on, the better you are likely to be protected."
The obvious question anyone would ask DBS is this: Why are you compromising our security and why are you informing us of this only now --- when the money had disappeared from the ATMs?
Surely we, the customers, have the right to know what we are in for when we use its ATMs.
I mentioned UOB at the start because when DBS was hit, it said it had activated the full security measures at all its ATMs. But when The Straits Times reporter made a check on Monday, it was found that its machines at three places were not activated.
Later that day, it activated all its machines after being told by the newspaper.
In all this fiasco, the bank that stood out is OCBC. All its machines have the full security measures since 2007. Solid as a rock, as usual.
Following the thefts at its ATM machines in Bugis Street, DBS came out to say that it has no full security measures at all its ATMs.
Jitter technology is employed to shake the ATM card when it is inserted and removed to make it difficult for the thieves to instal a skimming devices. It was not used at the Bugis machines.
And the bank's explanation for this was: these measures will lead to a "meaningful increase in customer queue times".
DBS has also admitted that by not activating all the measures at many of its ATMs it could leave these machines vulnerable to thefts.
But what floored me was the remark by its spokesman that "even if the jitter function was on, it is highly unlikely that it could have circumvented the card skimming incident."
Then, almost in the next breath, he added: "It is fair to say that the more security measures you leave on, the better you are likely to be protected."
The obvious question anyone would ask DBS is this: Why are you compromising our security and why are you informing us of this only now --- when the money had disappeared from the ATMs?
Surely we, the customers, have the right to know what we are in for when we use its ATMs.
I mentioned UOB at the start because when DBS was hit, it said it had activated the full security measures at all its ATMs. But when The Straits Times reporter made a check on Monday, it was found that its machines at three places were not activated.
Later that day, it activated all its machines after being told by the newspaper.
In all this fiasco, the bank that stood out is OCBC. All its machines have the full security measures since 2007. Solid as a rock, as usual.
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