St Regis' coffee shocker

I keep hearing stories of poor service and atrocious prices at St Regis over the last few months but no one has taken the trouble to write to me about their experience --- until today.

My friend May, the globe-trotter who has just returned from yet another jaunt,
sms-ed me to say that she has something for my blog.

"But it is not quite a service issue," she says, before adding "more like daylight
robbery!"

May was entertaining some of her business friends over lunch at the hotel's Yan Ting restaurant yesterday. It was a pleasant afternoon until she saw the bill.

The total bill came to about $230, but the shocker was the price for four cups of black coffee --- $60. May, who has drunk coffee in posh places all over the world, believes St Regis' cuppa must be the most expensive that she has come across.

She remembers her first shock was sometime ago at the same hotel when she paid $12 for a cuppa. When she gave her feedback to the management, she felt that their attitude was: "Don't go there if you cannot afford it!".

Well, at $15 per cuppa now, it is not exactly a case of deja vu.

Anne goes on a merry go round over a Beetle at Tiong Bahru car park

When Anne Holloway sees something that is not right, she will be the first to holler. She took this picture of "this cheeky Beetle" (above) parked illegally at the roof-top Tiong Bahru carpark on July 24 at about 8 am. and sent it to the authorities.

"It was parked right at the top of the stairs, in a passageway meant for pedestrians,'' Anne said.

"Everyone else was parked neatly in the marked parking spaces (white
markings, wheel stops before the kerbs ) except for this car. It's not as if the car park was full - as it sometimes is."

The Traffic Police replied to her to say that they have nothing to do with enforcing parking regulations there and passed her complaint to the HDB which in turn forwarded it to the National Environment Agency (NEA).

Now Anne wonders whether the car park is "an orphan" and who is going to "adopt" it when the musical chairs' music stops.

"In any event, if it is the NEA then I need to add a complaint that the car park area is often littered - with drinks packets, plastic bags and such," she said, addding:

"And, oh, I was at Tiong Bahru market three days later and took this shot (above left) of one of the staircases, showing the pedestrian passage from a different perspective (the Beetle was parked where these pedestrians are walking, but on a different day and a different landing - this is just to show how the space is sufficent for a car but is not marked for parking)".

STICKY SISTIC

Justina and Patrick from Down Under want to watch Fried Rice Paradise when it opens in September. So they tried to get their good friend Irene here to book tickets online with their DBS credit card.

But the Sistic system wouldn't allow it. Neither would it let Irene book them on the phone with their credit card.

However, it WILL let her book them with her credit card on one condition --Sistic wants Justina and Patrick to show them Irene's credit card when they pick up the tickets at the Esplanade.

Relating her experience to the couple, Irene said: "The nice lady on the phone had to consult a supervisor who said I could give you a letter of authorisation
to show the gang at the Esplanade when you pick up the ticket, to which I said I wasn't mailing no letter to nobody.

"After some botheration, they agreed that I could email you and them and that you could then print out the email (THIS IS IT!) and present it as authorisation.


"As a management analyst would conclude, this extra botheration just quadrupled the cost of a Sistic transaction from 5 minutes to at least 20 minutes. Further, if this meant putting on hold and putting off others trying to buy tickets, that cost to Sistic was just magnified further. All this in efficient Singapore!"

Surely, there must be an easier way for our overseas guests to book tickets for shows at the Esplanade. Otherwise, how to be a centre for the arts???

Outstanding nurses at Mount E

Sometimes it is little gestures and a few pleasantries that make a difference to how you respond to and appreciate the service that you receive each day when you are out there in our increasingly urbanised society.

A pleasant smile, a cheery "hello" or some words to sooth one's nerves, especially in a hospital environment, can certainly help to make your day.

I experienced this yesterday (July 26) when I went to Mount Elizabeth Hospital for my routine scan.

Nurse Kathleen Phun, who inserted a needle into my right hand to enable a gadget to be fixed for putting in the dye, tried to put me at ease as she went about her work.

I assured her that I was okay since it was not the first time having the scan. Thereafter, we chatted about her former colleague who had gone back to India and also the takeover battle for the hospital chain between the Fortis and the Khazanah groups.

Of course, we didn't realise at that time that it was a momentous day because Khazanah was about to announce its raised offer and put an end to the tussle.

Although what she did to my hand was routine, what I appreciated was the small talk that helped to take away some of the boredom of hospital visits.

The other nurse who was just as pleasant was Poh Hwa. She was the attendant in the scanning room. Though we exchanged only a few words, she made the effort to put me at ease, again not knowing that I was not a newbie.

Some of you would probably know this about how some people who, with their demeanour and body language, instantly project their helpful nature the moment you meet them.

I felt Poh Hwa was that kind of person. Mount E should be proud of both
Kathleen and Poh Hwa.

Come forward with your praises!

I was really glad when Celia sent me her words of praise last week for the Ritz Carlton staff who attended to her and her hubby Allen, and of course their guests, at their wedding lunch two months ago. And I posted her compliments almost immediately.

But, sad to say, I have noticed that we Asians are much slower when it comes to showering praises on just about anybody -- taxi-drivers, waiters, shop assistants, our subordinates in the office, even our dear ones.

When I started this blog, I said specifically that I wanted to use it not just to slam the sloppy service providers but also to compliment those who go the extra mile.

At this juncture, when I have posted just over 100 items on my blog, the ratio of compliments to complaints is just about 1:5. Which proves my point that we are all very stingy with our praises.

Surely there must be many days in our lives when we come across someone, be it the smiling petrol kiosk attendant or the hardworking Starbuck waitress, who has done something beyond what you expect.

I would urge you to try and note down the names of these people, and, when you have a moment to spare later in the day, to write some kind words that will help to cheer them up and make their day.

It is as simple as that! Remember, the important thing is to be keenly aware and appreciate the little things that come your way each day -- and make it a point to commend the people dishing them out.

Excellent service from Ritz

Back from her honeymoon, Celia finally found time to write about the excellent service she had from Ritz Carlton at her wedding lunch.

She wrote: "We had our wedding lunch at the Ritz Carlton about two months back and must commend Ritz for offering superior service from the very beginning.

"Our wedding coordinator, Joey, was excellent - professional, accomodating, helpful and warm. She was always one step ahead, reminding us of tasks that we needed to accomplish and offering solutions before we even realised there was a problem. She never declined any of our requests outrght but always found ways to accomodate our needs.

"Service to our suite was also excellent. Each time we asked for assistance, a member of the staff would appear promptly, almost as if he or she had teleported to our door. Every member of staff we came into contact with during our stay not only behaved in a professional manner, but also came across as warm and friendly.

"One particular incident stood out for us. During the lunch, my mum had helped my grandmothers, who are both getting on in years, to cut their food from the first dish into smaller pieces. The service staff noticed and immediately offered to take over the task from my mum.

"My mum thanked them for the offer but declined the help since she had already started. They then informed her that they would cut the food in all subsequent dishes into smaller pieces for my grandmothers.

"I think the Ritz Carlton team deserves a BOUQUET for their initiative and professionalism."

Well done, David Heng!

One day after posting the story about CL's disappointing dining experience at Food For Thought @ 8Q, the management made another attempt today (July 22) at damage control.

David Heng of the restaurant, who had earlier apologised to her in a short note which I thought was inadequate, spoke to her to try and make amends. He followed up with this email to her:

"It was a pleasure speaking to you this afternoon. Thank you for sharing with me what you felt about your dining experience at Food for Thought 8Q. After sending that initial email to you, I was able to find the time yesterday to sit down with my guys face to face to work through with them the lapses that led to the incident.

"It was clearly a mistake to have served the burnt cake and we sincerely apologise for that oversight from the kitchen end. Also, our service staff should have made better decisions on the spot and been more prompt and proactive in fixing what was clearly an undesirable situation.

"We hope you will give us an opportunity to make it up to you. Please accept our invitation for a complimentary dinner for two back at Food for Thought. If you could let me know when you will be coming by, I would like to serve you personally.

"Thank you for your patronage and the frank feedback - it has been useful in helping us see areas we need to improve upon. I hope to hear from you soon. Have a blessed week! "

David's second attempt at damage control is certainly way better than his first. I am sure our service and customer relations people can learn from this.

LATEST: After the above was posted, the Food For Thought Team sent this to me:

Dear Pern Yew,

We were notified by CL herself that the account of the incident was put up on this blog.

Thank you for highlighting not just the services lapses that we made but our subsequent follow up with her as well.

We do appreciate the fair gesture!

The team at Food for Thought shares your desire to see good service in Singapore and is invested in making a visit to our cafes a pleasant experience.

We hope everyone will continue to support and encourage those working at the frontlines of the service industry.


Have a blessed week,

from the Food for Thought team