When sweet service turns sour

Tue, 08/12/2008 10:18 AM  |  City

Question of the day: Who are the nicest people on earth? Answer: Marketing and sales people.

They are so sweet and nice to you because they want you to buy whatever they are offering. It is a must to be nice to win the consumer's heart, especially when competition among business rivals is as fierce as it is in Jakarta.

What's wrong with being sweet and nice?

Nothing, except you might get dumped after they get what they want from you. Maybe my choice of words is too extreme, but don't expect the same sweet and nice treatment in post-sale service and support.

Now and then I receive phone calls from the bank which issued my credit card. In a sweet tone, the salesperson offers this and that, such as instant personal loans and promotions to entice me to upgrade my card.

Early in June, I called them. A loyal customer, I managed to collect thousands of points and I wanted to exchange them for gift vouchers for my three nieces and a nephew who were visiting me during the long school holiday.

The holiday came and went, and the vouchers never arrived. I lost an opportunity to prove I was a good auntie.

Finally, earlier this month I called the bank. After being forced to spend a few minutes listening to recorded instructions and other information which I did not need, a bank officer came online.

He told me the vouchers were sent to my office June 30, over a month ago, but the courier took them back because I was not in.

When I asked why they did not call and tell me about this matter, he said: "We do not make such calls. The customer must call for confirmation."

Just the day before, I had an even more unpleasant experience.

Five months after I had joined a fitness center, which has about 1.5 million members worldwide, I decided to cancel my membership.

In mid-July I called the club at Pacific Place, an opulent shopping mall located not in the Pacific, but in Central Jakarta. I was told the manager would call me, but I never received a call.

On July 29, accompanied by a friend, I went to the club and told the staff at the front desk I wished to cancel my membership. She took my card and checked my data. The young woman said she was unable to charge my credit card for July's monthly fee.

She also told me a one-month's cancellation notice was required, and I would have to pay a penalty because I was cancelling my membership, which was for a 12-month contract.

While we were still standing at the front desk, she gave me a cancellation form to complete. At this point, I lost my patience and when I protested her rude treatement, she directed us to a more comfortable lounge, the same room where earlier this year I had signed my membership contract.

The salesperson who had handled my contract happened to pass by and I asked him if I had to pay the full amount at once.

"Let me check first. I'll be right back," he said. The man, whose name, according to a dictionary, means "mind, reason, right-thinking", never came back.

All right, it turned out the cancellation rules were included in the membership contract, so they were probably annoyed when I asked them to clarify the procedures.

When I had signed the contract, they were so nice, but now they were so rude. Maybe they thought I was broke because they could not debit my credit card.

And then, to my surprise, after making the payment as requested I could not get my membership card back. The receptionist at the front desk gave me a temporary card made of thin cardboard, saying it was valid until Aug. 30.

I was in a hurry, so I just put it in my bag and left. When I read it later, I was shocked. It read:

"This card does not permit you to use the club. Please present this card on the start date and exchange it for a valid membership card.

"Should you wish to start earlier than the date stated above, please see our front desk staff for assistance."

The gym and the bank are international corporations and I expected them to maintain international standards of professionalism. If such reputed companies lack professionalism, we can expect other businesses to behave similarly, resulting in similar problems and unpleasant experiences for many consumers.

In Indonesia we have a slogan: Pembeli adalah Raja or Customers are King. It should apply at all times, not just when they are hoping we will buy something.

- T. Sima Gunawan

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