Customer service vs cultural sensitivity

[pattaya127]

Dave is saying is that more people need to speak up so things change

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which ranting and fussing endlessly is not. When the thais will speak up, it will change. The farang guests can stand in the line with their call number. If they no like, they no come. I think someday, you guys will get it, if you stay long enough. Like 45 years or more... ::

 

PS: by the way, i thought some banks were now majority- owned by foreign institutions. post97 IMF stuff. maybe it never happened, but if it did, they must have imposed the wonderful western customer service. Then why self-defeatingly go for a lousy thai bank? To help them change?

[jasmine]

[color:"red"] What I believe Dave is saying is that more people need to speak up so things change. Though he did add some nationalistic flavour to it.

 

[/color]

 

Things have changed, some for the better, some, I wish they stayed the same.

 

However, we, that also means "me", cannot expect people to think that "our" systems are better. Thailand is struggling to balance the Western civilztion with its own.

 

I agree that customers service can be better, however, to get it better needs certain approach, not exactly heated arguments, IMO.

 

Actually I am very bad in negotiating in Thailand for I know the Thais capabilities, however, I also know their limits becuase of tradition in obeying the rules and bosses. Initiative is frown upon and some can cause jobs, so try to be in their shoes.

 

So let us prod the service along to better ones, gently please.

 

Cheers

Jasmine

[pattaya127]

One question to all:

i had some money deposited into my bank account in thailand, KTB. Both my GF and french friends, visiting Pattaya, went to the bank with my acct # and name, to make sure it was deposited. Bank verified the amount had been indeed deposited, for them.

Not sure if an USA bank does that.

 

As for service in thailand: 2 anecdotes, i bought a plane ticket in BKK, but it had to be confirmed later on, then printed. Travel agent said, not worry, go to pattaya, i send express to you. Does not ask for money to send. OK!

 

2 days later, the guy calls me in Pattaya, tells me ticket is ready, should be in Pattaya in 3 hours. Turns out the guy had an employee/someone take the bus to Pattaya to deliver me the ticket (2, i had my friend with me).

 

2) last year, am stuck with car needing fixing in the hinterland between Chiang Mai and C Rai. 6 AM on top of it. lucky as usual, the very next home up the hill is a repair shop. I knock, A guy comes out, sleepy-eyed. 10 minutes later, him, wife and i are back to my car which he fixes, no waiting. 90 minutes it took, 250 bahts!

 

Of course, in the USA, they do that routinely! ::

 

PS: You know what guys, i think its' the thais involved with the most westernized (bettering : aspects of thai society, like banks with new regulations and all that, that give you the hardest time. they got into some position, with their lconfined petty area of power within a blank day at work and it's their life, to follow the rules.

 

Reflect on that when you want Thais to change and be careful you may get what you want!

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

P127, defending Thailand by coming up with these examples does not really change anything about the fact that in many cases customer service does suck here.

 

Difference is likely that you remember only the good cases, while others only the bad and some are more realistic and remember all (no, that's not my, memory is too crap for that ).

 

Sanuk!

[pattaya127]

Actually, and honestly, i have a good memory of the bad points, learnt very early to be realistic too. I recognize it is worth a topic (shortcomings living in Thailand)) but not worth it to re-create one's anger thru-out the post. It evokes restlessness more than logical argument. IMO

 

I guess I see it as 3rd world living and they (bad points) are part of the air one breathes. I do otherwise understand the need to vent. But you have to admit, that people tend to throw the baby with the dirty water. Such frustration is rarely posted without a take on the whole society. this is the interesting part about these posts, actually.

 

All I can say is that as much as i am attracted towards Thailand, i still do not live there. This speaks a lot. I may one day, but I am very cautious for now, about not getting caught in a smaller, pettier world than where I come from. Of the sort that Dave experienced, which seems like beating one's head on a wall, while knowing the wall will never recess to avoid commotion.

 

In a nutshell .

[thalenoi]

Do ya think customer service is better in the West?

 

I have this new PC which came with wireless keyboard and mouse. Mouse no longer records vertical movements.

Called customer support. Had to push some numbers: if your language is French push one; if your problem concerns a portable push one etc. Finally got "we will transfer you to a service person and got stupid music until I cut the line.

Tried again an again. Went to their website: empty page.

Found an email adress, still waiting for some computer or human to reply.

 

Went to a computer shop close to my place.

Wanted a wireless mouse. Asked the vendors (they were 3 of them) if there was a possibility that mouse could interfere with my wireless keyboard, in which case I would rather buy an optical mouse.

Reply: we don't know, but if you open the packaging you can not return the item.....

 

Moral: whatever the level of customer support you get, you will have to live with it. mai pen rai and to hell with that shop, they will not have my business.

[MrX]

GG wrote: "Your post on the 19th added absolutely nothing. That's what I was calling you on."

 

Do you know the answer to a rhetorical question?

 

 

"The post on the 20th atleast had something to add to the argument."

 

What is your rank in the " quality of post evaluation" police corp? ( this is rhetorical too!)

 

 

"Now we can't use your usual solution, cause if we withdraw all the students from school",

 

This is an unjustified side-swipe to which I shall not draw your attention .....

 

 

"cause if we withdraw all the students from school, and people from gov't and business, we wouldn't have Thailand"

 

Fairly obviously, I would have thought, "Thailand" existed ( in one particular cultural/political form or another) long before the contempory blight of schools and banks and it may well do so long after they are consigned to the footnotes of history.....

 

Does this pass muster or too off topic?

[pattaya127]

Rompie, GG and you are well-noted bona fide participants of the board. In one word: personalities !

No need to get too fussy or lengthy about the tenure or semantic () of his quips. You are losing us (re-).

 

Moderator.

[vegasdave49]

Great thread once again. For me there are times the service is incredible and times is absolutly sucks. I think a couple of things come into play and they have been mentioned already. One is that if it is a western type of business or service you are going to be dissappointed. I dont think they truely understand the concept of western service. They try to replicate it but almost always fall short. But if you are in a situation where they feel confident in what they are doing the service can be fantastic. One thing to remember is that it seems we have a sense that if we give someone repeat business we should somehow be more respected and thus recieve a bit above or at least consistant service. I feel that the Thais will never do this because of many reasons, but mostly because they figure you are eventualy going back to farlangland, and that if you dont come back to them next time Mia Pen Ria. They honestly dont care, simple as that. Also remeber that all Thais are on commision. They are all trying to make a bit of cash off of anything they do or recommed or help you with. There is always some motive even if it is just merit with the temple. For me this is not really a big deal. I get frustrated but I just try to keep my mouth shut and move on. If LOS where to actualy start to think for itself or really excell in this and many other areas, it woudl soon become to expensive and to bland to be any fun. I enjoy all the things their backwardness creates.

[Zorro]

It seems to me you deliberately went out of your way to provoke the situation that you got into.

It seems that this incident was probably the result of frustration not at just this bank but at customer service and perhaps thai culture in general.

You went into the bank knowing you didn't have the required documents yet inspite of this decided to spit the dummy. It all seems too premeditated to me.

Now this requirement of the bank may well be unreasonable but still it is a requirement and i venture to say that if you did the same thing in a western bank they would also not assist you. Further when you spat the dummy what did you expent the reaction to be? What did you hope do achieve by losing your cool? It is not only Thailand where people don't respond well to these sort of tactics i think you will also find many westerners take a dim view of people losing their tem

per and directing it towards the hapless employee who is after all only following company policy.

There are ways of gettings things and i have found over the years that losing ones temper rarely is a successful ploy. You just alienate those who you want to help you especially as you went into the bank seemingly with the intent of doing your lolly in the first place .