Onerous Service

Customer service in Hong Kong is hit or miss.

Most large companies prefer to use an automated system (and have the nerve to call it a hotline), which involves a lot of hoop-jumping before you can speak with a human being.

Other companies, such as the major grocery stores, have people manning the phones (after one sits through the usual "we're busy, please hold for a representative" recording), but more often than not English is problematic. It's my fault I don't yet have a large enough vocabulary to communicate my needs in Cantonese with clarity, but large companies have foreign customers and as such should hire staff with reasonable fluency.

So when my order arrived with a problem, I called the service line.

Most of the time deliveries have either been missing products or had incorrect items, but this one had an extra loaf of bread. I couldn't in good conscience say "Screw 'em" and keep it, so I called to set it right.

The representative couldn't speak English, but knew enough to ask me to hold while he transferred me to someone more capable. I waited on hold for a minute or two.

Then the call was cut off.

With mild annoyance, I called back. The same guy answered the phone.

He recognised my voice and transferred me on the spot. A lady answered, but her English was tenuous, so I took it slow.

"I received four loaves of bread, but was only charged for three. I want to keep the bread, but I need to pay for it."

"Oh! Um ... thank you! Thank you, Sir! I will arrange to add the charge on your next delivery order."

She was shocked; she couldn't believe I wasn't taking advantage of the error and that I intended to pay.

Oh well, mission accomplished, I thought. Or so it seemed.

An hour later, a different woman called me from the grocery chain.

"Can you give me your credit card number?"

Didn't I just solve this problem? I thought. I sighed and answered:

"No, but if you want the payment right away, I have a better idea: why don't you send a delivery guy over and I'll give him the cash. I'm sure you'll have other deliveries to this estate tonight, so he'll be here anyway."

She agreed, but sounded pissed off.

Too bad, I thought, I'm supposed to just believe you when you identify yourself over the phone?

In the end, he turned up with an invoice and I gave him the cash.

When he left I thought, Cripes, their customer service makes it difficult to be honest!

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