The LRT customer service fiasco is a good time to highlight the plight of Filipino and non-Filipino customers who are left without a choice but to put up with protected Filipino businesses of the Philippines.
The lack of customer service in the Philippines pervades throughout the country – in every store, government agency, restaurant, utility, airport, bus terminal and what not. The anecdotes were culled from the Facebook group named “The AP Crowd”. The names have been withheld – but the experiences they had are repeated in the Philippines every day.
Here are some customer experiences that may very well be your own.
“DON’T COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SERVICE – THERE AIN’T ANY. TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT. OF COURSE, YOU HAVE NOWHERE ELSE TO GO – BABALIK KA RIN” – IT’S NOT FUN TO BE A CUSTOMER IN THE PHILIPPINES!
At Meralco
When I took a course in Meralco, the cashier took my registration money and then pretended not to know he still needs to give me a change. Only after I reminded him about it (after a long wait) that he gave me the change pretending that he didn’t notice the actual amount I paid. He was a terrible actor though coz he was quick to hand me the money and he was blushing red.
At LTO
One time I renewed a car registration for a relative in Quezon City. The car is imported European model and the owner is foreigner. I knew the approx. reg fee based on a table but the reg guy moved back the year on the table so the reg fee was much higher. I almost exploded with anger.
Had I been carrying a gun at that time the guy’s gray matter would have plastered his office wall. Anyway, I called the owner and he told me to just pay and forget the whole thing.
At Sun Cellular
I was at sun cellular. the queue was only two people. the cashier is making us wait while she’s doing a 2 inch thick paperwork.
I asked if she’s going to finish it, she said yes
***
Here’s another one from sun cellular. my friend signed up for a blackberry plan. after about a week of talking to the hotline and visiting the business centers, no one was able to help him configure his connection settings. he had to learn from internet forums.
At a Restaurant in Tagaytay
I went to this restaurant in Tagaytay with relatives. It looked great, but the service took an hour, and by then, only the soup was warm. Even the sisig I ordered didn’t sizzle. Overall, it made me wish I had a shotgun to blast a hole in the manager’s chest.
Pinoy Sales Reps
Locally, some, if not all Pinoy sales rep, looks at you from head to toe as if they’re sizing you up as a legit client or not. This normally happens on shops selling sporting goods. On the other hand, the more accommodating sales reps, could almost shove the items at your face just to make a sale. Leaving you no time to think for yourself on how to handle a purchase. Pwede naman tayo magtanong sa kanila kung interesado ba tayo sa item or hindi. Abroad, medyo lumala. Kung ibang lahi ka, aasikasuhin ka nila. Kung kababayan, mas madalas na hindi ka nila papansinin. Kaya saludo ako sa mga OFWs na nasa sales na marunong makisimpatya sa ibang OFW na kahit mas malaki ang kinikita sa kanila ng kliyenteng OFW, ay naiisip pa rin nilang ‘they deserve to have the best purchase that they can bring home’.
In SM Makati
Years ago, I was shopping at SM in Makati, the sales lady, looked at my VISA card and hesitated thinking that it was not acceptable as it did not look generic, it had the Chicago skyline. Good thing the lady behind me snapped at her and said: “That’s even better, that’s international.” God bless that lady behind me wherever she is right now.
SM stores in general
In all SM dept stores I’ve been. Not my worst experience but a pet peeve. You can’t even browse in peace there. Sunud ng sunod sa iyo yung mga sales people. Once you touch and inspect a merchandise biglang sasabat: sir anong size? or umpisa na ng sales pitch. Anak ng pating! di ba pwedeng lumayu ka muna at hintayin mong tawagin kita?
An Electronics Store
Back when I was 12, some electronics store had an opening day raffle promo. My dad let me pick from the bowl of raffle tickets, which were made of shitty translucent paper that we could see which one had the winning mark. When I picked it, they literally begged my dad to just consider it a “trial run” or just “forfeit” since it was their opening day.
Asa. We ended up going home with a water cooler, some desk lamps, and a microwave, all ended up breaking after a month.
A Customer Experience Made in Hell
An AP reader named breehat had these experiences as well:
Globe DSL – they ignored my messages about my service interruption for 15 days and if I had not yelled at them at their office, they would not respond to my calls and emails. (Globe) ignored my request to fix the connection disruption problem and disconnected me in the next month after it occurred saying that I was late in payment. Sila pa ang may utang (hindi ko dapat bayaran yung 15 days w/o connection, sila pang madali mag-disconnect kasi I missed 3 days after the due date of my bill).
Cebu Pacific – this is probably the suckiest airline company in the world—non-existent customer service
Air Express, SM Cinemas (I hate when they asked me to leave my digicam) even Davao Light & Power Co. were really frustrating and nerve -wracking that keeping cool is next to impossible.
Protectionism: Protecting a Culture of Mediocrity and Impunity
For the most part – these Pinoy employees in the homeland have this attitude that YOU, the customer, must be thankful that you are getting served by them. That you, the customer, are lucky and privileged to have been given “service”. Is this an attitude passed on by the owners to their staff?
It also highlights the lack of competitors to these protected companies.
In open economies – you will be spared the aggravation by taking your business elsewhere.
In a restricted economy – you are forced to be “humble” and put up with these thugs pretending to serve customers but who are out to predate on customers.
Here’s the thing – Filipino netizens raised a howl when their right to free speech was threatened by the online libel law. But when their economic rights to choose goods and services are curtailed and raped – most Filipinos bend over and even encourage nay pressure other pinoys to be as meek and humble as sheep. Do you know what’s done to sheep?
Take it from the same people who followed the yellow shepherd on the straight path to the yellow slaughterhouse – stripped off of fleece to fund the pork barrel, CCT subsidy, political parties – Filipinos remain ignorant, jobless, underemployed, and hungry.
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