Customer Service...

I love this place, and I love living here, and it really bothers me when I see negativity reflecting it.

I feel that as a whole, the community in the UAE is supposed to be directed towards customer service, it is THAT which it is actually lacking.

We have the best facilities and hotels but with the attitude of the customer we have encouraged (not all!) a similar attitude from the service provider.

It used to be known across Europe and perhaps the world, that for really terrible customer service one can rely on the French & the Spanish. Are we now competing with the west on this one?

My colleague has been in Dubai for under a year and I have seen him suffer with transactions every now & then. And I ask myself why does he suffer? Is it because he has such high expectations from the service providers? Well yes! And why's that? It's because we advertise how we want to be a global leader, a dynamic force in the region to be compared to only the most advanced nations... And yet we lag behind in the most simple, measurable and tangible way, by the service we provide.

Who's to blame? All! What are the solutions? Innumerable! But we need to acknowledge that we have a problem, and we need to want to solve it, else we will lead in other areas that may progress to notoriety rather than fame.

Here's his latest hurdle:


"Re: CANCELLATION OF VEHICLE PURCHASE & RE-FUND OF DEPOSIT


Dear J*******,

Please be informed that I have decided to cancel my planned purchase of the 2006 Toyota Prado from the Al Futtaim showroom in Festival City.

I expect to be refunded the AED500 that I paid as a deposit by the end of business today, 2006 April 15.

Here are the reasons for this cancelled order:

1. Unreasonably long processing time for the order.

My first visit to your showroom was April 1. It is April 13 and I still do not have the car. I have purchased several vehicles for my personal use in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East (4 of those vehicles were Toyotas) and I have not been subject to as much hassles and delays as I have experienced with Al Futtaim in Festival City.

2. Emirates Bank is extremely unprofessional.

First, they assigned me Ashraf who had a limited command of English. Second, I had to send the required documents at least 7 times by email and fax reflecting poor handling of very sensitive and confidential documents such as bank statements, salary certificates, passports, etc. My calls to Emirates Bank were unanswered and hardly returned. Further, an article in today’s paper about a computer glitch in Emirates Bank completely eroded my confidence in your partner’s professionalism.

3. Unreasonable pricing and restricted choice of insurance providers.

If I wanted your showroom to arrange insurance, I would pay 7% premium, vs. ~5% with other reputable insurance companies. This creates an unacceptable amount of hassle on my part as I’d need to drive all over Dubai to obtain no-claim letters, insurance policies, etc.

Let this be a reminder to Al Futtaim that I am the customer. You should make it easy and convenient for me. You should take and return my calls. You should select financing and insurance partners that make purchasing a Toyota a good deal and not a nightmare for me.

Please act on my refund ASAP. I expect the refund to be couriered to me. I may be willing to pick the refund up at the Al Futtaim showroom on Shiek Zayed Road but that is the farthest I would go as I reside near Jebel Ali."