Don’t throw names .
Damn I hate it SOOOOOO MUCH when people call in and start to throw around big names just to make their point sound more important.
'Yes sir, I'm so sorry about the situation.'
'Don't say sorry, I think you should know this is happening.'
'We are aware and for your information this is a big problem in our administration and this is what we are doing, compiling as many facts as possible so the performance report will assist us in the upgrading of…'
'For your information with the kind of contacts I have when I start to let them know what's happening you guys will be shaking in your knees and peeing in your pants.'
'…' (this is when you start to think the complainant is being a pain in the ass and doesn't realize his credibility is at stake.)
'Well sir if you can give me your name sir I'll put you on the priority list, I would definitely need your reputation to lend support to my proposal…'
'What names you want? You want the Tan Sri …. to call your boss? You want the Raja Muda Perak to hold on to his wedding to talk to you? Just tell me and I will help you.'
Can you be a little less ridiculous and cut to the point… 'Well, why don't we start off with your own complaint first so at least we can sort things out on your end. If you can kindly give me your full name sir it will certainly assist me…'
'I'm telling you with the kind of money your boss earns you might as well give the whole sum to me and I will help you run the company better. Let me tell you that if I tell Dato' Sri …. your boss will lose his job and since he's too important and too busy to talk to me and he has to send his subordinate to talk to me, this shows what kind of attitude he has..'
'Well sir, I know you are very angry, and I really apologize for the slip up, however, if I could get YOUR NAME it will speed things up.'
'bla bla'
'Your name sir.'
'Bla bla bla I know Dato … the MP of … '
'Yes sir, I'm sure, but this is your situation…'
'I know I may have a small company but one day with the kind of connections I have you will regret the day you didn't want to …'
'Sir, please help me help you. Your name.'
…
I know customer service can be a bitch. I know customer service consultants are idiots. And I know many companies in Malaysia suck at giving first class service, I've had my complaints myself, even over my own company (I know my own company has a long, long, long thousand mile journey to walk before finally reaching the service excellence mark).
But sometimes when you get customers who think they're lords of the world just because they're able to throw a name here and there, it really gets on your nerves. And at that point in time you really want to go, 'Damn it you know why you're getting such lousy service? It's because you don't have the damn courtesy to act like a normal human being and behave courteously.
Haven't had a work-related rant in years and I thought this could just be it.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
We have people writing in to demand to be given a place in the Turtle Volunteer Program. And they add a sentence along the lines of “I thought first-com-first-served means I will be given a place if my pre-payment arrives before theirs?” or “I’ve already sent you my pre-payment to ensure I get a place..” bla bla bla.
And usually I reply with a very sarcastic remark, “Please let me know whether you want your cheque destroyed or mailed back to you.” LOL.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
I agree, it takes 2.
May 17th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
To be honest, the people who keep dropping names don’t really know anyone important. If they did, they would contact those important people, rather than you.
May 17th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
I wonder if they realize that.
May 17th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
LOL! Just tell them you know the King of Kings and Lord of Lords personally and you have direct access to them
May 17th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Him, I mean
May 17th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
Claire,
These kinds of people are quite common in Malaysia. They normally don’t have a proper, fixed job, but they hop around meeting people, telling them that they can get projects and connections.
These kind of people share some common traits:
i. They usually look ugly .. but dress up rather well.. usually nice polo-Ts and slacks…
ii. They ALWAYS have a shorter, smaller sized quiet side kick following them everywhere … running errands for them, and nodding and agreeing with everything they say.
iii. They throw Tan Sris, Datuk Sris, and whatever else titles they can think off, around more than proper conversational phrases.
iv. And these days, they are improving their titles… adding Dr., Ir., Eng., or whatever crap they could buy off the market.
They are, in plain simple terms, parasites. These are proffesional con men, specialising in cheating bosses and directors of companies. That means they are GOOD.
You just had the opportunity to talk to one of many. I have had the chance to meet with 4 or 5 of these in one of the old company I worked for.
Care
May 17th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
man … do I know this situation! I used to think to myself… yalar, you know the Dato’/Tan Sri/whoever … but does HE know YOU!!
name droppers suck!
May 17th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
hmmm…. given the amount of threatening here, i wonder if your boss wears pampers to work. pity the poor guy.
oooooo… juz realised. maybe prez/ceo dato sri khalib has to wear it daily too. another pitiful poor guy.
May 17th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
haha… that’s so malaysian! eh, why la u not going to the gotong royong, i may be able to make it.
May 18th, 2007 at 11:49 am
Me and a friend were lamenting the fact that many seem to forget common courtesy when dealing with other people.
I’ve got friends in Customer Service who told me stories of being berated and yelled on the phone by ingrates who think the world centres around them.
Sigh.
Little Napoleons every where.
May 18th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Well, I make a point to be polite to the Streamyx people whenever I have to deal with them. They’re usually alright, a little bit incompetent at times, but generally well mannered.
May 18th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
welcome to malaysia, where everything also BOLEH and can….
hopeless people…
let it all out, mini, don’t keep inside too long..not healthy..hehe..
May 18th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
It’s human nature for people with misplaced egos to do this kind of nonsense.
They aren’t anybody in particular so they pretend they know people who are..The sad thing is the people they mention generally don’t even know who they are.
May 18th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
hah. sounds familiar. just hate those ppl.
May 19th, 2007 at 12:35 am
But they will notice you if you’re a pretty girl, which you are
May 19th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Customer service.. just see what the attitude of our people has shaped our image.
“Saya akan datang petang ini untuk..”
They just want to procrastinate. They say petang, which can mean either afternoon/evening.
Next time if you catch them saying petang say sternly & firmly to them: “I want you to come this afternoon, not petang. Do you get me, THIS AFTERNOON!, understand??!!”. Don’t let them escape with the words they said.
Customer service, like it or not, is the lifeline of customer loyalty of a company. No customer loyalty, don’t think of getting business. But if you wanna get customer service, let them have the chance to act professionally first by being polite.
May 19th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
If I were you, I’d say “What a coincidence, I know Tan Sri/Dato Seri too! Did you go to his house the other day? I don’t remember seeing you there.”
May 20th, 2007 at 10:32 am
We should do away with the titles in the first place. What makes them so special?
May 20th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Yeah, when I was talking to President Bill Clinton fifteen years ago he said that it’s only small people who need to throw names around. I turned to Bill Gates and Warren Buffet [seated just down the table] and they agreed. Then, I asked Angelina Jolie for her take on it, and she referred me to Brad, who tended to agree with Kofi’s assessment of these sorts of people, which is why I never bandy about peoples names any more. If you don’t believe me, ask Quentin Tarantino, or any of the Hollywood A List standing near us, as I had the same discussion with him at De Niro’s birthday party. True story!
May 21st, 2007 at 8:16 pm
i met celebrity that has very bad attitude.
“HE” even came out with “you want me to bring this case to the producer of XXX programme?”
May 23rd, 2007 at 2:23 am
Haha! Welcome to Malaysia. As a general rule of thumb, the higher up they are, the nicer they are. And those who name drop, are definitely nowhere near…up there.
I agree with Koolgeek - what’s with the titles? It’s ALL rubbish! If someone really did something soooooooooooooo honourable, we would know about it. He won’t need a title.
May 24th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
Even if you carry a title with your name, you are still under the law. And subjected to social norms. Nobdy is spared =)
May 28th, 2007 at 10:58 am
i would say only Malaysians and Singaporeans are like that. pathetic. i work in a company that do customer service support for US and UK customers and we don’t get those, generally they are polite cos they know they need your help and would ask for it.