Monday, May 17, 2010
Poor customer service (HP)
Here is another example of poor customer service. Most big organisations have a bad call center that makes life difficult for customers through the bad use of techbology.
Courage and dare to change
I have heard these phrases used on many occasions, "be careful" and "don't down the slippery slope". They usually come out from people who are extremely cautious and do not wish to change the status quo. This attitude reflects the mindset of many Singaporeans.
I wish to quote the words of Dr. Goh Keng Swee in his last speech to Parliament in 1984.
Quote
Prudence does not mean that one must always take counsel of one's fears. In the course of our political struggles, we learnt tht in a desperate situation timidity leads to disaster. Safety can be won only by daring."
Unquote
I wish to quote the words of Dr. Goh Keng Swee in his last speech to Parliament in 1984.
Quote
Prudence does not mean that one must always take counsel of one's fears. In the course of our political struggles, we learnt tht in a desperate situation timidity leads to disaster. Safety can be won only by daring."
Unquote
Tips with your money
Here are 10 important tips.
My tips on insurance and finance can be found in Practical Guide on Financial Planning.
My tips on insurance and finance can be found in Practical Guide on Financial Planning.
Medical expenses of parents
Dear Mr. Tan,
Thank you for your many insightful postings, I believe many people benefit from your blog.
My parents, who are current in their mid-sixties, are working class people, who worked hard to bring up my siblings and I. They don't have much savings, nor much in their medisave accounts. I don't believe their included under Eldershield.
Is there a good way to plan for their future medical needs? Based on some earlier posts on your blog, insurance for the elderly seems to be expensive. They'd probably exclude coverage on what my parents really need coverage on (my dad has a history of hypertension, so I believe all heart conditions are excluded?).
So far, I can only think of setting aside a lumpsum of cash in FD, as an emergency fund. However, being of limited means, I am not sure how much to set aside as well. I've taken a look at the MOH medical bills, and wonder which bills to take into consideration. I suppose I should also need to take into consideration my medisave savings, since they can be used for my parents.
REPLY
You can top up the Medisave account of your parents and enjoy some tax relief. Your parents can use the Medisave to buy Medishield or pay their medical bills out of Medisave, if they are not insured.
Most importantly, they should go to a subsidised ward if they fall ill, as the cost is much lower than a non-subsidised ward or private hospital. The medical care in the subsidised ward is of quite acceptable standard.
I hope that they can stay in good health and do not require hospitalisation.
Thank you for your many insightful postings, I believe many people benefit from your blog.
My parents, who are current in their mid-sixties, are working class people, who worked hard to bring up my siblings and I. They don't have much savings, nor much in their medisave accounts. I don't believe their included under Eldershield.
Is there a good way to plan for their future medical needs? Based on some earlier posts on your blog, insurance for the elderly seems to be expensive. They'd probably exclude coverage on what my parents really need coverage on (my dad has a history of hypertension, so I believe all heart conditions are excluded?).
So far, I can only think of setting aside a lumpsum of cash in FD, as an emergency fund. However, being of limited means, I am not sure how much to set aside as well. I've taken a look at the MOH medical bills, and wonder which bills to take into consideration. I suppose I should also need to take into consideration my medisave savings, since they can be used for my parents.
REPLY
You can top up the Medisave account of your parents and enjoy some tax relief. Your parents can use the Medisave to buy Medishield or pay their medical bills out of Medisave, if they are not insured.
Most importantly, they should go to a subsidised ward if they fall ill, as the cost is much lower than a non-subsidised ward or private hospital. The medical care in the subsidised ward is of quite acceptable standard.
I hope that they can stay in good health and do not require hospitalisation.
Unfair practice of used car dealer
Dear Mr. Tan
I signed a purchase agreement to buy a used vehicle from a large used car dealer whic his a subsidiary of a large motor distributor.
They were unable to attain a loan approval for the vehicle I have purchased. I wanted to to pay in cash but they refuse to complete the deal. No where in the agreement does it that states that there must be a successful loan for the purchase agreement to be valid. I have also paid a $500 deposit.
As they are so big, they don't even need to be under the CASETRUST-SVTA accreditation. In addition, CASE says that they can mediate and if the dealer does not honour the deal, there is nothing CASE can do about it.
Should a consumer back out from a deal, the dealer would sue the the buyer. However, when the dealer refuses to complete the deal, they get away with it. I have spent much time and effort going through many different cars, it doesn't feel good to be taken advantage of.
This is akin to a new car dealer that sells you a "GUARANTEED COE" new car, and just walks away when COE rises.
The dealer knows that a helpless consumer will not pursue their rights if they are being bullied as it costs too much money and time. They are a big company and have the financial clout and legal personnel to corner the consumer into submission.
Hopefully, you can get highlight this on your website and help prevent other consumers from being cornered and bullied by a large MNC.
JS
I signed a purchase agreement to buy a used vehicle from a large used car dealer whic his a subsidiary of a large motor distributor.
They were unable to attain a loan approval for the vehicle I have purchased. I wanted to to pay in cash but they refuse to complete the deal. No where in the agreement does it that states that there must be a successful loan for the purchase agreement to be valid. I have also paid a $500 deposit.
As they are so big, they don't even need to be under the CASETRUST-SVTA accreditation. In addition, CASE says that they can mediate and if the dealer does not honour the deal, there is nothing CASE can do about it.
Should a consumer back out from a deal, the dealer would sue the the buyer. However, when the dealer refuses to complete the deal, they get away with it. I have spent much time and effort going through many different cars, it doesn't feel good to be taken advantage of.
This is akin to a new car dealer that sells you a "GUARANTEED COE" new car, and just walks away when COE rises.
The dealer knows that a helpless consumer will not pursue their rights if they are being bullied as it costs too much money and time. They are a big company and have the financial clout and legal personnel to corner the consumer into submission.
Hopefully, you can get highlight this on your website and help prevent other consumers from being cornered and bullied by a large MNC.
JS
Bad Customer Service (CISCO)
I bought a Flip videocam which was highly recommended on the user reviews. The videocam was easy to use and satisfactory. Unfortunately, it stopped working after two weeks.
I called the manufacturer CISCO on its warranty. I had a difficult time. Here is my experience:
a. It was difficult to communicate with the call center (which was outsourced overseas)
b. Much time was spent to spell out the details for the call center staff to record into their system.
c. I was asked later to detailed form on another website.
d. There was some fault in the computer system that garbled up the details.
e. When I appeared at their agent to get a replacement videocam, the staff was quite rude and unhelpful.
I do not know why a high-tech company like CISCO make it so troublesome to the customer to have a replacement of a faulty product. The technology is supposed to make life easier for the customer, but it actually made life more difficult by passing the hassle of the paperwork to the customer.
Compare it with the "old fashion" way. If I buy a product from a retail store and it is faulty, I bring it to the retail store. They will check the date of purchase and confirm that it is faulty and replace it. They will do the paper work later and does not involve the customer in this hassle.
Tan Kin Lian
I called the manufacturer CISCO on its warranty. I had a difficult time. Here is my experience:
a. It was difficult to communicate with the call center (which was outsourced overseas)
b. Much time was spent to spell out the details for the call center staff to record into their system.
c. I was asked later to detailed form on another website.
d. There was some fault in the computer system that garbled up the details.
e. When I appeared at their agent to get a replacement videocam, the staff was quite rude and unhelpful.
I do not know why a high-tech company like CISCO make it so troublesome to the customer to have a replacement of a faulty product. The technology is supposed to make life easier for the customer, but it actually made life more difficult by passing the hassle of the paperwork to the customer.
Compare it with the "old fashion" way. If I buy a product from a retail store and it is faulty, I bring it to the retail store. They will check the date of purchase and confirm that it is faulty and replace it. They will do the paper work later and does not involve the customer in this hassle.
Tan Kin Lian
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