TBK Tells- The worst Customer service in Palawan -updated March 2023

         Puerto Princessa City Water District, Santa Monica, Puerto Princessa

Regular readers will know that having worked in the Hospitality, Retail, Logistics and Environmental Services fields for 45 years around the world the one thing I hate is bad Customer Service. Having run Customer Service programmes for Water companies, Hospitals, Oil & Gas industry Security Professionals around the world and read many books on the subject I am well qualified to know what good customer service looks like!

          Awali Hospital, Bahrain, Customer Care course for Patient Affairs office

Sadly, in Bahrain we had some incredibly bad service providers (Batelco, BNET, Gulf Air, Oman Air, Alosra, Awali Hospital, Sofitel, BBK, NBB, the list goes on and on). I remember when I arrived writing to complain about one provider and my friend Pav said, " There is no point writing, Neil, they will not reply or do anything about it". I wrote several Blogs on the subject:

https://thebritishkabayan.blogspot.com/2020/05/customer-service-in-bahrain.html

https://thebritishkabayan.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-worst-customer-service-in-bahrain.html

I had hoped that when I moved to Palawan, the land of the smiling Filipinos I had left bad service behind me. Boy was I in for a big shock.

At this point I will add my disclaimer, from Mr Gregory and Vanguard Consulting. 

"Always remember that when you get bad service it's not because the people are bad. Few customer service people really want to make your day awful. The problem is the company systems, policies and procedures in which they operate."

                  I do not think they have changed anything since 1976!

A classic example of the awful service I received was at the Puerto Princessa City Water District. I thought I had a simple task. I thought all I needed to do was sign over the water bill from my landlady to me. My landlady, Mags, a Pinay, knew the system and gave me a signed letter authorizing the transfer and attached a copy of her ID and the title deeds of the property. I eventually found the water company and after visiting the water plant, the warehouse and passing the drive through payment counter (wow, impressive) I found the offices. I was given a number for new connections (11) and told to go to counter 8 and wait.  The electronic board was showing 6 and I worked out there were 5 people in front of me (impressive  eh, Mr Vincent, even though I failed Math's A level! 

There is a fault on the board that displays the numbers, so when the board changes to 50 the man behind the counter shouts "90". However, as, due to COV 19, he is behind a glass screen no one can hear him so a customer on the front row usually shouts the number again until someones goes to the counter. "90? Anyone 90? " 

Then he clicks the next number, 51, shouts "91" and the customer repeats "91" and so on. Strangely the number on new connections never changed from 6, until the lunch time cover took over and she rapidly moved it from 6 to 10!

                         I realised, to my horror, it was Friday 13th!!

There were about 40 people waiting (never a good sign) in the hot airless waiting room, but half the seats had been removed (social distancing) so people were sat at either end of the row and around the outside of the room. It was 10.30 am on a Friday, hardly a peak time. Then I checked the date and realised to my horror it was 13 May. Friday 13th, Unlucky for some. Slowly the people waiting for new connections edged forward, on average 30 minutes a person I calculated. So, 2 and a half hours and I should be out of there- alive or dead. When the lady with number 10 moved to take the seat next to the person being served, I got very excited. Then the staff swapped over (lunch break), and another lady jumped the queue, constantly talking in Tagalog and apologising. She took an hour to do her business! 

         TBK- Senior, PWD (hip replacement) and, rumour has it, Pregnant!

A friend explained that in the Philippines they give priority to Seniors. I reminded him I was 61, disabled and pregnant. He asked why I do not go to the priority lane, and I told him I did, when I arrived but it was closed, as were half of the other counters. There were 2 counters marked 8 but the second was only opened when a security guard ushered a VIP in and called a supervisor to open the counter. When I tried to go to the second counter, she turned the sign to "closed" and walked off. 

                               My paperwork from Mags

Eventually it was my turn and, having missed my lunch and meeting my friend at 11 am, I took my seat at 1.30 pm and handed the hassled lady the paperwork Mags had given me. To my amazement she processed it in 5 mins and gave me a slip and told me the estimator would some to my house to work out what materials were required to connect me.

            The form I was given saying an estimator would come next week

I asked why they needed to visit the house to estimate the materials needed to connect me. She said it was because I had asked for a new connection. I politely explained I already had a water supply but now I wanted to pay for it instead of the landlady. She then told me that was not what the letter said. Having checked the letter many times in the 2 hours wait I pointed out that I thought the letter was very clear. By now the first lady at counter 8 had returned from lunch so the lunch time relief showed the first lady my letter and complained that it was unclear. Then she walked off! The first lady then gave me two forms that I needed Mags to sign and get notarized and reminded me to return with 150 pesos and 2 passport photos. When Mags eventually got the forms, she told me that there was no connection for my house and so I did need a new connection and would have to go back and explain. This time she said she would come with me, and she marched right in, past the 40 people in the queue and took a seat at counter 8. Soon they issued new forms and said an estimator would measure up for the water meter and new connection soon. That was 16th May 2022 and when I wrote this on 24th May no one had been to measure up, as far as I am aware. The problem is until I get an invoice from the Water company in my name at this address, I cannot move any money from UK to here due to the money laundering regulations. Back in May I owed 891,935 Pesos (6,411 BHD, £13,599 GBP) and every day the water company delayed the interest and late payment fees rose. 

                     The second form I was given for Mags to sign and have notarized

They also asked me to draw a sketch of the building. I was sorely tempted to draw a blue house like the one below! Then I remembered the advice from Mark Johns, my mentor- " stay calm (GU) ". So, I drew a layout plan showing the brown house and the blue house!  

                                        They wanted a sketch of the Blue House!

Then I raced out to text my friend, apologise for being 3 hours late and have lunch before my sugar levels dropped too far (I am diabetic and need to eat regularly. Having had breakfast at 5 am and been stuck in the water company until 3 pm I was close to passing out!)

       Thanks, Alvin, for patiently waiting for 3 hours for me to collect you for lunch!

One of my next ports of call was Robinsons Mall in Puerto Princessa. I had a long list of shopping as a new arrival. From food to a new mattress, bedding, new pillows, cooker, fridge Freezer, Microwave and so on. Eventually, after some appalling customer service from my Bank and Savings house in the UK, I had cash and was ready to spend, spend, spend.

If you thought the service was bad at the water company, it had nothing on Robinsons Supermarket

I tried the supermarket first which has a very limited range of products. I am not sure if this is down to availability or the Pinoy dietary preferences! Maybe one feeds the other. I found freezer upon freezer of Hot dogs, Ice cream and shelf upon shelf of Chocolate, different varieties of 25kg sacks of rice stacked to the roof, whitening cream, hair products, toiletries and cleaning materials. However, I could not find Chives, Parsley, Strawberries, Avocados, Jackfruit, Steak, cooked ham, soft cheese, and all the things I normally eat (I know, I am Sosyal and Maarte). Worse was to come when I tried to pay- there were 10 people queuing at every open till (not many were open). Opposite was the Customer Service Desk where there were 5 staff laughing and joking. The supervisor was giving one palo sa pwet (spanked bottom) and holding another's hand and when I pointed to the queues and the empty tills she just shrugged. 

A customer's photo of the frustrated customers queueing at the tills in Robinson's supermarket

To make matters worse they have a huge display of chocolates at every till so there is nowhere to put your purchases when you are next but one. They do not give plastic bags so you either have to buy an eco-bag (I now have 20 in my car!) or they will find a cardboard box for you, tape it up, pack your items and then wrap it in string. This is all done by the cashier while the Customer Care Staff look on and the customer gets more and more frustrated. I thought maybe it was just a busy day but being a bit of a Masochist, I went back 5 days running and it was the same every day. People behind me in the queue (one French, One American) on different days also confirmed it is the same every day. One time Gracie, who was in Robinsons and had seen my frustrated Facebook posts asked where exactly I was. Then I realised- TILL 13! Spooky or what! She asked how long I had been there, and I checked my watch and said 30 mins. She said her partner, Tony, also a Brit, refuses to shop there as the service is so bad. 

There are some great comments online too:

"The employees move slower than molasses". 

Source: https://foursquare.com/v/robinsons-supermarket/4e5b2cada8098920b3d5113d?tipId=543f8ced498ea4a5720cdedc (accessed 15.5.22)

"They should avoid the cost cutting and bring back the baggers. Lots of customers (based on my experience) just lost their patience and leave because of the long lines."

Source: https://foursquare.com/v/robinsons-supermarket/4e5b2cada8098920b3d5113d?tipId=526f72b1498eaaaff190aaec 

(accessed 15.5.22)

             Puerto Princessa's oldest and cheapest Mall- NCCC

Everyone suggested I go to NCC, the oldest Mall in Puerto, the cheapest, and the fastest service- Lesson Learned! However, when I went there (on a rainy pay day apparently) with Ran and Geralyn the queues were even longer. One sprightly lady at the PWD counter was stocking up her Sari Sari store with 37 boxes of shopping which took 2 hours to process. Even the three young ladies in front of me decided to split their trolleys contents and join the basket queue (only 20 people long). When Ran paid for his basket I left my trolley load of Ube ice cream and Halo Halo ingredients and walked out with them. They really need a separate lane for people who are stocking up Sari Sari stores and stricter control of who queues in the PWD, Pregnant and PWD lane!

               Robinson's appliances, Puerto Princessa, Palawan

My next bad customer care story is also from Robinson's but this time upstairs at Robinsons Appliances where I went to buy a cooker, fridge Freezer, Microwave and washing machine. Slightly more than the 5,000 peso I spend in the supermarket (35 bd or 78 GBP). 150, 000 pesos of appliances, paid in cash to be precise. For those of you outside the Philippines that's 1,079.42 Bahraini Dinar or 2,334.86 Pound sterling.

 

             The Microwave that caused all the problems at Robinson's appliances

Whilst the supermarket had long queues the Appliances store was empty and the Sales People were crowded around the entrance like a pack of hyaenas waiting to pounce on a Maputing Tao! A young man offered to help and as I read off my list he took me to each item, told me how much it cost, the delivery charge and the discount which I wrote down and checked back with him:

I was delighted as they were all good brands, in stock and Robinson's appliances has a very good reputation for quality in Palawan. I explained to the salesman I was having trouble transferring money to the Philippines and was withdrawing from the ATM (30, 000 Peso a day) and would have all the money in 5 days. 

                    

                               My new cooker- hot food at last after a month here

The next day I returned to buy the microwave as I needed to reheat the Spaghetti Bolognaise that Gracie had sent me for Alvin's lunch. This time was a different Customer Service story. Four Sales People and a Manager were with two Customers around a vacuum cleaner. Eventually I got the attention of a Sales Girl who went to look for the microwave. After 10 mins she returned to say they only had the Microwave on display. I said I would have that. Then she disappeared to look for a box. Once that was found they announced they had to test it before they could box it up. At this point I told the Manager I had just wasted 30 mins to buy one item and would be leaving in 5 minutes, with or without the Microwave. He then asked the original Salesman to assist the girl. He completed the invoice, the microwave was tested and boxed and after an hour in the store I was asked for 4595 pesos, not the 4295 quoted the day before. I told the Manager that the price was wrong. He double checked his list and said it was right. I showed him my handwritten list and reminded him he had been there the day before when I had queried the delivery price. I can understand a large fridge freezer costing more to deliver than a microwave (1200 vs 400 peso) but as all 4 appliances were going to one address in one lorry, I asked why I was having to pay 2,400 for delivery. Surely the small microwave compensated for the large fridge freezer. He told me the delivery was subcontracted and nothing to do with him and the microwave was the price on the invoice.

 

I was really looking forward to the fridge freezer with water and crushed ice dispensers from Robinsons, but I hate being ripped off and kept waiting

I explained if he did not honour the verbal contract with the salesman the day before in front of him then I would walk out and take my 150, 000 peso with me. He refused to budge, and I left the store. Several friends said I had done the right thing and Maggie suggested I go to Du Ek Sam in San Pedro, which Alvin and I visited the next day. 

After a slow start where only the Product Specialist, Harold, seemed to want to help us, we got all the appliances we wanted, far cheaper than at Robinsons, with free delivery. Harold even came around to show us how to set up the Fridge Freezer and tested it for us on site. I am sure once the washing machine is plumbed in, he will be back to test that too. So, if you are looking to buy new appliances in Puerto Princesa, DES is the place to go, and ask for Harold!

Next up on my bad service list is Union Bank in Rizal Street. I was getting a Retirement Visa from the Philippine Retirment Authority (whose service is SO BAD they get their own Blog!) and they required me to deposit a $10,000 bond with Union Bank. They sent a Letter of Intent by courier which I took to the bank and after I was passed from one person to another, they opened the account for me and emailed me the account details. However, when I tried to email the same lady again to see if my transfer from the UK had arrived, I got no reply 3 times.

I went to the bank, and they said the money had arrived from UK but was in the dollar account (I asked them to set up a Peso account, but they did not). I said I wanted to transfer 22,000 pesos to Chester the Hooman (who has a Union Bank account in Makati), transfer $1760 to the Land Bank account of PRA and withdraw some. 

  If I thought the service in Union bank was slow, they had nothing on Land Bank!

The guy I was speaking to excused himself and went to see a lady who called me over then she spoke to the lady next to her. After much discussion they admitted as the guy who was meant to have fixed her computer had not turned up, she could not make the transfer to Land Bank, but they could give me the money in US$ and I could cross the road and deposit it there at Land Bank. A high tec solution for the bank who at first impressed me with their Tablets to request your transaction and email confirmation! Over at Land Bank I faced another long queue and the building itself was more crowded and antiquated than Union Bank. The teller who the security guard took me to had to ask another woman, but she had dealt with PRA so eventually I was given a deposit slip to fill out. Once I had filled it in, they gave me another one and asked me to copy the details onto that (no  copier or carbon paper so the customer has to fill in two forms, wonderful!) . Then back in the hot humid mid-day air to Union Bank where they gave me an envelope full of money and said they had transferred Chester's money to his account. However, when I got home only 2 transactions had been emailed me - Chester's and the cash for PRA so I had to count my money to see how much they had given me!

When I left, she said, " You know you can do all this online Mr Porter". I told her that's what I had asked for so she took me to another lady who, in between telling me about her dogs (1 yr. old Chow, boy and girl, who she has cctv at home for so she can watch at work) she filled out my credit card application form, and copied my ID and said she would sort the ATM , get me a credit card and give me Online access and I could use g cash too linked to my bank account!! I am still waiting 6 months later for the credit card!

My next horror stories relate to Josool Marketing opposite NCC where Jhoanna suggested I get my office chair. It started off well back in June 2022 when I bought the display model chair and desk, which they delivered, a kettle, toaster , rice cooker ironing board and Iron totalling over 12,000 Pesos ( about £200).

            The desk and Executive chair at the back right cost over 8000 pesos

After a few weeks using the chair it sank to the ground every time I sat on it meaning I cold not reach the desk to type my blogs ( I am now typing this at the dining table). I took it back and they agreed to fix it free of charge. A few weeks later the kettle stopped working so I took that back and they agreed to fix it free of charge. After several weeks without a chair or kettle I called in and they claimed they had messaged me ( turns it they had taken the number down wrong). They returned the chair and kettle and both worked for a short while.

 The Kettle first broke in November 2022 and they repaired it free of charge

Then one day in January 2023 after boiling water for my coffee in the repaired kettle I realised that even though the red light was on the water was cold. I then made some toast for a recipe I was photographing for my new recipe book. The toast was burnt so I turned it down and put in two more pieces. Imagine my horror a few minutes later when my kitchen was engulfed in flames and smoke from the toaster which had not turned off and the bread had caught fire. 

I had to photograph the mushroom pate with crackers after the toast caught fire in the Josool toaster

The final straw was when the chair broke again, and so I took all 3 back to Josool marketing. This time they just gave me a piece of paper with a map on and told me to take it to their service centre with the receipt. They later told me I would have to pay for the chair to be repaired as I had already taken it back once!

The second time I took the kettle back they told me to take it to the service centre with the receipt

Several months later when I chased up where the chair was they said they had ordered the part but it had not arrived and they would chase it up again. I had the same story when I went back a month later to see where it was. I did not bother to take the desk back when I started getting splinters as the edging broke- I just repaired it with Sellotape! I will never buy anything from this place again. 

We are now in March and after 2 months at the repair shop the promised call has failed to materialise for the kettle and toaster , likewise the chair which they promised to "chase up!" several months ago. As I approach my first year here in Palawan the executive chair has spent more time at Josool than in my house. 

        The damaged surface of the desk which I repaired with Sellotape!

 The 7 month old kettle , broken twice, and the toaster which caught fire- both from Josool Marketing. My winner of the worst customer care in Palawan.

With this latest update I am adding another bank here- BDO. They have several ATM around Puerto ( 2 next to Palawan Uno hotel, 2 at Robinsons, 2 at SM Mall ) which constantly display this sign: 

This is a terrible misuse of English. The word temporarily means:

"lasting for only a limited period of time; not permanent."

Source: https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/

Clearly as every time I visit this ATM ( every few days) it is not working this should say PERMANENTLY unavailable , not TEMPORILY.

Second if it is always breaking down why not fix or replace it

The machines at the 2 malls also breakdown with monotonous regularity causing me to have to drive all over Puerto to find a working machine. 

The other day there was a handwritten note on the BDO machine saying they were low on money and could people only take 4,000 pesos at a time. You can imagine the queue behind me as only one machine was working and I had to enter my details 8 times to get the 30,000 peso I needed to pay my bills.   Appalling.

I could go on about all the other places I had walked out of for not delivering what they promise. Several places in PPC advertise things on Facebook that they do not have (Steak, Cheese biscuits etc.), others are so slow that I declined to wait, and in and amongst all the really bad service I have received in my few months here there has been some outstandingly good service- but I will save that for another Blog

Ingats