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Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Telemoney: A Pain In The Neck



"Rather than choking in rage, it's rather appeasing to vent my anger on this page."

I can understand the frustration of the thousands who flocked to Telemoney Remittance Centers these days, and I'm no stranger to chaos that defines the kind of customer service for which they are notoriously known. It is the month of Ramadan... fine! No one disputes the slothful demeanor of some (if not most) of their personnel when attending to a queue of 'nuisance' clients in front of them. Forget that they are customers - the sustaining life-giver behind every robust yet arrogant commercial establishment. But with time, the customers have learned to adapt to its 'ultra-excellent' style of customer (dis)service.

I too understand  that most Telemoney employees are obsessed with the Eid holiday that they forget it is not holiday yet. Does anyone from among them bother to give a taunting glance at their own work timing that they deliberately violate and insult  their clients? By the way, who would give a damn if the waiting clients fry in the sun outside with neck arching imploring their mercy? When the boldly-printed work timing flauntingly reads to be 1:30 pm as closing time, I think arriving at exactly twelve noon did not warrant us to be shut at. Yes, I don't forget that they pray five times a day, and if they miss out on one, their 'rewards' in heaven will be in jeopardy. But for my neighbor's sake, the next prayer time is still at 12:30 pm.! No one would stop them if they leave their chairs and proceed to grab their halos and enter their own 'holy of holies'. But at least, those who have come on time should be dealt with respect and accorded humanity.

A case lost. Sound virtues refuse not to fade, just yet. I proceeded to ask the Osama-resembling security guard in my best Arabic if they will open after prayer time. He nodded in the affirmative, very assuredly. Prayer time ends at 1 pm. Another agonizing 30-minute sunbathing is tolerable, not a threat to life nonetheless. Half an hour is a torture, but to see the lovely Telemoney door opens, is a reward for the patience of having to wake up much earlier than usual and ignoring the merciless Arabic sun. I couldn't be more confident knowing that those who fast in their Taliban-esque goatee are not capable to lie (at least from dusk till dawn). Those already inside were herded out. Time to get inside too. At last. Just my second trip to Telemoney Hera'a in two days, yesterday was a mission impossible. The crowd just didn't let up. You stay for a good five hours or you miss your work which is a big no in Ramadan. But before the glassdoor got to our grip, the goatherd shunned us and announced that we be back at 9:30 pm. I was dumbfounded in disbelief! I started to rage inside and others before me had to rebel in a profanity-laced fit of revenge albeit in vain. The alibi sounded immensely incredible. There was only one teller serving. Wait, they're not insane! They're but slothful bloated-bellied incompetent stinking butt over brain walking s**t! Enough to say that I get consolation from my own page where my rage is vent on these fec*l residues that they are!

The Telemoney management could have thought better of improving their services during Ramadan. Complaints and seismic reactions from their loyal clients (in my case I have no choice) have become too uncommon because of their incompetence. They must have forgotten that they transact with humans. These humans are people, with jobs to keep, with families to feed and not to be treated like ill people needing alms from them. It's no easy thing to do skipping work multiple times and them not respecting their own policies and rules. It's not our fault if in the midst of the customer stampede their other Mr. Teller suddenly gave birth. And if their lone teller gets tired easily, because he is not used to the stench from the crowd, at least they could have warned the parasites outside in the sun, that their door was not pleased to take in more beyond their own terms, and not promising to open the door after performing their revered rituals. Nine in the evening is not an option though for the majority of us who came in the morning for obvious reasons.

I am not alone in the same predicament. We are many but I don't find solace from that.  Most of us will have to settle after Eid holiday to send money to our families. And I begrudgingly see it as wasted time and resources. Rather than choking in rage, it's so appeasing to vent my anger on this page. Should not be reacting this way, if not an urgent case. Certain financial obligations have to be met in an appointed time and another visit to the nearest pawnshop could be the last recourse. I have learned a lesson the hard way. To them it's no big deal, it's a way of life. Shame on them!

10 comments:

Ze Cabreira said...

This is the same comment I wrote in your FB wall, so I just copied and pasted it here.

Ok lang sana kung puro pinoy kasama mo sa pila eh, pero pati ibang lahi na takot sa tubig dahil Ramadan kasama din. Wala na ngang ligo, wala pa ding sepilyo, parang bang there's something cooking sa mga kili kili at sa mga bibig nila. Frustrated ka na nga dahil 'di ka makapagpadala ng pera, hihimatayin ka pa sa baho. LOL!

Anonymous said...

Poot. As in poot ang nababasa ko dito.^_^ If I was writing this it would be laced with profanities that I would fear that it would be flagged. I am the least patient person in the universe and from what I heard from my friends, waiting outside under the sun is more than torture, it's almost like hell on earth.

Sometimes they wonder why Filipinos as valued as manpower, it is because we, albeit some exceptions, would at the very least, would have worked a little harder to get things going.

I have Muslim friends too, but please, these people should take a crash course on costumer service. T_T

Anonymous said...

I am Ninya btw.

braggito said...

Naranasan ko rin yan.. in fact, napisa nga ako (LITERALLY) sa Al Rajhi noon dahil nag dagsaan ang mga pakistani at indians nang magbukas ang remittance center..buti na lang meron kaming cooperative na tumatanggap ng remittance.. isang tawag na lang..wala ng pilahan.. maganda pa ang service.

Anonymous said...

Instead of frying your a** in KSA, why don't you just go back to your place. Why don't you talk about the
'ultra excellent customer service' in your own country.

Esoy1216 said...

@ Anonymous, i dont understand why cowards love to abuse the pathetic word "Anonymous". If your oral cavity has nothing to spew other than your enormous baggage of halitosis then you better choose the language you're using. I am a telemoney client and i am entitled to air my disappointment in any way possible much more in my own page. if you are a dumb**s agent from hell then go back to where you belong and serve your equally wicked ilks. And what about you, why are you in this country u pungent rec**l inhabitant!!

Ze Cabreira said...

@Anonymous, understand what NFB said? Dig?

Anonymous said...

BURN!!! Sorry, I couldn't help it. ^_^

Anonymous said...

iam telemoney staff and we are respect our customers

Christian Curtis Smith said...

To the anonymous Telemoney staff, Are you sure you respect your customer? I don't think you know the meaning of respect. and by the way, can you please go back to school and study English (again), sometimes some English speaker customers can't understand what you guys are saying.

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