KUSINA CAGAYANA AT TUGUEGARAO CUSTOMER SERVICE

Experience by xxxxxxxxxxx last March 2010

I am an expat who often goes home to visit my parents in Cagayan Valley. While waiting for my flight back to Manila from Tuguegarao City airport, I would usually have buffet lunch in nearby Kusina Cagayana.

Last March, I had a very unpleasant experience dining in this restaurant. I brought a cold bottle of my favorite soft drinks after shopping from Brickstone Mall. Inside the restaurant, a woman who (does not even know how to smile to the customers) introduced herself as the owner, said that she would have to charge me corkage for the bottle of soft drinks.

Corkage in most restaurants is normal, but in a friendly manner I said that, maybe she should waive the corkage for now as we are a group of three and that I regularly eat in her restaurant, and that I would usually bring a half-consumed bottle of soft drinks every time and did not have to pay corkage before. She agreed to waive the corkage.

But everything seemed unusual that day, the waiters looked stressed, rattled and as inhospitable as the supposed to be owner. Before finding a table, I asked one of the waiters whether they still charge the same fee for buffet and he said yes.

Later, when I went to the cashier to pay, the owner was there. I looked at the bill and there was an additional P100 for corkage. The owner said that after INVESTIGATING (what a word) her staff (as if I am some kind of suspected criminal or low-life who could not afford a decent meal), she learned that I was not a regular customer after all, that if I was indeed a regular customer I would know how much they would charge for buffet. Yeah, right, maybe asking whether they increased their price would justify that I do not regularly dine in their restaurant.

I have never been insulted this way in my whole life, not from a restaurant owner who probably does not have the slightest idea what CUSTOMER SERVICE meant. Maybe she was so pissed off that her staff previously did not charge corkage!

I did not want to call the attention of the other diners, not especially my husband and vet-friend who I was with, so I patiently said that an additional p100 for corkage would not hurt my wallet.... but her words and attitude just did i thought...golden rule: there is always a better way to say things that would not offend a customer...corkage is not the issue here but the manner she treats customers who patronize the restaurant... but you definitely lost a customer, I added. In her usual sarcastic manner, she replied,...Okay lang!

At that moment I felt like throwing up everything I ate...never again in Kusina Cagayana! How I regretted not following my husbandfs suggestion to dine at another nearby restaurant, Pampaguena or Leng-leng, where the owners are warm, friendly and hospitable,....the exact opposite of this one!

SHACKEY'S SHAW BLVD. KAPITOLYO

Don't ever make a lunch meeting in here.

just a month ago, we had a extended our meeting in our office and have a lunch in here. my other co-worker was late in our meeting and we all decided to discuss his report during lunch time, we use to have an informal meeting were us we just laugh to our report seriously while eating.

this resto during that time do have a birthday party on the 1/4 corner, around 5 tables occupied whereas their they have a balloon, birthday cake and a fucking PA system plus a gay shakey's crew who serve as the host. the dining place was open and their was no wall to separate the bday activity to other customer.

the party just started 5 mins after we had taken our orders and while waiting we use to have a chit chat but to our surprise when we heard a huge scream coming from the 1/4 corner of that 50sq. meter dining place. the host was shouting and cheering on a party game.

this is annoying because the PA speaker was too loud that you cannot even hear what we are discussing within our table. because were hungry on that time and annoyed on the voice of the host we just talk to the manager to just lower somehow the volume of the PA speaker, we also consider the bday celebration.

we all know that a kid bday celebration is not appropriate for a pizza party and might consider celebrating it on mcdonalds or jollibee, we just found out that it was a celebration of 29 yrs old dude and they paid for their activity that started 12 noon.

the manager have lowered the volume but the party should be loudly for them to enjoy. we thought the manager already understand what the other customer was complaining but as the sounds goes load again the dining managers disappear on the scenario and the poor simple crew was the one to be blame, we had seek from the crew to talk to the manager and complain that the party is not applicable in their place and we cannot even have our simple conversation but the manager never goes out and only the crew manage to rely our complain to there manager who was hiding inside.

the crew went out and so as our lunch, then the crew just said that they cannot do anything because the bday party was already been paid. this is bullshit....

the poor crew only listen on what we are complaining but their is no action taken. we are really piss off when their some one yelling and shouting, we all knew what a bday party should be but we are not mad on the celebrator but on the manager who cater to conduct a party on 1/4 of his place.

the manager really didn't show up, all customer was annoyed on the party, considering that we also going to pay for our food. we are really upset when the last action done by the crew was to talk to us and say sorry for the loud noise and guaranteed that the party will be finish in less than an hour.

all the other customer was also upset during that time but my worry was if the pizza that we are eating is clean after we had complained to the manager.

if ever you have a business deal or meeting, DON'T EVER TRY SHACKEY'S

NOKIA CARE IN ROBINSON GALLERIA ORTIGAS

Experience by Peter Snow on October 15, 2009

On September 14th, 2009 I bought a new Nokia E71 from Nokia in Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas. The phone was exhibiting software bugs from the beginning (but apparently that is normal for Nokia phones), but then after 18 days in service the USB connection of the phone completely failed and no longer could the phone be synchronised with a computer or used as a thumb drive.
It was two days later on October 5, that I was able to schedule a visit to Nokia Care at Megamall, Ortigas. When I presented the phone, they informed me that they would make no attempt to backup my data and all would be lost. Including the programs I purchased and installed etc. They made me sign an agreement to this.
They told me that I could expect it back in 2 days and that I should call or text them first to be sure that it is ready. I did as they suggested and when I texted them, I received a text reply telling me that it’s still under repair and that I should follow up in one week!
Regardless I followed up every other day in the hope that someone might take pity on me but on the occasions that I got a reply it was just the same story.
On Wednesday 14th October they had had the phone for 9 days at this point and I had purchased the phone exactly one month ago! I texted again and received no reply. I continued texting at intervals throughout the day and even after 14 texts, had still received no reply from Nokia Care.
In addition, I tried calling their landline number advertised on my Acknowledgement Form from Nokia Care. I called it numerous times, but each time it was engaged. I suspect it had just been removed from the hook.
I even tried calling the supplied mobile number (0928 551-5408) but my phone reported “Call Rejected!”. How rude!
I continued texting an must have sent them another dozen or so texts, before my wife tried calling there mobile number from her phone which they don’t have the number of. They accepted the call and my wife handed the phone to me. The guy on the phone, who did not give his name informed me that he would contact me by 4pm with a status update of my phone.
At 5pm, having received no contact from Nokia Care (who obviously couldn’t care less), I texted them again requesting the promised update and again, and again, and again but still no reply.
The following day, (now 10 days with Nokia Care), I texted again and received the following reply:
Good morning!, just like to inform you, that your phone is still under major repair in our backroom. We apologize for the inconvenience that it has caused you. We’ve already advised for it to be in priority. And as per technician advised, we’ll be giving you the final status by tomorrow.
Thank you.
NOKIA CARE, MEGAMALL
I eventually received a call from Nokia Care to inform me that they had repaired my phone already but the repair failed, so now they are trying again!
Not wanting my P18,750 phone to be returned to me having been assembled and dissembled many times and repaired many times, I decided to try to contact Nokia in Robinsons Galleria to request a refund, where I bought the phone. I checked the receipt for a telephone number and there is none, but the receipt is issued by “Novacel Telecom Corp“. A quick search in Google reveled a reference to them on www.complaints.com at the top of the list. The complaint is from another dissatisfied customer in a similar situation to me.
In the above complaint found on complaints.com, there was contained a telephone number that I had not been furnished with so far. The number was for “Philippine Local Service” and was 02 886-1234.
I called the number and spoke to a call center agent (oh the joy!). She read her script perfectly, “Ok Mr Snow, I’m sorry for the inconvenience. Right after our call, I will escalate your complaint.” I asked what happens next and she informed me that someone would call me in the next 24 – 48 hours. I asked her to forgive me for raising this, but wasn’t I told when I deposited my phone at Nokia Care to follow-up in 24 – 48 hours? And hear I am nearly 11 days later, still waiting for my phone!
Apparently, Nokia Care has no facility for giving refunds and no way to accomplish this, since they don’t make sales here. Furthermore, they have no way to replace a defective unit. The technicians have to make a unit work at all costs. This means that your phone could be seriously depreciated due to having received repeated major servicing.
Imagine the look on my face now, knowing that if they ever manage to fix it, for my unit it will be as if it has been through a war by the time I get it back and I’ve only 17 days use out of it so far.
My advice to anyone considering buying a Nokia phone in the Philippines, is quite simply – DON’T! They don’t have adequate support infrastructure in place.
The phones for the Philippine market appear to be unreliable. Mine malfunctioned after 18 days. This is a high-end phone we are referring to! When you take it to Nokia, they exhibit a complete disregard for the customers data and inconvenience and the phone is kept by them indefinitely with the customer left hanging, wondering if or when they will ever see their phone again.
What should happen is like this:
If the phone has malfunctioned within 30 days of the original purchase, it should be immediately inspected on-site and the customer advised to return in one hour. If it has not been repaired by then it should immediately be replaced by the shop with no further hassle to the customer.
If the phone is more than 30 days old, the customer should take the phone to the Nokia Care center and be advised that the phone will be repaired or replaced and that the repaired or replacement unit will be available within 24 hours without exception.
This poor standard of Nokia service is probably due to them considering the Philippines as a third class country and not deserving of the standards available to their UK customers.