Gosh! Is this what they call an impromptu performance or an early release?
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Saturday, August 19, 2006
A Flightful Experience.
An air travel fantasy.
Watch it all the way through... and tell me if you've never expereinced this.
Sunday, August 6, 2006
Being Creative with Bad Service.
After a slew of bad aftersale services from Creative Technologies over just ONE headset, I decide I've had enough and decided to send them a formal letter instead. This is as much also for those who are thinking of purchasing anything from them. Do check your customers' rights and aftersales warranty's limitations....
To Whom It May Concern:
Please refer to my purchase invoice number – S943732; service report reference numbers SNG-Y-21667 and SNG-Y-22253.
In respond to your GSS promotion and from positive feedback on your products from word of mouth and online reviews, I made a purchase of the SL-3100 wireless headphone on the 12th of July this year. However, I had since made 2 trips to your outlet after that to have my headset sent in for servicing. The problem with my headset is that once after a fresh recharge, static distortion is heard and audio signals keep dropping off.
Nevertheless, when I made my purchase, I was not told of the 7-day 1-to-1-exchange warranty. Thus when I first encountered the problem, I held on to tryout the set. Finally on the 30th of July, with the persistent problem from the headset, I had to make a special trip down to send the set in to the outlet at Plaza Singapura to make enquiries as to what might be the cause of the problem. I was promptly told that since the service counter has yet to be setup up, they could not answer my questions nor could they test the equipment. It was also only then that I was told of the 7-day exchange warranty, that since my purchase was made more than 7 days ago, they could not change the set for me. Thus I had to wait till later in the week for any sort of answer might be given.
I then ask if this is a common issue or was I the first to lodge such a problem report on the set. The respond was that my report was indeed unique. I then asked specifically if I could be given a new set since (a) my case was a unique problem and (b) I was not told of the 7-day exchange warranty. Unfortunately, the staff members on duty then were insisted that they cannot execute an exchange and had to sent my set in for testing and if necessary, repairs.
By then I was already disappointed with the stiff bureaucracy of the warranty procedures especially when it was through no fault of mine that I wasn’t told of the exchange grace period and therefore did not send the faulty set in earlier.
Nevertheless, on the 6th of August, I received a phone call to inform me that tests had been done on my headset and the diagnosis was a transmitter problem. Thus I was given a new transmitter. I also made another trip down and collected my headset from the Plaza Singapura outlet on that same day.
However, on the very next day after the collection, the same problems surfaced – there were audio and static distortions and the signals keep dropping after the set had been given a fresh recharge. When I made a third trip down to the outlet, I was already massively disappointed with both the quality of the product as well as the service from the company. It was further exacerbated when the staff told me to wait a further 30 to 45 minutes while they test the equipment. The worst of the scenario came when I was promptly told later on the phone that they realized it was a problem with the headset. They would have to send in the set in again for further tests and repairs before I can get it back.
If you add the two diagnosis of for the headset together, the first being the transmitter, and then the second being the headset, doesn’t it come to a full circle that the set I had purchased was faulty to begin with? Would it not have been more efficient if the staff at the outlet had made an exception and compromise and give me new set instead? Instead, what resulted was this; I had to make 3 separate and futile trips down to the outlet and with another one impending when I have to make another trip to collect the set.
In this day and age, such lapses in customer service quality, pure common sense and courtesy is simply unacceptable. I had initially been interested in the newly pre-launched 4 gigabyte Zen V Plus. However, after this experience, I am having second thoughts about purchasing it, despite the good reviews I’ve heard about it.
I sincerely hope Creative will take a grave look into this and other similar and/or related matters to prevent further embarrassment on the part of your establishment and reputation. In the meantime, I do hope that my next trip down to collect the headset would indeed be rewarded with a satisfying assurance and knowledge that the equipment is in working order and would no longer need to make another futile trip.
To Whom It May Concern:
Please refer to my purchase invoice number – S943732; service report reference numbers SNG-Y-21667 and SNG-Y-22253.
In respond to your GSS promotion and from positive feedback on your products from word of mouth and online reviews, I made a purchase of the SL-3100 wireless headphone on the 12th of July this year. However, I had since made 2 trips to your outlet after that to have my headset sent in for servicing. The problem with my headset is that once after a fresh recharge, static distortion is heard and audio signals keep dropping off.
Nevertheless, when I made my purchase, I was not told of the 7-day 1-to-1-exchange warranty. Thus when I first encountered the problem, I held on to tryout the set. Finally on the 30th of July, with the persistent problem from the headset, I had to make a special trip down to send the set in to the outlet at Plaza Singapura to make enquiries as to what might be the cause of the problem. I was promptly told that since the service counter has yet to be setup up, they could not answer my questions nor could they test the equipment. It was also only then that I was told of the 7-day exchange warranty, that since my purchase was made more than 7 days ago, they could not change the set for me. Thus I had to wait till later in the week for any sort of answer might be given.
I then ask if this is a common issue or was I the first to lodge such a problem report on the set. The respond was that my report was indeed unique. I then asked specifically if I could be given a new set since (a) my case was a unique problem and (b) I was not told of the 7-day exchange warranty. Unfortunately, the staff members on duty then were insisted that they cannot execute an exchange and had to sent my set in for testing and if necessary, repairs.
By then I was already disappointed with the stiff bureaucracy of the warranty procedures especially when it was through no fault of mine that I wasn’t told of the exchange grace period and therefore did not send the faulty set in earlier.
Nevertheless, on the 6th of August, I received a phone call to inform me that tests had been done on my headset and the diagnosis was a transmitter problem. Thus I was given a new transmitter. I also made another trip down and collected my headset from the Plaza Singapura outlet on that same day.
However, on the very next day after the collection, the same problems surfaced – there were audio and static distortions and the signals keep dropping after the set had been given a fresh recharge. When I made a third trip down to the outlet, I was already massively disappointed with both the quality of the product as well as the service from the company. It was further exacerbated when the staff told me to wait a further 30 to 45 minutes while they test the equipment. The worst of the scenario came when I was promptly told later on the phone that they realized it was a problem with the headset. They would have to send in the set in again for further tests and repairs before I can get it back.
If you add the two diagnosis of for the headset together, the first being the transmitter, and then the second being the headset, doesn’t it come to a full circle that the set I had purchased was faulty to begin with? Would it not have been more efficient if the staff at the outlet had made an exception and compromise and give me new set instead? Instead, what resulted was this; I had to make 3 separate and futile trips down to the outlet and with another one impending when I have to make another trip to collect the set.
In this day and age, such lapses in customer service quality, pure common sense and courtesy is simply unacceptable. I had initially been interested in the newly pre-launched 4 gigabyte Zen V Plus. However, after this experience, I am having second thoughts about purchasing it, despite the good reviews I’ve heard about it.
I sincerely hope Creative will take a grave look into this and other similar and/or related matters to prevent further embarrassment on the part of your establishment and reputation. In the meantime, I do hope that my next trip down to collect the headset would indeed be rewarded with a satisfying assurance and knowledge that the equipment is in working order and would no longer need to make another futile trip.
Sliding into the Scheme of Things...
Oh I haven't had time to update and lots and lots of things had happened.
Mel Gibson had been arrested for drunk driving and anti-Semitism - to think that he's Catholic and was the director for the Passion of Christ. Oh well. The Bush has failed in his attempts at peace in the Middle East and different vegetation has been deployed - this time round it's Rice. Let's hope this commercial crop will prove more nutritious than the common, garden variety Bush.
Meanwhile, more Asians bearing the belief that there are vestal virgins waiting in heaven have tied themselves on streaks of fatalistic ropes and joined in the fray of anti-Semitism. Apparently it is more important for these folks to go against infidels than resolving problems at home. Are they right? I'm a frayed knot - but then I could be wrong. After all, what would I know of heavens and vestals virgins?
Closer to home, Singapore has done it again - we have outdone ourselves in yet another feat. Yawn... But before you open your mouth too wide and tempt me to splash neWater into it, let me just tell you that we have succeeded in increasing the output of our water recycling capabilities while decreasing its cost of production. Sigh... We are so smart we make ourselves look dumb.
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Teachers playing dress-up on Racial Harmony Day. | |
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| The boys in my Readers' Theater... |
But what had gotten me excited was the decision to have a Fantasy Festival based on the current English topic the primary 2s are going through. I had been asked to think of an idea of an activity to tie up the whole unit. Inspiration came in the form of a Roald Dahl Film Festival, which was subsequently merged with activities for Interdisciplinary Project Work (IPW).
We have yet to finalize the proposal for the whole festival's programme, but four of Dahl's more famous works which had been made into film versions had been shortlisted - Matilda; Charlie and Chocolate Factory; The Witches and James and the Giant Peach. The films and their contents will be used for comprehension and other English language programmes and activities. That's right, the four films will be running rings around the boys' minds.
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Matilda | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory |
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The Witches | James and the Giant Peach |
In the meantime, I can prepare all these stuff in school because I happen to like my cubicle a lot. It's like my little haven now - very self-contained and in many ways, more comfortable than home. I've got my food and snacks and even my own coffeemaker to tide me through my oral fixations, my air revitaliser to freshen my area and even my little objets d'art to make me feel settled in. Oh yah, and it's even got air-conditioning thrown in for free.
A few months ago, when I first got my posting news from MOE that I am going to ACS, Andrew (my friend and colleague from my contract-teaching days) assured me that it is all probably for the better. He said that over here, there are more opportunities to propose ideas and see them materialize. So far, he seems to be spot on the dollar and I do hope that he is right.
Only more time will tell...
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