Service for the Masses

A couple of posts back, I had a go at the service industry in Singapore. But after some thought and after what happened tonight, I'm beginning to think that the service we Singaporeans get is precisely what we deserve.

I was at dinner with the missus tonight. We'd done with our mains but she was still feeling a bit peckish so she ordered a side of garlic bread. When it came out, the server brought it to the wrong table, one occupied by a middle-aged man in a long-sleeved button-down shirt (ie, an executive-looking sort, usually the ones who would have the sort of reaction I'm about to write about) and his female companion.

The bread got left on the table. They didn't say anything. In fact, they kept quiet until the server walked away and the woman asked, "Did we order this?"

The man replied, "No, nevermind, we'll take it."

Excuse me?

They'd taken a couple of slices of the bread from the basket before the server came back realising his mistake. I could see the disappointment on the man's when he realised that he would now have to pay for the side he didn't order, that if he had been honest right from the start, wouldn't have had to pay for.

Servers you right, dude.

Anyway, the wife had to wait a while longer for the replacement bread to arrive, which was good since I'd have to digest the food a bit more before we left the place (more about that later).

What I said earlier about locals in other countries going out of their way to make sure that visitors have a good impression of them and their country could also not apply to the people who are the customers in Singapore. How often have we walked away from a wrongly tabulated bill in our favour, or when we've gotten back more change than we deserve? Or when we'd go to a store or restaurant demanding the world of the service staff and threatening to complain whenever we don't get what we want, when we want it? Chill already. The world is not fair. Not make it more unfair by blaming others or loading them with problems they probably don't need.

It's a sore point with me because, up until 31 December 2003 (oh happy day!), I had to deal with the same crap, albeit in a school setting. I'm talking about students and their equally annoying parents who would come to school expecting to be able to make unreasonable demands of teachers and the administration. I remember one incident when a parent was upset because her son was being dealt with by the Pupil Management Committee (ie, Discipline) for some offence or another and the words she used were along the lines of "I don't care if you do that (ie, meting out of punishment) to other students, but I don't want you to do it to my son."

Wow. How noble of you.

It's Singaporeans, brought up in a country that got rich too quickly for her own good, like her and so many others I've met that made my life in school (and indeed in this country) miserable. I really don't care if you made your first million by being the first person to do such-and-such, or if your firstborn children happen to be lawyers who can sue the pants off me or something -- I'm there to do a job and you're not helping. The best thing is that it's the 'professionals' (ie, people who've had the most schooling) who are the worst.

Eventually, it got to the stage that I realised that it's a malaise of the entire country, myself included. We want what we want, without regard for others. We'll take advantage of people and situations as long as it's expedient to do so. Enough has been said of 'kiasuism' already so I'm not about to give it more air time.

Instead:

The SAF Code of Conduct #7: Do what you want but don't get caught. (Officially, there are only 6 items on the SAF CoC. #7 is what is told to us by our instructors usually during Basic Military Training.)

On another note:
I cycled to and from the restaurant today. Quite proud of myself. But my ass is killing me. I'd forgotten how hard the seat was and how long it's been since I'd ridden on it. Now I'm more prepared to cycle to work next week when I sub for Sprite.

Here's to losing that spare tyre.