SERVICE, SERVICE! I WANT SERVICE! [updated]

It really gets to me when the workers at a restaurant, eating outlet or dining facility (they all mean the same thing – a place where you find food) provide lousy service and yet when they serve you the bill, there it is: Service Tax (5%), Terima kasih.

Recently two incidents happened to me that made me question the validity of this service tax they charge us.

During the month of Ramadan, certain food outlets will allocate seats for those who are due to break fast around 7 pm every evening. This I understand. Particularly when the ‘Reserved’ sign is placed on the table for all to see.

One day, close to the end of the Ramadan period, I went to one of these restaurants. It was one that I usually frequent and that day I thought that I was lucky to have found a table in the already 95% full shop, unreserved (no Reserve sign on the table). I sat down, placed all my shopping items and umbrella on the chair beside me, rubbed my sore knee and started to search through my phonebook for my husband’s mobile number.

A waiter approached me and said “Miss, this place is already reserved.”

For the love of god, there are two other tables beside my table, and another table in the interior of the shop that are unseated. There were no Reserved signs on the table I was on, and there are plenty of other non-fasting customers in the other tables next to mine. Apart from the apparent humiliation of being rejected from a shop that I patronise, I was in hunger, limping from a knee injury and now have to pack up all my stuff and exit the shop so that they can ‘wait’ for other more ‘worthy’ customers to come by.

I made it clear to him that I was not happy and sighed loudly for all to hear. As I grudgingly pack my stuff to leave, the waiter once again tested my patience.

“You can always come back later, Miss.”

Now wtf would I want to do that?

“No need, no need,” was all I could muster at that moment.

I met up with my husband seconds later outside the shop and as he helped me carry my shopping items (yes, I had quite a few bags with me) I told him what transpired and he himself was upset with the treatment I got. He wanted to go back to the shop and give the waiter a piece of his mind but I told him quite loudly that “if the shop does not want my business, I won’t give it to them”.

I am not unreasonable, and I am fast with my food. I am not one of those people who hogs the table for eternity after the food is all gone. After I’ve taken my fill, I’ll pay and leave for the next batch of customers to occupy the table. Besides, it’s not like there are no other tables left, or that I jumped queue in front of customers who want to break fast in that shop.

And for god’s sakes, I was ‘limping’.

We did not frequent that outlet for three weeks – until I stopped being upset with them.

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At another place, after my order has been taken by the waitress, I had to wait forever for my food, only to find that the kitchen had not noticed my order. Had I not asked for it, I’d have to wait until the shop closes to be served my order.

Two nights ago, my husband and I went there, and the same thing happened, this time, to my husband. While I was chewing down my food, I’d hear a lot of loud laughter from the counter, fellow workers joking around and giggling amongst each other.

On the table next to mine, I hear the waitress telling the customer that they don’t have the ‘lau shu fen’ tonight, nor do they have the chicken wings, or the 'char sau', or…. (the list goes on). If you don’t have it… why don’t you have it? If it’s on the menu, you should have it, right?

And since they took forever to notice us waving our hands like lunatics to get their attention to get the bill, my husband went to the cashier himself to settle our bill.

Yes, I was also charged 5% there for the service.
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12 October 2009

Well, lookie h'ere:

The Star Online > Focus

Sunday October 11, 2009

WE SHOULD QUESTION SERVICE CHARGE IMPOSITION

P. GUNASEGARAN’S commentary, “The truth about service charges” (The Star, Oct 9), should be an eye-opener for all.

Malaysians should voice their concerns over service charge imposed on customers by restaurants, hotels and other retail establishments and most of them do it with no justification whatsoever.

Imposing a service charge is a sinister way of contributing towards the escalation in the price of goods and services. This charge is imposed irrespective of whether a customer can afford it or not. And what is most loathsome is that some retailers have the audacity to impose this “tax” even when the quality of service provided is far from satisfactory.

As accurately pointed out by the writer, most people have the misconception that this is a tax sanctioned by the Government. Can someone let me know under what legislation or by-law is the tax imposed? If there is none, then the onus is on the Government to at once put a stop to this practice.

Even more saddening is the quote by the Secretary of the Domestic Trade, Consumerism and Cooperative Ministry on service charge that “It is not regulated by any Government agency, and as to whether it is legal or not requires a study”.

The imposition of service charge inevitably impacts upon every strata of society. When the prices of goods and services are already high do we need to burden the consumers more? What surprises even more is that consumer associations are oblivious to or are ignoring this crucial issue affecting Malaysians.

JAMES GONZALES,
Kuala Lumpur.

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MR Gonzales, me no ignore this. Me furious with this. Me smash, me crash... wait a minute, that didn't come out right... ahem.. as this post surely does in every sense of every aspect, I agree with Mr Gonzales.