People who know me know that I'm a masochist. No, I don't derive sexual pleasure from pain--I wouldn't know, but eh. I'm open to new experiences--nor do I take pleasure from getting humiliated. But I am willing to subject myself to unpleasant and trying situations. I wouldn't be where I am today if I wasn't one.
But that's not what I want to talk about. Focus. What I do want to talk about is waiting in line for HOURS just to get something. I did that to buy "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at Kinokuniya the day the book was released. 3 hours. I did that to buy Faiz the iPad 2 on its release day. 4 hours. Those are the ones I can vividly recall. I must have waited in line for lots of things.
But you know what, those experiences gave me amusing, pleasant memories. People look at me like I'm crazier than usual whenever I tell them the stories of the wait, but honestly, it was fun to witness the quirks and excitement of people ahead of and behind me. Wish I could say the same for my experience getting the iPhone 5.
I'll be honest. I don't really need a newer iPhone. My iPhone 4 works just fine. Except for the battery drain when using the internet (and WhatsApp), the phone still functions well as a phone, a (convenient) camera, and an internet browser. I play games on the phone sometimes, but not the fancy ones. I have my Alienware for it.
But I do like my toys. As a boy, with Mama as the sole bread-winner, I couldn't get most of the toys I wanted, toys my neighbors and friends had lying around in their houses, collecting dust. Mama did buy me toys like Condor from Mask, Lego, and Tamiya build-it-yourself race cars. Nothing fancy and expensive, though. I drained her enough money buying story books every once in a while. Now that I can afford shelves of books and gadgets worth thousands of ringgit, the boy in me simply takes control.
So. Don't ask me why I need a new iPhone. I just do. Let's leave it at that, shall we?
When Maxis finally released the email to register my interest to buy the iPhone 5 about a week ago, I did not hesitate to give my reply. 2 days later, a follow-up email came to confirm the model and pick-up time. I chose the white 64GB, and the pick-up time was between 00:00 and 04:00 yesterday. I figured, since I was on-call, I could just hop over to Pikom ICT Mall, which is a road away from the hospital, and get my phone from the counter instead of having to wait in line for hours. Faizul had agreed to cover my call while I was gone, which was totally awesome of him.
When I got there 10 minutes before midnight, a winding line of somewhere between 300 and 500 people had already formed. When I asked one of the crew members, she said that all those people had also pre-booked and that I had to wait in line. I pulled the "I'm a doctor on standby and I may have a case coming" card, but the girl shrugged and said she couldn't help me. When I tried my luck again with a middle-aged staff who looked like a person in charge, he only smirked at me and said, "then you'd better go do your surgery."
Valid point, but he didn't have to be so curt, now, did he?
Maxis: -1
I called up Faizul and he said that all was quiet so far. I said, "I'll wait in line, but to call me the moment an emergency case is posted." I was already there in the middle of the night like all those crazy people, wasn't I? So I waited. I should have brought the storybook I left in the car, or at least my iPad--another grief as I bought it 3 weeks before the surprise release of iPad 4. Good thing my phone was fully charged, and that my Bose QC15 active noise-cancellation headphones had arrived earlier in the day.
I did come clean about loving expensive gadgets, didn't I?
Armed with good music and access to Facebook and Twitter, I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Maxis: -2
I kept checking the battery life on my phone. I was draining it fast, and I needed the phone to be alive. I couldn't exactly enjoy people-watching and the wait with the thought of abandoning everything should an emergency surgery get posted. Maxis crew came at regular intervals to offer us donuts, water and apples. Oh God. I just realized the significance of handing out apples. I was wondering why that night. Duh.
I didn't take anything. My stomach was already in knots with agitation and guilt. My body was just a placeholder waiting in line while my mind kept returning to the hospital and praying the night would remain quiet. The line lurched, trickled, halted. When some of the crew came asking whether we had all pre-booked (as the event was for pre-bookers only), the line didn't dwindle. AT ALL. I was one kiasu KLite among HUNDREDS of kiasu KLites.
3 hours in, and I finally reached the "ENTRANCE" tent (middle left edge on the photo). I had printed out the confirmation and invitation forms, and I had photocopied my identification card. They didn't have to do much for me, so my time at the registration booth was less than a minute. They pointed me to another queue. Yes. Another queue. A chirpy staff armed with an iPad approached me and offered to help register my confirmation and purchase, so I provided her with all the necessary information. That was when things went downhill.
Another girl walked by and told the one attending me that they only had the black 16BG model left.
What?!
The first girl asked me again which model I opted for, and I firmly said, "White, 64GB. There'd better not be any problems."
The second girl looked at me and said, "I'm sorry sir, we're out of stock. You can buy the 16GB model or you can come back tomorrow."
"But I waited three hours. THREE HOURS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT."
"I'm sorry. This line is first come, first served basis."
"You're telling me that I pre-booked my phone, was promised to get my phone, waited in line for 3 hours, and I won't even get the phone I want?"
"Yes, sir. You can come back--"
"That's bullshit. I don't care how you do it, but you'll procure the phone I was promised."
"That's not possible."
"Call your supervisor or your manager. Now."
"But sir--"
"NOW!"
Maxis: -3
Maxis: -4
Maxis: -5
Maxis: -6
The girl, who was looking anywhere but at my eyes, bolted off. The first girl, who was now clutching her iPad tightly to her chest, and was now two shades paler, gave me a nervous smile. She didn't deserve it, but I directed my anger and indignation at her.
"You tell me. Is this right? You guys should have saved all the pre-booked phones and only let people buy additional phones from the extra stock."
Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that in addition to the pre-booked phones, one was allowed to purchase another phone at retail price. I saw plenty of customers leaving with at least 2 paper bags.
"I know. It's unfair."
"It's not just unfair. It's not right. If I had lined up without booking ahead, I'd have been okay with it. But I've been promised, in writing, and you guys are giving me lame excuses."
"I know. It's not right."
Fadz: -1 (for scaring her. I had every right to throw a hissy fit. I didn't go all-out bitch mode, but just used my laser eyes, amped my arrogance to palpable levels, and spoke in the most fluent, non-Malaysian English in a clear and loud voice. It's more of a contained rage, but I'll call it a hissy fit because I can. Bugger off.)
The second girl came back and said, "I'm sorry sir. I can't help you."
"Manager. Now. Before I take action." I forced myself not to shout. I was already shaking, the paper in my hand crumpled.
She scampered off, and the girl beside me edged away. The people around me were stealing nervous glances at me. I didn't care what anyone said.
She came back with a big guy who looked like a club bouncer, and promptly left us.
"Boleh saya tolong encik?" he said. To his credit, he was calm and collected, and polite.
"Nak saya cakap kuat ke cakap perlahan?"
"Cakap perlahan la encik," he said, glancing around. Other customers were getting restless. "Saya nak tolong encik ni."
I think he saw the anger in my eyes, in the way I stand, because before I could answer, he beckoned me to the side, and led me to the front of the line. He instructed the crew guarding the makeshift gate to let me through.
"Encik tunggu sini kejap," he said, pointing at a bench just outside the main tent. After a minute or so, he came back and led me in. He pulled a much younger staff aside and said, "assist customer ni. Make sure he gets the white 64GB."
"Ada lagi ke?" the worker ant asked.
"Last. Make sure dia dapat."
Maxis: -5 (I don't know if I should give the +1 to the guy or to Maxis, but we were getting somewhere).
"OK ye encik?" the guy said.
I smiled at him even though I was still shaking. "Terima kasih banyak-banyak."
The worker ant filled up a form for me and got me my queue number (yes, another queue), but this time there were comfortable sofas. And I was number 84, and they were serving number 82. It was already 03:40, and I was still indignant. People at the counter were all buying at least 2 iPhones, and there were boxes on unopened boxes of phones. I waited for almost 5 minutes before I was called, and the girl behind the counter was polite, even though she was visibly tired. To my left and right, customers were treated with congeniality by additional staff on top of those serving them. When the girl stifled a yawn, I asked, "You're continuing work this morning or someone will take over the shift?"
"The VIP section is opened during this slot only."
Wait. VIP section?
Senior staff at the back were asking around if people were going to buy any more phones or they would start packing.
I asked the girl, "Do you still have the 32GB black model to buy at retail price?"
"Sure. We have lots more."
Backtrack. The staff outside was informing everyone that they only had the black 16GB left, and nothing else, despite customers having pre-booked different models.
So. What did I do? I bought the black 32GB at retail price.
Fadz: -2
I felt bad because I scolded the staff outside for selling extra iPhones to customers and in the process robbing others of their pre-booked models. So I was being a hypocrite by getting an extra phone for myself. The guys had all the models in stock and were packing them up. I was already pissed of for having to wait over 3 hours and almost didn't get the phone I wanted. I wouldn't have gotten what I came for if I hadn't thrown a hissy fit. Judge me all you want, but I felt that I deserved to buy that second phone.
During the purchasing process, I overheard the staff talking about closing shop at 04:00 sharp, as the schedule stated. Another staff said all those people waiting outside would not be able to purchase their phones despite having pre-booked for that slot. I knew for a fact that the last person to have queued up did so around 02:00.
It didn't matter. They were going to close shop anyway.
Maxis: -6
When I completed the transaction and walked off with a paper bag filled with 2 iPhones and several thousand ringgit poorer, I noticed that people were still in line within the tent area, and at the registration booths at the entrance, people were grouped up, hands raised. My best bet: they were just informed that only the black 16GB was available, and that Maxis was closing shop, so who were the last few customers willing to buy that model. Behind them, at least 40 to 50 people were still lined up outside in the cold, dark night, oblivious to the disappointment that awaited them.
People were willing to pay good money to be handed scraps. They were more than willing; they were desperate. Scraps. This is what our society has been reduced to.
Maxis: -7
When I got back to the hospital at 04:20, I was still shaking. Part of it was anger. A larger part was disbelief. If I hadn't created a scene, I would not have received the phone that was promised me in advance. If I hadn't created a scene, I would not have been bumped up the queue, straight into the VIP section. I have no illusions that I deserved to be in the VIP section; I did not belong there. It took bold indignation on my part, asserting my rights as a customer, to be treated like an actual person.
I activated my new phone to make sure I was contactable (my old sim was already deactivated), and went promptly to sleep. I was dead tired. Anger had drained everything from me, and I hate being angry. I didn't get the satisfaction of owning a new toy like I did before. I didn't even get the gratification of accomplishment. The procurement felt tainted.
Alhamdulillah, at least there were no emergency cases throughout the night. I still woke up tired, spent, though.
The story doesn't stop here. After Friday prayers, Shiraz and I stopped by the Maxis center in KLCC. Needless to say, it was full. We approached a promoter and I asked if there were any iPhones left.
"I'm sorry, sir," he said. "We're totally out of stock."
"Dang."
"You can register your name and come back early tomorrow morning."
Shiraz and I looked at each other. "Wait," I said. "You said you're totally out of stock."
"Yes, but just come back tomorrow morning. We open at 08:30."
"Do you have a daily sales quota that you've reached?"
"No. We're out of stock. Honest."
"So you should still be out of stock if we come back tomorrow morning, right?"
Silence.
Shiraz smirked and walked over to get a brochure. The promoters didn't even entertain him.
Maxis: -8
We left Maxis center and looked for the Celcom outlet, as they were also selling the iPhone 5. The promoter lady was very friendly. Good start. Unfortunately, the iPhone 5 plan package was sold out. Bummer.
But wait. "You can still purchase the iPhone 5 without the package."
"So you still have the phones?" Shiraz asked.
"Yes. But the package is sold out. We have the white 16GB and 64GB right now if you want. The 16GB is RM2499."
A bit more? "The 32GB retail price is RM2499," I said. "The 16GB is only RM2199."
The promoter nodded. "Apple only sent 1000 units to Malaysia. We had to get the phones from a different dealer, so it's a bit more expensive. So do you want to purchase one?"
Celcom: -10 for trying to con us.
It's no longer about serving customers and doing right by them. It's all about the money. Maxis didn't care if people were disappointed despite having to wait in line for 4 hours. Their product was selling, and that's the bottom line. They didn't care if they lost customers; there were always more consumers desperate to gather the scraps thrown at them.
I posted this question on Facebook, though for a different context: "I don't know which is worse: leading an impoverished life because that's all you've ever known and you may never experience anything better, or knowing life can be better because you've experienced it, but the system forces you to deal with an impoverished life, and you can't do anything about it."
As consumers, we are paying good money for a disappointment. We complain and bitch about it, but when the vendor provides the bare minimum of service, we still raise out hands the highest, we still push others out of the way, just to receive less than what we deserve. This doesn't apply just to Maxis. If you read between the lines, this post is applicable for a far greater picture.
As a nation, we haven't been exposed to anything better despite our rights. If we have been exposed to a better life, and demand it, we are told to either shut up or get out. Gratitude for past actions is forced on us, and we are made to remember the past, always remember.
But not dream for a better future.
Quoting a brilliant book made into a beautiful movie, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky,
We accept the love we think we deserve.
We deserve more.
Think about it.
A perk of being single is that no one can judge you for your toys. It's not like you're buying a phone instead of baby shoes--rock that phone, man!
As for the customer "service" you experienced--blech. And also, how dumb do they think people are?
Posted by: Breanna Teintze | Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 08:18 AM