Flat Tyres n Good Service

I had a flat tyre on my way back from a shopping spree yesterday. Feeling lazy to change the tyre myself I called AAM for assistance.

After the usual Q&A by the lady on the other end, she finally ask for my membership number...erh....which I sort of didnt renew my membership since I think, about 6-7 years ago...

To which she replied: Sorry sir but we only serve members.

So I ask what is my alternative.

She says, either you renew on the spot which means RM150 cash or find other alternative.

Wow! That's d price to pay for not renewing my membership. While I respect their SOP for assisting only members I think it would make very good marketing sense for them to try to assist distress drivers who is by the way not having a breakdown in a remote jungle but is in the very middle of the town.

Instead of holding the distressed driver by the balls to squeeze out RM150 to change a flat or ask them to try surviving on their own by finding other alternative they could've check and see if their mechanics are having teh tarik somewhere and ask them to rush to the scene, help this poor bloke out for a reasonable fee, get him to sign up and in the process retaining a grateful and potential life long member of AAM.

But then again, as with most big companies in malaysia - individual customer or potentials meant little to them. Good services to the masses meant little more. CSR is an alien unheard of word. These big companies only focus is at the top 20% which they consider their a la creme - that gives their company the turnover needed. The rest can can go somewhere else for all they care.

By virtues of their size, the government lack of sympathy for poor folks plus impotent consumer associations, the consumer of Malaysia is frequently beaten to submission and have to continue to pay for the follies of a few "camouflaged" business people in position.

As consumers we should all stand together. Register our dissatisfaction no matter how insignificant we think it is. Do not, however, complaint for complaint sake becos we are hard to please.

Instead give constructive complaints based on service level expectation.

My friend once asked me, what do you get from complaining and do you think there'll be changes even if you complained?

Well, if we say nothing, nothing is definitely going to get changed - becos the clueless sitting up there will still very much be clueless - however, if we make a complaint, collectively, our voices may be loud enuf for even the deaf to hear.

We cant expect changes to happen overnite but like the chinese saying, if we have perseverance, slowly but surely even a piece of useless rusted metal can be turn into a beautiful shiny needle.

To my friends who says never mind to all the abuses heap on them by bullying big companies, I would like to quote Elie Weisel: to remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all... neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victims..and silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.

SPEAK UP! .... pleeeaasee....