It is nice to know that more and more consumers are becoming proactive. They are quick to complain about bad service and product and are just as quick to give credit where credit is due.
Ross Harper Alonso wants La Germania and LG Appliances to know how pleased he is with their after-sales service, which he describes as “excellent.”
“This is a country not exactly popular for quality customer and after-sales service,” Alonso says. Other consumers can probably relate when he says business websites often list telephone numbers that are out of service. Even when they work, no one answers the phone or “when someone does pick up, you get a ‘ay wala si ate eh, siya ang nakakaalam. Tawag ka na lang ulit. Try mo na lang mamaya baka nandito na siya sa desk niya,’” Alonso says.
He adds that his e-mail to “Contact Us” addresses bounce back or are not replied to.
“In one case, I’ve had to travel to four cities from where I live to an appliance head office and service center to pick up a spare part that weighed less than 500 grams because the person in charge never heard of making payments via bank deposit, on line sales, mail order and courier service. ‘Kailangan dito ninyo bayaran at pick up-pin,’” he was told.
But with his experience with La Germania and LG, Alonso says, “I’m feeling a little more optimistic we’re beginning to emerge from the stone age in terms of after-sales and customer service.”
He says, when the La Germania oven in his farm in Lipa, Batangas, was not working properly, he had to decide whether to bring it to Manila for repair or take a chance with the La Germania appliance store in SM Lipa. “I was given (by SM Lipa) the telephone number and contact person for repairs in San Pablo (Laguna) right away by the person who answered phone. There was no, ‘Ay, kuya, sagutin mo nga ito. Repair daw yata,’” he says. “The lady in San Pablo was professional and immediately scheduled a visit by a technician… Yes, home service without making a fuss over the fact that my farm is in a remote area.”
He says the technician arrived on time, repaired the oven and charged only a minimal and standard service fee.
As for LG, he says the company’s Lipa office also sent immediately a technician to his remote farm to check on an “enormous malfunctioning refrigerator.” The technician came in a truck and pulled out the refrigerator for repair at the Lipa City LG center. Alonso says it was returned promptly and he was presented with a bill that “was extremely reasonable considering they had to travel more than 30 minutes to pick up and deliver the refrigerator.”
He adds that the technicians were professional, competent and confident, “good examples and proof we can set high standards. Consumers don’t have to settle for mediocre work and the usual ‘pasensiya na lang po,’” he says.
Kudos to DTI
Donna Lee is very appreciative of the help she got from the Department of Trade and Industry’s consumer protection people when she sent a complaint about the Canon Powershot D20 camera she bought.
“I never even knew that we had a government agency that is very efficient and helpful. Dealing with our different government agencies has always been very traumatic for me. Because of my recent experience with the DTI, my trust in the system has been somewhat restored.”
Lee says, although she was disappointed with the way the Canon staff dealt with her problem, “I am happy that the people at DTI were very helpful in addressing my concern.”
Send letters to The Consumer, Lifestyle Section, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 1098 Chino Roces Ave. corner Mascardo and Yague Sts., 1204 Makati City; fax 8974793/8974794; or e-mail [email protected]
