You gotta love the level of service in Thailand. I know I do. They just keep making my life so colorful and help me release my bottled emotions. This edition of Thai Service rant is starring two female staff of Siam Paragon, 3rd floor gift section.
Earlier in the evening I had my eyes on a computer bag at a craft shop in Siam Square where you can decorate it with their iron-on felt characters. Unfortunately the shop didn’t have the color of the bag I wanted, so they suggested that I checked at Paragon, one of their department store booths.
So I did and there it was my beautiful cloth laptop bag in brownish cream with touches of grayish blue. I picked out a cute retro cat design, a few flowers and a letter K just to spice up its boring housewife look and headed to the shop girl.
I gave her my Paragon Prestige Platinum card, which should automatically give me 10% discount.
She: “We don’t accept that card anymore. We have a new policy now. You can get discount only if your purchase is B1,500 or more. Please go upstairs to the members lounge to change it.”
We recently received a letter from Paragon regarding this matter. I was aware of it. But the letter also said we did not need to replace the card.
Foolishly, I followed her instruction, dragging myself, my 2kg MacBook and my oversized handbag to the 4th floor.
With my suspposedly defunct card in hand, I fetched me staff who said,
“You don’t need to replace the card. It can be used with the new policy”
“But the shop girl downstairs wouldn’t accept it for discounts. She said I had to change it.”
“You can go down there and tell her the office said so. If she still refuses, tell her to call us.”
An effective display of authority right there. I was impressed. Well not for long.
I dragged myself down to the corner of my dream laptop bag again, headed to the girl and told her I didn’t need to change it. I showed her the card, and she gave me this response,
“Oh sorry. The old and the new cards are similar. This one doesn’t have gold stars.”
“ขอโทษค่ะดูผิด บัตรใหม่กะเก่าหน้าตาเหมือนกัน เออใช่อันนี้ไม่มีดาวสีทองๆ”
OK, I wasn’t so heated just yet. I waited at the shop while she went off with my debit Visa and my Prestige card. She came back a few minutes later, handed me the slip to sign and that’s when hell broke lose.
The price on the slip says B1,672.
Not only that they forgot to give me to 10% discount (as my total was over B1,500), the price for my stuff BEFORE the supposed 10% discount was B1,625. Tax is included in retail and they don’t charge service. How the hell did it even increase??
I confronted her. She gave me a blank look. I told her this was impossible and sent her back to the cashier to get it fixed.
Five minutes passed and there was no sign of her. So I went to the cashier myself and found her bickering with the cashier girl.
“Why is this total wrong? Can you cancel it?” I asked the cashier. No answer from the girl. She didn’t even look at me.
“Can you please get someone to check this? A manager?” Still no look or response from the girl. So..
“Get me the damn manager, could you please your highness?”
“ไม่ทราบว่าท่านจะกรุณาไปตามผู้จัดการมันมาหน่อยได้มั๊ยเพคะ?”
Yes I shouted that to her face.
After over 30 minutes of clueless discussion between the cashier and the shop girl, none of whom ever informed me of what was going on, when I asked I simply got a Please-Wait-A-Moment from these wonderfully nonchalant staff.
“We can cancel the purchase but we cannot cancel the payment from your card. We can’t reimburse you either. Please contact your bank. Here’s the number.”
“คือเราแคนเซิลให้แล้ว แต่วอยออกไม่ได้น่ะค่ะ ทางเราก็คงคืนเงินสดให้ไม่ได้เหมือนกัน คุณต้องติดต่อแบงค์เองอ่ะค่ะ ทำให้ไม่ได้”
“I’m sorry let me get this straight. I have wasted my time, and energy, for 30 minutes just to have you say that I have to fix YOUR problem myself? Get. Me. The. Damn. Manager.”
The manager came, picked up the phone and made a few calls.
“Your money will be put back in your account by tomorrow.” I asked for their names, the name of the person they talked to on the phone, and for my receipts and cancellation proof. But then I still had to ask, why on earth wouldn’t the cashier, or heck, the machine even realize that the card gives 10% discount? Why are the staff clueless about this change? How can you people work without communicating?
The manager went and fetched the cashier girl, who was asked to bring along the registry log. The manager took one look at the log and asked her, “You didn’t swipe the card twice and press that button did you?”
Looking totally emotionless at her boss and said, “Oh is that how you do it?”
“อ๋อ ต้องทำอย่างนี้ด้วยเหลอ ไม่รู้นิ”
I had the urge to take my G10 out and take a picture of her. Heck I wish I could video the whole thing.
And funniest thing, this whole time they still expected me to buy their stuff. The shop girl put everything in the bag and was just waiting for me to pay for it. Again.
“I really don’t think I want to give my money for that anymore.”
*Planning on translating this. It would be more effective in Thai. If all else fails, there’s still Google Translator.
