The Adrian Loveridge Column – Barbadian Customers Not Being Respected by Big Business
Adrian Loveridge
There seems to be some doubt whether Mahatma Gandhi was the original person who articulated the following quotation, however,t few can doubt the meaning and intent of the message.
‘A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing a favour by giving an opportunity to do so’.
Whoever was responsible, it is something that every person in business supplying a service or goods should repeat to themselves daily. Better still, every manager or director should become a customer for a day, so they can endure what many of us are forced to accept under the guise of an ‘acceptable’ level of service.
One case in point is that one of the leading communication providers decided to dramatically change their payment portal recently. In addition to lack of access for some time, when the ‘modifications’ were made, clearly no-one within this huge organisation took the responsibility of checking whether it was fully functional or not, prior to forcing it on their paying users. Even when major defects are pointed out to the company and key named figures within the company are sent personal emails, do they respond? The simple answer is no or very rarely.
And this despite major changes in senior management, with those persons buying air time on various media channels to state that customer service is their number one priority.
I am not singling out this particular entity, because there are several other examples. One of our leading financial institutions imposed a 50 per cent increase recently of its monthly service fee, without the required 30 days written notice and in fact no notification to its clients at all. They may argue that the increases are displayed in all the branches, but as we know, people with restricted time avoid at all possible costs visits to a bank branch unless they enjoy queuing for long periods.
The same bank, unlike any such charge being levied in the thousands of branches across the domain of their headquarters, imposes on Barbadian customers, a $12 monthly fee on a no risk (to the bank) debit card. It defies belief, charging for access to our own funds which currently earn little or no interest. Yet weeks later, they again after considerable launch marketing costs, roll-out an annual fee free credit card with cash back benefits, despite the potential default risk by users to the bank.
Is it that we are completely docile as consumers and feel there is nothing that can be done without an effective regulating authority or lobbying body?
Who or what Government agency is going to oversee the dramatic price hikes widely anticipated from 1st July? I sincerely hope that any active consumers out there use every square inch of the social media to highlight unwarranted increases and price gouging, as it is clearly an area that we cannot rely on the current administration to monitor and police.
Barbados Underground 
Is it that we are completely docile as consumers and feel there is nothing that can be done without an effective regulating authority or lobbying body?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
Simple answer……YES.
We require a functioning fully fledged consumer body in Bim……from all indications no one wants one…..we like it so in our wukkup country.
LikeLike
A timely submission. The time has arrived when we, as consumers, have to mind our business very carefully and not rely on official regulators to do it for us. The honour system is dead and Big Brother is no longer looking out for us.
LikeLike
A good example of the need good consumer protection: sometime ago a Christchurch based time share company used to have young women in Broad Street trying to temp visitors to visit the hotel and, as a prize, they would get some white rice.
My wife, as she would, thought it would be a good idea to go to the site to help out the young women. To cut a long story short, we paid BDs$1000 down on a timeshare with the intention of cancelling it the following day. We made the assumption, without checking, that there must be a cooling off period for such a large investment.
But the company held on to our money, claiming it was non-returnable, further, the timeshare agreement was apparently written under US law. It was scandalous. I complained to some consumer body who started waffling.
I was left with the alternative of taking the hotel owners to court. But when I considered it was Barbados, I sadly decided to forego the $1000.
LikeLike
@ Vincent at12:23 PM
What you want my people to do? We could as well wukkup. You see anything else for we to do? And do not mention it in the presence of certain people because they may tax that too.
LikeLike
@Bernard and Vincent
Have you observed how the upper class in the society are making money from the wukking up by making attendance by invitation only?
If we can be creative in this way why not extend it to other areas of endeavor?
LikeLike
Hal
Timeshare laws to protect the customer/purchaser/owner were drafted in 1980 on the request of Tom…..to date they have never been passed,not surprised at the issue with your wife.
Bernard
Chuckle……you have a point as this year the wukkup police may register the bumpers and tax them.
LikeLike
David
More fodder for the MoF to use as proof as to how wealthy Bimmers are and to drop more taxes on them……we like it so.
LikeLike
Vincent,
Had the down payment been made by credit card I would have been able to raise the case in the UK. Sometimes the protection offered by credit card companies can be useful. But it goes back to poor regulation in Barbados, it is a bandit country.
LikeLike
Hal
On point……no disagreement from me.
LikeLike
@Hal A
But the company held on to our money, claiming it was non-returnable, further, the timeshare agreement was apparently written under US law.
+++++++++++
Poor Hal, the astute Financial columnist forgot the following “ A fool and his money are soon parted”
LikeLiked by 1 person
@ David at 12 :43 PM
That is only seasonal, like the Sea Egg diver. After the season, they catch their royal like the rag- a – muffins such as I. They got to eat too you know. That is entrepreneurship.
LikeLike
Hal what was the company,Lol by the time I was finished with them they would be begging to give my money back. I would find out who owned it and make a donation to the rainbow coalition ,hari krishnas and Jehovah witnessess on there behalf so they get on their lists. I would have my friends sit in on their sales pitch get the rice and have a food fight with it. Bad news travels half way around the world before good news gets up , bad mouth them every opportunity. I did a job once for a pizza company in my neighborhood , they screwed me over for peanuts 300 dollars I ate there once a week and never went back, my friends stopped going , If a customer wanted me to work on there house I would ask if they ate there , if they did I would pass on there job unless they used another business . Now what do you think that 300 dollars has cost them over 30 yrs.. These idiots have to learn that people are not cows to be milked
LikeLike
Lawson,
It was one of those moments when you allow your heart to rule your head. I was determined to take them on but had no confidence in attorneys. I am trying to remember the name, it is that hotel just below the Blue Horizon.
LikeLike
Here is some advice being shared in T&T that Bajans can take on board as well.
LikeLike
@ Hal
Here is some free bush-advice….
Stop contributing on this topic….
When finding oneself in a deep well
FIRST STEP ….. stop digging…..
The very fact that you would publicly reveal such financial idiocy – using your REAL name (and involving your poor unfortunate wife) speaks volumes…..
A real bushman would have taken the lawson approach ….
if the initial”rock-stones on the roof all night long” did not work.
LikeLike