citibank woes
so continuing from the other day, these citibank credit sales person calls me back regarding the failed application. to their credit, she is really polite. anyways, she explains to me that i need to send in more documentation to make an appeal. and to her credit, she is resubmitting the application on my behalf which she warns me, will take a longer period of time. being so polite, i didn't want to ruin her day by being difficult but honestly, why in hell must there even be an appeal? honestly, if the citibank credit cards department feels that i am not worthy of holding their card, then i will just apply to another bank. yes i will not be eligible for the food perks (which btw is essentially why i am applying in the first place), but tough luck. i ain't going to starve just because i cannot frequent those places... i probed deeper as to whether there were any other factors hindering my application, since i was rejected by two different cards - the clear card & the promotional platinum card. and this was the next new thing, based on their criteria, they do not look at your payslip to determine eligibility but they total up your cpf contributions for a year and divide it by 12 months. straight away, my normally placid mind went into overdrive. - if they add 12 months then divide by 12, how about those that have been working for less than 12 months?
- if they add 12 months then divide by 12, how about those that get increments partway into their job?
thus citibank, through the selection criteria and policies, might be saying something that goes according to the lines of - we want perforated payslips so that we know you are not typing it up on MS word and we want you to start your career with a minimum of $2.5k. if not you should think very very hard about ever getting our cards. of cos for those that have just started working in companies that pay you loads of money when you enter, we also want you. especially those that enter those big companies you know? but small agencies that we never heard of? hmmm... oh yeah, btw you! the guy that works your way slowly up...prove it to me that you are worthy. besides there are enough people elsewhere for me to sign up, what is the loss of one person to me?
someone tell somebody that in case the banking industry hasn't noticed, the rest of the economy is still recovering. that translates to lower salaries, in case no one has realised. it will take time for people to start off and work towards pre-2001 salary scales. yes yes, of cause people are earning. but give them time, that's what i am saying.
of course, i wouldn't ever know if all of the above is true but it sure seems that way when it seems so complicated to obtain a citibank credit card. i reckon pulling out my wisdom teeth might be easier and less annoying.
Merry Christmas!
merry christmas everyone!! have a blast over the next 12 days!
do i need a perforated pay slip just to qualify...?
so i was applying for a citibank credit card earlier in the month at orchard and just this evening at parkway parade. figured that i ought to get one since entertainment is part of my jobscope and i can use the card to get 1-1 deals, good makan discounts etc... twice i got rejected - without any reason being given. twice the credit sales person serving me asked me 'are your payslips perforated?'. being in an agency, where we have less than 20 people, of course the answer is no! why would we want to spend more money to per-for-rate the payslip such that 20 people can tear into their payslips at the end of every month? i really do not think that we get any pleasure from 'tearing' into our payslips. looking into it - definitely got pleasure lar. so i get the impression that because my company is cost-efficient, that this is the reason why i have been rejected twice by citibank in my application for their card. even though i qualify by income. even though i have submitted all the relevant documents. gawd - if it wasn't because their partnership scheme is attractive, i doubt that i would be giving them a second glance, much less glance at credit. to put it simply, i am insulted. maybe i should just open a priority account with them and dump my cash into an account to get the card. but then again, why should i let them benefit by charging me for me for a service when i am not even sure of their capability to keep me satisfied as a customer?
what a farce! the Club Card my farking arse.
was officially ripped off yesterday evening. earlier this week, i received the following invite for the launch of some 'club card' from bestrestaurants.com.sg. 
let me relate my experience there. in case you assume that this is targeted, it is not. it is simply an account of the crap, (oops i meant the circumstances) that happened.
- the email went along the lines that this was a 'personalised' invite and they started it off with 'hi friend'.
- so we ( meaning my colleagues and i) went down to the place around 7pm to check out this 'new' card. and we discovered that drinks weren't free, it was 20% discounted.
- the cocktail food? mac's nuggets and potato wedges. available only after we bought drinks because at 7.30pm, they were still 'cooking' the food.
- the card? it offered a 1-1/discount (the girl wasn't clear) at certain establishments. the cost? $29 now or $99 after.
- the time period to sign up? they (meaning the people trying to sell it to us) couldn't decide between 20 days and 30 days. two different people with two different dates in mind.
- the list of partner establishments? 'i don't have it now.' or my favourite. 'you go check it at the website but can you sign up with us first?'
- the girl trying to sell it to us? couldn't take a hint that we weren't interested. btw, we found out as well that she had no clue what she was selling. reason being she was also the waitress who served us when we first arrived. she didn't even know that there was a launch on the premise that evening. until she came to sell us the card.
- oh yeah the final nail in the coffin, after 'coughing' out $29, you have to use the temporary/paper card a certain number of times (like 10-15 times), before they send you the actual plastic card. how does that help attract customers if they aren't even willing to invest in a machine to create proper cards. and c'mon, it's farking plastic, not titanium. should i 'donate' SGD$1 for the cost of material? hah!
for crying out loud, if you want to do a marketing launch for anything, please please give your target audience the benefit of intelligence and respect. the way it was done yesterday, i could roll over in my sleep and achieve better. or rather, i wouldn't waste ANYONE'S time trying something so screwed-up.
for all those times you wanted to but didn't...
check out this link. http://www.zefrank.com/punc/you know what to do next time...
my hatch day stash
that's right lorri! that's right lin!
'oh and i thought my blogskin was original *wah* heheh. do u realise we have the same bloody blogskin and fonT ! except yours is in BABY BLUE and mine is in SWEET PINK ! how cute ! twin blog skins and matching fonts. wahahaha'lorrito lorri: that's right! we have twin blogs. muahhahaha...now got to find an original picture liaos. you lar!! i know...i know...you going to say you started first and that BS right? *smile* BOO! in UK North Yorkshire, uni of York studying English (lit) and Philosophy. sorry lar, din mean to leave without a word, didnt want to broadcast as well. it was HEEREN btw.linto lin: okok, i got it wrong. heeren not bugis. at least i got the shopping mall genre. cooL! glad you are doing well in the UK. it's winter. it's supposed to be cold. if it weren't cold, i would be worried. cos it means the polar caps have fully melted and this island...is going undergo massive flooding. but good luck for the course! don't get homesick, there is always a sliver lining somewhere. just go look. *grin*
Second...Happy Birthday Serene!
happy birthday babe! many joyous thoughts and happiness to come your way! remember...when all else fails, just laugh and you have company.
think sad thoughts and we look for the 1800-number for you. *grin*
just kidding.
yes i meant that we will look for the number. no i meant that you shouldn't have sad thoughts.
*grin*
First. A warning about bad service.
serene and i decided to co-celebrate our birthdays this week by treating the group to a dinner at fish & co and a movie at plaza sing. so i had the grand responsibility to book a table for us at fish & co, park mall yesterday evening. early on, in the morning already when calling in to make a reservation, the staff there taking the call 'teed me off. (strike one)'we don't take reservations past 6.3opm' they said. 'so there is no way for me to come in past 7?' i asked. 'no.' was the reply. point 1: don't you guys want to make money on a monday evening? bullshit if you claim you had full house, i was there and no way in hell did i see anything resembling a larger crowd than what i had. but i digress. if managment feels money drops in from those who will attempt to walk to an ulu location, then i shall not argue. so i made the reservations for 6.30pm. when i arrived there with 4 frens at 6.40pm, the reception staff told me that no reservation under my name had been made! (strike two)point 2: don't let a customer feel that his attempt to have a smooth dinner event is wasted because some idiot forgot to update the reservations list. making a reservation is a sign of respect by the customer of the establishment - that the restaurant has a reputation of being popular & crowded and therefore making a reservation is paying tribute to that assumption.the manager decides that me! ( the customer who identified himself as the person who made a reservation by stating it clearly in the beginning of the conversation) is not worth talking to. directing all comments at my fren i.e. my guest does not make me feel happy at all. if i gather a group to dinner, i am the host. and the host does not take kindly to being neglected and having his guest answer any questions regarding group size, time of arrival or any other miscelleneous stuff. (strike three)point 3: the customer wants to feel special. as a manager in the restaurant, if you lack basic courtesy, your business is one just waiting to fail. and fail miserably at that. then mr. manager decides to impose a rule that 80 % of the group must be present before he will let the table out. for gawd's sake, the table has already been set. i had 7 people at that time with me. what would we have done? walk away after sitting down? people sitting at a table waiting for frens are people willing and ready to order drinks and starters. keeping the 1st half of the group waiting in limbo does not make customers feel like spending. we have 14 people, tell me the bill will be less than $300. but of cos, money falls from customers who decide to hike to the deserted lands in search of seafood. i must be really dense. (first base)point 4: money in the pocket is better than begging, hoping and praying. you have 7 people. do you really think the 7 of them will wait for the remaining 7 and say 'let's go home.'? use your freaking brain that you were born with!exercise that muscle. it has apparently atrophied. eventually we were all shown to a table for 14 people. right next to the kitchen. 'sorry ah, no more space.' says mr. manager. well apparently, they also have forgotten how to join tables of two together in the middle of the restaurant to form a table for 14 people. (second base)point five: think out of the box. run a business. not aim to lose it. so dinner proceeds, food is served. fun and laughter is back with the group. 'can you split the cheque between two credit cards please?' we innocently ask. *silence*'you know like half on one card, half on the other?' we persist. *longer silence + open eyed stare* 'we need you to tell us how to split the bill...' starts the cashier. 'nevermind, just charge this card alone.'we gave up. (home run lar!!)point six: do not suffer idiots. just walk away and maybe grab some fresh air, a walk might just make you feel better. final point: just don't go to the fish & co at park mall. spare yourself the aggravation. it's all about the small stuff eh...
one day as a reporter...
hey lin! what you doing in UK - study what course? never tell...still thought you are at bugis. have a good study experience!
and now to my day yesterday...i was given a brief to go to the orchard area (botanic gardens and orchard) to get public i.e. consumers to test out video calling on a 3G phone (nokia of cos lar!) and pass me a quotatable comment. my gawd! we are such a self conscious/shy/inane/anal bunch of losers! what is wrong with being photo-graphed and asked comments on??? i cannot bloody get it.
so me and my camera guy went to botanic gardens to try catch families having a picnic, couples strolling etc...to get them to test out doing things like a video call with each other afterwhich i will interview them and ask simple questions like 'how did you find the experience? did you find it different/novel/pain in the ass (etc)?
the responses i got for people turning me down were nothing short of creative. whoever said singaporeans cannot think, should try out what i did. these guys had only like 30 secs to think of something to turn me down with.
me: hi, i am doing some research on an
article that i am
writing for a newspaper, i was hoping that you could help me
out...
guy
A: cannot cannot. i don't think i can.
me: i will just need you to give me
one line
on how you feel...
guy A: i don't read the papers.(and looks at
me as though i will challenge him.)
here's another good one that came up.
me: hi, i am doing some
research on an article that i am
writing for a newspaper, i was hoping
that you could help me out...
guy
B: i don't know anything about
technology.
me: can i show you this
process?
guy B: you show me also i don't know how to
do it. cannot.
bye bye. (and he flees the scene with wife and kid in tow)
in case, you think it's only the men who give anal answers.
me: hi, i am doing some research on an
article that i am
writing for a newspaper, i was hoping that you could help me
out...
girl
C: umm, umm (eyes start to look
around wildly for some excuse to reject me
when the baby she is carrying suddenly
starts to cry)
me: is the baby
ok?
girl C: cannot help you, my baby crying.(and she is away from me in a
flash.)
*she should have tried out for the SEA games 200m dash.*
well, at the end of the day, i got the number of quotes i needed for the article. would like to thank all those who didn't run away or reject me. hope the article comes out alright. after yesterday, i now empathise with the general news journos when they have to go out/on scene with their camera/video crews and get members of the s'porean public to comment on anything.
chillin' at altivo
trying to be arty and capture the flame with the toothpicks on my...guess what...kyocera again! *grin*was at altivo friday night...and to quote from the rest of the group who was there earlier in the evening - 'the service sucks'. even more than it used to suck before the renovation. they don't bother to pass you a menu when you first arrive at the place, ask to get you another drink when you are done, unfamilar with normal housepours e.g. chivas green tea and they try to close the kitchen early. and that is only for me, the others had situations where they lump orders together onto the same receipt, double charge for the same item, not replace wine glasses when the new bottle of wine arrives...*shakes head* and for that they expect me to drive all the lousy way up mount faber...they have got to be bloody kidding. never again! *big booming voice* but all in all, we took pictures, had some proper wine, drink etc..., and ended up the evening (morning...) at the usual prata place within chinatown. still not a wasted friday night.
Nokia L'Amour event@Secret Garden
some of the nicer shots from the set-up that day...taken with my kyocera. *grin* btw, the second picture isn't the reflection from the rest of the venue. it's a painting. cool eh? my skill.
