Worst Customer Service Encounter Ever!

I am so fucking pissed off with the Customer Service Department of Novena Square, Velocity! This had to be my worst customer service encounter ever! Utterly disgusting!

Since everyone loves a story on customer service from hell and I needed to get this thing off my chest before I suffer a stroke, here is my story:

On 23rd Nov, I spent over $120 at Novena Square and was told I can redeem for a free ice-skating session for my child. Wow! I imagined Laetitia happily wobbling on her skates and I just couldn't wait to make this a reality for her. I went to the Customer Service Counter for the redemption of the free pass. There was a queue, so I waited patiently and then it was finally my turn, the person behind the counter handed me a card and said to me coldly, "Book it online." when I tried to ask more information.

I had thought that the poor girl might be having a lousy day to be so unfriendly and being I.T. savvy, it shouldn't kill me to book it online on my own. So I went back home, log on to the mall's website and tried.. Didn't work.. I tried again.. No, still not working and I tried so many times over the next few days, it just refused to work!

Knowing that the pass had only a 7-day validity, I had intended to book for the session on the 28th Nov, Sunday. However there was problem with their system which seemed incompatible with my browser and as a result I had to miss my chance of booking for that Sunday I wanted, despite my countless attempts.

Even when I had I emailed the customer service over that weekend, I waited the next 3 days for a reply in vain. Nobody seemed to be bothered to reply my email, let alone solve my booking woes!

On 30th Nov, understanding that my pass would be expiring, I had to make an effort to go to Novena Square's Customer Service Counter again, despite my busy schedule hoping to get some help. Not surprisingly, there was a queue and I was made to wait while the CSO even skipped my turn to issue a SISTIC ticket. I was feeling fine because I thought I would be taking some time so it was alright to let her issue that ticket before attending to me.

However the CSO was a total incompetence; she couldn't offer any solution at all. She kept stressing that my pass was valid only until that very day. I tried to repeat to her about how I was unable to book online for the past one week and MY BLOODY GOD, her skull was just so fucking thick that she couldn't get anything to pass through that! All she did was to ask me for my name and contact numbers to escalate my request after making me stood there like a fool repeating myself to insanity.

As a shopper, I felt it was only fair that the management look into my request to extend the expiry of my pass to meet my next alternative date (which incidentally had to be 12th Dec, since we will be celebrating Laetitia's birthday this Sunday and would never have make it in time, plus Mon to Sat were just no good either). Considering that I already had to miss the original date I wanted due to some technical issue with their online booking which was beyond my control, they should be accommodating with my request. Or so I thought.

But guess what?!

They replied that they can only extend the pass until this Sun even though they admitted their system, which fucking screwed up my privilege to have it on the date I wanted, had some issues. If you are a working mom of two, you would understand that I do not have the luxury to go and do something at the spur of the moment. I need to make arrangement in advance, so by telling me they are already being "so kind" to make that exception, but set such unreasonable criteria was totally unhelpful! And if they can manually extend it, why not do it at my request, instead of trying to inconvenient me in some ways or another.

I wrote back, rejected their apology because they just didn't seem sincere and had they genuinely wanting to help me, they wouldn't be putting me in a tight spot. I reasoned for the chance to be given the date I wanted but was turned downed flatly.

I had tried requesting, then pleading and finally threatening to air my grievances publicly or via any digital media I can get my hands on; they were just adamant to make me a very unsatisfied customer!

It is obvious that the management of Novena Square, Velocity DOES NOT value or respect its shoppers, for it to go to such an extent as to disappoint me times and again over such a simple act of customer service recovery.

It is imperative to any businesses that customer service is ALWAYS a top priority. As the old saying "If you don’t take care of your customer, somebody else will."

The management of Novena Square, Velocity took great length to provide me with the worst kind of customer service I had experienced till date; I believe the public should be informed of the kind of miseries they are capable of inflicting on their shoppers.

They knew that I had no qualms telling others about my horrible experience, but that didn't stop them from making THE choice to infuriate the shoppers who had spent their money in their premises, when they should be delighting.

It makes me wonder if I am doing them back a favour, giving them the extra publicity by blogging about it. Well, you might never know, to some despicable rats, bad publicity is still somehow a publicity.

I will be making one of my X'mas wish for someone to wake the management of Novena Square, Velocity up of their fucking idea so that they will start taking care of their shoppers instead of pissing the shoppers off the mall.

By the way, I kept a record of the email correspondence I had with the hellish Customer Service Department of the century here.