Non-Commitment

I called a lighting store last Sunday for them to send someone down to install the kitchen light for me. The girl over the phone said the appointment was confirmed to be this Saturday 10.30am. Then 10.30am passed yet nobody turned up. I called them up and only found out my order was not put in at all. The lady was rude, a leave it or take it attitude.

Then I ordered my dining table before Chinese New Year. The delivery was supposed to be today. Again, last night they called up to say the set reserved for me got some problems and they had to get another set for me. So, obivously I will have no dining table today.

There is such a big difference between Singapore and Italy, or Europe in general. You see the Italians are always in a mess, but then if you put in your order, everything will just turn out fine, although sometimes I really worry whether I can get things done, and my message has been understood properly. Then in Singapore, they sound so confident and yet they don't deliver. Worse, they don't compensate customers for their late delivery. To many of the business guys in Singapore, there is no such thing as a 'Reputation'. Do they have to bother? Maybe not, as business has been very good in the past few years.