Sometime this year, my sister and I talked about upgrading our computers since ours are already Jurassic-old and dilapidated. Mine is still tolerable anyway but hers has already crashed. Amidst the insufficiency of funds and starvation issues, we managed to check out the latest units that can be purchased for our upgrades. On May 20, we decided to plow down all the computer stores in Megamall (since we’re from Mandaluyong, it’s the nearest and most convenient place that we know) to scout for the computer peripherals that we need. On the 4th floor Cyberzone part of Megamall, we window-shopped and pretended we have lots of money to buy the whole place. We infiltrated this store, we crept on here and there, but nothing is convincing enough for us to lay down all our wealth for some piece of computer parts that we can enjoy at the end of the day.
Just before we lose our expensive patience that day, something suddenly caught our attention. Behold! It says… VillMan Computer Systems, Inc. Hundreds of mammals flock that store, it seems like there is a pandemonium of shoppers trying to grab all the goods they see in the showcase. It seems interesting. We set foot in that store and found a bald-headed guy who was so friendly, assertive and evidently equipped with such talent of everything an effective salesman should have. He approached us, perhaps we smell money, and in his pupils you will see Peso sign… we are potential buyers! He talked, he discussed their products, and he sounded so knowledgeable with all their merchandise that you wanted to heed his recommendations. Voila! He got what he wanted. He made us buy: 2 ASROCK 775I65G LGA775 I865GV 800MHz Motherboards
2 Intel Celeron 2.53GHz (D326) LGA775 Processors
1 Kingston 512Mb DDR PC400/3200 Memory
We were told that all their items have 1 year warranty. We were so convinced since the bald-headed guy seems so sure that they all run perfectly (I bought my Kingston memory from another store right next to theirs some days later since we don’t have enough cash to buy for one more at that time). I realized that no one wants to flaunt its newly-bought underwear and run down the streets without clothes on so I thought of dressing up properly and buy outerwear, as well. What's good in buying the internal parts without shaping up the external? So I also bought a new tower case specific for the size and format of my new motherboard. We hurriedly went home and I liquidated the old parts of my computer just like how Amon Goeth wiped out the Jews during the holocaust. After which, I then replaced them with the newly-purchased motherboard, processor and memory. The bald-headed guy didn’t go wrong, they all ran perfectly cool!
September…
It was a fine, ordinary weekend for me to sit down tête-à-tête with my computer and noticed that my 80Gb-MP3-infested-harddisk is playing slow that day. I decided to defrag my primary and secondary disks and just as it started, my computer suddenly turned off. I thought it only powercycled itself before it starts the defragmentation process but I waited the whole lifetime and it didn’t turn on anymore. Worse is, it can no longer be powered on anymore. Crap!
I hurriedly brought my PC down to where I purchased the tower case, suspecting that the problem is with the power supply. A lot of allegations were thrown down at that time. It might be this, it might be that. But after a careful, meticulous troubleshooting and testing, the technician finally concluded that there was no problem with the tower case’s power supply. The problem lies on the motherboard’s 12v socket itself. There is no electricity running on the said socket which is needed to power up the whole motherboard. I was advised to bring the motherboard to where I bought it. Where else? But that darn VillMan!
September 28, it was heavy traffic all over Ortigas Center because of the OctoberFest prelude party. Along with my daughter Gelii, we circumnavigated Megamall and finally landed on the Cyberzone area where hip-hoppers with their low-waist-pants-with-belt-on-it-so-what outfit plague at that time. VillMan, here I am again! I am so impressed that the bald-headed guy did not approach me this time. Neither that I don’t smell money anymore or perhaps because the word “angry” can be read in my forehead. In fairness with the employees, they were accommodating anyway. They tested the unit and finally, their verdict… defective board. Whew! I don’t want to hear the next lines he has to say but I don’t have a choice. “Sir, we need to replace this and it will take 2-3 weeks for us to order the replacement item,” is the last statement that I am expecting that time but that’s the first that I heard. I was told they need to call their supplier to send them a replacement for this since the unit is already irremediable. I don’t remember he mentioned he will be giving me a brand new one (Assumption #1: do companies replace defective peripherals with their refurbished units even when it is still under warranty?). I was totally shocked actually, to hear that I will not have a computer for 2-3 weeks so I begged for any temporary replacement of any board of its kind. It was denied. I was told they don’t issue second-hand units to customers (Assumption #2: since it is a protocol not to issue second hand units to customers, then I should be given a whole new motherboard). I respected that. It’s a company policy. I work in a call center and I know what that means. And I know no one should break the company policy, even customers are always right.
What else did I do? Wait endlessly. As the days go by, I felt like I was waiting for the crows to turn white… and wait for them to turn black again. Days… 1 week… 2 weeks had passed. I constantly called them to follow-up but to no avail. Wait still. Wait some more. But I’m tired. While there are still icebergs left in Antarctica, I should make a move now!
October
Fifteenth day marked the third week of waiting. It was already October 11 and I got the chance to drop by at Megamall. What else do I have to say but, VillMan here I am again! I prepared myself for the worst news to hear, and I was right. It’s still not there. In short… I can’t fix my computer yet! Keeping my composure not to unleash a Stephen Chow-inspired fury, I uncomplainingly listened to the alibi. You can see the attempt to convince me that they’re on my side (Oh God, forget about building rapport and empathizing with me coz I already know that bunch of craps!), and what was promised to me is that they will purchase the motherboard from other sources instead and to make me feel guilty, I was told that they will finance it in the meantime since the delivery hasn’t arrived yet, just to make me have my motherboard already (Assumption #3: since they will purchase it from other sources, do companies purchase second-hand units for replacement of their defective ones?). Okay, I agreed. It will be just 4 more days to wait, as promised. I was able to wait for three weeks, why not 4 days more?
Uhm, 4 days is over. This is it. Today’s the day! Hallelujah! I’m gonna have my all-new computer parts again after three weeks of waiting. I hurried down to Megamall though it’s raining hard. I had to dodge from the multitude of raindrops just to reach Cyberzone and here we go… VillMan, here I am again! It is at least a relief at first when I was told that they will just test “it” to make sure it is running perfectly good before they hand it over to me. And when they’re done, they called me to see it for myself. Perhaps they are expecting me to jump for joy just like what Fidel Ramos did when Ferdinand Marcos finally fled to wherever, but the reaction that I can give is contrary to that. Sure the motherboard is running okay, but wait… there’s more!!! Look at the back panel, it looks rusty. Check the slots, there are stains on the sides. Stick your eye on the board itself, there are particles of dust. In short, the board they are giving me is a second-hard, used, old and looks worn-out! What did they think of me, it was my first time to see the inside part of a computer? If they only knew, my computer is a product of constant upgrading. I started from 4x86 to 5x86 to Pentium 100 to Pentium MMX to Pentium II to Pentium III to Pentium IV. I know how a motherboard looks like when it is fresh from the box or it has already been gang-raped by some hip-hoppers with their low-waist-pants-with-belt-on-it-so-what outfit. Please, I’m just handsome but I’m not dumb.
I didn’t take the motherboard he was giving me. I demanded for explanation, that’s the least thing I can do at that time. I was told they didn’t order anymore since last Saturday, October 13, their delivery finally arrived. What had arrived? That old, dusty motherboard? No way that I am taking that. I drew a long breath and gave the employee a fatal glare. I was expecting for at least an apology but I didn’t get any. He seemed to just want to pacify me before I explode like Mount Aetna, he promised me again that he really will purchase a new one from other sources this time and be back again tomorrow to pick it up. Once and for all! I looked around to find their manager but everyone I see is wearing a blue VillMan uniform apt for an ordinary employee. It seems like the store is not armed with a manager, as their ammunition somehow, when customers would like to annihilate all the employees he sees around. I am not leaving without his name… and he is Aaron.
I resorted to calling their main office instead, in a payphone near their store, and a certain Flor Repuezo answered the phone. In 3 years of working in a call center, this is the line that I hated to hear most, and this is the line that I love to say now “I want to speak to your supervisor!” Surprisingly, I was lambasted with a de-escalation process, I was told she doesn’t have her bosses at that time (Jun Castro and Eric Guillermo, as she mentioned). Today is Monday, it is 12:10pm, and there is no Manager in the store, there are no bosses in the main office? Well, no wonder this is the quality of customer service that we get. I still vented out my complaints, anyway. Flor Repuezo patiently listened to me, in fairness. I demanded that this will reach her superiors and she assured me, at least (if I was her QA Analyst for this call, she will pass anyway) that she will report this in no time. I hurriedly went home with dismay and regret, and I realized I wasn’t contented with what I just did. I went online and gathered all the possible email addresses of VillMan where I can send out my grievances. And here’s how it goes:
To Whom It May Concern:
I hereby air my complaints about the incident that happened earlier at 12:10 pm in your Villman Megamall Branch. This is with regard to the Asrock Motherboard 775I65G that I purchased on May 20, 2007 which should be replaced due to defective unit.
Sometime in September, my computer suddenly turned-off while I was working and was unable to turn on again. I had it checked with the computer center where I purchased my tower casing, suspecting that the defect is with the power supply, but upon meticulous troubleshooting, they found out that the defect lies on the 12v socket of the motherboard. On the 28th of September, I brought the motherboard at your Megamall branch where I purchased it to have it checked, as well. The board was tested and diagnosed that it blacked-out and no longer usable. I was given a Service Receipt and was promised to have it replaced instead (i.e. the unit is still under warranty) upon arrival of the delivery, and since this will be ordered on the following week, I was told that it will take 2-3 weeks before the replacement board will be handed to me.
Within 2 weeks of constantly waiting, I made follow-up calls almost everyday just to check if the replacement board has already arrived, but to no avail. Last Thursday, October 11, I personally dropped-by at your Megamall branch to chance if I can already pick up the motherboard, but to my dismay, I was told that it is still unavailable. However, Aaron, the employee who always accommodates me when I call, promised that he will make a call that day to purchase and informed me that “they” will pay for it for the meantime just to secure a replacement for my board. I was again promised to come back today, October 15, to get the newly-ordered motherboard.
I went back there earlier today to finally get my board and I was relieved at first when I heard that Aaron said the order is “already there” and he will just test it so he can show it to me that it is working. He worked on a certain motherboard, tested it, and showed it to me that it is working fine. Unfortunately, when I thoroughly checked on the back panel of the motherboard he is showing me, it shows that the unit is second-hand, has already been used and looks very old and worn-out. I refused to take the board he is giving me and demanded an explanation. He justified it, however, that he didn’t purchase anymore since their delivery already arrived last Saturday, October 13, and decided to give me that board instead. I never thought that your company replaces a defective unit with a refurbished one which looks older than the item a customer purchased which lasted only for four (4) months. I left your Megamall branch with another promise that I can pick-up the unit the next day, October 16.
I do not demand for anything more than my right as a customer. I just don’t want to be treated less than what I deserve as your customer. Thank you very much and I hope to have a fair result with this.
Respectfully,
Norberto Reyes, III
0916-4566739
What I am expecting for this to happen? I don’t know. I just don’t want to be cheated. I live and breathe quality customer service for a living but I am not getting what I give. Most of the time, Filipinos complain of not progressing, of not succeeding. But what we don’t know is that we are the reason why we don’t get such progress and success in our lives. We are rotting in this third-world with all the corruptions rampant in the society. Filipinos are very talented, so intelligent and brave. But we use those qualities in the wrong way.
I do not demand for anything more than my right as a customer. I just don’t want to be treated less than what I deserve as a consumer.
