An Angry Letter to SABB's Customer Services

Today I am very angry at SABB for the way they treated me. Below is a letter I sent their customer service department which is pretty much self explanatory and I need not comment any further...

I am really upset at the way I was treated by your bank and how everyone blames other departments so that I don't know who to hold accountable. But then again I never expected you to be fully professional and treat me with the level of customer service I was expecting. This is definitely not the way I would be treated in my home country (Bahrain) or even in any other country in the world where they all treat me with respect. If they weren't able to help me, they would sincerely apologize to me and give me the reasons why I can't be served. Here? You tell me that everything is going to be ok only to find out that I can't be helped after a month or so of going back and forth. Totally humiliated.

I am also sending a copy of this message to the Regional HSBC Headquarters. I know that a voice of one dissatisfied customer such as mine will not make any difference as other people are more significant than me to you but I will make my voice heard nonetheless. Another copy would be published on my personal blog online so that other customers can see this and think twice before they start committing to a bank such as this one. When I first came to KSA, my previous employer FORCED me to open an account with you, if I had the choice, I probably wouldn’t have at the time.

It all started with the issue of the SABB Installment Financing through Jarir Bookstore in Al-Khobar to which I made a couple of complaints earlier this month and last month. I am sure if you check my record you will find complaints logged unless you throw your customer complaints out the window. But I will explain it again in lengthy details so that the HSBC regional office also know about the whole picture.

I went to Jarir Bookstore in Al-Khobar sometime before Ramadhan, and when I asked about the Amanah installment service I was asked where my salary was being transferred. When I mentioned SABB they said fine the only paperwork you have to submit is a copy of your ID. Being a Bahraini national, I provided my passport as it was the document that I used to open my demented SABB account anyway. They immediately said “NO” and explained that there was a retarded system that ONLY accepts 10-digit numbers namely the Saudi ID No. and the Iqama No., I then logged a complaint here on the SABBNet portal.
If I was told to get lost at that point I would have accepted the fact and moved on... Your first reply is what made me continue this tiresome journey of humiliation. Two days later, a number from Riyadh was on my mobile phone and the person on the other end of the line told me that he was from the main office in Riyadh and that they have received my complaint and now I can go apply again as they have resolved the issue and made an exception for me being a SABB customer whose salary is already paid EVERY single month to my account. Unfortunately, I was very happy at that prompt speedy customer service and forgot to take the guy’s name in case something went wrong but I thought trust and goodwill was there so no need. I forgot that trust is nothing I should do in this country as everyone likes to run away from their responsibilities and deny whatever they promised if it meant saving their own interests. Anyways I went back to that Jarir branch and told the guys that they should have received instructions from main office to process my application. Again they gave me a clear “NO” and when I told them that the main office had advised me to come back to you and that you would have been already instructed. The person said “Even if the main office calls me NOW and tells me to process I will NOT do so!” I was shocked and appalled at the kind of defiant reply I was given and I told the person at the desk that I wanted to escalate this matter as I am a tolerant person but I do NOT tolerate LYING especially when it’s done by employees who represent a “prestigious” financial institution. I was given the number of the Regional Supervisor/Manager who told me the same thing and that I had to check with the main office so that they can instruct him personally. I took his name this time, he was “Bader Al-Otaibi”. I placed a new complaint on SABBNet and a couple of days later, again I was called but this time from the regional office in Khobar by Omar Al-Yafei, he told me that I can go and apply this time. I asked him “Are you sure?” he said “Yes I am positive you can go and the guys will help you out” so I went there and as soon as the person saw me he greeted me with a smile and shook hands with me (They know me well by now!) and asked me to fill the application form. When he saw my new job joining date it was less than three months by only 10 days he told me he cannot enter anything in the system until I finished at least 3 months with my current employer. I went back after Eid holidays (2 weeks back almost) and applied. The person entered my details and made a background check with the bank and confirmed that all the information I provided was correct and valid. The system still wouldn’t allow him and told him that “THE CUSTOMER DETAILS NOT VALID” or something like that. I was told that I will be given a call as they have to check with the regional office. I waited for a couple of days further but as usual no one called and I had to physically leave work to go follow up with the Jarir branch. I was told that my papers have been sent to Riyadh itself! I was also told that it would take two days max. It was last Monday (20th September) so the guy assured me that they would have the feedback by Wednesday (22nd). Again by Wednesday no one called so I went again (taking from my working hours) and the guy told me that today is a holiday in the main office. Why wasn’t I told when I checked on Monday? Is that how you treat people? Anyways I was told that by Saturday they would know for sure and that I would be given a call. Saturday I was busy so couldn’t follow up but NO ONE CALLED. So by Sunday (26th) I thought they should have had the feedback ready. I went again physically as NO ONE CALLED. And was told that it was still pending with the main office. The guy there “Ahmed” said that he would call me anytime he got any updates so all of yesterday Monday 27th I didn’t follow up waiting for that call. Today morning I went to them again (from my working hours) only to be told by the Indian guy that my application was rejected and that Ahmed said he had already informed me. I told him no one did. Ahmed didn’t call, no one ever did. I told him that this was a bad service and Ahmed lied that he told his colleagues that he informed the customer where he clearly didn’t.

This was my tiresome journey. Why do you guys make the customer go through all that torture when you mention that approval comes “within 10 minutes” at the bookstore. And even if I was an exception, did that hellish process really have to take two weeks instead of two days as I was promised? And after two calls and your replies that the issue has been resolved I go and apply only to be rejected after two weeks of continuous follow-ups?

This is totally unprofessional and I don’t know what to say. My experience with your bank as a whole wasn’t a good one and I am even thinking of closing my account in Bahrain with HSBC as after all you all carry the same logo which implies to me that you all follow the same set of values and that is degrading the customer. If you want to reject someone, do it immediately instead of making him feel like he is taken care of only for him to be stabbed in the back later.

I hope this gets a response. Things I do NOT ever tolerate is lying and being treated badly where I am a paying customer. I am not valued despite me being one of the main reasons you guys exist. I don’t know how to escalate this further but I feel my rights have been severely violated.

Let's see what kind of PR bullshit they will reply to me with...

Lonely Blog...

This blog is so lonely, I need to let other people know about it. Only then I will have an incentive to update it more frequently.

Or let me try updating more frequently and then sharing links on twitter. That may work!

Until then, peace!

Cynical View of the Day #3...

I will start a series which I have started on facebook, hence the no. 3!

At least here, I can elaborate more if I wanted to.. On facebook it's a short status update and even shorted on twitter!

CVotD is a reflection of whatever I learnt in life the hard way or whenever I am feeling down or cynical so you will see more of those! I am not generally cynical and more positive but there are things that I can NOT avoid so I have to view it cynically otherwise I will end up with a nervous breakdown or wanting to shoot someone! It's better venting it this way!

Why am I feeling cynical today? Well, someone in one of my old companies that I worked for got promoted. Now before you jump to any conclusions, I am NOT the hateful type and wish everyone all the best as long as they deserve it. Why am I complaining is that this person was openly expressing his unwillingness to work and that he won't do anything... And the company rewarded him by a promotion! DING!
When I was working for that company, I did a lot of things extra, I tried to make things smooth for my clients by offering them more services and going that extra mile and resolve their issues without having to go back to my manager but within policy and within my authority, I wasn't bypassing. But she penalised me by sending a mail to the GM "How dare you bypass my authority?". While my clients were happy, when I decided to play it her way complaints increased and it only affected our department's name. Anyways I decided that enough was enough and was on the first plane out of the country. Yes! She drove me not out of the company but out of Bahrain as well as I had a great offer which I couldn't pass on or regret not taking it years later.

This brought me to my cynical mood and view of today: "Hard working people are indispensible, if they got promoted, who will do all the hard work? Their promotion will create a void that can't be filled. Idiots, on the other hand, get promoted because their presence is not noticed when they are gone and because they're extremely good at bulshitting!"

Organizational Development: Harnessing the Winds of Change…

Organizational Development, or OD as it's abbreviated, is a crucial contributor towards the prosperity of an organization. This function helps growing companies move forward and achieve their planned visions and goals.

The OD function touches the whole company, and is responsible for a number of initiatives or projects that are important in a company's business model. These include, but not limited to, designing and implementing a solid performance management system, development of a total talent management system, organizational structuring and change management etc…

Therefore OD is a major player in making or breaking an organization's plans of growth and expansion. By having solid OD systems in place, it acts as a vessel that the company can use to safely arrive at its destination.

The most important part of OD is the change management aspect of it. It is an ongoing, systematic process to implement effective change in an organization. OD is known as both a field of applied behavioral science focused on understanding and managing organizational change and as a field of scientific study and inquiry. It is interdisciplinary in nature and draws on sociology, psychology, and theories of motivation, learning, and personality.

As we all know change is very difficult to deal with and a lot of us tend to resist change especially if we were doing well and there is a need to change. We all feel threatened by the unknown, and that's where change management plays a vital role in clearing the doubts and fears. A proper change management initiative must work on gaining the buy-in from the top people in a company and educating the rest by explaining why do we need to change and what are the benefits that we will gain from going ahead with this change.
By implementing solid and well-planned change in a culture, or the way a company operates, it will help increase the efficiency of that company. By embracing the change we will be doing things better, we can see that we are doing things that we thought could not be possible or beneficial to us. Having said that, there must be a proper communications channels at all levels of the organization to create that sense of security and that everyone can feel they are playing a major role in the prosperity of the company, thus reinforcing the sense of belonging. By seeing the end results happening, it will create a positive energy within the company and everyone will be even more motivated and create a hunger for more success, this will ultimately lead to a motivated workforce that are willing to grow as the company grows and resulting in lower turnover rates, happier employees and a fast-paced organization that will be ready to tackle any challenge that it will face from the competition and the market.

© 2009 - Fareed Amin

Happy Belated Every Occasion to all!!!

I dunno why i have been neglecting this blog. Maybe it's because of being busy at work and then when I come back to Bahrain on the weekends I am busy with family and friends that I hardly have time to come online!





Unfortunately, when I do get some free time to come online, I login straight into my World of Warcraft account! And with the new expansion, the addiction is far far far from over!





Here's a pic of the full moon I took last night when I was in Bahrain. Now I am back in Riyadh. I leave home at 4am so that I can make it to the office by 8! I try to make the most of my weekends back home!

Until next time, I will try my best to keep this space up-to-date but no guarantees LOL

Will Be Leaving the Country!

I dunno if I have mentioned this before or not, but I work at Batelco in the Human Resources Department as a Management Analyst. Basically what I do is perform all sorts of analysis for the whole company if they want me to. But the major part of my job is performing job analysis and job evaluation as well as recently handling the different HR Policies.

I will be with Batelco until this Thursday after serving my one month notice with them as I submitted my resignation. I got fed up of being treated like shit by my manager who is a pure bitch. No offense to the ladies but working with some of them can be a pain in the butt sometimes. I mean two of my previous bosses were ladies and they were the best one can work with, but after the last restructuring, I had to be stuck with this she-demon.

Anyways good riddance, I will be moving unfortunately out of the country and move next door to non other than the KSA, Riyadh to be exact. It is hard moving abroad especially when you are married 'n all but I hope that it's a move that will pay off on the long run and hopefully get a better paying job back here in Bahrain after gaining more and more experience. Will be talking more about my experiences of living in Riyadh. I know the people there are harsh and that's the way they were brought up, but on the other hand, I have met a lot of well-mannered and sophisticated and educated Saudis in my life and during my one-day in Riyadh. Yes the day I went to Riyadh for my interview was my first time ever!

My initial plan is to come back to Bahrain on the weekends as fortunately it's only a four-hour drive and should be no hassle.

I dunno why I am neglecting this blog but I will try my best to post more and be more consistent in posting regularly.

One Day to Go!

Tomorrow I will be heading to Dubai for the Desert Rock Festival (DDRF). It's a two-day rock concert where a number of rock bands get to entertain us metal-heads. A lot of people from Bahrain go there for this event which makes me wonder why we don't have such events ourselves!

Anyways... Speaking of rock bands, there is this really great game on the PS3 which can be great fun for a group, a game called "Rock Band" where basically you get to perform alongside others as a ... well rock band! But if you could get hold of such a game with its accessories (which include a microphone for the vocals, a drum set and a wireless guitar), because it is really hard to get by and the bundle is so big that companies won't import them unless they guarantee that people will actually buy them. Anyways if you can get hold of one, get it and be prepared for the addiction!

I will see you all on my return and hopefully I will get some really interesting photos during my time in Dubai and the event =D