Saturday, July 7, 2012

TESCO Mutiara Damansara
cheap prices, cheaper manners


If you plan to do a bit of shopping at Tesco Mutiara Damansara (the one adjacent to The Curve), make sure you chuck some old newspapers into your shopping bag. 

Who knows, you may take a fancy at some china or glassware. They do stock up on decently-priced nice pieces there. What they don't have is decently-mannered frontliners. 

The outlet is customer-unfriendly in more ways than one and I am saying this out of experience as a regular patron. I have been frequenting this place from Day One by virtue of my staying in the neighbourhood. 

If Tesco truly want to maintain the goodwill of their customers, they will need to give their frontline staff a refresher course in customer relations. 

Acid-tongued tarts should not be allowed to serve people who come to spend their hard-earned money at your store, Tesco. If you can't live up to the saying 'customer is king',  you have no business running a business. 

I have had two unpleasant encounters with two Tesco staff in just as many months and my patience is wearing thin, to the point of not wanting to patronise the place any more.

I'd rather spend a few ringgit more and be treated with dignity elsewhere - we do have choices, Tesco - than be berated by constipated faces who have forgotten what a smile is.

Last month I bought some mangoes and bananas. After hunting high and low for plastic bags (the off-white, rolled, tear-off kind that they place at certain shelves) and not finding any, I brought the fruits, loose, to the weighing station.    

The dirty look the Malay woman seated behind the weighing machine gave me was an indication of the crap to come. "Ni kenapa tak masukkan dalam beg plastik awal-awal? Bagi tambah kerja saya jer."

I naturally lost no time in responding. "Awak ingat kalau saya jumpa plastic bags saya nak bawak selambak macam ni? Mana pergi semua rolls yang selalunya bergantung kat shelves tu? Berapa banyak shelves dah saya pusing, satu pun takder. Saya pun nak kerja senang jugak!"

What really irked me was that she had pre-prepared a pile of such bags, already rolled open and neatly placed by the side of the weighing machine. Why the need to berate me? Why not just plonk the damn fruits into the bags and be done with it? That was what the already- opened bags was for, right?

Perhaps because this tudung-ed makcik clad in slightly worn clothing looked unsophisticated (cleaner/maid came to mind), she was  a convenient target. I doubt if the worker would do the same to a well-dressed Ahso or foreigner. 

Earlier this week I had another run-in, this time with a cashier. I spied some nice bowls and plates and decided to buy them, so I loaded about 15 pieces into a cart and made my way to a cashier.

Me: "Mintak kertas, dik. saya nak wrap pinggan mangkuk ni."

Cashier: "Kertas takder".

Me: "Kalau takder, pi lah cari kat mana-mana." 

Cashier: "Kita memang tak sediakan kertas."

Me: "Huh? Habis macam mana saya nak bawak balik pinggan mangkuk ni? Kalau tak bungkus, pecahlah dia dalam kereta nanti. You all jual barangan kaca tapi tak sediakan kertas pembungkus?"

Cashier, curtly: "Jangan tanya saya. Saya tak tau. Lagipun orang jarang beli pinggan mangkuk kat sini!"

Me: "Bodohnya jawapan! Mana supervisor awak, saya nak tanya."

Cashier (turning to her fellow cashier instead, and asking: "Ada kertas?" Fellow cashier answered: "Alaaa, suruh aja dia bungkus dengan beg plastik tuuu!")

By this time I was really losing it: "Apa ker jadahnya korang ni? Hari Sabtu bukan main lagi No Plastic Bag Day, suruh orang bawak shopping bag sendiri. Hari lain, nak bungkus pinggan 15 keping, suruh pakai 15 plastic bags. 'Eco' kepala hotak hangpa. Apa punya baghal nih??"

Left with no choice, I took the 15 bags, wrapped my plates (nasib dah bayar, kalau belum, memang sah aku tinggalkan aja) and walked off.

I want to know, apart from 'No Plastic Bag Day' every Saturday, do they practise 'No Kertas Pembungkus Day' tiap-tiap hari? Tesco, tolong jawab sikit? 


layers upon layers of plastic bags for 15 miserable pieces of  pinggan mangkuk, no thanks to  'eco-conscious' Tesco Mutiara Damansara. A real 'mangkuk ayun' state of being...

29 comments:

tireless mom said...

By far and large our people are not trained to give the star service. What a pity. Unlike those from the neighbouring countries. At least some good mannerism would suffice, but nil, too bad :(

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Puteri,
Am sending my cat patrol right away. What number aisle was that? Nasib baik Mama kita tak pernah beli pinggan mangkuk kat situ.....or else....maka adalah episod pinggan mangkuk terbang melayang-layang! purrrr....meow!

Jawa Bernam said...

betul...pernah jugak kena benda yang sama...

share link: http://jawaber6.blogspot.com/

Puntung Hanyut said...

Tesco kurang ajar in Penang refused to compensate my sister who tripped on a faulty travellator and broke her ankle in two parts.
If you write about them they woukd threaten to sue and have already won damages from a Thai journalist.

Anonymous said...

Salam Puan Kama,
Disgusting attitude among locals! You might want to sms En Azlam Shah of Tesco and describe the situation @ 0122065561... the parent co. in UK is also experiencing tough times... customer service level will impact bottom line... eventually... bad WOM will do the damage... eventually...
Metamorphics

Fadhil said...

Salam Kak Kama,

I seldom shop at Tesco here in JB, so cannot comment about their service. But may I suggest that you drop them an email via their website to tell them your story. If they are responsible people (as per their tagline, Because We Care), then should be replying to you.

I did such a thing with Pizza Hut and the very next day received a phone call apology from their area manager.

Pootz in Boots said...

Tesco Extra Ampang has the same problem of rude cashiers. And the Security Guards at the palang besi otomatik for the entrance to the Supermarket cannot be more stupid.. Saturday is a no plastic (unless paid for) day, right? So, people come in with bags, half empty or empty, right? The pak gad will stop them and ikat their bags with those plastic rings sebab taknak orang "curi" barang.... errr.... bangang ke apa? Rasa nak langgar je dengan trolley..

Anonymous said...

Salam Kak Puteri,

Its been a while since I have been able to read posts and here you've posted a topic close to heart. Rudeness of frontliners....

Permit me to share my experience... a month ago, out of desparation for a quick breakfast before i heavy meeting, i went to McDs at Sentral Station. WHile getting a refill of coffee to take with me for my meeting, the found that the thermos at their refill counter was not pouring properly. Unfamiliar with that thermos, i unscrewed the cap... and up came the lady who cleans up the tables and curtly tells me off that that is not it should be done and was babbling about being "tak pandai guna" .... i told her off and said, if u want to help, do help but I as a customer do not like the tone nor the things u said.

I shall not frequent that outlet or a McD even if my life depended on it.

by the way, Tesco pernah double charge my mum and me on 2 separate occassions, so must always becareful to examine ur receipt before u leave the counter, if not they accuse u trying to cheat them grrrrrrrrr

Aida

Kama At-Tarawis said...

TM (Yatt): that is only too true... don't they ever learn?

Cat: hehehe, might as well send yr cat patrol to my condo. the nepalese guards here suka usap kepala kucing..

wak: senasib ler kita..

PH: aiyoo, that's horrible. i hope she has recovered. if these folks threaten to sue me, go ahead ler..

anon 9.48: looks like they are oblivious to the consequences, eh..

Oldstock: you are very fortunate to have gotten such good response. that's what customer service is all about..

Pootz: haiyaa, kan ker saturday is no plastic bag day? takkan itupun tak fehem..cam bodoh jer these folks..

aida: i pun from now on, kalau pi tesco mutiara dsara lagi la, will start scrutinising my receipt.. tapi rasanya dak kot.. tawAR hati dah..

Anonymous said...

Kak putri ...i had a bad experince at tesco ipoh....i bought 10 small bowls from tesco n .the bowls were so nice since my dining table asa 10 chairs then i bought 10... At the counter the cashier just wrapped sebjik mcm kak putri...oh my god..i asked why tak balut....the girl diam aje....

From that day i never buy kaca things from tesco....Cantik mcmana pun....Jayajusco serve you well...wrap with careful n tak give up...

Kama At-Tarawis said...

anon 10.52 - agreed. jusco & parkson kat one utama cukup bagus when it comes to bungkus membungkus barangan kaca. they have kertas (off-white newsprint type) in square pieces yng memang designated just for that... not to mention staff yg polite. that's top-rate customer service for you.

Pootz in Boots said...

Jusco @ Aeon anytime for me... any branch....

لف توف™ said...

Seronok baca :-)

لف توف™ said...

Seronok baca :-)

Anonymous said...

Mat Saleh here. Tesco Curve has good merchandise, but unhelpful people. Also the place is very torn up now. I am sure it will be nice when finished, but now it is really confusing.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

MS, absolutely! You couldn't have said it any better...

intan maulida said...

Like this Kak Puteri!!

koloGnyer said...

as salam kak Kama.....selamat berpuasa dan selamat hari raya....

sorry mengacho...nak tanya...kenapa blog pok chik Reme aka OPED dah tak boleh nk view sekarang.....

Kama At-Tarawis said...

intan: tq..

koloG: nanti akak gi check..

koloGnyer said...

orait thank you very much...

Anonymous said...

1. ma'am. i will forward this blog kat org tesco. mintak mintak dpt la sedikit penjelasan.
2. kebanyakan tempat tesco lebih dari 90% adalah terletak di kawasan penduduk nya yg ramai cina.

aliesa said...

Im also hve case,my head injured gara2 hamper besar jatuh kat tesco mutiara damansara last 2days..apa ke bodoh mngmnt letak hamper besar n berat kat rak yg paling tinggi then tak de helper tesco nk jaga..cari2 dpt la seorang helper tesco dtg tolong..i cakap ngan dia guna tangga but dia juz guna box utk ambil hamper..then hamper jatuh ats kepala i..kepala luka berdarah but service mmg out..lambat to take action,i yg injured n bleeding di suru tunggu n lambat bg rawatan..dh la mngmnt lmbat turun utk tgk case i..kalau time tu i tak sakit mmg i nak maki hamun..dhla time nak raya,muka bengkak mcmne nk raya..customer tesco ingat i ni pencuri yg kne tgkp..malu gila..i try minta pampasan pun lambat..byk alasan..HR tak approve lg la..call tak angkat2..tak kan nk suruh muka bengkak aku ni nak g sana tggu lama.. Tesco hve responsible!!! BOIKOT TESCO..

aliesa said...

Im also hve case,my head injured gara2 hamper besar jatuh kat tesco mutiara damansara last 2days..apa ke bodoh mngmnt letak hamper besar n berat kat rak yg paling tinggi then tak de helper tesco nk jaga..cari2 dpt la seorang helper tesco dtg tolong..i cakap ngan dia guna tangga but dia juz guna box utk ambil hamper..then hamper jatuh ats kepala i..kepala luka berdarah but service mmg out..lambat to take action,i yg injured n bleeding di suru tunggu n lambat bg rawatan..dh la mngmnt lmbat turun utk tgk case i..kalau time tu i tak sakit mmg i nak maki hamun..dhla time nak raya,muka bengkak mcmne nk raya..customer tesco ingat i ni pencuri yg kne tgkp..malu gila..i try minta pampasan pun lambat..byk alasan..HR tak approve lg la..call tak angkat2..tak kan nk suruh muka bengkak aku ni nak g sana tggu lama.. Tesco hve responsible!!! BOIKOT TESCO..

Anonymous said...


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Anonymous said...

salam,
nice write up and comments. many work as frontliners not they want to but forced to. Malaysians are courteous but common sense and applied intelligence are sometimes not very common. lack of thank you after taking our payment is not uncommon, let alone smile or looking at our eyes. may be some feel secure by the tagline "goods sold are not returnable" thingy... no matter how bad my service is, you just have to pay me ladies haha��. I have make peace with them...if they don't smile or say thank you or rude... i just walk away and put in my mind... maybe they are having bad day or having pre-menstrual symptoms ( if male... maybe his jean is too tight thus squeezing his 'brain' haha)

Anonymous said...

Few weeks ago I saw an update status on my friend's facebook sounds more or less like this:

"Tesco is cheating. Price on the rack (or product) on display is not the same when scan for payment!"

Okay. I read it one glance.

I like to do my groceries shopping on the weekends (friday/saturday/public holiday) because Tesco opens until 0100 hours, and there will be less people doing their groceries shopping during that hours. So today, as usual I asked one of my friends accompany me to the Tesco Shah Alam.

While parking I told her my opinion on how I like to come over the weekends because the above reason. She then told me that she noticed that Tesco prices over the weekends is more expensive compared to weekdays; which of course, to me doesn't make any sense!

The conversation ends there, and we started our shopping. There were few items on promotion as usual..

What best was, I saw the instant campbell soup on promotion rack in the red tag MYR 3.79 (a box of 3 sachets). Then I went strolling every lane, I saw the same damn exact instant campbell soup on the other rack white tag MYR 3.29. And so I decided to took 2 box, and see what is going to happen. (I snap a picture of it on my blackberry)

When comes to pay, it was MYR 3.79. I told the cashier I saw it was MYR 3.29. I show her the picture I snapped. So she call her supervisor. Of course, as expected the supervisor ask one of the boy to run get the tag. The boy ran and bring the red tag promotion of MYR 3.79. The supervisor said I was wrong. I show her the picture again and I started to tell her that I am very much concern on my consumer rights. Then I told her I'll bring the boy over, so I walked with that boy to the place I saw the tag MYR 3.29, the boy took that tag to the cashier place again.

So there were two tag: red tag (promotion tag) MYR 3.79 and white tag (normal tag) MYR 3.29!

I told the supervisor how can this be; promotion price is higher than the actual price? Instead of answering me, she said that she can only follow one flavour at MYR 3.29 and the other flavour at MYR 3.79. I was laughing to her face and tell her no-way this going to happen because, on the promotion rack, all flavours at MYR 3.79 and same; at the normal rack also all flavours tagged at MYR 3.29! In that soup brand, there were all same price! And I told her to call her superior and I am very glad to highlight this to the consumer rights department! Of course, eventually she gave me the price of MYR 3.29. She didn't even apologise or accepted that was their mistake, worse, she walked away never even look at me and mumbling in Tamil.

There were also a time I saw Maggie in cup in a pack of 6 was more expensive than you buy loose 6 pcs (on the same items and flavours). This happen years ago and I didn't even have to argue because I eventually took the loose one.

I am a marketing person, but when I saw how Tesco playing a dirty tricks like this, I am freaking mad! They do the advert to tell public they were the cheapest and could help in more saving, they were actually getting the return profit through unethical business practise!

Imagine if I didn't complain I would lost MYR 1 on two items, how about people who buy full trolley every months? Of course; most of us in Malaysia just read the promotion and never really register it in head, because there were many things to grab on a visit! I bet you can't be recall every items's price and checking it through everytime!

If you don't do that, you won't be noticing that you're actually loosing actual money you pay at the counter when your head is registering the price is cheaper than outside or on the normal rack!

Please, if you find anything like this, voice up. Didn't mind other people at the next lane looking. The more people looking the more will not be fooled!

Let's voice up our consumer rights!

Kama At-Tarawis said...

anon.. that's just unacceptable! that's outright cheating..

leezzz said...

Everytime I went to Tesco,they ask me to pack my own goods myself.How can it be?They have to pack for us isn't it?We paid the goods+the profit to Tesco.Why they treat the customer like this?

I have make a claim to the Customer Service Counter but they told me that the customer have to pack their goods together with the Cashier.Wow!how can it be?I asked the officer,why dont you put the 'Self-Service Packing' signboard so that the customer can pack by themselves.If this is happenned,of course I need more discount on that.In conclusion,Tesco is taking advantage on human kindness.They taking advantage on Malaysian people!

I have also forward this claim to Tesco's website.I hope they will do sumthing.For now,I will not going to Tesco anymore.I will go to Giant,Parkson,Cold Storage,Carrefour,etc evendo I have to pay more.

If I have to go to Tesco,I will ask the Cashier to pack my goods before I pay for that.If no,I will go without any purchases.

I will not let them taking advantage on us!What a fooled!

IBU TUTI TKI SINGAPUR said...

saya PAK SLEMET posisi sekarang di malaysia
bekerja sebagai BURU BANGUNAN gaji tidak seberapa
setiap gajian selalu mengirimkan orang tua
sebenarnya pengen pulang tapi gak punya uang
sempat saya putus asah dan secara kebetulan
saya buka FB ada seseorng berkomentar
tentang AKI NAWE katanya perna di bantu
melalui jalan togel saya coba2 menghubungi
karna di malaysia ada pemasangan
jadi saya memberanikan diri karna sudah bingun
saya minta angka sama AKI NAWE
angka yang di berikan 6D TOTO tembus 100%
terima kasih banyak AKI
kemarin saya bingun syukur sekarang sudah senang
rencana bulan depan mau pulang untuk buka usaha
bagi penggemar togel ingin merasakan kemenangan
terutama yang punya masalah hutang lama belum lunas
jangan putus asah HUBUNGI AKI NAWE 085-218-379-259
tak ada salahnya anda coba
karna prediksi AKI tidak perna meleset
saya jamin AKI NAWE tidak akan mengecewakan









saya PAK SLEMET posisi sekarang di malaysia
bekerja sebagai BURU BANGUNAN gaji tidak seberapa
setiap gajian selalu mengirimkan orang tua
sebenarnya pengen pulang tapi gak punya uang
sempat saya putus asah dan secara kebetulan
saya buka FB ada seseorng berkomentar
tentang AKI NAWE katanya perna di bantu
melalui jalan togel saya coba2 menghubungi
karna di malaysia ada pemasangan
jadi saya memberanikan diri karna sudah bingun
saya minta angka sama AKI NAWE
angka yang di berikan 6D TOTO tembus 100%
terima kasih banyak AKI
kemarin saya bingun syukur sekarang sudah senang
rencana bulan depan mau pulang untuk buka usaha
bagi penggemar togel ingin merasakan kemenangan
terutama yang punya masalah hutang lama belum lunas
jangan putus asah HUBUNGI AKI NAWE 085-218-379-259
tak ada salahnya anda coba
karna prediksi AKI tidak perna meleset
saya jamin AKI NAWE tidak akan mengecewakan