Paper Complaints

On Saturday there was a letter in the Straits Times forum page that listed out the woes of getting a taxi just outside the CBD. Apparently it took the writer 30 mins to flag one off the streets. Article here >>

In today's paper, there's someone berating AirAsia's ticket refund policy. He could get back 40% of his ticket price but only as credits for other flights on the airline within 6 months. Article here >>

Complaints are easy. One gets mad and writes in, hopes to get published and when it does happen, one feels like he/she has changed the world. Like having dropped an A bomb on Hiroshima or discovered cornflakes. Of course there's Facebook to tell everyone that your important complaint had made the press. Ah the charms of brief publicity.

Oh please.

Firstly, Mr Taxi dude sounds like a non-Singaporean, that he's been living elsewhere for a long time. And in that long time, the rest of us have exasperated countless attempts at addressing these taxi troubles, and have given up. The situation is not new. Taxi drivers are coddled into driving for us. The big companies that profit from the madness are keeping mum and the status quo. Nothing's changed.

And the issue is just bubbling under, waiting to blow up in some transport official's face because we're all just quite upset enough. Maybe a complaint from a tourist will do.

Secondly, Mr AirAsia is the typical complaining Singaporean who wants a good deal but fails in any effort to read the fine print. That's how budget airlines work buddy. They sell cheap non-cancelable, non-changeable, non-anything fares. That's why $20 to KL is so appealing, until you can't make the flight because Fifi the cat has a boo-boo. Then it'll cost you an arm and a leg and Fifi's tail to switch flights. Read the fine print and then you'll understand the hazards of flying budget. Nothing's for free man. Same thing with Tiger's recent spate of cancellations. They can do that with nary a hint of compensation.

So seriously, suck it dear consumer. Caveat emptor.