Customer care needs a boost

Readers call for better customer service. Other topics: property renting, taxi drivers, Sharjah discoveries

Readers call for better customer service in the Emirates. Sarah Dea / The National

Brett Debritz's opinion article With customer service, words don't tell the full story (April 1) has highlighted a relevant issue. Customer service exists only in name.

A lot of effort, training and education are needed in this area, in addition to investment. Employees need to be trained in how to deal professionally with customers, be polite, follow up, resolve issues and provide maximum assistance.

Fatima Suhail, Sharjah

You can’t complain about customer service in the UAE, because there’s no service to complain about. They don’t even get the basics right.

How much effort does it take to pick up the phone and call someone back? If they can’t even make a call, how competent are they at providing any other kind of service?

What really drives me up the wall is when they tell me I have to call back. Why? I’m doing them a favour by considering their business.

Good customer service (and quality of work) should be part of one's personal pride. Taking pride in your work and the service you provide doesn't cost anything.

Theo Scheepers, Dubai

Exercise due diligence while renting property

I refer to the news report Landlords 'refuse to renew contract' (April 1).

Being a property consultant in Dubai, I know this is a common occurrence.

But, considering that the Ejari contract has been standardised, I would recommend a clear statement of these laws as an addendum to the contract. It would, of course, be necessary to ensure that any addendum attached to the contract is signed by both parties and is witnessed and signed by a third party, preferably by the agent facilitating the lease. If possible, the addendum should be notarised as well.

Most tenants are left to deal with the landlord on their own after the agent completes the transaction, unfortunately to their own detriment.

The best way to safeguard tenants’ interests is to work with a knowledgeable agent, who is authorised by the Real Estate Regulatory Agency.

That said, obviously nothing can replace some amount of due diligence on the part of the tenant. If in doubt (with regard to the landlord or the agent), please move on. A scrupulous agent should be neutral and will always work in the best interests of both parties.

Priya Mani, Dubai

Taxi drivers deserve better

It really saddened me to read the article RTA to review Dubai taxi drivers’ long working hours, (March 30), but I’m glad that something is going to be done about it.

I agree that taxi drivers are not getting paid enough. A maximum income of Dh4,000 per month for 12 hours of work per day, seven days a week is not adequate. Without these taxi drivers, Dubai’s transport network would be incomplete.

I think more appreciation should be shown to these hardworking individuals.

Jude Lahham, American University of Sharjah

Inaccurate story on Stone Age

I was surprised to read the article Another ancient Sharjah site found by archaeologists (April 1), which bore very little relationship to the conversation the reporter had with me and my team members about our recent early Stone Age discoveries near Dhaid.

I was particularly stunned by the last paragraph, which said that last year, the Sharjah Department of Antiquities had “discovered anvils, hammers, pottery and the remains of smelting and copper workshops dating back to between 500,000 and 1 million years.”

That would be a world-shattering discovery, since the earliest known pottery in the world is about 20,000 years old and the earliest evidence of copper smelting is from about 7,500 years ago. Then I realised that the date of publication was April Fool’s Day.

Do, please, let me know if the paper would like to do an accurate story of our discoveries – they really are quite important. Dr Sabah Jasim, Director, Sharjah Directorate of Archeology