Eshin Direct

One thing you get used to in Singapore is the subservience to process. In some ways it is very reassuring since you can’t go wrong if you know the process and if you are a cog in the machine. But human beings usually are fallible so they want might not know the process or a situation occurs that is outside of the process. It is then that we expect or would appreciate other human beings to be able to step in and add the human element to a situation that the process cannot accommodate.

Yet another encounter with the typically Singaporean way of doing things. This time the culprit was the muppets over at the Singapore Safety Driving Centre in Ang Mo Kio Street 62. Arriving there, it was clear they had a ticket queue system but alas no ticket dispenser. Politely asking the muppets where I could get a ticket, I was told that they had closed and I had missed the closing time by 5 minutes (it was about 15.50 when they close at 15.45). I explained that could I join the queue as I had driven half-way across Singapore just to enrol for my Basic Theory Test and there were still a few people left to be served. No, they were shut and come back tomorrow.

Right. I don’t think so. Five minutes late and you can’t exercise your own discretion to open it up for one more potential customer? It’s not like letting me enrol would have opened the flood gates to hell and every other demon would be registering to do their Basic Theory Test. You can register online. No, muppet, I can’t as I don’t own a credit card and why would I have driven across town to do something I could do online? Well, come back tomorrow was the reply.

Yes, I was late by 5 minutes but really, a little leeway would have been nice especially since I actually wanted to give them money. I myself run events which have an opening and closing time so I am well-aware of the necessity to close at a particular time as per our timings. However, we are employed as human beings to exercise that at our discretion. Particularly in the name of customer service.

Thankfully Singapore is not that small so there is some room for consumer choice. Come back tomorrow? Sorry, tomorrow you have lost a customer. Besides, it’s not like they are doing any good or providing some exemplary level of service anyway if you look at the quality of the average Singaporean driver. I think I will refuse to give the muppets at the Singapore Safety Driving Centre the satisfaction and choose another driving centre in Singapore.

For those of you who have stumbled upon this post in order to learn to drive in Singapore or convert your foreign license to a Singaporean driving license, I would recommend the following centres (and not Singapore Safety Driving Centre. I am happy to send some business their way to the detriment of the SSDC.

Bukit Batok Driving Centre Ltd
815 Bukit Batok West Avenue 5
Singapore 659085
Tel : 65611233 Fax : 65611266
http://www.bbdc.sg

Comfort Driving Centre Pte Ltd
205 Ubi Avenue 4 Singapore 408805
Tel : 68418900 Fax : 68418913
http://www.comfortdrivingcentre.com.sg

**UPDATE**

Apparently not the only one who thinks that the Singapore Safety Driving Centre is staffed by unprofessionals – Rude admin officer at Singapore Safety Driving Centre. Hmm, I wonder if I would have gotten a ticket if I had been a happy gweilo.

Tags: customer service, driving, license, Marketing Rants, singapore drivers