Change, at Snail’s Pace

October 5, 2006 - 9:09 AM by Sarah

Jameel riffs on the improved customer service situation in Israel today:

. . . .Today, with the onset of a previously unheard of word, “competition” — customer service has improved. Of course, the monopolies that still remain still lag far behind. Israel’s Electric Company is an example; they charge outrageous prices to be hooked up to the electrical grid, have zero accountability when there are power outtages from too much consumption, and the best part is the workers for the Electric Company are the highest paid in the public sector! As a special perk, IEC employees are entitled to…FREE ELECTRICITY! Makes sense, right? So what do enterprising IEC employees do? They hook up all their neighbors as well, to their OWN (free) electrical grid connection…and charge their neighbors (off the books).

Cool, eh?

But that’s not what bugs me today. When my son’s mobile phone was cracked beyond acceptable usage a few weeks ago, I went to our cellphone provider, “Orange” and asked how much it would cost for a repair. The first service rep quoted me 40 NIS for a repair, but their second rep quoted me 80 NIS. When I asked about the discrepancy, she asked me to wait a minute, she checked with the first rep and came back with the following answer: “The first rep made a mistake, and she should have quoted you 80 NIS. However, since she already quoted you 40 NIS, that’s how much we’ll charge you.”

I. Was. Impressed.

We’ve come a long way…till I got smacked in the face last week…by Newpan.

Read the rest of his frustrating story here.

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