In the West it can be said that the Customer is "always Right".

In Suriname the opposite may be true at most establishments, with maybe Choi's being the exception. What do you think?
17 comments Jump to most recent comments Nalini Seapaul Being right is rarely the point. Treat people fairly, both customer and employee, and youll come out a lot farther ahead than just listening to complaints. I love good customer service and value it highly. The way I see it, for most companies it's all about revenue first, customers second and employees last. Haimdat Sawh Actually from my experience in Paramaribo, most folks do not complaint. They passively go on with mediocre service. One thing I am happy about is that you are not hurried after the long wait. Timothy Lees It's not that they don't complain, it's more that the complaining happens after they have left the establishment. I must agree with Nalini in that treating people fairly will get you better results. Instead of complaining try saying something pleasant to the employee and you might be surprised at the change in quality service you will receive. Afterall it's not always easy to be a happy employee knowing your boss treats you unfairly and there is little or nothing you can do about it. Haimdat Sawh There's probably a small percentage that fall into the "bad boss" category, however, in my experience at the bank, in retail stores at the immigration and driver license office most of the staff need to be re-trained in handling the public. Excuses or rationalizing poor service and mistreating of the public does not get us anywhere. Minache Sawh Success requires balancing being right with being nice. We progress in the West, because we know and understand what the meaning of Customer Service is. However in Suriname the local folks, feel as if being arrogant will solve the problem, not realizing that they are keeping the country behind. I say this all the time, Suriname is not going forward because you have a Burger King, Mc Donald or because you have a TBL in the city or 25 Casino's or 50 car companies. As far as I see Suriname is way behind. Suriname will be going forward in my view, when you don't have to deal with getting an uittrekksel for every legal document, or when you don't have to deal with nasty and rude behavior at CBB offices. When Banks and other company like S.W.M (water), E.B.S (Electricity) ect... you name the rest, becoming more literate to improve their country, rather than ignoring these fact and defending all the problems. When I meet a Surinamese they are so proud of all the Cars and the Casino, but ignore the point that their educational system is poor. School system needs to be improved and much more needs to be done for our children. We need Libraries not another Casino, we need highways, we need a lot more and much more could be done by our people. Nalini Seapaul, It is not about defending Surinamese behavior, it is about helping them making a

difference. IN SUCCESSFUL COUNTRY, CUSTOMER IS APPRECIATED WITH GREAT RESPECT, BECAUSE WITHOUT A CUSTOMER YOU DON'T HAVE A BUSINESS AND THEREFORE THEY ARE ALWAYS RIGHT.Great service starts with the boss. Employees model their behavior on how you treat them, as well as how you treat your customers.But dont assume that your employees innately know the rules of customer service. In the book Online Customer Service for Dummies (AMACOM, 2001) the authors cite a case study in which a hotel manager actually had to spell out to a desk clerk the specifics of friendly servicesmiling, making eye contact, using the customers name. I suggest Folks read this. I am happy that our team was selected by higher official to go around and improve these types of Mediocre behavior.And help them stop defending Surinamese. If we as foreigner are willing to put up with all the negative energy around us to improve Suriname, then why can't you as a Surinamese do this for your country? I love SU!!! Haimdat Sawh Thank you Minache for a well thought out litany of things that need to be corrected about Customer Service in Suriname. I fully endorse what you stated! Further, people are tied up for long hours to pay bills at the bank and in Government Offices. Making transactions simple and easy to do can save lots of time and delay. When people leave a Government office they are usually irritated, annoyed, they basically see it as a bad experience. Does the Surinamese Government and people want to project the image that the country is "unhelpful" and "unpleasant". Is it the business of the Government office to create citizens who feel that their Government and their Offices are hostile and unpleasant? Does it make the Government employees feel better to scream, yell at and insult their fellow citizens? Nalini Seapaul People here accept the mediocre service here because that's what's being offered although they complain about it. It's not about defending Suriname. It's called admitting the system is not the best. Yes, we are still far from international standards of operation in most sectors of the service industry. Governments, and indeed all large monopolies, have a tendency to be indifferent to the needs of their customers. In other companies that compete in the market, pampering the employees means better customer service means keeping you customers. Its also true that most of us have become truly frustrated by poor customer service. But bad experience should not be an argument to cluster everyone together under one header. Sometimes you have to be hospitable and from there on work on the ''cure'' and the ''cause''.Yes,there are acceptable and professional methods to work ones way through a bad experience and hopefully a satisfactory resolution. That's why ''certain teams are selected by higher officials to go around and improve these types of

Mediocre behavior'' . So hopefully we can say that we are on the right track and if these teams are doing their job, then it will surely pay off. Minache Sawh Minache Sawh: Please allow me to respond to your comment, Nalini Seapaul stated: People here accept the mediocre service here because that's what's being offered although they complain about it. Minache Sawh: I do not agree that folks here accept mediocre services; they want improved service, hence, many are leaving or running away from Suriname, simply for a better life and less frustration. Nalini Seapaul stated: Its not about defending Suriname. It's called admitting the system is not the best. Minache Sawh: Again, in my last blog, we came up with the conclusion that all of many people defend Suriname, and defend the crappy work that is delivered.That is the reason an International team got selected, and not a local Surinamese, so when we come into the country, we have it all, and the locals gets upset, but what type of work do they deliver? Minache Sawh: About two months ago, I went to McDonalds, placed my order to dine in, instead I got my meal to go, so I simply asked the cashier, May I please have a tray, he then decided to start defending himself saying, but your order is to go, what did it really matter then, I was in McDonalds, I needed a tray, to sit and eat my meal, but instead he decided, to start an argument, again on defending himself, so his manager came and said that all the customer wanted is a tray, why all this fuss, I turned around right there and made a public announcement to everyone in the fast food store, that finally, we have another person, to help take Suriname to the next level and this is the type of Customer Service needed in Suriname! Nalini Seapaul stated: Yes, we are still far from international standards of operation in most sectors of the service industry. Governments, and indeed all large monopolies, have a tendency to be indifferent to the needs of their customers. In other companies that compete in the market, pampering the employees means better customer service means keeping you customers. Its also true that most of us have become truly frustrated by poor customer service. But bad experience should not be an argument to cluster everyone together under one header. Minache Sawh: Again, it seems as you are defending, you have to understand that I am not speaking of me as a person, who is the only one that have had bad experiences, (actually almost all my experience are great, I create a world for myself and in my world I put out the type of experience

that I want in my life) I am speaking of the Surinamese people who all attended several of the seminars and signed the bill for change in Suriname, Please read De Ware Tijd for more information. Nalini Seapaul stated:Sometimes you have to be hospitable and from there on work on the ''cure'' and the ''cause''. Please refer back to my previous statement about cure and cause and you will note a solution. Nalini Seapaul stated: Yes, there are acceptable and professional methods to work ones way through a bad experience and hopefully a satisfactory resolution. That's why ''certain teams are selected by higher officials to go around and improve these types of mediocre behavior. So hopefully we can say that we are on the right track and if these teams are doing their job, then it will surely pay off. Minache Sawh: Well, we cannot leave it to these groups alone, you as a Surinamese need to help to better improve your country. Haimdat Sawh Its simply the case of our society adopting higher standards.People who work in offices have to recognize that treating other human beings with dignity is something that not only empowers themselves, other people in Suriname, but everyone in the world. It really not matter now the cultural or sociological reasons why Surinamese behave as they do now. It is about time that everyone takes a stand about the quality of human experience that we should have. In other societies right now swift smooth and friendly transactions are making those societies richer and better, Modern technology is making it easier for us to share information quickly and effectively. Surinamese have to take a decision whether they belong in the old colonial, exploitative mode of human relationships or in a new way of dealing with each other. Is it so hard to smile, to be pleasant, and to do things quickly? Minache Sawh Milton Drepaul Wrote Many people especially in government departments feel that they have to exercise power over others by withholding service. They seem to enjoy the idea of creating negative responses in others. Apparently they see their job as projecting the image that Suriname is a country that makes simple experiences difficult and unpleasant. Obviously they have little love for themselves so Jesus's message to love your neighbor as yourself translates into 'I don't love myself so I don't have any love to give to others.'

In today's world others are showing that smooth, quick and friendly transactions create wealth. The people in Suriname's government offices are the opposite--they are the leaders in poverty consciousness. To treat others with love and a smile, to create the feeling of joy and abundance-these are alien ideas. Nalini Seapaul I see I left out the part where Surinamese are willing to work on their ''mediocre attitude''. Changes don't happen overnight. Admitting Surinamese have a mediocre attitude and are willing to work on it, is not called defending. Admitting there is a fault in the sytem :Isn't that the first step in accomplishing improvement in any country, not alone Suriname ? Haimdat Sawh We are not speaking generally, but specifically... There are numerous other countries in the world where Customer Services leaves much to be desired. We are living in Suriname and trying to make Suriname a better place. In 2003 over 80,000 visitors arrived in Suriname, by 2007 the number increased to 163,000, and in 2012 it should be over 200,000 annually. Visitors bring in needed foreign exchange. We need to provide excellent Customer Service for many reasons... Some important reasons are that tourists provide jobs for the locals, generate money for many businesses and increase the coffers of the Government of Suriname to spend on many other sectors of the society! Milton Drepaul I agree. Customers are an important part of any business. It takes time, money and the use of a range of business resources to attract a customer to a product or service. Surely, a business should make every effort to keep someone it has attracted. I feel that there must be a chain of appreciation. The owner should value and show appreciation for his or her managers and supervisors; they in turn should appreciate their employees and the employees should value the customers. If customers do no exist the business would fail. There should be an easy flow of energy. Money and wealth are forms of energy. If there are blockages then the wealth energy does not flow. Poor customer service is a blocking of the flow of abundance. I want experiences that make me feel better. These experiences live on. Thirty four years later I still remember and thank an Eastern Airlines check in clerk who helped me to get on a flight to Barbados during an airline strike.Just as an individual does not want to be seen as unfriendly and lazy i do not want Suriname to project this image to its people and others. Milton Drepaul Changes can be made in an instant. We choose the way we think about a situation. About 30 years ago I read, Happiness is a Choice" by Barry Neil Kaufman. He argued that for every experience we have we could choose to see it either positively or negatively. So in a moment we can change. In the last 30 years societies have changed dramatically, first through the use of personal computers, then the internet, and then smart phones and now tablets. The way in which we communicate, we shop or do business has changes at blinding speed.

So attitudes in Suriname have changed, sometimes forced by technology. At the moment your comments and those of others and our responses are changing the minds of Surinamese. We are using technology to amplify our private thoughts about this issue and we are disseminating it worldwide, right now. We are not talking of Surinamese as separate from other human beings.We all ought to demand the highest levels of behaviour from all people. Isn't it strange how we all remember simple acts of kindness? In 1979 an Eastern Airlines Reservation Agent helped me to get a flight out of Puerto Rico out to Barbados during a strike. I don't remember her name and Eastern Airlines is no more, but her smile and her act of kindness remain in my heart. Hendrik Kramawitana I think you are all right in your approach, but bear in mind that as long as the customer pays, they are right. even if the quality of a certain good is very poor and the customer wants to pay for it, they are right. in Su people do not tend to buy on good/top quality, if the price is right (in their eyes) quality is second or may be 3rd. yet still they want top quality for nothing. i am faced up with this every day. the point is, with this attitude industrialisation will not be developed cause we are waiting on the cheep chinese stuff Haimdat Sawh It is true that cheap Chinese products have flooded the market. What I find remarkable though is that Surinamese will buy the cheap products, but they also purchase the expensive brand name products (even though usually they are ripoffs of the "real" brands). From my experience if Surinamese likes a product price is not an exclusionary factor. Add a comment...