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Epson leads the way in customer service – not!
Last night, I tried to print something and my printer, an Epson CX8300, ate the paper. Not a problem I thought, it is a simple inkjet and all I have to do is open her up and pull out the paper.
If only it were that simple. A chunk was buried in the cogs and there was no way I could get it out myself without taking a screwdriver to it.
I needed some help.
I googled “Epson Service Center Hong Kong” and found this page which told me that if I took it to Cheung Sha Wan I could get it dealt with in under an hour. With a stack of important things that needed printing this seemed good to me.
So I called this morning. A lady called Sue answered (although I did not know her name until the end of the call). I explained the problem which boiled down to a paper jam. I asked if I could take it up to the service center in Cheung Sha Wan and use their “Express Service.” She said yes and told me that it would normally take two to three days.
I reminded her that the web site said the Express Service was advertised to take an hour or less. I read her the text from the web page:
With the new move of the service center, Epson Hong Kong Limited seeks to improve the quality of service by introducing an “Express Repair Service”, that allows an experienced team of maintenance staff to repair defective machines within one hour.
She seemed unaware of this but said she would ask the technician. She asked me for the serial number so she could check the warranty. It turns out that ran out two weeks ago so she then told me the service charge would be $620.
I said (actually screamed) that it was just a paper jam! But that turned out to be the standard price. For that sort of money I could buy a new printer! Although not quite as good.
She promised to call me back and dutifully she did so confirming that they would fix it on the spot for me. I needed it so I jumped in the car and 20 minutes later I was in Cheung Sha Wan and pulling into the car park.
When I went into the office I explained the previous telephone conversation. The lady behind the desk seemed confused and said that service normally takes two to three working days. I explained, keeping amazing composure for me, that I had spoken to “Sue” and this had all been agreed. They tracked her down at the telephone center and confirmed that I was indeed very lucky and the technician would look at my machine immediately.
She then asked if I knew the service fee for out of warranty repair. I said no, just to check, and she also told me it was HK$620. I said this seemed a bit steep for a paper jam that could be fixed in minutes but I got the impression their system was a bit inflexible. I also got the impression that there is little concept of caring for customers, just a rigid system of stupendous charges.
I remarked to her that I could buy a new machine for that sort of money at which point she said that with a trade in of my old printer I might indeed consider this. She showed me the brochure and the machine which was at a similar level but a newer model with wireless printing connectivity was HK$1380. I asked her how much I would get for the trade in.
She said HK$50.
I said no.
Clueless.
At this point she suggested I just pay a HK$100 inspection fee to start and not needing any more stress I agreed. She walked off with the machine and said it would take about an hour.
At this point I then asked her about the Internet Area also advertised on the web site that was apparently in this service center. She laughed and said they did not have one. I read the corresponding text from her own web site to her:
While waiting for repair, customers can now get new product information at showroom, or browsing web pages at Internet area, which gives great convenience to our customers.
She thought that was really funny, as did her colleague, also behind the service desk.
About 45 minutes later a technician walked out with my printer and one good thing happened. He said no further charge. Perhaps because I made a stink, perhaps because there may be one lowly person in there with some perception of positive customer service. I will never know.
But this whole episode actually shocks me. A global company like Epson should know better than to advertise services on its own web site that it does not offer and to say it has facilities that it simply does not have. In many countries that is deceptive advertising and is in fact a crime.
Also, anyone who can suggest a HK$620 charge for clearing a simple paper jam has either got serious stones or is, more likely, completely clueless about the basics of fostering customer loyalty.
My next printer will not be an Epson.
Should I hold my breath? (Pardon the Pun)
It seems the government might actually do something useful for once, which considering they spend most of their time keeping a few tycoons happy, is really rather out of character for them.
We might finally get a ban on people idling their engines so they can keep the air conditioning on.
The other day I saw a Golf GTI pull up into the lay by outside the Hopewell Center. The driver and his passenger were both westerners. The driver got out and went into Taste while the passenger got out and had a cigarette outside the car. Meanwhile the engine was running. Ridiculous.
I am no tree-hugging anti-car guy but I do believe if you don’t need propulsion, you don’t need to leave the engine on, so I for one am hopeful this might get on the books.
Of course, the LegCo members’ drivers are among the worst offenders and the enforcement will probably be on a par with the policing of people using mobile phones while driving.
But, it’s a start.
Sunset Bay Beach Resort
For the past few days I have been staying at a lovely little hideaway in San Fernando in the North West Philippines called the Sunset Bay Beach Resort. It is owned and managed by the father of a friend of mine and while it is not a luxury resort in the style of the Shangri Las or the Plantation Bays of this world, it is a fantastic place to disappear to for a few days and get in some well deserved rest and relaxation.
San Fernando is not the easiest place to get to which adds to the remoteness. We flew direct on Cebu Pacific from Hong Kong to Clark Airport, or Diosdado Macapagal International Airport as it is known now, just out side Angeles City.
The airport is, shall we say, unfinished. There was a nice walk across the tarmac to the temporary entrance to the tiny immigration hall. Luckily the queue was not so bad. We then took a car for a four hour drive to the resort which, ironically, is no more than thirty feet from the runway of San Fernando Airport. However, only private planes fly into this airport for now although this is expected to change in the near future making a change if flight in Manila an option when this happens.
The rooms are basic but clean. They all come with satellite TV and have the option of an extra bed for families. The open garden walkway that gives access to all the rooms from the central complex is very pretty and adorned with wood carvings and lots of greenery.
There are 14 rooms on the ground level and 4 additional slightly more expensive rooms on the 1st floor These have balcony views across the swimming pool to the beach and the ocean.
And it is the ocean that is the most important thing here. The view is to the west and that means sunsets. Lots of them. Every night. And they are magnificent.
There is something particularly civilized about grabbing a patio chair, planting it in the sand so that the waves lap over your feet, and watching the sun go down with a cold beer in your hand
The food here is very good value for money. Gordon Ramsay might not be overly impressed but the quality is consistent and the food is fresh. The kitchen is open to view and you do not see any microwaving going on. They serve western favorites such as steaks and chops, pies, and pasta. They also serve local specialties including Pork & Chicken Adobo which is very good. At HK$50 to HK$100 per meal you cannot complain.
For breakfast I rarely strayed form the Spider Special, so named after the nickname of its gregarious owner. Baked beans on toast, topped with eggs cooked to choice, and rashers of bacon by the side.
The staff are numerous and very friendly. And if you want a massage, Josie, one of the full time restaurant staff, will accommodate you. I did not have one but my wife thought she was excellent.
Standard room accommodation is about HK$250 per night, which is very little when compared with the steadily rising prices in Thailand. Facilities include wireless internet everywhere, a swimming pool, a chapionship quality pool table, darts, a library in case you forgot to pack a book, and a large function area for parties.
Overall we have had a wonderful time here and will come back. If you want an inexpensive but very pleasant getaway then I would recommend the Sunset Bay Beach Resort without hesitation.
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- A view from the end of the infinity pool
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- The main dining area
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- Looking along the beach
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- This is the beach entrance for Sunset Bay
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- Enjoying sunset with a cold drink and an great view
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- Most of the rooms are accessed along this path
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- This is an example of one of the rooms
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- The garden is beautiful and a lot of work has gone into it
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- There is a huge collection of local artisan work here
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- Spider, the proprietor, loves his stones…
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- There are several of these semi-private cubos both in the gardens and on the beach front
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- These rooms overlook the swimming pool and look straight at the ocean
Salad with beef and blue cheese dressing
I’m under orders to eat healthy these days as I work off the extra pounds in the gym. This did the the job nicely and got the better half seal of approval.
For two people you will need:
250g pumpkin chopped into one inch chunks
1 capsicum (choose colour according to your visual tastes) sliced into 1/2 inch wide slices
Olive oil for drizzling
200g sirloin steak (in one piece for cooking)
200g asparagus (cut into half lengths)
125g cherry tomatoes (halved)
75g (or two big handfuls) of roquette leaves
4 tablespoons olive oil for dressing
1 crushed clove of garlic (or tsp ready chopped garlic)
4 tablespoons orange juice
50g stilton cheese (crumbled)
Method
Preheat your oven to maximum heat.
Place the pumpkin and pepper into an oven-proofed dish or roasting tray , drizzle with oil, and place in the oven. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, turning occasionally to make sure they are coated and cooked all over.
While they are in the oven you have three things to prepare.
Cook the asparagus in boiling water for a few minutes until cooked but still crunchy. Drain and set aside.
Cook the steaks to taste. Myself, I like my steaks medium rare and on the rare side of that so I pan fry on maximum heat in a little olive oil for three minutes a side after seasoning both sides with sea salt and pepper. That time is for a 1/2 inch thick cut which is what I used for this. After I turn the steak I add a knob of butter on top which melts into the meat giving it extra favour and moisture. When cooked, put aside and leave to cool for ten minutes or so. Then slice into thin slices. I always slice at a diagonal to shorten the meat fibers and make it more tender to chew.
Mix the last four ingredients in a bowl for the blue cheese dressing. To get it well-mixed either pulse briefly in a blender or place in anything with a tight screw-on lid and shake it till your arms fall off.
When the vegetables are done, remove from the oven and quickly shake them out in a strainer or wrap in a kitchen towel to remove excess oil. I tend to leave them for 30 minutes to cool but you can serve this salad hot.
In a box bowl, throw in the roquette, the cherry tomatoes, the roast vegetables, the asparagus and the beef. Mix them together (being careful not to vaporize the pumpkin) and then drizzle generously with the dressing.
Shove it in front of people with a serving spoon then get in there quick before it is gone.
Salad with beef and blue cheese dressing
Days just got shorter
The earthquake that killed more than 700 people in Chile on Feb. 27 probably shifted the Earth’s axis and shortened the day, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientist said.
Earthquakes can involve shifting hundreds of kilometers of rock by several meters, changing the distribution of mass on the planet. This affects the Earth’s rotation, said Richard Gross, a geophysicist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, who uses a computer model to calculate the effects.
“The length of the day should have gotten shorter by 1.26 microseconds (millionths of a second),” Gross, said today in an e-mailed reply to questions. “The axis about which the Earth’s mass is balanced should have moved by 2.7 milliarcseconds (about 8 centimeters or 3 inches).”
In other words some of the Earth’s mass has been pushed to the center of the planet causing rotation to speed up, much the same way that an ice skater spins faster by bringing in their arms.
Did you know that a day is more than one full revolution of the Earth? A day is 24 hours (sun returns to starting point above viewpoint) but a full revolution is only 23 hours and 56 minutes (a star reference returns to starting point) because during that revolution the earth has moved around the Sun and has to turn a little bit further for the sun to appear to have come full circle.
If you ever get that question in a pub quiz now you know what to do.
Death of an Xbox reduxe
I hvae only bought one Xbox 360. I have however had four separate machines in just under four years.
The previous three quit on me after less than a year each meaning I was able to simply take the machine in and come back with a replacement. Perhaps this is what Microsoft means by “it’s not a bug, it’s a feature.”
The fourth one however lasted just over a year which means the guarantee has gone.
I think it is time to buy an elite. The 20GB drive is starting to become suffocating anyway.
Now where do I buy a transfer cable?
Someone stole my stolen wi-fi
In the old days of ridiculous tech calls, questions would range from “My foot pedal won’t reach the floor” to “the cup holder keeps disappearing into my computer”.
Now we have “My wi-fi has disappeared.” In other words she was piggybacking on her next door neighbour.
These days you can almost understand people nicking other people’s service provision and not thinking twice about it. But where this becomes funny is that the woman in the call was daft enough to think the solution was to buy a wi-fi extender. Oh dear.
Cajun spiced swordfish with cucumber salad
If you want something that checks the healthy, delicious and quick boxes this is it. For this recipe I use cajun seasoning from the supermarket but you can mix up your own seasoning with any number of recipes available via a simple google search.
For two people, you will need:
Four tablespoons of cajun seasoning
Two swordfish steaks
One tablespoon olive oil
One large cucumber
One tablespoon fresh lime juice
Two tablespoons good quality peanut oil
One teaspoon minced garlic (or one clove finely chopped)
One small thai red chilli, finely chopped and seeded
One tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint.
Method
Coat the fish in the seasoning and set aside.
Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet.
Meanwhile cut off the ends of the cucumber and cut it in half. Shave the cucumber into a bowl with a peeler until you get down to the seeds in the middle which you can discard.
Add in the remaining salad ingredients and toss.
By now the oil should be hot. Add the swordfish steaks and cook for about two to three minutes per side depending on how much heat you have, swordfish should not be overcooked.
Spread the salad on the plate and top with the swordfish.
Tuck in.
See that was easy wasn’t it.
You can use this simple dressing with any form of salad. I would have added some cherry tomatoes cut in half but I forgot this time!
Cajun swordfish on a bed of cucumber salad
Choke on this
It pains me to post anything by Al Jazeera but this news report is an excellent summation of the problems with air pollution in Hong Kong.
Hat tip: @cleanairnetwork