Poor staff service plagues Comex
By Tan Christine
POOR staff service and knowledge were some of the causes for customer dissatisfaction during Comex 2009 which ended last Sunday, known as Singapore’s largest electronics exhibition.
Promoters’ lack of knowledge about their products angered several consumers, who claimed that they had ended up buying products with specifications differing from what they had been told prior to purchase.
“I was told that the phone can support a card of up to 8GB, only to find out when I reached home that the maximum supported size was 2GB,” said architect Tan Peng Huak, 40, who returned on the last day trying to get a refund. Tan was turned away after being informed that items sold during the show were non-exchangeable and non-refundable.
“I came all the way down hoping for good value, only to find that the prices at Harvey Norman are much better and the service staff more knowledgeable,” said retiree Low Thia Meng, 67.
Low is not the only disappointed consumer, as people have pointed out that cheaper prices and better services could be found elsewhere.
“People say that Comex is a good place to source for bargains, but I don’t think that’s the case,” said account executive Ian Chan, 27.
Dissatisfied customers felt that the competitive environment of electronics fairs has led to a compromise in service, with some promoters having no knowledge of the product they were selling.
Some companies like Canon and Sony, regularly hire showgirl promoters – most of whom are students working on a one-time off assignment. Other companies are less stringent about their recruitment criteria and hire people based on availability.
Almost half of the promoters interviewed mentioned that they applied for the job after seeing advertisements posted on online forums. Their training usually lasts for a few hours – mainly to familiarise promoters with the products.
Some promoters claimed that they were only informed about their employers on the day of the show and hence had no prior training.
A representative from Dell, who declined to be named, mentioned that “our promoters are experienced and have all been working for the company for a period of time”. He also stated that even though prices were not as enticing as previous shows, Dell had included many freebies such as computer software.
Comex is one of the four technology exhibitions held annually in Singapore, with this year’s exhibition spanning five show floors. The four-day exhibition was held at the Suntec Convention Centre.
