Mr Feedback

Mr Feedback was initially hosted on Weebly, but soon my blog outgrew the features provided. I found Weebly very easy to use, but sometimes a bit unreliable. It takes significant amount of time to load, even on a 1.5mbps connection - but once loaded - things move pretty smoothly. Despite being a free service, you get customer service through email. I found the service through TechCrunch.

Customer service
I was not expecting any support at all, but it is good that they provide it anyway. Questions are routed through their support service. Basic answers can be found there too. Response times varied, but usually within 2-4 business days. There were several kinks in Weebly design itself, but there are still developing. Their response checking service is useful if you are waiting for a reply.

The features
I wanted a service which was easy to use, and displays it as I am editing the website. You can also design a blog which is what I used. Under a single account, you can maintain a few websites and the service is totally free which is excellent. One of the best things about Weebly is the ability to switch designs on the fly without causing much interruption. I guess its similar to Wordpress somewhat with the theme selectors. The drag and drop interface makes editing very simple, and you can add as many web pages within the site as want.

If you have existing domain, you can link it up with your Weebly site so it appears more professional. You can also buy a domain from them, after publishing your site, but it is quite expensive ($20+ USD).

There are a couple of annoying kinks I noticed. For example: blog posts can be edited (similar to Wordpress), but if they want a paragraph with picture - you cannot edit the text. So, you are forced to edit the text as a paragraph and then repost it as a “paragraph with picture”. You cannot host forums, other interactive features but I am sure they are planning an upgrade sometime.

Suggestions
For a free service, Weebly does an excellent job and has won some great awards. I hope you take the feedbacks you receive into account and work on removing those annoying kinks. Thank you for responding to my support requests.

Rating - 8/10 (great service)
Maybe, I am being a bit harsh on a service provided for free. But that is their concept, and there are some really annoying kinks which are irritating. Weebly is excellent for the novice web/blog publisher but I found you may soon outgrow the needs of your site.

After my Virgin Broadband experience, I was searching for a more flexible internet service provider. Optus “unplugged” wireless broadband seemed like an attractive option, but they require a bundle with another Optus product in order to obtain competitive rate plans for the wireless broadband.

As I already had a prepaid mobile with Optus, I thought I will transfer it to a post-paid service (49 cap plan) and take advantage of the 8pm - midnight 20 minute free calls to other Optus mobile holders. My family, and friends are all on Optus. Sounds too easy right - WRONG!

I wrote a letter to Optus customer relations group on March 3rd (see below) and am waiting for a reply. I will keep you posted about the progress of this matter. For now, stay away from Optus. (Some portions are blanked for privacy reasons). Read the rest of this entry »

Ok, let me keep this simple. 3 large pizzas, 2 garlic breads, 1 pepsi (1.25L). Cost: $47. Order time: 10.15pm, Delivery time: 11.45pm. Do I need to say anymore?

On my return to Melbourne (from India), I ordered a few pizzas to be delivered at 11pm. I got out of the airport about 10.10pm so at 10.15pm ordered and specified the pizzas to be delivered at 11pm. I got home at 10.50pm. 11.15pm -> no pizza! My stomach was telling me to eat something quickly. 11.25pm –> no pizza! I tried to ring 131 166 but they had closed. The call centre guy guaranteed that delivery will happen.

By 11.30pm, I ran out of patience and with no way of confirming whether I was going to get my dinner I made a quick visit to the local shopping centre (which closes at midnight) and bought some food.

I returned at 11.45pm, and saw the pizza guy driving behind me trying to find the house. He was very apologetic, and explained that he was the “only driver”. I explained that if he was running late, is there any reason he didn’t call me (my number given to call centre) and inform me so I was aware. He apologized once more, and said it was an “oversight”. I appreciated his honesty.

He rang his manager to ask if he can give the pizzas for free since it had taken so long. To my surprise (and the driver’s), I was entitled to only 10% discount. After talking to the manager (took 15 minutes of hammering my point) myself, I negotiated a $20 deal. The manager’s reasoning was that: “I gave you an extra 45 minutes to make sure you arrived from the airport”. My point: “I did not ask for extra time mate!”.

In summary
* Total time taken: 90 minutes
* Cost: $20
* 1 of the pizzas did not have a hot symbol (although I didn’t make a huge fuss about this)
* No phone call from driver to warn of delay
* No way of me contacting Pizza Hut to confirm delivery (hot line closed)

Suggestions
* 4 simple steps of avoiding is: 1) tell the customer which store is making the pizzas, 2) give the customer a way of contacting the driver (pager, mobile phone), 3) Pizza Hut informing the customer of any delays, 4) Do not unfairly argue with the customer.

Rating - 0/10 (when you argue with the customer unfairly, the buck stops!)
Here’s my question: am I entitled for the pizzas to be free considering it took them 1.5 hours from the order time? The answer: I do not know. Pizza Hut’s website does not specify any time limits, except to say delivery times to Mt Waverley is 30 minutes. They do have a “Hot 2 you” guarantee. What do you think? I will be interested to hear your comments. I have emailed Pizza hut for clarification and will keep you updated. I am not so much worried about the cost, but rather the approach the manager took. It’s a matter of principle.

My family organized a function at Taj Coromandel in Chennai during my trip to India. I did not organize it, so I cannot comment on this aspect but I will comment on the customer service, food, and ambience. From what I heard, all planning was done through email - which is excellent for foreigners.

The service
Customer service has improved markedly over the years in India, and Taj Coromandel is no exception. It is one of the prestigious hotels in Chennai, and the Taj chain of hotels has an excellent reputation for customer service. But it does come at a cost. Our function for 25 people - buffet style Indian vegetarian dinner cost was Rs 38000 (approx: AUD $1027). Comparatively, it is quite cheap. A similar style buffet in Australia will cost a lot more.

There were 4 waiters looking after us, and were very friendly. The food was prepared on time, and was presented well. There was an issue with the bill, as we had been charged for 35 people instead of 25 people - but this was promptly fixed by the manager in charge and a corrected tax invoice was provided.

The food
We chose a South Indian style menu. There were other options, but ours was vegetarian. There were a few North Indian items, and also some pasta(my favorite). Finger food was also included, and non-alcoholic drinks were unlimited. The food was very nice, presented well - and with about 3 entrees, 6-8 mains, 3 desert, finger food, and unlimited drinks options - it was well worth the money.

The ambience
When I go to Taj - I expect excellent ambience. Taj Coromandel was no exception. The lobby was dimly lit, with plenty of customer service personnel available. The marvelous stair case leading to the Willingdon Hall set the tone, and the lobby was brilliantly decorated with its own water feature, Italian tiles and Mahogany furniture. The European elegance was visible throughout the hotel. The hall itself was very spacious, with comfortable seating and coffee table arrangements. I included a small presentation and they accommodated my needs with space for a projector, screen and my laptop. The decorations, and furniture quality were excellent and second to none.

When you enter the hotel, you feel like royalty and I have not experienced this feeling in other 5 star hotels I have stayed or visited.

Inside tips
* As a general rule (anywhere in the world) - check your bill. This is true in India as well, no matter how expensive the place you visit is.

Suggestions
* Do what you are doing.
* Ensure you bill customers correctly. I was a bit disappointed that I had to point out the mistake, but appreciate your prompt acknowledgment and correction. I suspect my experience was an exception, none the less you lost 1 point for this. I’m sorry!

Rating - 9/10 (Marvelous, but the billing let you down)
Taj Coromandel is a place I will be holding any future functions. I am very much impressed with their professional approach, and also the ambience of the hotel. Well done!

In India, self served car rental companies are rare (such as Hertz, Budget, Europcar etc). Car rentals are provided with a driver, and is billed at a daily rate (including fuel). I was quite disappointed at the punctuality of GRT’s travel service (T.Nagar - Chennai). Sure enough you can book cars at short notice, but never did the cars arrive on time. Usually it is a 30 minute delay, and often they would start from the hotel at the time I wanted them at my home.

Quality
The quality of their cars is great, for Indian standards. The drivers are uniformed, and they provide complimentary newspapers and bottled water on board. All cars are air conditioned, and there is a single rate for all cars. To me this is a bit silly, considering there are considerable space - and feature differences between cars. I always hired the Toyota Innova, which was spacious and a comfortable ride for Chennai’s bumpy roads.

Customer service
The best thing about their travel service is that cars can be arranged at short notice (24 hours in advance). They always had the car I wanted (Toyota Innova), but then again - I have been their customer for 15 years so perhaps that made a difference. They offered me a 15% discount due to my loyalty, however it was frustrating to have the car arrive 30 minutes late each time (total 7). They are a business hotel, and should understand the concept of punctuality. I have written a short note telling them of their time standards, and its negative impact on customers’ experiences. I hope to hear from them, and will let you know how I go.

Inside tips
* Newspapers and bottled water is complimentary in all their cars
* Build a relationship with the hotel, and they WILL look after you - everything from organising a pleasant stay to discounts

Suggestions
* Mantras for you to chant: “Must be punctual”, “Must arrive on time”

Mr Feedback - Rating 6/10 (average, punctuality really killed them!)
Basically, if you are not punctual, it defeats the purpose of running a car rental company. If you’re running a hotel for traveling business people, being punctual should not even be an issue. Unfortunately for GRT Grand hotel, it was a major issue in my case and I made it known to them.

I have been traveling with Singapore Airlines (SIA) for 20 years, and I have been eye witness to the improvement in passenger travel comforts over the years. Krisflyer is their main in flight entertainment, and this is now standard across their airlines. There are small variations however.

This is my travel experience between: Melbourne -> Singapore -> Chennai, Chennai -> Singapore -> Melbourne. Travel time: 11 hours. Class: Economy.

My experience was that the flight between the Melbourne -> Singapore sector was far superior to the one between Chennai -> Singapore sector. I have flown this route for the last 20 years, and this has historically been accurate. For what reason, I am not sure. I would have thought the frequency between Singapore -> Chennai was much more than Melbourne -> Singapore, thus warranty better quality aircraft etc.

The service
Customer service is something SIA prides itself. Their website is informative, but there are some obvious coding errors which really needs fixing. Such a big airline cannot afford to get their website wrong. Initially the e-checkin service did not function, but this was a rare error but was corrected spontaneously the day of my flight. I had similar problems on my return, and once again it worked miraculously. In flight service is exceptional. Response times are adequate for Economy, and from what I heard its even better in Raffles & First Class. During my flight, I tested their service by asking for: more drinks, more peanuts, more blankets, and pillows and I wasn’t refused once. However, between Melbourne -> Singapore, the lady did say they had no more pillows left and gave me extra folded blankets instead. The food was bearable, then again most airline food is crap! So, no offence taken.

Singapore airlines takes good care of their frequent flyers, with the Raffles & First Class lounge and Premier lounge. You can find out more about this on their website.

The facilities
Krisflyer is exceptional. The Melbourne -> Singapore sector had far superior in flight entertainment than Chennai -> Singapore. They need to focus on standardizing their inflight entertainment to avoid customers from guessing. The in flight entertainment had major system errors in the Chennai -> Singapore sector, but I wasn’t too bothered because movies were still playing. The on demand style entertainment offered between Melbourne -> Singapore was great. All shows, movies were great quality, and the larger LCD displays made it that much better. The games were admittedly crap. I was surprised to see ethernet, usb facilities behind each seat which is great for the business traveller. What would have been great - and this is not necessarily a SIA issue, is to have charge ports for laptops so we can use them on the flight without the fear of losing battery life. This is something Airbus and Boeing should look at for their future aircraft, if not already in their A380. Read the rest of this entry »

Mr Feedback is looking for reviewers in each of these cities in Australia:
* Sydney
* Brisbane
* Perth
* Adelaide
* Hobart
* Canberra
* Darwin

Reviewers can write unpaid or paid reviews. Charges are set by the reviewers. Accepted posts will be published on this blog, and acknowledgments will be provided. For more information, check out the about page.

If you live elsewhere, thats ok too - just drop me a line and tell me about your writing skills.

After my day trip, I needed a place to chill out until my flight to Chennai. Singapore Airlines offers premium lounge services to its “premium” passengers. The airport also has lounges on a pay per service basis. The lounge I used was Plaza Premium Lounge situated in Terminal 2 - Level 3. They run special offers from time to time.

The lounge
The lounge was clean, featuring a number of facilities. For S$30, you get: free flow hot & cold beverages, salad bar & freshly prepared light snacks, comfortable seating area, international newspapers & magazines, shower with amenities, internet access, and free local telephone calls. The shower facilities are reasonable, but I wouldn’t say are 5 star standard. The internet was easily accessable, and the unlimited snacks/food makes for fulfilling relaxation. They also feature a gym, oxygen, massage therapy, nail care, and napping facility. The main lounge area is filled with couches, and has an area to store your luggage, and suits.

One of the quirks of the lounge is the balcony (to view aircraft) is accesible as a one way, so once you enter it - to come back into the lounge you will need to circle the lounge, and make your way to the main front entrance. They have a range of magazines to keep you busy, and newspapers. Not many people use the lounge, so it is not cluttered nor busy. They really do need chase style lounges, so people can lie down and relax. Or, you can do it my way which was to join two couches together and lie down with a magazine to read. The aircraft departure / arrival details are available on a separate computer - but there isn’t a glistening plasma which spits out information. Never mind, Changi airport has plenty of these to satisfy (including Panasonic’s world’s largest plasma - 103“).

Plaza Premium Lounges are available in Hong Kong, China, Kuala Lumpur, and Vancouver as well. Drop by and relax!

Inside tips
* Its S$30 per 5 hours, so if you have > 5 hours transit time - you can easily afford to pay a quick visit to downtown Singapore before coming back to relax. Read more about free tours.

Suggestions
* A couple of chase lounges will be really useful for the traveller who wants to stretch their legs.
* The 2 computers at one corner of your lounge are not visible at all. Perhaps move them to the other end. Get Firefox installed too!

Rating - 8/10 (Great)
I wouldn’t say it was 5 star quality, or service but certainly very useful for the traveller who just needs something more than the plentiful public lounges in Changi. The free food, drinks, internet, and local calls is attractively priced at S$30. The strong Aussie dollar really comes in handy.

Sure enough, Beijing has the world’s biggest airport by size but Singapore (Changi) truly has an airport for the future. I landed at Terminal 3 (which opened in Jan 2008), and seemlessly grabbed my breakfast en route to immigration & customs. I had 16 hours here, so thought might take a trip to downtown. Free tours are offered by Tourism Singapore, sponsored by Civil Aviation of Singapore, Singapore Airlines, and Tourism Singapore. The free tour I took was the historial tour. It went for 2 hours, including a 20 minute boat cruise along the river in downtown. They have a very busy schedule, so timing is crucial. They get annoyed at passengers who don’t follow their “rules”. Essentially, they are baby sitting you for a few hours, and they act like mum & dad. Hey, its free so who cares right!

Terminal 3 is a sight to see! A funny thing happened though, some security guards thought I was photographing them specifically when I was in fact taking in the shots of the brilliantly designed Terminal 3. They questioned me and let me off, but then followed me until I went to the tourism centre. Trust me, 3 dudes with AK-47 or whatever following you is not a good look. Moral of the story, don’t muck with the guards. They take security very seriously.

After the city tour, we were dropped back to the airport and then I took the free shuttle bus to downtown. Again, I wish we had this in Melbourne. The shuttle bus drops you off, and picks you up from designated spots at fixed times. Again, they get annoyed at time delays so you really need to be punctual.

There are so many sites to see, but I stuck to three main areas: Little India, China Town, and Malay Town. There is plenty of shopping to be done, but Chadstone is enough for me. The airport itself has countless shops. Read the rest of this entry »

Thank god for internet check in. I just made it to my flight. When I come back (March 16), I am currently looking for reviewers in other Aussie cities, so check back for the update. Till then, chill out a bit. Mr Feedback will be too.

Addit…

Singapore Airlines offered me $500AUD cash plus $300AUD spending money at Changi Airport if I was to forgo my seat, as they had overbooked the plane. Unfortunately due to personal commitments, I was not able to take up the offer but good on them. Interestingly, the guy offered me this after issuing all my boarding passes - a bit late I would have thought!