Little Miss Grouchy

Well not exactly… she is an old fat bag of grouchiness. This is how all who goes to the Thai Embassy in Singapore will be going to have for the impression of Thailand. She comes around the queue early in the morning, a Singaporean who speaks bad Thai shouting commands at her subordinates. Like your childhood form teacher she will be, checking on all your forms and particulars at hand. And when she spots a mistake, she will tell you to correct them in a stern voice and that “I had not had sex since 23 years ago face”. What’s this many would wonder… ain;t Thailand suppose to be the Land of Smiles? Oh no, in Singapore you are, this ain’t no Little Thailand. And then the Frenchman forgot to bring one of his particulars and turned into a wet market the place did.

OBG (old bag of grouchiness, in very rude tone): “No, you cannot get your Visa today, you must show your air ticket, Singapore to Bangkok and Bangkok to your home country.”

Well the very first rule of customer service she broke, was that she never spoke with politeness…

FM (Frenchman): “I don’t have them with me, but why should I show?”
OBG: “No, rule change now, must show, and you must bring SGD$1000 with you, or else no Visa.”
FM: “But I only have Euro$200.”
OBG: “Then you cannot get your Visa lah.”

Secondly… instead of being helpful to explain, she made the situation worst by emphasizing the SGD$1000. FM then started to get really agitated.

FM: “Why? How am I to show ticket, I live in Thailand, I come to Singapore to get my Visa. I am going back to Bangkok marry my Thai woman, how am I to show ticket for Thailand to my home country? I have not plan to go back to my country. I am marrying in Thailand.”
OBG: “No! Rule change, you don’t have documents you no Visa today. Must have SGD$1000 and ticket to show Singapore Bangkok, Bangkok to home country.”

FM then moved out of the queue, tempers raging as OBG walked away ignoring the FM to check on others. Again, OBG did not explain or help in finding an alternative or suggest a solution but treated the customer like a children with an “I don’t care, no lollipop for you today” attitude. FM then re-approached OBG.

FM: “I want to speak to your boss, what am I suppose to do? Why you have so many rules? You have to help me.”
OBG: “I don’t want to talk to you early in the morning. You no Visa today, must have documents. We changed our rule and all have to follow”.
FM: “I don’t understand why show ticket Bangkok to my home country.”
OBG: “You don’t have SGD$1000 no Visa for you.”

See, OBG simply did not want FM to have his Visa. Then she diverted attention to the fact that FM had only Euro$200. OBG simply wanted to agitate the FM.

FM (raging read faced inferno): “I have Euro$200, how am I to know I need SGD$1000?????”
OBG: “No, no, I don’t want talk to you. You must show ticket Singapore – Bangkok. Then we know you will go to Bangkok, if not how we know you go to Bangkok. Bangkok to your home country, no need. You no SGD$1000, you no Visa today.”

Strangely, she had then revealed a little more info which could help. You only needed to show the ticket confirmed for Singapore to Bangkok, and not Bangkok to another country. That gave me relieve for that was what I had. I was listening intensely as I only had the Singapore to Bangkok ticket.

The argument went on a whole hour, the helpless FM went to the counter arguing, the helpless FM chased down the OBG arguing, the FM was all over the embassy and no one provided him with a clam reply and properly explained the situation to him in a professional manner.

So now when we, the ones who went to Thai Embassy in Singapore think of Thailand, we think of grouchiness, not the Land of Smiles. If that’s the way Thailand wants to portray their image, an old bag of grouchiness, so be it.