Elusive search for number

I CALLED the number 1081, for Hongkong Telecom's Directory Inquiries, on Wednesday, April 27, in order to get the number of the Sports Development Board (SDB) as it has recently moved to Sports House in our new Hong Kong Stadium.

The original SDB number has been cancelled, so I told the operator and asked her whether there was another number for me to call.

She gave me 868-0000, which I found out was the hotline for the Urban Services Department.

I called again and asked the operator about the old SDB number.

This time he gave me 594-6644, which is the number of the Recreation and Culture Branch.

I then called to ask for the same number for a third time.

I got 543-4238 - which belongs to Urban Services Department, Central Branch.

How dare Hongkong Telecom give this kind of poor and inaccurate service to its customers while simultaneously announcing to the public that it is providing a customer ''service commitment''.

The company says, on the front cover of its service commitment brochure, that: ''We will provide you with a choice of services and products so good, that they will set standards for others to follow . . . It will be a service that reflects your need and we will provide it in a manner that is helpful, friendly and courteous.'' What other companies would dare to provide such an inaccurate service to their customers? Only those, I suggest, which enjoy all the benefits of a monopoly in one of the highest telephone-density cities in the world.

ANASTASIA MOY Mid-Levels