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SCMP Reporter

The column for anyone fed up with bureaucracy, frustrated with delays or furious with poor service. Tell us your complaint and we'll try to fix it ...

Commuter polluter?

Frequent tram user Candy Tam wants to know why tram stops in Central have been allowed to be turned into 'walk-in billboards'. She says the enclosures trap air pollutants, block users' view of traffic on busy roads and are poorly ventilated.

'A number of tram stops in Central have had enclosed roofs, one metre high,  added to the original structure and the sides of the stops have been filled in so that the shelters are now one long structure with no air vents,' the Wan Chai resident writes.

'Pedestrians can no longer see what is on the other side of the street and commuters waiting at the tram stop have to endure stifling heat and high levels of pollution. Could the Transport Department explain why some of the most essential priorities of a good road system - good visibility and a minimum of obstructions - are being ignored?'

Wharf Holdings, the parent company of Hong Kong Tramways, said the tram company is currently in negotiations with the Transport Department and could not comment.

The Transport Department has not replied despite numerous inquiries from Take Action.

OUT OF HER ELEMENT

Jennifer Ching of Happy Valley wrote in saying she was furious at the treatment she and a group of friends received at Elements bar and restaurant in Elgin Street, Central, two weekends ago.

Having organised a high school reunion for herself and 14 others, about six of the group arrived early to secure a table big enough for the lot of them. She says they were offered a small table and promised a larger one when it became free.

They ordered a bottle of wine, but she says the waitress was unable to tell them what variety the house wine was, though it cost $300.

'A customer sitting at the bar talking to a restaurant staffer then commented loudly: 'It's just a f***ing bottle of wine', after which he and the staffer both had a good chuckle.'

They were also refused an adequate number of tables and chairs, she says.

'The staffer came over and told us in a smug tone that he wasn't about to let us have another table if we were going to 'just sit there and drink one drink the whole night'.'

She says they left for a different bar as soon as the rest of their group arrived.

Elements replies:

We pride ourself on customer service. In three years it is the first complaint we have received.

Without prior booking, we were happy to accommodate Miss Ching  and her six friends as walk-in customers with tables at the rear of our bar with capacity to accommodate her party of potential arrivals.

As one low table at the front windows became available Miss Ching  requested a move. We were happy to move her and reserve one extra table for potential guests.

Miss Ching  insisted that an entire block of front-area tables be left available for guests arriving at an unspecified time. With customers present awaiting seating, the staff explained the need for a first-come, first-served policy.

A new house wine was available that evening, Sauvignon Vert. The party of six ordered a non-house selection which retails at $300. They remained to enjoy the bottle for over two hours and we happily accommodated sporadic arrivals to her party.

Elements is sorry for Miss Ching's  experience. We also encourage the opportunity to personally address service issues should they arise. Perhaps over a bottle of wine?

Derailed training

Donna Yeung of paper and timber products firm Stora Enso was peeved she had to cancel an outdoor teamwork-training session for 60 colleagues because trainers Outward Bound Hong Kong abruptly cancelled the booked date for its own internal staff meeting and would not arrange another day.

Ms Yeung  said that on April 19 and 20, her company had finalised by e-mail a training session with Outward Bound Hong Kong, scheduled for last Saturday.  But Outward Bound cancelled the booking on April 21.

'They had agreed to the proposed date for our team-building activity and then turned us down due to their internal staff meeting,' Ms Yeung  writes.

'Why couldn't they change the date for their internal meeting - is it more important than helping customers?'

Outward Bound has confirmed the Saturday  meeting was cancelled due to a scheduled staff meeting and even though Sunday  was mentioned as a possible date, it did not have enough staff on duty to carry out the outdoor training.

'We have written a letter of apology to Stora Enso and sent them a gift as a gesture of goodwill,' an Outward Bound spokeswoman said in reply.



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