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 ... Reader Stephen Cheuk bought an Apple iPod in early August and discovered it had a battery problem. He was given a replacement but the same problem existed. 'I returned the iPod to the company's service department, waited for two weeks and got a replacement one,' he said. 'I used it for a while and the same battery problem still existed and the whole unit went down completely - useless.' He approached the company several times last month but again failed to get satisfaction. Apple has apologised and promised a full refund. 'Our colleague failed to serve Mr Cheuk in time because he didn't make an appointment with us beforehand,' a company spokesman said. 'When he came to our office, our colleague might have been busy serving other clients and had to ask him to queue up again. We are not sure what exactly happened on that day. 'Yet we have made an apology to Mr Cheuk for the inconvenience he had suffered, and we also called Mr Cheuk several times afterwards, proposing to send a courier to pick up his old iPod. But Mr Cheuk refused and hoped to get a refund for his iPod. 'Now our company has agreed to take his case as an exception, and refund him for his iPod. However, we are afraid that we could not cover his travel expenses in this case.' Lawrence Li of Mid-Levels drove to the luxury estate The Belcher in Pok Fu Lam late last month to visit a friend and was treated rudely by security guards hired by Shun Tak Property Management. 'I am writing to complain about the mishandling and poor manner of the security guards at the main entrance on Pokfulam Road,' he wrote. 'September 24 was a rainy day and I was bringing my child to The Belcher to visit his friend. When my car was turning into the main entrance on Pokfulam Road, one security guard approached me and intended to stop my car with his body. It was about 12.30pm. 'He told me that I could not enter the gate except by taxi. Because of his interception, my car could not move on. 'Another security guard, believed to be more senior rank, a local guy, came out and shouted to me that no private car would be allowed to enter. 'That's so ridiculous! (There is no road sign along Pokfulam Road to warn any private car drivers that they cannot enter the main entrance of The Belcher.) 'The junior guard, a Gurkha, still used his body to block my car and under the poor weather condition it was very dangerous. 'The local security guard screamed to me that if I did not leave he would call the police to give me a penalty ticket. 'I was so angry. I intended to leave but the guard used his body to block my vehicle. The local guard also instructed me rudely that I should reverse my vehicle back to Pokfulam Road (a main road running downhill) instead of making a U-turn just outside the main gate. 'The guard showed no sense at all that it was so dangerous to reverse my vehicle back to Pokfulam Road under the rainy and slippery conditions. 'I would like to make some points and get some explanations: 'There is no road signboard along Pokfulam Road to warn private car drivers not to enter the main entrance on Pokfulam Road. Only 'Private Road' is shown; 'After private car drivers enter the main entrance, the security guards cannot handle the drivers tactfully and politely; 'There is no sense of safety at all by the estate's security guards. For instance, the guard using his body to block the vehicle and then instructing me to reverse my vehicle back to a main and busy downhill road (Pokfulam Road) under adverse weather conditions; 'There is no sense of discretion and flexibility by the security guards. 'I had a word with the company manager, who explained to me that the main entrance was a road for emergency vehicles only. His explanation was not satisfactory. 'I have driven to many luxurious residential areas in Jardine's Lookout and Happy Valley. Although their main entrances are shown as 'Private Road', they still allow private car drivers to let off passengers on the 'Private Road' outside their main gate.' The Belcher's senior estate manager, Bruce Yip, said the company would review security and traffic procedures and offered an apology. He said the road used is an emergency vehicles access (EVA). 'The EVA of the Belchers was granted for the purpose of access for emergency use. Upon consent subsequently obtained from the Lands Department following modification of the lease, the entry into the EVA of taxis and buses serving the residents or occupiers of the Belchers was also granted. 'Following the incident, we have reviewed that case with the relevant operation section regarding the handling procedure and appropriates steps will be taken. We thank you for the valuable suggestion and apologise for the inconvenience caused.'
