SQ res in SIN , is the local call centre gone ?

[Guy Betsy]

I know SQ wants to save money, but I find it disturbing , not only disgusted that in SIN, I end up talking to someone in India who have no national pride in working with SQ.

Wanting to BTC, I called the ICC and ended up having to tell the agent what chicken rice was! She couldn't find the code and kept insisting that all meals come with rice anyway !

Then another time I wanted to change my fully flexible ticket to another date. Agent wanted to charge me $75 ! I hung up and trekked into the ION office who told me that no ticket reissue is required, and no fee is needed.



When in Singapore, and when I call SQ, I want to speak to someone local.. who can give me advice on which local BTC dish to order, or simple information as to if one may get Kopi Tiam Kaya Toast at Terminal 3 without having to call someone else!

[concept|infinit]

Gosh.. this is aweful. I mean if you are marketed as the top of the line in your industry, this is one cost cutting measure you'd have to do without.

[Jamiegutz]

It has been hit and miss. I find that at peak hours (usually lunchtime) i get through to India, but then at quieter times (before 9am) i can get through to Singapore.

Yes, the India Call centre is frustrating .... sometimes they just wont let you off the phone e.g. i call up to change the flight and then at the end of the call they start reminding you that you have to be a the airport 2 hours before flight, may need visa etc etc

Grrrrrrr

[feb01mel]

Guy Betsy,

What number did you dial from overseas? From Singapore, I always call 6-223-8888 and I do not get Indians like what you mention.

If overseas, you may dial as follows: +65-6-223-8888

[benlee]

Maybe you can try calling the PPS helpline? I think they can handle everything there and presumably with better service.

Yes, I hate it too when those reservations agents at SQ call centre lack training and waste my time telling me rubbish. I much prefer to book my tickets online and also make changes online then calling. In the first place, getting thru is already headache during peak hour which can be like 24 hrs..

[Kyo]

Took me 15 mins to get through to 6223 8888 at 10:30PM last night. Got someone local. I did push buttons for Premium reservations, though. What time did you call, Guy Betsy?

[SQADL333]

I am not from Singapore but from Adelaide Australia and what I tend to do is ring the 8203 0800 number and get someone local to handle anything or go in personally to the office on 50 King William Street Adelaide rather than let some foreign call centre handle anything.

[Cashsuds]

So you think that SQ is the only one trying this on using foreign Call centres? QF has also tried it, but they had to quickly pull back!! They had some serious "cock ups" with the communication that ultimately cost them big money and loss of loyal customers!! Bet you that SQ will do the same thing as well when they have some "big ones" costing them more money. Trouble is that SQ Head Office is now staffed by a new generation of "smart alexes" who have no clues of service let alone understand courtesy, protocols and good manners. These "punkheads" fight amongst themselves trying to get up the ladder of corporate importance trying to impress on the best way to spin a "profit" for SQ shareholders to get noticed. No offence really, but call centres should be manned locally by local people who speak the lingo and understand the lingo.

[dan1431]

I called the USA 800 number and was connected with India, while the agent was really pleasant on the phone, he was totally unable to assist me.

I googled around and found the number for the Singapore Airlines City Ticket Office in Beverly Hills, CA. and the US based employee there was very helpful and assisted me within a few minutes.

ICCs work only if they are able to complete calls efficiently and effectively, clearly if a majority of callers are not being assisted effectively, the training and or call center needs to be re-evaluated.

Dan

[TerryK]

...I googled around and found the number for the Singapore Airlines City Ticket Office in Beverly Hills, CA.....

SQ has an office in Beverly Hills?

I have given up on US 800 number as it only connects to India. There is no US call center anymore. Any call to US 800 number is either a complete waste of time, or it takes 15 minutes to get a simple seat assignment.

Unfortunately, SQ NYC office will only refer you to 800 number. I just pretend that SQ doesn't have a service center in USA anymore. I call Singapore or other Asian call centers when I need phone assistance.

[oxymoron1984]

With some advice, I was told to call the 8188 number and it has worked great! If my memory serves me right, I've always been able to reach the Singapore call center since. However, it seems like even the staff there aren't as knowledgeable as they used to be - they've been giving me a lot of grief of late. It's still miles better than getting routed to a foreign call center though.

Hope this works for you guys too.

[oxymoron1984]

Oh and as a side note, calling the US 800 number does get you routed to the Singapore call center periodically as well. I've been fortunate to experience that a couple of times. It's more likely to work when you call later in the night in the US (day in Singapore). I guess there's only skeletal Singapore staff at nights in Singapore, so your chances of getting routed to a foreign call center is more likely.

[dan1431]

SQ has an office in Beverly Hills?

I have given up on US 800 number as it only connects to India. There is no US call center anymore. Any call to US 800 number is either a complete waste of time, or it takes 15 minutes to get a simple seat assignment.

Unfortunately, SQ NYC office will only refer you to 800 number. I just pretend that SQ doesn't have a service center in USA anymore. I call Singapore or other Asian call centers when I need phone assistance.

I am mistaken and I do apologize for that, when I googeled, I was looking at one line and read the number from another line.

I guess at one point in time SQ did have a Beverly Hills office and GOOGLE maps found that address and number.

In fact, I called the El Segundo number, again I apologize for the confusion.

Dan

[MAN Flyer]

It's always better speaking to someone in Singapore than India, as they simply know a lot more about the airline and it's products.

In fairness I don't have too many problems with the Indian call centre staff as I am so used to them by now I can generally get through what I need to do without too much grief. Not the way it should be I know but you gotta make the best of it I suppose.

I agree its frustrating how they try and start asking you questions about stuff you don't need or want to discuss. I've stopped giving them my phone number every time I call for a start as I am sure they should have it stored by now...

SQ must be trying to see what people think of the call centre as they still have the selection to take part in a survey each time you call.

[dnllam]

Helps if you understand Mandarin.

When calling +65 6223 8888, remember to do the following:

Wait for the recording to say "Zhong wen shuo ming qing an er" and then press "2".

You will then be guided through to another menu in Mandarin asking you for more options (which are PPS "1", SQ Reservations "2", SilkAir Reservations "3").

This would guarantee you get an agent in Singapore.

Caveat: Some Indians, especially those in the tourism industry are now learning Chinese as a second language. My tour guide in India said she was taking some Chinese classes in the evening and commented on how difficult it was (this was about 4 years ago).