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I had a terrible experience while purchasing 2 bottles of Baileys last night (August 9th 2019, around 9.30PM) at Changi DFS Terminal 2. The manager who was in charge at DFS and the other 2 staffs were very impolite, disrespectful, and racist. I never experience something like this in Singapore before. I thought this kind of treatment would never happen in Singapore where I used to believe that they respect differences and always welcome foreigners, especially it happened at the most appreciated and best Airport in the world.
Last night, I had choosen 1 bottle of 0.5L Baileys Chocolate Lux, and while queuing the line the manager advised me to get another bottle since in Indonesia we can bring 1L per person. So I said yes, and the manager asked the staff to get another one for me. But then I changed my mind, and asked the staff to change it to 1L Baileys Original because it's a cheaper deal rather that the 0.5L Chocolate Lux, and I had a company that could help me to hand carry it so that the regulation would still met.
However, the staff seemed so pissed that I asked to change my preference. She talked to the manager about how funny I was asking to change what to buy in Mandarin. She thought I couldn't understand mandarin, well I could! I might not able to speak mandarin, but I grew up knowing, listening, and learning it my whole life. She and the manager were laughing at it, they ridiculed me just for changing the preference because they thought it was very funny of me. But it didn't stop there, the staff went to the back and again, she bad mouthing me to another girl staff at the back, and they left the door open so that I could heard it. They were laughing so loud, and repeating and exaggerating my words from changing the Baileys bottle selection. She said in mandarin "I want the chocolate one, oh no I don't want the chocolate. I want another one" in a mocking tone, while laughing out loud. The manager was as bad as the staffs, she didn't say anything to reprimand them, she was even laughing together. And when it got too loud, she just told them to not laughing so loud because I might heard it.
This is what I don't appreciate, why can't I asked to change my option of the product that I'm buying and paying? It even hasn't been paid at the cashier yet, I asked to change it before paying it and while queuing a ridiculous long line because the way they worked were so slow and I almost missed my flight. I don't understand the mindset of the staffs and especially the manager who was supposed to managed them to treat the customer well, and not bad mouthing or even ridiculed and mocking customer in front of the customer herself. I'm not asking much, it would be better if they could just kept their story for later and not laughing at me while I was still standing and waiting there. What was their purpose talking about it when I was still there right in front of them? Was it a big crime to just changed my preference? Or was it so hard and tiring for them? Or was it so hard for them to maintained their work ethics? I dont understand why being a foreigner who don't speak mandarin is an opportunity for them to ridicule myself by bad mouthing me in front of me with another language that they thought I couldn't understand?
It really a broke my heart, I never knew not speaking mandarin could be such a disadvantage against me, especially in a country with multiple languages differences that I believe would always appreciate it.
By sharing this story, I'm hoping this kind of things will not happen to any tourist or anyone in the future, and the staffs of DFS store can also learn their lessons to be better at their customer service.
I always appreciate their job tasks, it takes a huge dedication working in a service delivery industry, but as a customer I also wish to be appreciated.
I believe despite of this bad incident, I have learnt a postive lesson to improve my Mandarin skill so that I can speak up for myself in the future.
Other than that, I also always had a great experiences at Changi and I believe Changi will always give their best service to the customers in the future.
Thank You.
