Obtuse and facetious

I.M. Beck (The Times, April 28) made some facetious comments in his column about a case I dealt with involving two University students who paid a deposit regarding some books they required for an "extra assignment".

The comments questioning the validity of the students` justifiable claim revealed that he did not know about extra assignments. However he candidly admitted to being obtuse and asked to be forgiven.

On May 12 I wrote that "while bearing in mind that I.M. Beck is a University Old Boy and currently a University lecturer, I find it very disturbing to note that he does not know about the extra assignments and/or optional credits which constitute an important part of what goes into obtaining a degree". Therefore I gave him a clear explanation of what extra assignments are and, to be fair, we forgave him for being obtuse. However, he`s still waffling and being obtuse. On May 18 he wrote that the problem was my "failure to give all the information".

The truth is that there was no such failure on my part because the case in question was about the "non-returnable deposit policy" adopted by the relevant outlet. Further information about "extra assignments" was not relevant. Besides, I.M. Beck`s shortcoming was not his failure to investigate. It was the fact that he did not know about "extra assignments" and, as a University lecturer, he should have known.

Thus, if he knew, my inclusion of the words "extra assignments" should have been enough for him to understand. However his "not knowing" did not inhibit him from being facetious, nor did he feel the need to exercise prudence as decent people do when in doubt.

In such situations repetition becomes essential. Therefore, dear Bocca, you are, yet again, forgiven for being obtuse but I must reiterate your own words, as you aptly put it, "no wonder academic standards are plummeting".

At this point I will stress that any further comments by I.M. Beck in his column on this issue will be ignored. If he has not understood by now, he never will. Besides, I have more important issues to deal with in this column.

Crosscraft - refreshingly encouraging response

I was very hurt on reading your comments last week regarding Crosscraft Co. Ltd and Mrs Schembri. Before giving my reasons for being hurt, I must admit that referring to our client as unreliable was a bit too rough.

However, I had my reasons. First of all the demonstration was given at her request. She wanted a steam cleaner which reduces the use of detergents and bleaches - an expectation which was perfectly met by the Euroflex steamer. Mrs Schembri decided to return the steamer because it did not remove a stain from the shower which could not be removed by bleaches and detergents, and to restore the original glazing of a wash hand basin, whose glazing was worn out. The latter is impossible since once the glazing is worn out the steamer cannot give the original shine to the wash hand basin. Otherwise the Euroflex steamer fulfilled all her expectations.

Besides, apart from the fact that the demonstration was at her request, she decided to buy the steamer without any pressure from the demonstrator. Furthermore the demonstrator was actually sent twice to make sure that our client was totally familiar and comfortable with the functions and features of the Euroflex steamer.

What made me uncomfortable was that in your article there was no appreciation that Crosscraft went out of their way to keep her happy. We actually gave her a full refund even though the transaction did not fall under the tele-shopping 15-day cooling down period. Moreover, as you know, Crosscraft had given the refund to our client before we actually knew that she had written to you. However, although in your article you quoted dates to confirm that the case was positively resolved to the customer`s satisfaction before you were informed about it, it was not very clear.

Since we are continuously working on how we can satisfy our clients by providing them with top quality products and also, most important of all, by giving an excellent after-sales service (and this can be proved by all our customers) we had no option but to actually state what we feel regarding last Sundays` article.

While I congratulate you for the work you do to keep customers aware of their rights, we are always open to suggestions from you on how we can give a better service to our clients, which are the key to the success of our business organisation. (Robert Farrugia Vella, managing director, Crosscraft)

First of all I reiterate that Crosscraft did positively conclude this case without any intervention on my part. As I explained in the same column albeit in a separate article: "Our main objective is to generate a philosophy and an orientation so that consumers can effectively sort out their problems on their initiative." Indeed this was one of those cases in which there was no intervention on my part. Hopefully, one day, this will apply to all cases.

This column is not just about problems and complaints. A very import-ant aspect of this column is consumer Education and Information. That includes information about positively concluded cases and this was one of those cases "worth sharing".

I must say I find Mr Farrugia Vella`s sensitivity very refreshing. His letter certainly confirms the importance he gives to his company`s reputation and that is very encouraging. As has been clearly demonstrated, he is prepared to go that extra mile to keep a customer satisfied and his reputation untarnished.

Commercial full guarantees

We regularly name suppliers who offer full guarantees with coverage for "parts, labour and transport" for the whole guarantee period as opposed to suppliers who make a big song and dance about a "five-year" guarantee and let you discover, on reading the fine print, that coverage for `Labour` is limited to three months.

In such cases, to retain the validity of the guarantee for the remaining four years and nine months, the consumer is obliged to refer the product to the supplier for all guarantee-related repairs. During this period the consumer has to pay labour charges which, very often, constitute a major part of the expense. This means that it is the consumer, rather than the supplier, who is making a commitment.

Here follows our current list, including details of suppliers who offer coverage for "parts, labour and transport" for the full guarantee period:

Aplan Ltd: managing director Alex A. Mizzi; general manager Lino Apap.

Head office (and outlet): Aplan Centre, Birkirkara Bypass, Birkirkara BKR 14, tel: 2148-0590; fax: 2148-0598; e-mail: lapap@aplan.com.mt;

Cutajar Ltd: managing director Mario Cutajar.

Head office: Triq L-Akwadott, Birkirkara, tel: 2144-1720/2144-5603; fax: 2149-8632; e-mail: cutajar@ vol.net.mt;

Outlets: "Ultimate", Bisazza Street, Sliema, tel: 2131-8941; "Ultimate" 382, Fleur de Lys Road, Birkirkara, tel: 2144-8644; "Ultimate", 288, Victory Street, Qormi, tel: 2149-4804.

Delta Homecentres: managing director Maurice Mizzi; general manager James Rizzo.

Head office: "The Lyric", Antonio Bosio Street, Msida, tel: 2133-1071/2; fax: 2134-2639; e-mail: jrizzo@ delta.mizzi.com.mt;

Outlets: Under "Olive Court", Triq Ir-Rihan, San Gwann, tel: 2138-3919; fax: 2138-3920; 28, Triq Mannarino, Birkirkara, tel: 2148-6029; 40, Triq il-Kostituzzjoni, Mosta, tel: 2141-4447; 283, Republic Street, Valletta, tel: 2124-4081; and Delta Home Centre, Arcadia Shopping Centre, Victoria, Gozo, tel: 2155-8333; fax: 2155-8331.

Forestals (Appliances) Ltd: managing director Tancred Tabone.

Head office: 110, The Strand, Sliema, tel: 2134-4700-7; fax: 2134-4709; e-mail: info@forestals.com. Website: www.forestals.com;

Outlets: Birkirkara Bypass, Birkirkara; tel: 2149-7201; Zachary Street, Valletta; tel/fax: 2122-5356; Paola Square, Paola, 2167-6944; Cathedral Street, Sliema, 2133-2180; Constitution Street, Mosta, 2143-7495; Multimedia Magic, Galleria Complex, Fgura; 2180-6070; Pope John Paul II Street, Victoria, Gozo, tel: 2155-1234, fax: 2155-2737; Multimedia Magic, Arcadia Shopping Complex, Victoria, tel: 2155-9909.

John G. Cassar Ltd: managing director Simon Micallef.

Head office, 36, Victory Street, Qormi (Black & Decker agents and suppliers to shops), tel: 2149-3251, fax: 2148-3231; e-mail: jgcassar@ maltanet.net;

O&V Ltd: managing director Mariella Azzoppardi; manager Edward Magro.

Head office (and outlet) 186-187, Strait Street, Valletta, tel: 2122-5272, fax: 2122-3936; e-mail: info@ovltd. com. Website: www.ovltd.com;

Oxford House Ltd: managing director John Galea.

Head office (and outlet) Notabile Road, Mriehel, tel: 2144-2334; fax: 2148-8656; e-mail: info@oxfordhouse.com.mt;

Outlet: 55, St John Street, Valletta; tel: 2122-5618.

Pincott Security Ltd: managing director Anthony Tonna; sales secretary Charmaine Zahra.

Head office (and outlet) Security House, 185, Rue D`Argens, Msida, tel: 2133-0200, 2131-1683, 2133-6093; fax: 2134-3908; e-mail pincottsales@atonna-group.com.mt

The Phoenix Group: managing director Steve Petroni.

Head office (and outlet) Old Railway Track, St Venera, tel: 4815-2200, Servicing Dept: 4815-2300; fax: 2144-9216; e-mail info@phoenixgroupmalta.com. Website: www.phoenixgroupmalta.com.

As far as these suppliers are concerned, with regard to bulky appliances, if their customers come up against faults or breakdowns during the guarantee period, they can call them on the telephone. Should it not be possible to sort the problem out on the telephone, the suppliers will call at their customer`s address without charging a `call-out` fee.

They are all pledged to honour this commitment. So if you have a problem with them regarding the guarantee terms and conditions, as outlined above, write to me.

With such suppliers offering such guarantees I see no reason why we should accept inferior guarantees. While encouraging you to make the most of the situation, I urge more suppliers to offer full guarantees covering "parts, labour and transport" and the above conditions. They are invited to write to me. So far we already have a choice of nine leading suppliers but there is no reason why this shouldn`t be wider.

On a positive note

In general, there is a. growing awareness and more focus on customer service in Malta than ever before. However, there are occasions where the customer service rendered cannot go unnoticed as was my recent very pleasant experience with Miller Distributors Ltd.

In brief I was collecting the Money of the World series when I came across some difficulties with one of the periodical issues where certain enclosures were partly missing. I tried to sort out the problem through my local newspaper agent but to no avail, despite empty promises over a period of six months. I decided to approach the local distributors of the magazine, Miller Distributors, and was put in contact with Ms M. Vella de Fremeaux who was very courteous and extremely helpful.

Within minutes of my telephone complaint, I. was e-mailed a copy of Ms Vella de Fremeaux`s request to the UK side and within the hour I further received a copy of the positive reply from abroad. In less than six days Ms Vella de Fremeaux phoned me to confirm the receipt of the missing material, which she kindly mailed to my home. A true benchmark for customer service. (Louis Farrugia)

There is nothing that I can add other then to compliment Ms Vella de Fremeaux on having made such a positive impact on Mr Farrugia. She is definitely an asset to Miller Distributors.

EU - question and answer

Will after-sales service improve if we join the EU?

Malta does not have a strong culture of after-sales service, both because after-sales standards are not yet up to scratch and because Maltese consumers still seem insufficiently aware of their consumer rights.

There is no EU law that specifies a basic two-year guarantee on products. There are also other EU consumer protection laws. Added to increased competition that is brought about by EU membership, one should expect a stronger awareness about after-sales service in Malta.

Soon enough, customers may well start choosing not merely on the basis of price but also on the basis of who gives them the best after-sales service. Clearly this is desirable irrespective of EU membership. However, EU membership will certainly put pressure for this to happen.

(Question & Answer - Malta EU Information Centre)