Have you ever been in a tricky situation that requires you to be extra tactful of what you're about to say so as not to sound like perasan bagus? You know how some people give you the grin look just because you stand up for your rights. The right to be choosy, that is. Its probably not a big deal to you but it is to me.
OK, picture this.
You go to a shop to buy something and when you reach the pay counter, you give a crisp new note only to be handed over old tattered change in return. What would you do if you were in that delicate situation? Would you accept it without batting an eyelid and make a quick dash or decline politely (which I always try to do) and ask for another change? Based on my experiences, some cashiers gave in to my request without dispute but they were also some who tried to give smart-ass comments but I persevered and managed to outsmart them. Ha ha ha!
Well, in my case, it depends on where I buy my things from. If I go to pasar malam and buy things from a gerai that typically sells sayur kampung and the person who sells them looks like hard-core orang susah (not dress like orang susah), I'd normally just accept whatever change is given and leave. Tak sampai hati nak mintak tukar....huhuhu.
Many a time I went to a few local banks to change old notes to new ones and I received unfavorable replies from them. They asked me to go to Bank Negara to have them replaced. Why am I not surprise. Isn't illogical and troublesome? I was given this standard reply from each bank that I went to until at one point, when I can't keep my cool down anymore, I sort of give them ayat-ayat cinta with a fake Miss Congeniality smile, "kalau orang tu tinggal kat Menggatal (Sabah) pun dia kena pi Bank Negara gak ke nak tukar duit baru? Macam tak masuk akal je kan cik?". Of course, they didn't think it was funny.
Whatever happens to good old-fashioned customer service? They just don't serve you like they used to. What a shame.
*It would be nice however if Bank Negara could install an automated dispenser machine at every commercial bank that accept old notes and dispense new ones. until then, this writer will keep on accumulating her unusable notes till it reach a certain mark before she can make that trip to Bank Negara. sigh...*
