Weekend at Shangri-La Putrajaya

Last weekend (23-24 August 2008) my wife and I spent a night at the Shangri-La Putrajaya Hotel. We got a free 1 night stay voucher for becoming a member of the Shangri-La Putrajaya Spa and Health Club in mid April 2008. We figure out that since the month of Ramadhan is getting near and the validity of the voucher expiring soon, so why not just spend the weekend at the hotel.

Overall the stay was hmmm... okay. Nothing to shout about really. We brought our DVD player and watch couple of DVDs during the stay. It was meant for to be a relaxing stay anyway. We also went to the spa for some relaxing massage. We have to admit though that the massage was not as good as the ones we both had in Bali last month. I have to also admit that having been to many parts of Indonesia for many times, in terms of the service quality, the Indonesians are much better. Their services are absolutely brilliant and they really know how to treat and pamper their customers. As for Malaysians.... well I can safely say that the service quality sometimes or many times rather.. to be bluntly honest.. really SUCKS!

How many times have you been to shops, restaurants or hotels in Malaysia? What will the customer service rating be from the scale of 1-10 (1 = worst, 10 = best)? For me, sad to say, based on my experience I could only give Malaysian customer services a mid 5. Malaysians really need to improve their customer service skills. Some and many of these sales assistants in Malaysia are rude, does not even bother to entertain customers and etc. They will first stare at you. See what you wear and how you dressed like. If you wear something 'flashy' and 'rich' looking, they will certainly give you the 5 star treatment. However, when you wear a simple and casual dress that is not 'flashy' and 'rich' looking they would not bother to say hello and welcome you. If you do not believe me, you can experiment it yourself.

Well, unlike when we were in Indonesia, the people there will mostly treat you well and with utmost respect. The way they speak to you will be very polite and humble. Most of the time they will treat their customers like kings and queens. Malaysians has a lot to learn from Indonesians even though majority of the people there are not as well off as the Malaysians. I guess it was due to the hardship that these people learn to be extraordinary in their services.

Anyway, I am not saying that all Malaysians have bad customer service. There are some shops, restaurants and hotels which trained their staffs well and in return they treat their customers well. For my wife and I, it is simple, if the shop, restaurant or hotel treat us both well, then definitely and surely we will be back and do not mind spend time and money there. But a BAD service.. is a NO..NO.. for both of us. Same goes to everyone out there I believe. Just remember this mantra and I strongly believe any business will be more successful: "Treat your customers like how you want to be treated like a customer."