Comments on: Passengers Scratch, Claw And Scream In Kunming Airport Over Interminable Delays, Lack Of Heat And Hot Water

By: Hugh Grigg

Hugh Grigg — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 05:30:56 +0000

Your guess would be wrong.

Customer service: 客户服务
Customer is always right: 顾客总是对的 or 顾客至上

By: BobC

BobC — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 05:20:04 +0000

I heard the equivalent phrase in Chinese is, “Customer is God.” Also an old Chinese saying that says a man without a smile should not open a shop. There are some basic ideas of customer ideas. Maybe you can say it is customer service with Chinese characteristics.

By: jack

jack — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 04:07:42 +0000

I can’t speak Chinese, but I’m guessing there are no Chinese characters for “customer service” or “the customer is always right”. Totally different from the Japanese where an unhappy customer means someone might have to do that sword across the belly thing.

Nice picture of the pretty girl standing on the counter by the way – too bad there’s no video.

By: James

James — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:02:13 +0000

Actual research is behind that “15 minutes” thing though. It’s the longest an average person will accept being told to wait and not get impatient. And the beauty is that it can be repeated over and over and over again.

By: narsfweasels

narsfweasels — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 05:46:10 +0000

Not THE Ken Hansen?

By: KopyKatKiller

KopyKatKiller — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 04:22:18 +0000

True that!

By: KopyKatKiller

KopyKatKiller — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 04:20:50 +0000

I was waiting for a 2 hour or less flight to Xiamen from Shanghai once. The China Eastern staff lied to us for 7 hours before admitting there was in reality no flight. Some of the passengers were threatening to beat the airline staff, but they refrained when I whipped out my camera and started making a video…

By: TGT G

TGT G — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 03:55:46 +0000

Exactly! But sometimes I think it is basic sense of manner, not requiring a “training course in service”.

By: Bert

Bert — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 03:34:59 +0000

It’s the typical Chinese workers’ attitude of doing just about enough to avoid getting fired. No one cares about passengers knowing the situation.

I had a similar experience recently at Capital Airport waiting for luggage for over an hour. Nobody cared to tell us anything. We just had to wait.
Shock: no one working in the service industry in China cares about customer service

By: terroir

terroir — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 03:25:23 +0000

But the Chinese custom isn’t to come clean and tell people straight up what the deal is. It doesn’t work that way. During this ordeal they probably were told, “Oh, right away, the planes willing be boarding in 15 minutes” for hours at a time.

By: TGT G

TGT G — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 02:45:20 +0000

One thing I never been able to understand is Chinese being extremely relutant to be helpful. In this case, simply a continous soothing announcement to keep the passengers updated of the situation would have prevented the riot. I mean who likes waiting in the dark without knowing what the heck is going on? But to the airport workers, it seems that dreadful uncentainty of the passengers is none of their business.. “Why should I care” is probably embeded in their brains…

By: ken hansen

ken hansen — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 02:04:49 +0000

Chinese are peace loving people, hahahahaha

By: Jeff Crosby

Jeff Crosby — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 01:47:24 +0000

I’ve witnessed a few similar incidents, albeit much smaller. I think everyone’s used to delays by now, as they happen more often than not. The problem is support. The airlines don’t bother to tell people the latest news on delays, and phones go unanswered at the information desks.

Once, our 5 hour delayed flight from Beijing to Shenzhen was diverted to Guangzhou at 2 in the morning. When we came out, there was no one from the airline to greet us or tell us what to do. The passengers raised a fit for almost an hour before a representative finally arrived, and at first they wouldn’t even provide bus vouchers or hotel rooms. She actually said, “well, you’re pretty close to Shenzhen already. You guys should split some taxis and go home.”

You do see people throwing hissy fits over simple delays, but the real problem is the airports and airlines failing to fulfill their responsibilities to the passengers.

By: trader joe

trader joe — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 23:56:44 +0000

Children.

By: KopyKatKiller

KopyKatKiller — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 23:53:49 +0000

I always wonder if these irate self-centered passengers would prefer to be hurtling down a runway into think fog and a mountainside than waiting in the airport?

They are just like the people who refuse to wait from the cross-walk signal to turn green and wander out into traffic. For these Chinese, is “saving time” and “getting there” more important than living?