I have been writing the Customer Service Column since September 1992 and I always used to receive many letters from consumers about various cases, including letters of complaints about traders as well as letters about positively concluded cases. However, at present I am not receiving any letters. Could it be that letters have been lost? Could it be that all suppliers and traders are giving such excellent service that all consumers are so satisfied to the extent that they have no problems at all?

It would be appreciated if some readers send me letters confirming that they have no problems whatsoever. Believe it or not, just as I finished typing this message, I received an e-mail that I am reproducing straight away.

On a positive note

“I feel I must write to express our appreciation and praise for the excellent after-sales service offered by Aplan Ltd. We purchased our Siemens Washing Machine in 2004 with a guarantee that was valid for seven years.

“Last week I called Customer Care at Aplan and asked them to repair this washing machine after it had developed a fault. They informed me that it was still under guarantee and that they would send someone to repair it. In fact, the appointment was set for the same week and all necessary repairs were carried out to my satisfaction.

I would thus like to commend Aplan Ltd for its excellent after-sales service.” (Marisa Camilleri)

I compliment Mr Lino Apap and Aplan for their excellent Customer Service. “Well done!”

Useful consumer

information

Every shop, hotel, holiday complex, tourist village, aparthotel, and catering establishment is legally obliged to exhibit a full list of the actual prices of each item of food and drink sold at the relevant establishment so that consumers can know the prices without having to ask.

Consumers have the right to know the price of whatever they want to buy without having to ask for the price. However, there are still outlets that still don’t abide by the law.

If you any problems with such outlets write to me.

Quick Customer Service Course

For the benefit of traders, the following is a quick Customer Service Course:

When you deal with a customer, smile, establish eye contact, use the customer’s name, give the customer undivided attention, adopt a positive and receptive posture, keep the same pitch and speed, show that you respect and accept the customer, show that you respect your colleagues and the organisation you work for; be calm, confident, well-groomed, and tidy.

Beware of scams

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If a stranger calls you out of the blue and tries to sell you shares in companies you are not familiar with, be extremely cautious. You could be talking to fraudsters.

They may be part of a scam operation to entice you into purchasing fictitious shares. These individuals use persuasive means, such as not allowing you time to think about your decision to ‘invest’. They may also ask you not to tell anybody about the ‘investment’ offer. It is unusual for firms to call you, so be wary if you are not expecting a call.

Should you fall victim to these fraudsters’ offer, you may be left with worthless shares in companies that don’t exist. These types of scams are sometimes referred to as ‘boiler room scams’ and they are usually based overseas.

Before handing over your hard-earned money, it is absolutely imperative to check with the financial services regulator, the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), to verify whether such companies exist, and whether the people who contacted you are licensed and authorised to provide such services. The MFSA publishes lists of firms it is aware of which operate in this manner, on its website under the heading ‘Warnings’.

However, one must bear in mind that these firms change their name frequently, hence should you not find the particular name on the warning list, this does not mean that it is genuine or legitimate.

For queries you can call the MFSA Consumer Complaints Unit on 8007 4924 or visit www.mfsa.com.mt/consuner/complaints.htm