An open letter to SingTel users
Dear distasteful - I mean lovely people.
You know very well who I am talking about.
With the recent incident of the Singtel fibre network,
thousands of Singaporeans felt the crushing weight of the world, like a sudden
heart attack that struck when they realised that their internet network went
down. So, some of them took the liberty to complain that they couldn’t use the
internet
By using the internet to complain on social media.
One negative comment led to the next and even with the Singtel
updates from its social media team, it went completely ignored as people
screamed about how their internet STILL wasn’t fixed and some even threatened
to change their Telco company. Albeit yes, I believe that Singtel’s social
media team could’ve honestly done better to control the outright spiralling
distress from the people, but if anything, they deserved far more than what
most of the users did: harsh complaints, spreading negativity like wildfire.
Self-entitled individuals (can’t even bear to call them
humans, they are obvious angsty chickens) demanding for compensation via cash,
or free services, constantly complaining on Singtel’s Facebook page but not
realising that they could’ve used the time to find a solution if they truly
needed the internet. So Singtel rolled out the free data service, trying to
appease these social justice warriors but alas! Their desktops, laptops and or
other devices without a Singtel SIM did not have any internet! Woe is we,
hotspot from our 3G handphones/tablets are way too difficult to setup and
honestly, we don’t want solutions, we just want to be angry raging little ball
of fury. That and we also really just want free things from you because you
caused a major inconvenience – that is you didn’t fix up the internet
immediately.
Here’s what I know. I am not an employee of this company, I
am honestly way too lazy to even think about working, and in the span of a few
minutes after realising the internet did not work, I tried to find ways to
access the internet to do my obviously overdue 4,000 word essays with an ‘s’
mind you. Thankfully the free data was unveiled and I skipped social media to
do my assignments, not with ease, but at least with minimal effort even though
the internet was down. If I can manage to browse the web for research material,
read a couple of scholarly articles whose webpage in all honesty has the worst
phone user interface, and even head on to facebook to go “ah ffs these assholes
who keep complaining and demanding for money as compensation need to die.” Why
can’t you?
Why can’t you, instead of constantly spamming the Singtel’s
page, find your own solution? Internet is not a difficult thing to obtain in
this obviously spoilt first world country, SingTel does not owe you anything.
Would it really kill you if you didn’t get internet for one measly day? If it
did, however, my condolences. Please don’t
haunt me, I am just making a statement.
Facebook is a great platform to disseminate information, a
great tool for both the company and the public/customers to have an efficient
two way symmetrical conversation: that said, with the incoming onslaught of
calls and messages, obviously the system would have to slow down – in the end,
these are people who are taking your calls, trying to coax and give reassurance
to you in your self-entitled rage – but it’s not just you, kiddo. It’s a
thousand hundred other people. Technology is of course fast and makes things
easily accessible but don’t forget, it’s not like how your brain perceives it:
a huge siri-like computer answering you on facebook while SingTel’s CEO sits on
a grand opulent throne, holding a glass of champagne and laughing mercilessly
at you.
They apologised. They tried to offer some sort of access to
the internet for those who really needed it. They are workers, engineers who
have to take time off from their Saturday to work their asses off for you
ignorant donkeys, who insist that SingTel isn’t doing anything because the
internet isn’t fixed. Hey, how about you try fixing it? You special snowflake, I
betcha’ can do anything if you put your mind to it.
Again, I stress, there were people, maybe in their older
age, having to travel down, work till 1am to serve some of these insolent chaps
who EVEN after getting their internet back, threaten to sue and t change their
service provider. Honestly, please do if you keep insisting you will, please
don’t be upset when that other service provider goes down and you threaten to
switch back to SingTel.
“This is outrageous why haven’t you fixed it?” “No wifi? Bye
SingTel” “My bill please compensate me, I don’t want to pay for your shitty
service” “f**K u SingTel” “nnb ccb u loser piece of shit I chnge to starhub
better than this”
Yes, this is the
future. With the invent of the internet, these are the majority of what
people can say.
However, there are the minority whom I would love to send my
deepest apologies to. I’m sorry you guys have to deal with negativity when you
try to defend the company. Thank you to those who offered their opinions in a
polite manner, those who have graciously taken a bird’s eye view and those who
have thanked the workers for their tireless efforts. Thank you. You are the
world’s saving grace. Too bad there’s only so few.
I’d like to end this off by thanking the SingTel workers as
well, those who have tried their best, working on a Saturday even though they
should be at home, with their families, and yet are whisked off to deal with
petty little monsters who can do nothing but complain and insist for money.
Thank you for fixing up the internet, I appreciate the effort. (However, here’s
a little suggestion: get a solid good PR social media team, with internet,
people unfortunately expect things to be done immediately, like constant 24hr updates.)
In the end, we are all humans, to err is to learn. To
complain and not figure out solutions? Well, that can only go so far, I can see
why some research essays talk about the de-evolution of human beings. With great
social media comes great power, guys, don't make me quote spider man again.
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