Daphne's Reply
Dear Daniel,
Thank you for your reply and your effort to look into the issue.
However, I think you failed to realize the gravity of the issue. I don’t know if it’s just your choice of words, or if it is your fundamental understanding of the situation that is flawed.
What we told you is not feedback. It was a very strong and indignant complaint on a very unacceptable encounter we had with your staff. It is not about making a future experience better. This is not a normal customer dissatisfaction situation. I was not just ignored when I asked for my size. I was yelled at with very derogatory remarks in the busy alley of Wisma Atria.
This has nothing to do with training. The issue is not just that the staff failed to handle the situation in a better way. If it were just a handling issue, our complaint would have been in the likes of “she didn’t take control of the issue well and allowed the issue to worsen”, for example. If she just didn’t say anything while the heated argument went on I wouldn’t go through this. The issue is deep in her core - she is a person who discriminates and is shamelessly and blatantly doing so. From the start she sided with the Indian girl. The bloody, stupid Filipino comment just sealed the deal. No one in his or her sanity would utter those very hurtful, uneducated, and insulting words if there was no inherent discrimination even before the incident happened. All of us are intelligent beings capable of discernment of the causes and effects of events that happen to us, and someone in your seniority should know better.
As I told you before, I have lived and worked in over 5 countries and have seen the good and bad of building my career and exploring the world as an Asian woman. However, nothing compares to the humiliation and insult I have experienced with your staff. As Jiki mentioned, until this day we still feel the remnants of the shame.
The problem with the situation for you and your staff is the Filipinos she yelled at are not Filipino maids who sadly are used to being maltreated, disparaged, and discriminated. She yelled at two accomplished women who are at the top of their game, who speak their mind, are feisty, and will fight for what they believe in. What I am doing here is not only my right, but the fulfillment of my obligation to Filipinos here and in all parts of the world. It’s an obligation to fight for what we deserve.
You are a Country Manager and have the huge responsibility of handling several countries and perhaps hundreds of staff. You of all people should have understood what the root of the issue is. And as I mentioned, how you deal with this issue will reflect on Cotton On Asia’s culture and you as a Manager.
I understand that your view may be different from ours and I won’t force you to do something you do not comprehend or agree with. Therefore, I would like to ask for the contact details of your line manager in Austrialia and hopefully he/she can recognize the seriousness of the whole situation.
Best regards,
Daphne
Thank you for your reply and your effort to look into the issue.
However, I think you failed to realize the gravity of the issue. I don’t know if it’s just your choice of words, or if it is your fundamental understanding of the situation that is flawed.
What we told you is not feedback. It was a very strong and indignant complaint on a very unacceptable encounter we had with your staff. It is not about making a future experience better. This is not a normal customer dissatisfaction situation. I was not just ignored when I asked for my size. I was yelled at with very derogatory remarks in the busy alley of Wisma Atria.
This has nothing to do with training. The issue is not just that the staff failed to handle the situation in a better way. If it were just a handling issue, our complaint would have been in the likes of “she didn’t take control of the issue well and allowed the issue to worsen”, for example. If she just didn’t say anything while the heated argument went on I wouldn’t go through this. The issue is deep in her core - she is a person who discriminates and is shamelessly and blatantly doing so. From the start she sided with the Indian girl. The bloody, stupid Filipino comment just sealed the deal. No one in his or her sanity would utter those very hurtful, uneducated, and insulting words if there was no inherent discrimination even before the incident happened. All of us are intelligent beings capable of discernment of the causes and effects of events that happen to us, and someone in your seniority should know better.
As I told you before, I have lived and worked in over 5 countries and have seen the good and bad of building my career and exploring the world as an Asian woman. However, nothing compares to the humiliation and insult I have experienced with your staff. As Jiki mentioned, until this day we still feel the remnants of the shame.
The problem with the situation for you and your staff is the Filipinos she yelled at are not Filipino maids who sadly are used to being maltreated, disparaged, and discriminated. She yelled at two accomplished women who are at the top of their game, who speak their mind, are feisty, and will fight for what they believe in. What I am doing here is not only my right, but the fulfillment of my obligation to Filipinos here and in all parts of the world. It’s an obligation to fight for what we deserve.
You are a Country Manager and have the huge responsibility of handling several countries and perhaps hundreds of staff. You of all people should have understood what the root of the issue is. And as I mentioned, how you deal with this issue will reflect on Cotton On Asia’s culture and you as a Manager.
I understand that your view may be different from ours and I won’t force you to do something you do not comprehend or agree with. Therefore, I would like to ask for the contact details of your line manager in Austrialia and hopefully he/she can recognize the seriousness of the whole situation.
Best regards,
Daphne