The organisations and how they responded

Al Futtaim Motors
The Toyota dealer was only open between 8am and 1pm, and 4pm and 8pm, so outside this time we were just greeted with a recorded message that took 37 seconds to tell us the outlet was closed.

When we called and got through to a human being, things were reasonably efficient and the sales staff were able to tell us quickly how much a new Land Cruiser would cost either in a single payment or over three years.

However, the 67 seconds we had to wait on one occasion to speak to a sales person seemed like an awfully long time.

• Performance:
  Efficiency: ***
  Politeness: ***
• Plus points:
  Knowledgeable staff.
• Minus points:
  Shuts down for three hours in the middle of the day.

Arabian Automobiles
We called Arabian Automobiles to find out about prices for a Nissan Tiida or Nissan Sunny and overall were impressed with the service - when we got an answer.

Like Al Futtaim Motors, the company seemed to shut up shop for several hours in the afternoon - but didn't even have a recorded message to tell us so. Instead, we waited 90 seconds for an answer before deciding to give up and try again later.

Less forgiving customers might have decided to try another company. Calling later on, we were put through quickly to sales staff.

They knew their stuff, were friendly and one even handed out his mobile number in case we wanted to get hold of him again. Another call was less impressive, involving a wait of more than one minute before we got through to the sales department.

• Performance:
  Efficiency: ***
  Politeness: ****
• Plus points:
  Put through quickly, helpful and friendly staff.
• Minus points:
  Closes in the afternoon and does not have a recorded message to tell you so.

Al Yousuf Motors
Still on the lookout for a new car, we called Al Yousuf Motors several times in the hope of finding out about prices and availability for a small Chevrolet. We had no trouble getting a response - the telephone was answered quickly on every occasion - but after that things seemed to go downhill.

Most of the time when we asked to speak to a sales staff member, we ended up on someone's voicemail - not quite the customer service you hope for when looking to spend tens of thousands of dirhams on a new vehicle. We did eventually manage to speak to someone in sales, but it was hard work getting there.

• Performance:
  Efficiency: **
  Politeness: ***
• Plus points:
  Eventually we did get the information we were after.
• Minus points:
  Kept being put through to voicemail - and there are few things more annoying than that.

Crowne Plaza
If there is one thing Dubai is famous for it is big, luxurious five-star hotels, so we tried out a few to find out if booking a room was as much fun as staying in one.

First up was the Crowne Plaza, which answered quickly, put us through to the sales department quickly and dealt with our enquiries about rates and availability for a double room efficiently.

Staff were polite although perhaps they could have been a bit friendlier. Overall though there was no real cause for complaint - very impressive service.

• Performance:
  Efficiency: *****
  Politeness: ****
• Plus points:
  Calls quickly answered and dealt with efficiently.
• Minus points:
  Staff could have been a bit warmer.

Jumeirah Emirates Towers
It was a similar story at the Emirates Towers, where the calls were answered quickly before being put through to sales.

We did have to wait a bit longer to be put through to the sales department - as long as one minute on one occasion - but staff gave us the information we required quickly once we got through to them, and were helpful about giving details about what services the hotel offered.

• Performance:
  Efficiency: ****
  Politeness: ****
• Plus points:
  Calls answered quickly and staff were helpful.
• Minus points:
  A long wait on some occasions to put us through to the sales department.

Shangri-La Hotel
Still wanting to check prices and availability on a five-star bed, we tried out the Shangri-La Hotel. As with the other hotels, calls were answered promptly, but they were not always put through and answered by the sales team with the rapidity we hoped for.

On one occasion we waited one minute 45 seconds to speak to a sales staff member. Not quite five-star service! Sales staff were helpful and answered enquiries with brisk efficiency.

• Performance:
  Efficiency: ***
  Politeness: ****
• Plus points:
  Calls answered quickly initially and sales staff gave us the required information quickly.
• Minus points:
  Kept on hold for a long time waiting to speak to sales team.

Al Rais Travel
We had a much better time when we spoke to Al Rais Travel, who answered calls quickly, put us through to the right people speedily and gave us the information we needed more or less straight away. They searched all flight possibilities.

On one occasion we were put on hold, but the same person picked up afterwards so we did not have to repeat the information we had given earlier. Extremely good service overall.

• Performance:
  Efficiency: *****
  Politeness: *****
• Plus points:
  Calls answered promptly and the information requested was given straight away.
• Minus points:
  Put on hold once - but not for long.

Al Majid Travel and Tourism
Trying to get information over the telephone from Al Majid Travel and Tourism was slightly frustrating. Calls were answered quickly - in about five seconds on each occasion when we rang - but we were put through to several people who could not help us before finally reaching the right person.

Operators were helpful but very slow in dealing with enquiries. Also, on one occasion in the early afternoon the office was simply closed.

• Performance:
  Efficiency: **
  Politeness: ***
• Plus points:
  We did get the information we wanted when the office was open - although it took a lot of patience.
• Minus points:
  Put on hold for long periods and had to speak to several people before we got a staff member who could help.

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
When we rang Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank with a view to taking out a credit card, it was a struggle to speak to a real person.

On the first call, we spent three minutes going through various options, trying to find one that would give us information about credit cards or lead us to an operator we could discuss things with. We just gave up eventually and put the phone down.

Trying again, we eventually worked out how to get through to an operator and - after being put on hold for quite a while before anyone picked up - were impressed by how friendly, helpful and informative they were. It's just a shame they were so difficult to get hold of.

• Performance:
  Efficiency: **
  Politeness: *****
• Plus points:
  Staff knew what they were talking about, were efficient and polite.
• Minus points:
  It can be really hard to find out which option will lead you to an operator.

HSBC
In contrast to our experiences with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, when we called HSBC a real live person picked up almost immediately every time.

Staff seemed to know what they were talking about without having to pass us on to anyone else. They offered a lot of information without us even having to ask, although the details given by different staff members differed slightly.

• Performance:
  Efficiency: ****
  Politeness: *****
• Plus points:
  Operators picked up straight away and knew what they were talking about.
• Minus points:
  Different details about credit cards were emphasised by different staff.

Emirates Bank International
It proved difficult on one occasion when we called Emirates Bank to speak to a customer service representative - we got stuck in number option oblivion.

And on one occasion, when we did get through to someone to ask about current accounts, the female staff member seemed moody and unhelpful. We also asked about credit cards and, alarmingly, were given different information.

One operator told us the company offered a free-for-life credit card, while on the next call, asking the same questions, we got a different answer - the bank offered no such card.

• Performance:
  Efficiency: **
  Politeness: ***
• Plus points:
  Staff seemed to know a reasonable amount of detail about credit cards.
• Minus points:
  Difficult to get hold of an operator, facts differed between operators and standards of politeness on one occasion in particular were well below par.

Emirates airline
The automated system answered our calls immediately and, when we chose the menu option for a new booking, the calls were answered rapidly.

Staff seemed to know their stuff and gave us quotes quickly for the various flights we enquired about, everything from return flights to Paris to an open jaw ticket to China. During a couple of calls, the operators did seem a bit busy and lacked warmth, but overall we had little to complain about.

• Performance:
  Efficiency: ****
  Politeness: ****
• Plus points:
  Staff picked up rapidly when we chose the new booking option and gave us quotes with little delay
• Minus points:
  Operators were efficient but not overly friendly.

Etisalat
One company that could be expected to offer a good telephone service is Etisalat, the UAE's communications specialist. Enquiring about having a landline installed, we managed to get all the information required just through the automated menu service, which is not bad going.

However, when we were after details of internet services, information seemed much harder to come by and on one occasion we just hung up, frustrated and angry. Calling back we got through to an operator who went a long way to restoring our faith in Etisalat's customer service standards.

• Performance:
  Efficiency: ***
  Politeness: ****
• Plus points:
  Menu service can give a lot of information without the need to speak to an operator.
• Minus points:
  Some details are hard to come by using the automated service, which can be very frustrating.

Gulf News
After trying out many of the other companies in Dubai, it seemed only right to see if Gulf News was any more efficient in dealing with telephone enquiries.

While certainly not the worst company to deal with, Gulf News did not cover itself with glory and the telephone service could have been a lot better.

Calls were not answered particularly promptly and on one occasion we were put through to the wrong person. Operators seemed unfamiliar with staff members and we had to repeat names before they knew who we wanted to speak to.

• Performance:
  Efficiency: **
  Politeness: ***
• Plus points:
  Calls answered reasonably quickly by operator.
• Minus points:
  Often put through to a telephone which no one answered. Not always put through to the right person.