Letters: March 12, 2010

A prevailing issue
I feel that children and adults should eat something every two hours. It is what we eat that makes a difference, though. Three regular meals, of which the last meal should be a light dinner, are a must. Small regular snacks during the day could help make meal times lighter. It is better to opt for fresh fruit, salads, unsweetened yoghurt or low fat milk. Long hours of fasting between meals could lead to overeating. Parents are responsible for the food their children eat. Home-made food is healthy and safer. Busy parents usually resort to takeaway or ready to eat meals, to save on time. But, these meals are loaded with calories. Childhood obesity could also be due to hereditary factors or lack of physical exercise.
From Ms Naina Nair
Sharjah

Concentration required
I do not agree with Mr Ajith Kumar's letter about a teacher's salary and the students' lack of concentration ("The other side", Gulf News, March 6). It is the teacher's duty to see whether a student has understood the matter taught. They should give limited homework. A class test should be conducted once a week or a month. Many of us have studied in schools and colleges without private tuition. We maintained focus in class. Keep children from watching television for a long time. Advise them to concentrate on their studies and then give them a chance to go for other activities. Parents could sit with their children and ask them questions about the syllabus. They should not leave everything for the teachers. Salary and other perks are secondary.
From Mr Thottikamath Balaram
Dubai

Peaceful mornings
Have you ever noticed a 'bird sanctuary' in the heart of Dubai city? If not, take a walk next to Dubai Creek during the early morning hours. There are hundreds of birds of different species living in their natural habitat. A lot of nests are also visible. Now, as everyone is complaining about the recent rain, it is bliss here, as one can experience the lush greenery along with singing birds. For a perfect morning, enjoy the sunrise and fresh air at the waterfront, feel the breeze, watch the seagulls, stroll around the 'bird's natural habitat' and listen to the music of nature.
From Ms Meghna Sudhir
Dubai

Cost saving strategy
There is a saying, "Sometimes to move forward in life, you must take a step back". The global financial crisis has been something similar for the companies still surviving it. I'd like to cite an experience I had at a famous fast food restaurant. You just have to stand in front of the ordering counter and a voice calls out to you, "What would you like to order?" They train their staff well, but I wonder why they don't tell them that a smile wouldn't do them any harm. I placed my order and once I received the parcel, I opened the paper bag to confirm the order. There wasn't even a single sachet of sauce provided. I had to ask the staff to provide one. There was a time when they packed at least five sachets of sauce — more than what is required for a single meal. These extras usually found their way to the trash can. I assume they have taken up a cost saving strategy. I'm happy that a food resource is being used efficiently. It's a good move by the restaurant. Though I'd just like to suggest that at least one sachet per meal would be ideal.
From Mr Savia Machado
Dubai

Nature lover
I love nature and have been reading about Bu Tinah for quite some time ("UAE's Bu Tinah on global status list", Gulf News, March 7). I would really love to visit it some day. I love visiting Khor Fakkan, Sharjah and the wadis in Fujairah. I love to see the mountains on both sides of the roads. I wish Bu Tinah is successful in achieving its purpose and receives a high number of votes.
From Ms Samira
Sharjah
Web comment
 

YOUR COMPLAINTS: Old issues are finally resolved

Waiting for reversal  
I was trying to book a ticket on Air India Express on the internet in November, 2006. However, the transaction was aborted and the ticket could not be generated. I had used an HSBC credit card to pay for the online booking and even though the transaction was not completed, I had a debit of Dh1,299 on my credit card statement. I immediately filled in a "Transaction dispute form" and faxed it to HSBC. After several years of following up with the HSBC call centre nothing happened. There was no response from HSBC, except "Dispute section will get back to you."

Finally I started my direct correspondence with Air India Express. My family in India has done extensive follow ups with their web support team. I really appreciate the Air India team's assistance, as they found the disputed transaction and sent details of the credit transaction to HSBC in March, 2008.

However, HSBC had no trace of previous dispute details and they asked me to fill in a new form again. I sent all the mail correspondence with Air India and details so that HSBC could do the reversal. For more than three years my card statement shows that an amount of Dh1,299 is in dispute. I did not lose my patience and kept following up. On October 13, last year, I was told by a call centre agent that the dispute section is working on it and would respond shortly. I was about to travel to India so I gave my local contact number as well.

In India I received a call from HSBC conveying that the issue had been resolved and my dispute amount would be credited in the November, 2009 statement. Unfortunately the November statement did not change.

I waited for the December statement, and was shocked to see the statement had the dispute amount as is. I called the bank and they said they'd send a mail to expedite the issue. The dispute has entered into its fourth year and I am still waiting for a resolution.
From Mr Milind Kakirde
Dubai
 
Mr Ahmad Othman, manager corporate communications, HSBC, responds:

At the outset, please accept my sincere apologies for any inconvenience Mr Kakirde may have experienced. We have reviewed the issues raised and would like to advise that we have contacted the customer and arranged to resolve the matter to his satisfaction.

Thank you once again for bringing this matter to our attention and assure you that we take customer feedback seriously and investigate all issues thoroughly to ensure a fair outcome to all our customers and that we address root causes, if any.

Mr Kakirde responds:

I would like to thank Gulf News for highlighting a long-pending issue with HSBC. I received a call from HSBC customer service to convey that my issue has been resolved. I have received a mail from HSBC customer service for the first time in three years and received an update that the Dh1,299 would be credited to my card account immediately. I hope the next credit card statement would show that this issue has been resolved.

Calling for connection

I applied for a new Al Shamil connection with etisalat on December 9 last year. Due to technical issues, my application was cancelled and reissued. This is in spite of my calling etisalat day and night and visiting its offices innumerable times. I had my original application cancelled due to "Port allocation failed" by etisalat and a new application was issued. I haven't received any call from them so far regarding this. It has been months since I applied for a simple ADSL connection. I don't understand why it takes this long for them to provide a simple port for me so that I can get my connection. This is in addition to the fact that I have neighbours who applied for the connection and got it within a week. I am considering taking legal action against them for all the problems and issues I have faced.
From Mr Ashwin Abraham
Abu Dhabi

The management of etisalat responds:

Kindly be informed that the service has been provided since January 21 and he is enjoying the service, with customer satisfaction.

Mr Abraham responds:

They did install the connection successfully on January 21. The connection is working fine now. Thank you for the help and intervention, which helped me solve this long-standing issue.