Letters to the editor 15/01

The Gaza Bastion

Coping with the loss of a dear friend or a family member, reminiscing over old painful memories, feeling oppressed, worrying over how to silence growling empty stomachs, and many more faces of pain and agony are hard to live with.

Only a few people can endure all kinds of pain and still remain brave despite all odds. The reason for their unique patience lies in their strong belief that God will compensate those who do not fail to react wisely in the face of harsh consequences, and those who do not surrender to the evils of time and to their current ordeal.

Will those people ever lose patience and consequently react in obscene and dreadful ways, lose faith and hope and give in to their plight, remain stationary and not strive to mend their situation? Or will they emulate what the people of Gaza are displaying at these critical moments: patience, bravery, unshakable faith, tolerance and, most importantly, fighting back despite all forms of pain?

Liza, Dubai

Misleading figures

The data shown in the story Rent Retreat does not project a correct picture. There is pressure on the rents, no doubt; but the decrease is no more than five to 10 per cent from the peak prices.

All apartments are not the same and there is always the small print. I would like to illustrate my point with the example of Discovery Gardens.

Discovery Gardens has single bedroom flats with built-up areas ranging from 829 sq ft to 1,001 sq ft, which is a difference of nearly 21 per cent. Moreover, it is a huge development with some parts closer to the Metro line. Proximity to the main road and facilities are also factors that decide the rent. Thus all apartments can't have the same rent – it is not a building but a community. Also, payment terms make a huge difference. Thus your comparative figures are wrong.

I'm aware that a few advertisements are misleading as they do not include maintenance and chiller charges which in the case of Discovery Gardens account for 25 per cent of the annual rent. You discover it when you like the apartment and sign the contract. A large unfurnished one-bedroom flat, including all charges, has never crossed the Dh100,000-Dh115,000 range. I don't know from where you got the figure of Dh126,000.

Name withheld, Dubai

Check your figures

The figures quoted in the story Rent Retreat are wrong. Rents in Jumeirah Lake Towers for three-bedroom flats were never Dh250,000, especially not in September last year. We rented out our three-bedroom flat in July last year and most three-bedroom flats were going for Dh200,000. Secondly, in Downtown Burj Dubai area, rents for two-bedroom apartments were always around Dh200,000. In fact, in September last year, one-bedroom flats were renting at Dh120,000.

Name withheld, Dubai

Editor's note: The rental figures in the story were provided by real estate brokers in addition to those compiled from various property advertisements.

Rents must fall

Rents need to drop by at least 60 per cent – this will give the ‘wow' factor to the economy. Residents are already stressed with the economic situation, retrenchment and joblessness while many families are packing up for good as their incomes are not enough to get decent housing. If salaries were increased, I guess this phenomenon wouldn't have taken place. Only a reduction in rents can help solve the problem.

Tarek Syed, Dubai

False demand

What is not apparent in this article is that the rental market in Dubai also has speculative tendencies. As soon as this article was published, a lot of people must have called their agents for better deals in prime locations, thereby creating a false sense of demand for these properties and, hence, driving the rent rates up again.

Ansel Floren, Dubai

Not a great fall

I don't think rents will come down by a significant margin. Due to shortage of housing, especially in Dubai, there won't be much of a difference in rents. There are lots of people who are looking for new housing, people who want to move from old villas and old apartments to new ones.

Abdul Razzaq, Dubai

Who to bank on?

I read with interest Ala'a's letter (Anger Unlimited) describing his anger at having been let down by his bank when they reduced his credit card limit without notifying him.

My family had come here on holiday from Saudi Arabia in December last year and I had taken them to a mall for Christmas shopping. When we took our selections to the till and presented my Visa credit card for payment, I was told it was unauthorised. I couldn't understand why as I had only spent about 10 per cent of the credit limit. I then tried my MasterCard only to get the same response.

I bank at HSBC and immediately phoned them and was informed that due to a review of credit limits my credit limit on both the cards had been reduced to 10 per cent of their previous limits.

I was also told that I should have been informed and that my original limit would immediately be reinstated. I asked how long this would take and was told that it would take a few hours. We were already tired and angry, so I collected my disappointed family and headed home without our purchases.

I complained to HSBC by e-mail and, in reply, was told again that it was a review and that my limit had now been reinstated and that a mailer had been sent out and they apologised for the inconvenience and thanked me for my understanding and co-operation.

This offhand reply did not cover my complaints and so I replied that I did not understand or feel co-operative and asked how and when the mailer was sent out and what would I have done if I had taken my family out to a smart hotel for a meal.

They replied again in more or less the same manner and I was also phoned but they could not tell me why they could not have phoned, texted or e-mailed me with the advice before putting through the change.

Geoff, Dubai

HSBC replies: All customers whose limits are revised upwards or downwards are informed through mail. It is possible that this communication may not have reached some customers. We have apologised for any inconvenience this may have caused them.

Gaza needs more

The death toll in Gaza has reached 900 and still nothing is being done to stop the Israeli attacks. While some have donated money and some cancelled their New Year celebrations, I don't think that is enough. And it makes me feel really sad that no country is able to halt the Israeli aggression.

Mahad Alvi, Ajman

Some are lucky

I cannot think how you have not experienced the general poor level of customer service that prevails here (Acts of Kindness). I could recount endless situations where I have been frustrated beyond belief at the lack of appropriate response, adequate training and/or basic civility from personnel in offices, shops, hotels, banks, etc where staff have no inkling of the concept of ‘The customer is always right'. I never expect the impossible or more than what is reasonable in terms of customer service and rights but have found myself so many times on the receiving end of complete indifference to my legitimate requests that I no longer expect more than such. And I am always surprised on the rare occasions when matters are attended to politely and efficiently. You have obviously been extremely lucky.

Name withheld, Dubai

Change focus

Please stop publishing stories about real estate millionaires (Rags to Riches). They can say their company is worth $1 billion (Dh3.67 billion) but nobody can prove it. How come you never do a story on Mickey Jagtiani or P.N.C. Menon, people who slogged and struggled to build their companies, not make it overnight and put a figure beside it? How come you never do stories on up and coming companies in Dubai?

Name withheld, Dubai

Unfair comparison

This is in response to the comments by Wasif Mohammad (You Speak) Comparing rents in Dubai and Toronto is not appropriate. Many buildings here are empty but rents are not coming down in a significant way. A fall of Dh5,000 or Dh10,000 will not make much of a difference, we need a drop of 30 to 40 per cent at least.

Name withheld, Dubai

Corporate fraud

The corporate fraud at Satyam Computers in India is really an indictment of questionable corporate governance as also the efficacy of audit firms and the role of the regulators.

Like the Enron scandal in the US, it clearly indicates unbridled greed, political patronage and nexus, dismal failure of accounting and audit watchdogs, all at the expense of unsuspecting investors.

Unlike the USA, where the culprits were quickly punished (including the accounting/audit company) it remains to be seen whether the same transparency and punitive action are forthcoming.

Hamza Mukhtar, Dubai

Water worry

I'm just wondering if any one has noticed a strong smell of chlorine in the tap water, especially in Mirdiff and Deira? I am worried.

Name withheld, Dubai

Rent cap

This is regarding the rent cap regulation in Dubai. Our landlord has already hiked the rent by five per cent for 2009 while the Dubai Rents Committee is yet to issue its decision on the cap.

Rasheeda Shaikh, Dubai

The sky is calling

It's such welcome news that airlines are having a race in cutting fares (Airfare War, page 3, January 8). I just love it. Also, in the wake of your story, I have seen some incredible ads by airlines announcing some magnificent figures as fares. Suddenly you feel homesick because the fare is just too tempting. But a trip is not quite possible for me as my annual vacation is not happening any time soon.

Call it wishful thinking but I have to say this: the landlords in Dubai too must start a rent war.

Sunil, Dubai

Let's save lives

It is very difficult to digest the fact that there were over two million traffic violations in Dubai last year (Caught in the Act). It's unnerving to learn that out of this huge figure, 60 per cent were those that involved speeding. I wonder when motorists in Dubai will ever learn to respect road rules. It's not a hard task, it's basically about respecting life which translates into saving lives. But for some mysterious reason, no one is paying heed and we continue to hear about road deaths.

Jimi, Dubai

Image tarnished

This is with reference to the article Al Dhaid Dune Bashing. We [Oasis Palm Tourism] would like to clarify that the whole incident has been misreported by just considering the complainant's version. XPRESS has not bothered to consult us.

This act of negligence and irresponsibility has tarnished the image of a reputed company.

Firstly, the general manager of the company had never been to Al Dhaid Police Station to give any statement. Secondly, the complaint was filed by Ragaei Abdelmonem, not the company which had organised the excursion for their staff and family. The company issued the cheque for the service provided without any hesitation.

Thirdly, Latif Gulam, the tour guide, is not an Emirati but a Pakistani which shows that the reporter was ignorant of the issue.

I request you to kindly scrutinise the matter and help us in clearing the negative image by whatever means or methods you feel are justified.

Kiran Nagrale, General Manager, Oasis Palm Tourism

Editor's note: Our reporter contacted the tour operator by e-mail on January 4 and by telephone the next day. The tour operator was given an opportunity to respond to the allegations made by the victims. XPRESS publishes all stories after verifying facts from independent sources. In this case, a police official and a tour guide confirmed the allegations.