Stress can be avoided
I believe stress is a state of mind. Too much hard work wouldn’t actually kill a person unless the person was working out of compulsion. We need to change our attitude towards work and life. The world has become too competitive and in order to survive, we feel the need to be equally competitive. We need to slow down and evaluate our priorities in life. Stress affects our work potential and output. Life is more than just work or earning money. It is better to possess things that we cannot do without. Trying to achieve what every other person is achieving is not the right way. Stress can be avoided if we try to sleep eight hours at night and then start the day early with sufficient time to have breakfast and leave for work. Take time for meditation and peaceful thoughts. When many things pop up and all are urgent, stay calm and set priorities. While driving you will see certain drivers overtaking you — at times by breaking speed limits — but eventually, you meet them at the next traffic signal. Understand the logic. Life is precious — if we are healthy, we can achieve our goals. The choice is ours.
From Ms Naina Nair
Sharjah
Help fight diabetes epidemic
Recent reports and discussions initiated by Gulf News on diabetes are indeed apt and laudable. The epidemic of this incurable disease stands as a great challenge to medical science today. [Despite] the research on stem cells, its availability is still a distant reality. I am a nutritional biochemist and I have suffered from diabetes for the past 10 years. Strict control of energy intake, with zero cholesterol, measured levels of amino acids and omega three acids, plus medication, keeps my blood sugar under control. The uncontrolled consumption of meat, milk, and eggs with higher cholesterol content causes obesity, which in turn causes diabetes. The unlimited use of fats or oil in animal feed elevates cholesterol in animal products. We need to control cholesterol in animal products to create healthy foods for the population.
From Dr P. George K. John
Sharjah
Dark skin far more pleasing
A recent report on skin colour is truly disturbing and sad to read (‘Now tall, fair, and handsome is the new ideal for men’, Gulf News, May 26). Why you would want to make your complexion ‘fair’ is beyond my understanding. I feel bad for people who feel the pressure to look fairer. I get furious when I’m asked if I want whitening products at a beauty parlour. After travelling around the world, I am sure only a minority of people fall under this awful marketing spell to become fairer. There’s nothing that will change my opinion about the dark, bronze-toned men who in my opinion are far more pleasing to the eye.
From Ms Israa
Dubai
Website comment
Character more important
It doesn’t matter whether you are fair or dark. What flows in your veins is the same for all. “Black” and “white” are just colours. What is more important is your character and approach towards life. We are all humans at the end of the day.
From Mr Rowena Coutinho
Dubai
Website comment
Be proud of your dark skin
If you are dark-skinned, be proud of your colour. It helps [to be dark] when it comes to skin diseases. Don’t fall for advertisements. Be your own “guru” and have self-respect. It really does not matter if you have a fair or dark complexion. What matters is how smart you are and how much money you have.
From Mr Wosim
Dubai
Website comment
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Readers’ issues raised
Road test
I have been working in Dubai since February, 2008. I have failed seven times in my driving licence test — the last time was on November 16, 2009. Except [for] the first time, all other failures were for minor reasons.
The online complaint link on the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) website does not work as the page has been removed. When I called the RTA call centre, I was asked to complain to the RTA office within the driving institute. When I represented my case before the licence section head, I was informed that no reconsideration is possible. When I requested for a committee test, he told me that it is permitted only after eight attempts, which is incorrect.
I had been driving in India for seven years before coming to Dubai. As a father of two children, one with special needs suffering from Down’s syndrome, this has put continuous additional strain on our resources — both time and money. We face difficulties in attending Down’s Interest Group’s get-together and association meetings. I request Gulf News to take up my issue with the authorities of the RTA to enable issuance of licence.
From Mr Bhaskar Balasubramaniam
Dubai
Customer service, contact centre, RTA, responds:
Thank you for contacting RTA. Referring to your enquiry, you are requested to please note that there are two options which can be followed. You can call 8009090 and submit a complaint, or you can directly go to the main licensing department to check your case with them. They will assist you. Should you require any further clarification or have any more enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us via email or you can call us on 8009090.
It is our endeavour to serve you in the best possible way and in the timeliest fashion. Whatever you want to know about the RTA, just send an e-mail to ask@rta.ae.
Roaming charges
Despite my rigorous follow up for over six months with etisalat for a wrong bill of Dh1,936, I regret that no action has been taken [by etisalat] so far. I’m highly disappointed. Etisalat is making a good profit but I hope they do not penalise loyal customers like me, who are etisalat’s subscribers for the past 10 years! I got a wrong bill from etisalat in September, 2009 regarding downloading data through my mobile.
I visited etisalat’s office in Al Khaleej Centre, Dubai, and clarified that I have never used my mobile to download data. They asked me to lodge an official complaint.
I have been following up with etisalat to provide me with the IP address and URL of the target website from which the data appears to have been downloaded. Every time they respond that they are still waiting for a response from the service provider [in India] to get the details and then there is no further response! I seek Gulf News’s kind help to resolve this issue favourably.
From Mr Amit Khakkar
Dubai
The management of etisalat responds:
Kindly be informed that Mr Amit Khakhar has been contacted and the necessary information has been provided and confirmation from the operator in India has been received, confirming the usage and the amount [of data] while roaming. Moreover, Mr Khakhar sent etisalat an email requesting for a waiver on the amount of Dh1,936. The letter has been sent for management approval and customer will be updated soon.
Mr Khakhar responds:
Thank you Gulf News for the follow up and support. Please note that I received a call from etisalat on May 9, in which they proposed a 25 per cent reduction in billing and are still insisting that I pay the remaining 75 per cent. So, this complaint is not yet resolved.
The management of etisalat responds:
Within our approach to get customer satisfaction, kindly be informed that the customer has been informed more than once that there is a usage of data and calls while roaming, but the customer was talking about a waiver on charges or reducing the amount, which requires management approval. Additionally, the customer requested to have full details for his mobile service and the customer has been informed that this process will take a long time because it depends on other operators, which he used while roaming. After our investigation, we received the following response from the concerned departments:
1- A copy of the mobile service account statement has been delivered to the customer’s address, which shows the full information of data usage and calls while roaming in India with total amount coming up to Dh1,927, which has been confirmed from the VAT operator in India.
2- Regarding a waived sum of the full amount, as per our policy and rules, roaming charges cannot be a waived or reduced.
Editor’s note: If you have similar consumer complaints, send them to us at readers@gulfnews.com
