Letters: November 12, 2009

Missing miles: humiliated by rude staff
    
I received a call on August 16, at 10.32am, wherein a representative congratulated me for winning a million Air Miles. He confirmed that I was a winner for shopping at Arabian Centre and I could enjoy the benefits. The representative said that I could either shop or exchange my Air Miles for air tickets.

I asked when my Air Miles account would be credited. He said this would be done by the end of the week. However, when I checked my account on August 25, no miles had been credited. The Air Miles representative at a kiosk asked me to call the head office. When I did, a representative informed me that the management had not credited the winning miles to any of its winners.

The same representative called me the next day and stated that there had been a mistake and as compensation, the management could provide me with a return air ticket to India. I informed her that I did not wish to go to India then or in the near future as I had just returned from a visit. In fact, I needed to go to the United Kingdom and wanted my missing miles back.

The representative called back, but with no results. Another representative called me with the same offer. Despite repeating myself, I was offered the same package on August 27, too. However, this time there was an update — I could either agree to take the return ticket to India or get nothing. It would have been better if they could have given me the Air Miles or provided a ticket to the UK.

The representative finally informed me that I would be eligible for 95,000 Air Miles or a return ticket to India, which was one tenth of what they had confirmed previously. What offended me more was the manner in which the representatives spoke — they were rude and behaved as if they were doing me a favour.
Nandini Hazra,
Dubai

Mr Ashraf Talsam, Team Leader — Customer Service Department, Air Miles, responds:

Kindly be informed that [Ms] Nandini Hazra has been contacted by us and the issue has been resolved.

Ms Hazra responds: Mr Talsam from Air Miles did indeed call me and apologised on behalf of Air Miles. He further stated that I would be provided with 195,000 Air Miles which could be redeemed against a ticket (without taxes) to the UK. I refused to comment. I thank Gulf News for its kind intervention, but Air Miles is just being courteous.

A few good men
I believe that the world is still a great place to live in and that at least some people, if not all, continue to value honesty and integrity. What I am about to share may sound familiar. Recently, I left my wallet in a taxi on my way back home from work. I did not realise this until I reached home. Soon after, my sister called to inform me that the taxi driver had contacted some colleagues at my workplace — my identification card was in the wallet and they were able to trace my sister's number. I was most delighted when my sister informed me that the wallet had been found. It contained around Dh1,000, not a huge amount but valuable nevertheless. The taxi driver had driven all the way to Sharjah to return my wallet and had the most amazing smile on his face when he handed it over to me. All I could do was thank him, since he had to leave immediately. What can I say? I had to let the world know about this honest man.
Ms Prathibha Nair,
Dubai

A stranger's kindness
Recently, my father was on a visit to the UAE. While out for an evening walk, he wandered off path. He did not have any identification on him and he couldn't even remember our telephone numbers or building's location. However, he came home at midnight and we found out that he took a taxi and the driver took him around the area to look for any familiar sights. Finally, my father saw the restaurant that is located opposite our building. I wish to thank the taxi driver for bringing my father home. I know he went out of his way to help my father — a complete stranger to him. The taxi driver did not take any compensation for his help. He dropped my father at the building and took just the Dh20 fare, as that is all the money my father had at that time. I am sure the fare must have been much higher, as my father says he was in the taxi for more than an hour. If not for him, my father would have to walk around and search for our building on his own.
Ms Medha,
Sharjah
Full name withheld by request

Best interest
In response to the letter by Dr A.K. Mathur of Abu Dhabi, I agree that we should not sugarcoat pills which are best taken bitter ("Best taken bitter", Gulf News, November 7). But, we can always place a pinch of sugar on the tongue to reduce the bitterness. Having lost four of our relatives and friends in horrific road accidents and also on behalf of those people who may have lost their loved ones in road accidents, we firmly stand by our comments that disfigured vehicles displayed on billboards are insensitive.
Ms Sabu Paul,
Dubai

Helping hand
I think many people would agree that Aisha Kelaif has a heart of gold ("Passion for pets can turn into an expensive affair", Gulf News, November 7). Hopefully, she will set a good example for people and there will be others willing to lend a helping hand to the animals in need. There may be those who think that spending thousands of dirhams on animals is wrong. However, I doubt that a person who does not care about a small, helpless creature would care about a human being. Anyway, let's hope there are more such people who care than those who don't!
Ms Mariya Yagudima,
Dubai

Positive change
It's a relief to finally see some positive news from Pakistan, with the coverage of the fashion week ("Put on your dancing shoes", Gulf News, November 7). This glamorous event could be compared to catwalk shows anywhere else in the world. The only drawback was the power cut during the show, but given that the organisers hosted this event amidst bomb blasts and military action in the country, one should be willing to overlook such minor issues. There are liberal and creative Pakistanis who seek such opportunities to display their talent. We hope that the media would support such endeavours.
Ms Shazia Tareen,
Dubai

Opting out
I don't mind taking the H1N1 vaccination, but I would prefer to wait as there are other people, such as Haj pilgrims and children, who need the vaccine on a priority basis ("Ministry of Health starts administering H1N1 vaccines", Gulf News, November 9). I would definitely get both my children vaccinated as soon as possible. Schools must make it mandatory as the immunity level of children is low and they closely interact with their schoolmates. However, I don't think such vaccines must be made mandatory for everyone, as it is not exactly a deadly disease. If a person feels that there are chances of catching the virus, then he or she could opt for the vaccination.
Ms Naina Nair,
Sharjah

Sceptical attitudes 
Our government has always been a pioneer in protecting the health and interests of its citizens. Thus, I have no reason to believe that the H1N1 vaccine is not beneficial. However, a lot of negative comments have been raised, some of which have caused anxiety. I think more awareness is required regarding the safety of the vaccine.
Mr Saeed Mohammad Al Lamki,
Al Ain