5 ways using Grab can play you out

Just wanted to share some of my experiences where i felt "cheated"/frustrated using Grab.

In the midst of the fierce taxi competition in Singapore, I have been using Uber and Grab quite a fair bit, especially since my company formally recognizes claims through their electronic receipts. I am definitely one of the happy consumers welcoming the newcomers in the taxi scene, where it was once dominated by the blue Comfort Taxis & yellow City Cabs. The commuters in Singapore (and also the region) has benefited from affordable fares, occasional promotions and most importantly, a greater convenience.

That said, these benefits come at a price. A price of frustration especially when it is coupled with poor customer service policies to rectify the issues. In my opinion, poor customer service is what distinguishes Uber and Grab. I am writing this for awareness for Grab users on how you could be played out by their services, based on my experience with them so far.

Scenario 1: Promotion codes are mostly limited to first xxxx users

This is quite common, and I am sure most of the savvy users are aware of this now. There might be a great 50% discount, but there are always small terms and conditions like only valid for first x users, up to discount of $x. So do not assume you will always get the advertised discount.

Well, this is still acceptable.

 (Someone shouts “Nobody ask you to take taxi what, take train lo!!”)

Scenario 2: Promotion codes keyed in by you may not be reflected by the taxi driver

Especially for NOBOOKFEE.

Watch out, taxi drivers may still charge you in full even though you have entered the promo code. There was also the situation where there is a no-promo-code-required $3 off was not reflected on my final bill.

It has become such a chore to need to always check and clarify with the driver “ You got minus the promotion already?”. Well, that is still better than having dealing with Grab’s customer service.

Which brings me to my next point:

Scenario 3: No promo code may be a big lie

In my case, it was.

When I saw that the $3 off was not reflected, I raised this to customer service. They asked me for proof, and I have to send them the screenshot.

They showed no sign of being apologetic in missing that out. For me, I got my $3 and also the feeling that I’m the biggest cheapskate out there...

Scenario 4: Promotions with credit card

Yet another case of promotion that was never delivered.

I think there are quite a few credit card rebates promotion out there in alliance with Grab. For me, I took Grab as there was a $10 rebate if charged on a Citibank credit card. The $10 credit rebate did not come. When raised to customer service, they said that the credit card company will reimburse the rebate. It never came.

Whose fault?

Scenario 5: Cash or credit? Exercise prudence when paying cash

This scenario applies to Grabtaxi.

Well I could I couldn’t remember if I selected the option to pay by cash or card. Taxi driver asked to pay up at the end of the ride in cash. Not thinking it is a big issue, I paid up, only to realise I was charged by card as well.

Raised this issue to customer service, and again, was asked to show proof. This time I had no proof, but perhaps to Grab’s customer service every commuter is trying to cheat their few dollars.

Thankfully my current trip was $7. But for my fellow commuters out there, always make sure you are not charged by card already when paying cash!

In summary

Well, there is always the convenient excuse to please read the terms and conditions. For me, I am quite sure I was eligible for the promotion (eg. $3 off no promo code required) but still not awarded. I guess there is a fundamental execution problem in Grab.

Thus, I wrote this post to give fellow commuters better awareness, and not to take the fares for granted. You might think you are saving money but in the end paying up more than the usual taxi ride.

I am willing to overlook the issues if the customer service is nice (. In my recent trip with Uber, they also missed out in awarding the $5 off for my 2^nd ride as part of the promised promotion. I raised to their customer service and they promptly reimbursed the amount. No questions asked.

This post is not about taking sides, but kudos to Uber and I know I will have a piece of mind riding with them. At the end of the day, I have no intention to make myself unhappy over a few tens of dollars. I believe every commuter out there shares the same feeling - which is the reason at the very beginning why uber and grab could succeed - that at the end of the day, we just want a fuss-free ride home.

Learn Tips, Share Tips

EUFASS

Changing large amount of SGD to JPY in Singapore

So far, especially taking into consideration my numerous trips to Japan, my conclusion is transferring at a local money exchanger hotspot into cash is still the best choice.

My best friend is going back to Japan and is closing his SG account. Now there are 2 ways to transfer his money back to japan.

1. Directly through interbank transfer

2. Transfer to cash and bring it back

Telegraphic transfer

We went to UOB to enquire about telegraphic transfer.

I must give some kudos to UOB service, great service and we did not had to wait long despite having 20 people in front of us.

The charges were as such:

############ 

The indicative rate is 1.245 (which means 100 yen/ for SG$1.245)

Cable fee: $20

Commission: 0.125% (min $10 charge)

############

Assume for every SG$10000, he would get 800600 yen.

The Cash Way

Now to transfer the cash, you can change at the bank / airport, or change at the money changer.

Having previously written about where best to change SGD to foreign currency, I brought him to the arcade where I am familiar enough to help him get the best rate.

We got a better rate of 0.1230 after negotiating with the owner. 

At this rate, assume for every SG$10000, he would get 813000 yen

It was a savings of 12400 yen, which translate to about 1.5% savings for an amount of 10k.

Other Tips:

• Check your local limit of cash that you can bring through customs.
• Give your cash a good count before leaving the money exchanger
• Go for convenience if it’s a small amount

In our case, I guess the time spent justifies the savings we’ve achieved from this trip to the money exchanger!

Learn tips, Share tips

EUFASS

The ultimate guide to Singapore travel – my recommended itinerary and tips

I was asked by a few friends on the recommended places to go in Singapore. It seems like it is high time for many people to plan for this year’s travel again!

Since the last time I blogged about Singapore travel was a quite some time back, I thought it was timely to present a refreshed version of Singapore travel recommendations again. With the rate that Singapore is changing, I guess I have to do this every year!

My humble opinion on travelling to Singapore

• Firstly, get set for the hot weather. It is not just the heat, it’s the humidity that suffocates. (Of course this is a lesser evil compared to bone-piercing cold winters.). You will come to understand why we are qualified as a tropical island J
  
• Singapore is a small island and only takes about 1 hour to travel from east to west and north to south by car.    
  
• Both English and Chinese are spoken in most places      
  
• You can choose to commute by taxi, train or bus
• Taxi - costs about $3 to start the trip, comes up to about $10 travelling within the city per trip
• Train - recommended, goes to almost everywhere, $2 per trip, can be crowded though
• Bus- used in situations when train does not go to the place you want to go
  
• Singapore's train network is called the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit)            
  
• Purchase a "ezlink"(MRT payment card) from the staff at the control station at the airport or any MRT station. This will help you save a lot of time and money versus buying individual train tickets by cash

The MRT network is not as complicated as it looks. You will get used to it in no time. 

List of things to do and places to go in Singapore

==This is where things get general and personal. People are motivated by different things, and I am sure you have your own set of interests and travelling style. I want to qualify here that my list is purely for reference for your leisure planning, and not meant to be the absolute (though surely this is supposed to be an ultimate guide). There could be things I missed out, feel free to add them to the comments section below.==

For those who are having a hard time deciding, I have also included my recommendation ratings, based on feedback from my friends from foreign lands.

Category	Attraction name	Description	Nearest MRT	Recommendation
Sightseeing (Nature)	Night safari	World's first night-time wildlife park. Take the tram and see animals in the dark	Mandai (taxi recommended)	5
Sightseeing	Merlion park	Take picture with Merlion spewing water into the marina bay with MBS is the background!	Esplanade	5
Cultural	Kampong Glam	Nice neighbourhood, learn about the Malay community,  some arabic shopping	Bugis	4
Sightseeing (Nature)	Gardens by the bay	$1Bn spent in building this garden, you wont miss its iconic supertrees	Bayfront	4
Nightlife	Clarke Quay	Dine beside the river at night!	Clarke Quay	4
Cultural	Chinatown	See some temples, chinese shops and products	Chinatown	3
Cultural	Little India	See Indian temples, walk down their street	Little India	3
Sightseeing	Sentosa	Theme park and island with lots of attractions such as marine life park	Harbourfront	3
Fun	Universal studios	Inside sentosa, mini version of Universal studios in the States	Harbourfront	3
Shopping	Orchard Road	Street of shopping malls	Orchard;Somerset	3
Sightseeing (Nature)	Botanic Gardens	Singapore's first world heritage site. Not as mindblowing as yosemite or the scenery in chile, but worth a visit if you are interested in plants or just want to take a walk. There is a national orchid garden	Botanic gardens (yellow line)	3
Sightseeing (Nature)	Jurong Bird park	Come see the birds and bird show	Jurong (taxi recommended)	3
Sightseeing (Nature)	Singapore zoo	See the panda and some other animals	Mandai (taxi recommended)	3
Culture	National Musuem of Singapore	Walk through of the history of Singapore	Bras Basah/ Dhoby Ghaut	3
Sightseeing (Nature)	River Safari	Take a river down and see animals. My friends tell me is the animals are quite lethargic, night safari is better	Mandai (taxi recommended)	3
Sightseeing	Singapore flyer	A ferris wheel to see the city. Icon in our skyline but better to see the city from Marina Bay Sands Observatory	Promenade	2

Tips on choosing the Hotel

• Getting from Changi airport to your hotel
• From the airport to hotel, I recommend taking the taxi for a stress-free ride at reasonable price.                                              
• Instructions:
  Once you exit of immigration, follow the "taxi" sign and join the line for taxis.
  No need to go to the booth to purchase any taxi services. There will be no hagglers and Changi Airport is very safe.        
                        
• My 2 recommendations are:                      

Hotel Recommendation	Description	Location	Comments
Marina Bay Sands	Iconic hotel with casino, frolick in the skypool on the top of the building and look out to Singapore's skyline	Bayfront	Either this or raffles hotel if price agnostic
Swissotel the Stamford	Great location and view of the marina bay area	City Hall	Not as expensive as MBS and one of the best areas

                                               

Of course, there are tons of other very good hotels also, here I am just highlighting my personal favourites.            

You can also choose to stay at Orchard to be close to the shopping.                        

Singapore food!

Food is very much a speciality of Singapore, being at the confluence of so many cultures around us. We have michelin star restaurants to very cheaply priced and delicious local food at our hawker centres (i.e Singapore style food court)

Must try local food	Where	Comments
Chicken Rice	Maxwell market	Ridiculously cheap for its quality and taste
Chilli Crab	Jumbo seafood	Ridiculously expensive but must try
Laksa	328 Katong Laksa	Noodles serve in a spicy coconut gravy
Satay	Telok Ayer Market (Lao Pa Sat)	Malay-style bbq meat franks
Bak Kut Teh	Ng Ah Sio Pork Ribs Soup: 208 Rangoon Road	Delicious pork ribs in peppery herbal soup
Carrot Cake	Various places	My personal favourote
Dim Sum	Tim Ho Wan	Though not authetically Singaporean, but still good food
Kaya Toast and Soft-boiled Eggs	Killiney or Ya Kun or Coffee & Toast	Our Traditional breakfast
Roti Prata	Jalan Kayu or Thomson	My sinful breakfast or supper food
Durian	Geylang/ Balestier/ Chinatown	You either love or hate it. If you love it you can be truly singaporean.

Actually I found this list which is quite comprehensive and pictures should convey better: 

               

Budget for Basic Necessities 

(All currencies in SGD)  

Food – A meal in the air-conditioned food court is around $5-$7. A Macdonalds value meal is also around that price! - $20 per day

(If you choose to eat at the casual diners it can set you back about $20/person)

Drinks - Given the hot climate, you might want to get drinks during the day, which can cost up to $2 per bottle in the city. - $6 per day          

                                       

Transport- Most Places are accessible by train and cost around $2 per trip. Assuming you go to 3 places a day , - $8 per day.

Allocate more if you want to take taxis, which starts at $3.60 and typically cost about about $10 for areas within the city and $20 to far areas such as the zoo

Accommodation - MBS is about $500 per night, Swissotel is about $200+ per night. Let me know if you want a more budget choice at around $100+, I'll help you find.

So excluding accommodation, $100 per day per person is quite reasonable for basic necessities.

               

Fun and More  

And now to the things that matter. I mean, whats the meaning of a vacation if you do not enjoy right?? According to your fun appetite, set aside a reasonable amount of budget.

Alcohol - Alcohol is more expensive  in Singapore ( way too expensive IMO). A pint of Erdinger is around $12-16 in bars in clarke quay. Look out for happy hour!!

Casino - The few things that are free.. Locals have to pay $100 to enter though (to discourage gambling).

Sentosa  - An island within our island dedicated for tourist attractions. Universal Studios Singapore is also here, with tickets at $68-$74 for a one day pass. You should be able to cover the entire USS in one full day. Besides the USS, there are also other attractions in sentosa that will require admission fees. 

Gardens by the Bay - Our proud $1 billion investment to inject greenery in the city. Some areas require a entry pass which costs $28.

Movies - Tickets are around $10 at local cinemas. Remember to book online to get good seats.

Clubbing - entry fee which comes with 1 free drink usually costs around $28-$32. 

               

Shopping: For American brands like Coach, Abercrombie, CK,etc. You can get them for really much cheaper in the premium outlets store in the US. Really, they are overpriced here... For cheap and decent styles, head over to bugis village. 

Singapore 3-day itinerary for reference

To top it off, this was my recommended 3-day itinerary I did for a friend

Day	1	2	3
Breakfast	Kaya toast and soft boiled eggs (Available in many places)	Bak Kut Teh at Ng Ah Sio	Carrot cake at hawker centre in harbourfront
Morning	・Merlion park and take picture with merlion!	Walk around little india	Sentosa
Lunch	Chicken rice at Maxwell market	Mee Rebus / Nasi goreng at Kampongglam	Sentosa
Afternoon	・Gardens by the bay ・Chill at MBS Skypool (residents only)/ or your own hotel pool	・Walk around kampong glam ・Walk around chinatown	Sentosa
Dinner	Chilli Crab at Jumbo seafood restaurant at Clarke Quay (Reservation a must)	Assorted local food at Hawker centre at Chinatown	Satay at Telok Ayer Market
Night	Walk around clarke quay or have drinks beside the river	Night Safari	Rest/Casino
Supper		Roti Prata at Jalan Kayu or thomson

Of course, there's always 101 other ways to explore our little island. 

To sum it up, I think Singapore has its tourism niche in Southeast Asia, with our unique city characteristics. 

As my friend who visited puts it aptly, "I was sold when I could breeze through the immigration and pick up my luggage with 0 wait time. Nowhere else in the world I could do that."

Come and witness the level of efficiency and developments a small and well-managed city can achieve in a space of 50 years. 

Hope this was useful for you

EUFASS