I am worried about several negative aspects of the Singapore mindset. One is the blind adherence to rules. We follow rules blindly and are not prepared to make exceptions, even when the consequence is negligible and helps to remove stress for other people.
Recently, I have to make the final payment for the purchase of my office. I have to apply for a cashier order (i.e. the vendor's lawyer will not accept my company's cheque). I also have to visit my lawyer's office with the company stamp and with the secretary to sign the documents in front of the lawyer. Why are all these requirements necessary? The roads were congested and there were insufficient parking space in the lawyer's office - so this requirement adds to the hassle and the cost.
The lawyer's assistant checked the cashier order thoroughly and found that the amount was short by 2 cents. Sorry, the cashier order cannot be accepted. She called the lawyer for the vendor who said that the amount has to be exact. I was asked to apply for another cashier order and to make another appointment to finalise the formalities. I lost my temper.
Finally, they agreed to take my 10 cents in coin to make up the difference. This will save me the cost of another cashier order (I don't know how much I am being fleeced) and a lot of money and hassle to make another trip.
I have seen so many examples of blind adherence to rules in Singapore. I am worried for the future of our country.
Recently, I have to make the final payment for the purchase of my office. I have to apply for a cashier order (i.e. the vendor's lawyer will not accept my company's cheque). I also have to visit my lawyer's office with the company stamp and with the secretary to sign the documents in front of the lawyer. Why are all these requirements necessary? The roads were congested and there were insufficient parking space in the lawyer's office - so this requirement adds to the hassle and the cost.
The lawyer's assistant checked the cashier order thoroughly and found that the amount was short by 2 cents. Sorry, the cashier order cannot be accepted. She called the lawyer for the vendor who said that the amount has to be exact. I was asked to apply for another cashier order and to make another appointment to finalise the formalities. I lost my temper.
Finally, they agreed to take my 10 cents in coin to make up the difference. This will save me the cost of another cashier order (I don't know how much I am being fleeced) and a lot of money and hassle to make another trip.
I have seen so many examples of blind adherence to rules in Singapore. I am worried for the future of our country.
Dear Mr Tan
ReplyDeleteI heartily agree with you.
I would say that the long term solution lies with the leaders and management. They make the rules and decide how much authority they want to give their subordinates.
In your specific instance though, it looks like the lawyer's assistant and the vendor lawyer were making up some of their own additional rules like "cashier order must be exact amount"
Just where in the Singapore law books says so I'd like to know. Your 10 cents is legal tender too.
When you purchase property, there is a 2 weeks time frame after the option signed, say you write out a personal cheque dd the 13th day, and on the 14th day, your cheque bounced, then how to complete the sale transaction. A bank cashier's order will preempt such a case.
ReplyDeleteHowever Mr. Tan rightly stood his ground on the discrepancy of only 2 cents short.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tan should thank his lucky stars the vendor did not change his mind about selling. Should the latter get a better deal than what TKL offered to buy, he could seize on the chance to abort the sale, should completion could not finalised within the 2 week time frame, all because of 2 cents short on the cashier's cheque.
the payment mode can be flexible, that is for sure. most important is what is owe is paid. the country is build by lawyer. red tape are necessary to pre-empt corruption, and we are successful in it. however, rules do not always cover all circumstances. common sense and logic need to apply aptly and the environment has to accept minor non-conformances. we are used to a systematic way of doing things as detailed in books but less used to a chaotic and volatile environment, as normally found overseas or venturing new frontiers. the future will be less stable as it is going through a phase of change from west dominance to return of the east [probably a series of pendulum swing before stabilizing]. there will be more competition from 5 billion people living in emerging economies who will be getting better educated, more connected and have more cross-country mobility. to compete as an individual, we need to be street-smart, be able to improvise and adapt, and be creative enough to forge new ideas. these cannot be fully taught as a structured subject. the environment we are in will shape us. we mirrored this environment.
ReplyDeleteWhy did I make a mistake on 2 cents? It is quite simple. When I receive the request by fax, it is quite easy to overlook the difference between 8 and 6 cents as the amount is not clear.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, to buy a cashier order, I have to take care of many things - write down the bank account number correctly, write down the payee name exactly, write down the the address correctly - with so many hassle, is it surprising that one can make a mistake with 2 cents?
I find that many forms in Singapore ask for too much information, including unnecessary information. Some are for statistical and marketing purpose - not related to the actual activity at hand.
@yuyuan; there is no need to thank any lucky stars. That remark is unnecessary and out of place.
ReplyDeleteI always believe it is the top management and leaders that set the tone and culture for the rest of the company or country.
ReplyDeleteOften times, lower level staff can be flexible, but they are brought up in an environment which places following the rules AND CONVENTIONS above all else. So much so that even when some methods are not illegal or not unethical, they still cannot be accepted, becoz of "precedence" or "culture" or "that's the way things are done" etc etc.
Staff and citizens learn quickly when they get punished and see others get sacked. We are no better than the famous example of the bunch of monkeys and the banana at the top of the stairs.
rex comments as follows,
ReplyDeleteThis is my two cents worth *pun intended* regarding this episode.
I support the bank to have the exact amount to be written correctly, nothing else can be entertained.
The issue is not in the 2 cents difference. Even if you are willing to pay for it in coins, the problem is how do the lawyers firm collect the cash of 2 cents and bank it into the account? It is absurd.
Property transactions are never done in cash, therefore there is no Process Flow to accept the cash of 2 cents. It is an adminsitrative issue which the System cannot support. How do you think the clerk will handle the 2 cents? Bank it in? How do you bank in 2 cents? Keep it ? She will be fired for keeping 2 cents illegally.
Balancing of accounts will also be jeopardised if the 2 cents are not accounted for. Of course if only one customer involved it may be small. What about if numerous customers do this, do you develop a new process flow just for accomodating mistakes of customers?
Sorry, I think this is really a poor example at all of inefficiency and inflexibility. Indeed, a Cashiers Order has to be made out correctly to the exact amount. It is the responsibility of the Payer pure and simple.
I will relate what really is inflexibility. I paid for a cashier order transaction of about half million dollars recently. The OCBC bank instead of typing the Payee Name on the cashier order, used handwriting to name the payee. I think it was because the Payee name very long, they can't find a smaller font for the printer!! When i presented the CO to my lawyer, they almost rejected it, and both sides lawyers discussed over this item for nearly half hour. They want machine printed name on the Cashier Order, handwriting cannot!
That was ridiculous! It wasnt even my fault that the bank used handwriting to write the amount.
Fortunately after half hour of discussing between the lawyers they said OK and the transaction was completed. It was crazy!
rex
Once my wife wrote a cheque where the words and numbers in cents did not tie. They called me as it is a joint account to ask me whether they can process the cheque payment as the words figure is correct. If I said no, they would return the cheque and admin charges would apply. I gave the approval and the cheque was cleared.
ReplyDeleteI agreed totally with Rex that it is the responsibility of the payer and not the bank to accommodate this type of mistake. This is an honest opinion, sorry can not agree with you.
Tan Wa Lau
Reply to Rex
ReplyDeleteIt is not difficult to write off 2 cents or to account for it. There is no need to exaggerate the difficulty and to justify the inflexible approach that is typical of the mindset of Singaporeans. And there is no need to cause so cost and much inconvenience to the other party because you think that that it is their responsibility. Anyway, this is the typical mindset that I am complaining about. We can disagree on this matter - and it is all right for you to have your views.
rex comments as follows,
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is not difficult to write-off two cents, just as if it is a bad debt, from the accountant's point of view of the recipient.
But it is not the bank to make that decision. The bank has to ask the payee, do you accept to write-off two cents. It is nothing to do with the Bank, the bank is just an intermediary transfering your money to the recipient's account, it doesnt have the authority to write-off anything.
so technically, why should the bank be your intermediary and ask the payee about whether they accept two cents short? You would be wasting the bank time to act as intermediary!
if anything, the bank would ask you to talk to the payee for the agreement to write off the difference, it is logical.
But why should the bank do that for you?
I really don;t understand you, Mr Tan.
rex
Reply to Rex
ReplyDeletePlease read carefully before you post your comments. I am not asking the bank to write off 2 cents. I am asking the developer to write off the 2 cents, instead of asking me to get another cashier order. I am asking the developer's lawyer and the developer to exercise their common sense and not following the Singapore mindset.