Ghana Hall of Shame

how cool is this?!

2011-04-11T22:58:00.000-07:00

You guys probably already know of Kwabena Boahen's silicon brain & silicon retina. Pretty cool stuff. I've gotta look for this guy. (i'm already scratching my head and wondering how this technology can be used to improve the governing of a country.) video courtesy of TEDtalks

i miss MJ

2011-03-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

I miss Michael jackson. I heard one of his songs on radio and it got me thinking evil about "The media". The nasty evil journalists of course. Not the intelligent ones. I can't start to imagine how difficult it must be when anytime you wake up, people you haven't met or ever talked to do nothing but say and write negative & false stories about you. Even if I were the devil's step-child, I'd still have a hard time dealing with stories going around about me everyday. There were more people writing negative stories about MJ than those that wrote positive ones. Nobody deserves that kind of negative energy. Now that he's dead, I hope all those that treated him badly and made up stories about him, see the pain they caused and change their ways. It is this anger in me that makes me not like journalists very much. It shouldn't be so. There are lots of journalists out there with good hearts but the dirt the others do casts this dark cloud over all of them. The world will be a better place when people paid to write, write responsibly. We will all be so happy. I hurt even more when some guy that used to write for Vibe magazine in the late 90's said he regrets being a part of the writers that hyped up the East Coast - West Coast feud that eventually led to Pac & Biggie's deaths. Now I miss Pac. Gotta go listen to "Me Against The World". It sure would be nice to go to myjoyonline.com & ghanaweb.com one day and not find a negative article with a crass title.

Tyler

2011-03-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

I've often wondered why my people and I are quick to accept, without question, what people in authority tell us.
Could it have started when we were colonized?
A Pimp's girls dont question him. They just go on & do whatever he asks.
That must have been how it started.

UB40's Tyler paints a similar story (out of Louisiana).
"Tyler is guilty a white judge has said so
What right do we got to say its not so"

Looking back over the years, I see a drift. A shift from what we used to be.
We talk more, we ask more questions and we see more value in doing so.
I love what I see!

GH for life!

2011-01-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

With a name like Ghana Hall of Shame, I hope I don't come off as one that dislikes Ghana.
Truth is, I care about Ghana a lot a lot a lot.
When you care a great deal about something, you hurt when it's not living up to its potential.
Ghana has been great before and has made several positive marks in the history of this world.
I totally believe Ghana can be a great & highly productive country, with all its children living comfortably and peacefully in Ghana. I'm actually looking forward to that.

Considering where we are today, we all need to step up and put in some work.
It warms my heart when I read the blogs I follow. Your posts give me hope. Your thoughts are inspirational. Each of you in your own way, is contributing to make the world a better place. And that is even better.
I worry when I scan the Ghana politics scene. It makes me wonder where the brilliant Ghanaians are and why they are not the ones making the intelligent decisions needed to move the country forward. I worry that the most of the intelligent ones don't want to be bothered with how the country is run. Then I come out here and I read what you all that I follow have to say, and I have hope again.

Ayekooo FDB

2011-01-14T22:50:00.000-08:00

Ghana's Food & Drugs Board recently ordered Tianshi to stop the importation & sale of unapproved penis & breast enlargement devices in Ghana.
I'm proud of who ever put their foot down and signed-off on that order. The device wasn't registered with FDB and therefore couldn't be on the market. Simple!

Good job FDB, but ease-up on the commentary about the safety of the devices.... unless there is documented proof. I know I know. 0% chance that thing works anyway.
Seriously though, isnt Ghana the worst market for penis & breast enlargement devices? Majority of our women are stacked!
And our men. Word on the street is they all hang low.
I wonder who the target market was.

Electricity for all!!

2010-12-28T21:57:00.000-08:00

Yipeeee!
Now THAT would be nice.
Electricity for all communities in Ghana.
Electricity, meaning 24/7 Electricity right? Because there would be no sense in proclaiming "drinks are on me" at the bar and then I proceeding to serve 2 drops per patron.

Well, I wasn't in Keta but I read that Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Information is promising electricity for all in a few months. AND we will all be connected to the national grid.

Pssst! Psssst! Come here Samuel.
Did you really say that? All of us connected to THE national grid?
Slap yourself!
Now slap yourself again!
Go take some SSS physics lessons and stop insulting us.

Does anyone have a clue where the electricity Okudzeto-Ablakwa is talking about will be generated from? Has Gh Atomic Energy finally come up with something we are yet to hear about? I'd love to hear more good news.

We did our best under the circumstances

2010-12-20T10:42:00.000-08:00

If the leaked cables (thanks to Wikileaks) is what has prompted Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to withdraw some Diplomatic passports, then Thank You very much Mr Assange!

Drug smugglers don't always have a sign on their foreheads identifying them as such so our former ministers should hush up. They created & maintained loopholes for illegal activities to continue.
When these loopholes are being discussed, they should quit claiming "we did our best under the circumstances".
Those circumstances were under your control until you started making calls for your buddies to use the VVIP lounge.
The circumstances are always supposed to be under your control when you have a job to do.

Ghanaians & our proverbs

2010-12-08T09:13:00.001-08:00

We love our proverbs!
I know I do.

It saddens me that we as a people do not live them as much as we say them.
Especially the one that talks about teaching a person to fish instead of giving him fish.
He will be fed for life when you teach him to fish.

So...
We already have our brilliant fishermen.
We have our farmers with tons of knowledge.
Yet every other day, we are at the doorsteps of institutions & countries asking for aid.

I await the days coming when we will have selfless leaders more interested in enabling our farmers, our fishermen.

I finally did it!

2010-11-09T15:39:00.000-08:00

I read G.I.'s post and bowed my head in shame.
Considering what I know & what my family went through, I couldn't believe I was not a bone marrow donor.
I made it a priority and registered here.
If you live in the U.S., I urge you to take a few minutes to read about the National Bone Marrow program and join the registry.
After you register online, they will send you a kit, you swab the insides of your mouth, send back to them (postage paid).

Blacks & Mixed-race people have 1 in over 100,000 chance of finding a bone marrow match. Not cool at all. Please join the registry and ask others to do so too.

A registry was started in Ghana years ago but it is currently inactive. I understand bone marrow transplants aren't done in Ghana right now BUT... we'll get there.

bird's eye view

2010-10-31T16:36:00.000-07:00

There is always a bigger picture.
Sometimes, it is important to mind that "bigger picture". There are also times when a "quick and dirty analysis" for an answer right now is the best move. Either way, you need a calm head to figure out which direction to take.

I have to say this; It bothers me that our State Attorneys (thanks Makola Law) lose cases that the public feels should be won.
I'm bothered that our journalists rave & rant about issues affecting the masses BUT do not lay down facts and figures to support their points.
Passion is good but Passion doesn't win legal debates.
Passion PLUS facts does.

So, about the Ghana MP's & them getting laptops.
Kajsa has a post & good commentary going on at her spot.

The arguments I've heard so far, in my opinion, have been on the personal/ passionate side. A few of them are:
1. The MPs are getting free personal laptops paid for by the tax payer.
2. These laptops will not be used by the MPs. They will end up with their girlfriends/concubines/ kids.
3. Personal interaction is needed between MPs and their constituents. Not contact/interaction by email.
4. The citizens of Ghana are in dire need of clean water, reliable electricity, better facilities for secondary & tertiary schools. Laptops for MPs should not be the priority today.

Yes. Based on history, we can expect some MPs to keep these laptops for themselves.
Heck, civil servants have been known to unlawfully occupy state-owned homes beyond their terms of service, unlawfully claim state-owned vehicles they used during their term of service, etc etc.

However, we can't jump in on this case where we choose to.

The MPs getting these laptops is part of a larger program.
The eGhana Project, funded by a loan from the World Bank.
I'm not sold on loans from World Bank, IMF or other countries. But that's another topic altogether.

My beef with "journalists" writing about laptops for MPs is that none of the articles I've read mentions the eGhana Project.
That is the big picture. Let's discuss that!
Are we making good use of those funds?
Are we meeting the Millennium Development Goals as scheduled?
Are The People going to benefit from this investment in our MPs?
Thousands of jobs are expected to be created. Is that real?

I'm giving each MP a lot of credit, doubting that they are dishonest (and I cringe as I say this). There will be some dishonest ones. the ones that will not use the laptops for official duties and will keep them for themselves.
Smoke the incompetent MPs out at some point, but lets look at the big picture and work towards meeting the goals that called for MPs getting laptops.

Here is a starting point: Go to page 14 (World Bank SOPE Ghana FY 2010)
Now dig deeper and decide for yourself where to focus your attention.

It hurts only when I'm awake

2010-10-06T17:26:00.000-07:00

So many intelligent Ghanaians blogging.
Lots of outstanding ideas to make Ghana a better place for Ghanaians.
Passion over-flowing.
All around me, I see each of them doing extraordinary things.
They recognize the ills and all that must change, and some are working towards that change.

This small community gives me hope, but change is needed now on a large scale.
If there was a way, I'd move all these brains into environments where they can be effective at a national level.

I'm awake again.

Head Coach

2010-09-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

I would love to see a Ghanaian as Head Coach of the Black Stars.
However, the screening, interviewing and evaluation of candidates from all over the world for this position must be fair.
I hope the ones assigned to select the new coach take this task seriously and do it right. It is not supposed to be an easy one.
I'll be very proud of them when they show love for country and are selfless in this quest to get the best Head Coach for our team.

We saw how positively the country and the continent rallied behind us during SA2010. It isn't just about the players. The coaches are part of the team too.

If a Ghanaian coach is selected, he or she better not let me down.
It would be good to have that paycheck stay in our country and circulate our local banks.

Riddle Riddle

2010-09-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

I read this on Ghanaweb.

"As the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and Attorney General close in on the circumstances under which forged invoices, fraudulent misrepresentation and other acts bordering on criminality came to characterize the dealings between the E.O. Group-Kosmos Energy in their operations in Ghana, a key suspect in the plot appears to have shown a clean pair of heels."

I need to go back to school or something because I had no idea that to show a clean pair of heels means to run away or disappear.

RIP Mac Tontoh

2010-08-21T01:53:00.000-07:00

Mac Tontoh & Osibisa
Legends of Ghanaian/ African/ Black music

I just found my Osibisa CD 3 weeks ago and jammed to "Kokro koo"
My favorite part:
"Jack Toronto!"
"Hi mehn!"

RIP Star! Proud of you and your team and all you did to make our Black Star shine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlfQbWB_3Ww

This train we are boarding

2010-08-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

Listening to commentary on the use of the "N" word this morning, it dawned on me that it is now being used a lot in hiplife music.

I wish they wouldn't.

Conscious people (especially in the US) know how harmful it is to freely use that word and some have been doing their best to teach more people to exclude it from their vocabs.

I wish we wouldn't blindly get on this train.
Some see where its headed and are getting off.
Lets not get on it.

Our Journalists

2010-08-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

They are killing me!

I'd expect a driver to know how to drive.
A chef must know how to cook.
Boxers should be capable of boxing.
An attorney must be be capable of presenting a case well (or the innocent gets fried)

I can neither write like them nor do their job but I wish our journalists had a good command of whatever language in which they choose to write.
A few extra minutes to review their work plus spell-check can do them a lot of good.

Some english teachers must be rolling in their graves. Mine probably is too!
I like teasing people but this isn't amusing anymore.

President of Ghana for a day

2010-07-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

One day would not be enough for me to make an impact. I'd need 3 months.
1. I'll review & publicize job descriptions for all the ministerial positions. (if we vote them in, we need to know what they are supposed to be doing)
2. I'd demand that all ministers, MPs, mayors & DCEs submit 5-year goals and their departments' plans to achieve them.
3. Set substantial monthly milestones of these plans, to be publicly reviewed.
4. I'd do something with the IRS but I still haven't figured that out yet. A way to keep state money for the state and not in individuals' bank accounts.

Based on the above, each GH citizen would have someone in charge of their welfare.
Before setting this rolling, I'd sit down with a few opposition leaders, notable GH scholars (non politicians like Kofi Annan), and have them share their thoughts on the roadmaps submitted.

"President" wouldn't really be a fitting title so I'd go with "Facilitator".

What would you do if you were President for a day?

Since we are on the subject

2010-07-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

Ghana really is a soccer powerhouse!
Black Stars have appeared in the African Cup of Nations 18 times and won 5 times. Egypt is the only one ahead of us and out of 22 appearances, they have 7 wins.
We tie Egypt with the most finals appearances - 8.

My point?
Soccer is one of the many things we do very well.
We've been dancing on the continent's floor for decades.
We've danced circles around the popular teams on the world's stage to our own amazement.
There is no better time than now, to support the talent we have and encourage them to get better.
We can own FIFA's World Cup tournament and make Ghana synonymous with soccer!

Next time I see a bunch of kids playing soccer without a real soccer ball, I'll get them one. One of them might be the next Robert Mensah, Aggrey Fynn, Razak, Kingson or Asamoah Gyan (with a different victory dance of course).

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Cup_of_Nations#Most_championships_won

RESPECT DUE!

2010-07-02T17:16:00.000-07:00

This squad came together as a team, worked very well together, trusted each other and made Africa proud.
Their high level of discipline was noted and that makes me proud of them.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present MY winners!!!

GOALKEEPERS
1 Daniel AGYEI
16 Stephen AHORLU
22 Richard KINGSON
DEFENDERS
2 Hans SARPEI
4 John PANTSIL
5 John MENSAH
7 Samuel INKOOM
8 Jonathan MENSAH
15 Isaac VORSAH
17 Ibrahim AYEW
19 Lee ADDY
MIDFIELDERS
6 Anthony ANNAN
9 Derek BOATENG
10 Stephen APPIAH
11 Sulley MUNTARI
13 Andre AYEW
21 Kwadwo ASAMOAH
FORWARDS
3 Asamoah GYAN
12 Prince TAGOE
14 Matthew AMOAH
18 Dominic ADIYIAH
20 Quincy OWUSU-ABEYIE
23 Kevin Prince BOATENG
COACH
Milovan RAJEVAC

Work

2010-06-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

Work isn't "work" when you enjoy what you do.
It isn't "work" when you are highly productive without external force.

We should encourage each other to get into fields we are passionate about, doing things we enjoy doing.

Our near future

2010-06-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

Our neighbours' past could be our future.
If their past was bad, it will do us a lot of good to understand how it got that bad.

I recently read about Ken Saro-Wira & his fight for the rights of the Ogoni people as well as preserving the environment.

If he were alive, he certainly would be blogging.

Ghana's Open skies

2010-05-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

When you want to be greedy & keep everything to yourself, you could lose all that you have plus what you are chasing too.

Management at Ghana Tourist Board since 2000 should be ashamed of themselves.
How come Delta is the only airline with a direct route to the US from Gh?
Is it because of a shady monopoly planned for Ghana International Airlines?

If I asked, would they tell me no investors were interested in this highly lucrative route?
Would they say not even one charter flight operator qualified to fly this route?
All these 10 years?

As you read this, imagine that you worked at Ghana Tourist Board of Ghana Civil Aviation Authority 10 years ago.
Imagine that you did honest work, promoted tourism, enticed Ghanaians abroad to invest at home in the airline industry.
BTW, success in your department would mean promotions & boosts in your salary.

Wouldnt it feel good today if you could stand back and look at a flourishing airline industry you worked on?
I know I would.

My Heart will always be in Ghana

2010-05-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

I love Ghana & I love my fellow Ghanaians.

When you love something, you work to make it better. That is exactly what I started this blog to do - Help make Ghana better by working on improving customer service from my little corner.
This blog exists because I love my motherland.

I missed the memo on "Bash Africans & their Countries" day.

It's been amusing the past few days reading blog posts by people who couldn't cut it in their developed countries, jetted to West Africa & are now totally pissing in the calabash they are drinking from.

We Africans have honest reasons for being in your developed countries. What are your honest reasons for being in our under-developed countries?

We can all get along but dont take our friendliness for-granted.

Fellow Ghanaians, we are going through phases that developing countries must go through. Love your country, continue to contribute towards our development.

G.E.S & Petro-Chemical Processing

2010-05-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

I am adding this to my to-do list:
Check with Mr Tettey-Enyo if Ghana Education Service plans on introducing Petro-Chemical Processing certifications & programs in the technical schools.
Since there are all these plans for oil production in Ghana, we should adequately prepare the workforce for the jobs intended to be created.

Santiago!

2010-03-02T00:35:00.001-08:00

Vaya con Dios! Chile.
Praying for all to be well
So I can come chill in Chile
With ma family
All the way from Konongo
to Santiago!

Fast Forward! 20th Century

2010-03-02T00:09:00.000-08:00

Ghana!
We still hear of binding contracts
signed on behalf of the country
by our kinfolk
practically giving away our lands, our souls and their kinfolk.

An educated & respectable Osafo Marfo admitted he signed a contract he had not read and didn't understand, on behalf of the country. (Just when you think you have them figured out, they come back, take your stuff & enslave you)
There is filla about shady contracts between Gh & companies in the west (RE: Craig Murray).

If you care, what would you suggest We The People do?

Marit Bjoergen!

2010-03-01T23:50:00.000-08:00

If you are in the US or any country with a TV network sponsoring the Winter Olympics, you certainly must have seen Marit Bjoergen.
No?
Ok, you heard her name on the TV but you were not watching.
Nei?
That is because, which ever station you are watching (highly likely US or UK connected, doesnt care about the games. They care about their athletes.
They tell it is all about the games.... but pay close attention and you realize it is all about them and their athletes.
Marit Bjoergen is Norwegian and scored the most medals during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
What was NBC's excuse for not highlighting this feat? Americans don't really understand cross-country skiing and they aren't interested in it.

Whoaa?? Slow down a likkle!!
It's like that?

Hmmm Slavery days.
They came
They saw
They liked
Then they told us they had bigger plans for us

We fell for it then just as we fall for it now.

We need to be ALERT!

Booo-ing Ghana Education Service

2010-02-02T16:05:00.000-08:00

Shame on Ghana Education service for not including books by or books on Marcus Mosiah Garvey & Toussaint Bréda in the curriculum when I was in school.

It's not just us

2010-01-18T16:37:00.000-08:00

I had to help a friend move, and got assigned the task of picking up the UHAUL truck. He told me I'd need extra patience with the UHAUL staff because they are known for being rude.
I stepped in there with an attitude but the lady at the counter was the sweetest and nicest so I chucked my attitude.

Some of the uhaul customers' horror stories were scary.
Our customer service is bad in Ghana BUT not this bad.

Jingle bells!!

2009-12-23T15:08:00.000-08:00

May the year 2009 end for you in a very positive way,
and may each day of 2010 bring you Good health, Peace & Joy.

Armed men & fear

2009-11-27T15:50:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of one of the soldiers involved in the incident at Bawku. The video of the incident is rather disturbing so I chose not to post it.

He certainly earned his spot on this board.

I respect the military & what it stands for. I admire the Ghana armed forces (had ambitions of attending the military academy decades ago).

It is rather sad when soldiers become bullies.

I hope the police & soldiers choose to stay home when they are having a bad day. They are supposed to protect us and treat every single one of us as human beings.

Not bully us & act as Judge & Jury.

Appreciation

2009-11-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all that are interested in this blog.
It is good to know that you also believe we can bring about change in customer service in Ghana.

Share your customer service horror stories with us, and I will follow through with the institutions involved to at least bring the issue to their management's attention.

There are many approaches we could use to make customer service exist in Ghana. This is one we can work on together, now.

ghos99@gmail.com

Soliciting stories

2009-10-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been quiet.
Have you or anyone you know had frustrating customer service issues in Ghana?
Feel free to share them with us here.
I'm fully committed to this effort of making customer service a thing we can be proud of in Ghana.

ghos99@gmail.com

Follow-up: SHOPROT (Shoprite)

2009-10-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

After several tries, I finally got in touch with Shoprite's Accra Mall store Manager Mr Killicks Yeboah.
He was very pleasant & took time out his busy schedule to hear us out. He sounds interested in what his customers have to say and also improving quality of service at his store.

We have presented Shoprite with an opportunity to improve Customer Service, and I hope it is not taken for-granted.
I am sure we will hear something positive from Shoprite very soon.

I encourage you all to share your stories. Our voices will be heard and good customer service will no longer be inconceivable in Ghana.

SHOPROT

2009-09-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

I tip my hat to RebelRyter. She took time to make SHOPRITE aware of her displeasure with produce she purchased from them.
RebelRyter shares her "SHOPROT" experience with us.
I believe that as we make our voices heard, these institutions that need our business, will provide us with better customer service.

I will look for the appropriate Execs of Shoprite & let them know customers and potential customers are paying attention to them. I will keep you informed.

RebelRyter shares her world @ http://rebelryterwrites.wordpress.com/
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the bag of rotten nectarines

I don’t get it. I really don’t. I have played back the incident in my head over and over again but I still don’t get it. Maybe the concept is too astute for my simple mind to understand. Someone please enlighten me. How many people in modern day Ghana spend over 30 minutes in traffic, waste fuel, time and energy just to tell a lie? Hold on, I’m getting to the point.

Yesterday some lady at Accra Mall’s Shoprite pissed me off big time!!! I’m still fuming through my ears. Let me start from the top. On Monday afternoon, I decided to buy some fresh fruits from the mall. I tried Koala but didn’t get enough variety as I wanted. So the next obvious grocery shop for me was Shoprite. It was a little after 4pm Monday afternoon, when I drove into the parking lot of the Accra Mall. At exactly 16.22.35hrs I had checked out the following (see pic below):
my authentic shoprite receipt highlighted for easy clarification

I got home and did the usual, took out the fruits from the plastic bags and put them somewhere airy, like the kitchen counter or any other prescribed cool and dry place. Now by Wednesday morning (barely 30 hours after purchase), the nectarines had gone completely bad! I mean totally and absolutely rotten. I was disgusted. Just when I was about to dump it in the garbage, my mum asked that I go to Shoprite and show it to them. Knowing the negative standards of customer care in Ghana I was hesitant. But there was no harm in trying…or so I thought.

So I get to Shoprite with the bag of bad fruit in it and I ask at the entrance whom to see when a complaint had to be lodged. They directed me to the “1st window on the right”. I got there with my brother [he had suffered a similar attack earlier in the afternoon at Celsbridge. That's the subject for my next upload]. Nobody was there, then I see a lady coming in from the sweets section with a scared/worried look on her face. I tell her my mission, she takes the bag from my hand and takes it into another room.

Moments later a bigger, bearded, glum looking lady wearing some uniform walks up to me, puts the bag of bad nectarines on the checkout counter and proceeds to interrogate me. She first asks “Where is this from?” referring to the white grape holder I got from Koala. I tell her its from another grocery shop. She asks me why it is included in the ‘package’.
I tell her it is because I wanted to prevent the rotten fruit from soaking the seat of my car. She then tells me that she finds my story very hard to believe because first of all the bag with the rotten fruit is from another shop and second, the grape container doesn’t bear the barcode of Shoprite.
I ask her, “Madam, are you listening to me? I am not here to complain about barcodes or the grapes. I am here to tell you that your fruits are rotten!” I’m sure at that time she expected me to whip out the plastic bag I got when I bought them from under my sleeve and slap it in her face with it. No lady, it is usually the first thing you throw out. If you’ve ever bought stuff from the shop, you would know.

Rotten Nectarine I

Rotten Nectarine II

By this time my temperature was peaking. If I had any heart condition, now would have been the ripe time for it to show itself. I tried a little harder to make her understand where I stood in all of this and how very little I stood to gain.
I showed her the receipt and the time I bought the product. Then she asks me where the other items on the list are.
Heck woman! Are you comprehending any of this? Why do you want to know where the mixed dried fruit and the peach juices are? How does this help you address the fact that the fruits I have got rotten before ripening? Wait, there’s more. The next thing she asks is whether I refrigerated the fruits when I bought them.
Now obviously this was creating a scene ‘cos I couldn’t keep my voice down any longer and neither could she. This went on for over 20 minutes. I heaved a sigh of disbelief and asked her if she thought I had nothing meaningful to do with my life other than to simply waste my time, steal a Shoprite receipt from someone, buy bad fruit from someplace else, jumble them up with Koala labels and walk chest out into Shoprite and ask for money or some form of refund? ¢10.50 may be a lot, but not enough for the stress involved in this level of scheming.

Rotten Nectarine III

Rotten Nectarine IV

During this altercation, one of her colleagues came trying to explain to me that the temperature that the fruits are kept in is different from that in my house, and without the same [weather] conditions, the fruits were bound to go bad. He, a little bit more reasonable than the bearded lady, asked what I wanted. I’m like dude, I don’t want your money, I don’t want anything from you, all I wanted to do here is to lodge a complaint. That’s all. You can eat all the rubbish fruit in this shop for all I care!!! You can very well shove it! (I didn’t tell them that though, I had to contain myself). Man, was I angry!Next time I’ll stick to buying banana and oranges from the side of the street.

Still on "The Mission"

2009-09-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

We are gradually making progress. The word is out there about this site and our quest to address Customer Service in Ghana, in order to bring about some positive change.
When you vent/ share any unsatisfactory customer service experiences here, it gives us more information to be able to contact upper management in those institutions to let them know that their customers are not happy.
I believe our voices will be heard and improvements will be made.

Feel free to post your experiences here, or email them to ghos99@gmail.com.

Trials and Tribulations of Banking with SG-SSB

2009-08-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks Emmanuel, for sharing your nightmare. It is indeed sad that your valuable time was wasted in that manner. The bank wasted their valuable time as well and this takes a toll on the nation's productivity. Hopefully, change will come as we make our voices heard.
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In a style reminiscent of my ATM frenzy in May, where I spent hours looking for a working ATM, I spent the better part of the afternoon trying—yet again—to get money out – this time not just from the ATM, but also from the banking hall itself!
I save with SG-SSB, and wanted to get some money from there—only to be caught in some serious and heavy traffic around the so-called "Circle" road that leads up to BusyInternet for around forty minutes(!). Not to speak of the myriad of shortcuts that only led to…more traffic:-( When you start dosing in traffic and that heat emanating around the capital between 1 and 2 pm, then you know you’ve been in traffic for more time than necessary. It’s a good thing I had my sunglasses to hide behind my dosing;-)

Seriously, though, I cannot for the life of me understand why I had to chase all the SG-SSB banks in the ‘hood. I went to my own branch—only to be told that I couldn’t even withdraw money from my account because there was a memo on it about ATM transactions from…another branch! When I went to that other branch (Accra Main), which happens to be that of the picture I took, I spent a good thirty minutes shuttling between looking for the lady who wrote the memo, and the be-spectacled and pin-stripe-suit-clad manager (a very easygoing middle-aged man who was very affable) of the branch who broke between twi and very good English [he spoke twi with most of his bank staff!] who elucidated the whole mystery for me.

The explanation pissed me off no-end: what had spawned the memo, which had by way of condition "no withdrawal" of sorts, was something that could have taken a phone call to fix: at the time that the bank had withdrawn charges (15,000 GH Cedis [by July 2007, it will be 1.5 [new] GH Cedis] for the use of the ATM card, I had insufficient money in the bank. Very soon afterwards, I got some money in.
The problem, then, was a non-starter. All the bank had to do was to simply debit my account with the appropriate charges! As a result of this, it cost me a good three hours roaming round that part of the capital, and incurring a hefty sum of 190,000 Ghanaian cedis, which is around €17 for a good three hours.
That the taxi-driver had seen me going from bank to bank…to bank did not help me in shielding me from what I still consider to be an exorbitant sum. At least, I should have been charged 150,000 cedis maximum. He was complaining, looking all-pensive about that initial sum, saying he will be "hot", etc, so I was compelled to give him an extra 40,000—very much to my chagrin.

Long and short: remind me to remind you to (a) have sufficient money in the savings account next time, and (b) maybe, re-consider saving with this bank.If that sounds cruel, well, just to add that I liked the manner in which the manager had a walk-in policy; that was very encouraging. You don’t get that at my main bank of ECOBANK.

E.K Bensah II
http://ekbensahinghana.blogspot.com/

Frustration with CEPS

2009-08-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

Gladly sharing Francis Kwaku Egu's experience. Things could certainly be done better @ CEPS and it would be nice when the value of time is recognized. Thanks for sharing, Francis.
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The Custom, Excise and Preventive Services (CEPS) have over the years contributed immensely for revenue generation into the national coffers. Officers of CEPS usually work under extremely dangerous conditions in attempts to curb smuggling. There were several occasions when this august organisation has exceeded its revenue collection targets for the year and the hard working officers must be hailed for good work done. This glowing feats notwithstanding this institution is been drawn into disrepute by some few bad elements within its rank and file. This is thus creating a very bad image for what could have been a glorious organisation.

Unaccompanied luggage

Sending items through the unaccompanied luggage system ran by some airlines could be a cost effective way for Ghanaians abroad to send items home to their families. However few people who have tried this service had declared it a no-go-area thanks to the attitude of some Custom officers at AFGO warehouse at Kotoka. In fact CEPS operates a laborious luggage searching and releasing system at the AFGO that usually leave passengers with a lot of battering and that was exactly happened to me when I decided to use this noble service.

Going back home on holidays after some years in sub zero- temperatures could be quite exciting. The sun is always present to welcome you and make you feel like going bare. What about the smiley faces that great you at Kotoka and those of every one you meet on the street. These cheerful smiles are always with you till you bid everyone farewell and fly into the unknown. Till you fly to the more organised world where Custom officers regard you as a customer and treat you as such. Where there is only sign that says ‘nothing to declare’ and whim! Off you go without any harassment.

The family and friends will always expect some few shining things from you. In fact it soothes the heart to know that these smooth and exquisite things give them joy and inner glows that take away the gloom enveloping them as well as many others in the larger society. A gloom that brings distant looks in faces that are oblivion to life surrounding them. The shining things bring them joy that had eluded them all these years you were apart from them. The cherished ones wait and yearn for such home comings. In some homes kete and borbor dancers go into frenzy to herald the return of the voyager. The special ones usually waited and craved longer if they are unfortunate to have their kith and kin living in Obama’s country. You wonder what keep some of these guys so long there. Some people think it’s the food; others believe its meat- ham burgers, meat balls, steaks, Donna kebabs etc. Gluttons!

The desire of bringing some sunshine into the lives of the dear ones could motivate you to go the extra mile by taking excess luggage and that was what I did. In order not to waste the pound bills which they will need so much while I am with them, I decided to use the unaccompanied luggage system. My trauma began when I had to pick them up them from the AFGO warehouse. I was told I needed the services of a clearing agent in order to get the luggage. Obtaining the services of the self styled clearing agent added fuel to an already burning fire.

Apart from this vampire sucking my blood he lacked what it takes to move the inspection officer from his throne in the Customs office to the ware house for the inspection. When the inspection officer was finally cajoled to descend from his throne after some palm greasing and praise singing (nana o nana, ahoofe, abrantie etc) then hell broke loose. The nosy officer flipped and flipped and flipped and flipped through every single item I bought for the loved ones. Flipping hell!!!!! Just some few days ago these scavengers turned my luggage inside out on my arrival and so they did to every single passenger that arrived that day. Is that all they are paid to do, sniffing through travellers’ belongings? Human- sniffer -dogs.

Modernisation

The whole process of examining luggage at AFGO warehouse was a bit out of touch with the modern world. Not a single scanner was present in the warehouse. Officers virtually sifted through every individual luggage mechanically. Considering the volume of baggage and cargoes that pass through the cargo section, this task could be daunting. There were so much congestions and unnecessary delays which caused unnecessary human sufferings. The mechanical way of nosing through peoples’ personal effects and cargoes slows down every one - businessmen, investors, students, tourist, holiday makers etc.

I heard the situation is bleaker at Tema Harbour. Guys who shipped their cars and other items through this port sang dirges and songs of lamentations after clearing them. They sang dirges about untold hardship and human degradation going on at the harbour. Why do officers of CEPS take so much delight in visiting pains on people? Who knows? Perhaps all these man induced delays and deliberate tortoise pace of doing things are perfect smoke screens. Smoke screens some could hide behind to fill very deep pockets. All these persecution and abuse of citizen’s rights are going on at our ports of entry yet the politicians are not bothered. Anyway why will they be when these human woes serve as bigger smoke screens for some of them (the politician) to fill bottomless pockets?

Searching of bags

During the several trips I made to the AFGO yard I bumped into this Custom officer (name with held) who was a former next door room- mate at Legon. This guy read BSc Admin at Legon. I believe there are other scholars and talented guys working with CEPS. I hope CEPS is not wasting these talents by letting them bury their heads in ladies’ hand bags and suit cases at Kotoka, Elubo and Afloa. I hope these noble guys have not been turned into human sniffer dogs and sniffing through ladies’ hand bags on daily basis.

Its time CEPS outsource the duty of nosing through ladies’ hand bags to private companies and move these able bodied officers to areas where they are most needed. For instance they could be drafted into the police services to help combat the arm robbery menace. The police are finding that job quite challenging and needed assistance. These are strong men with muscles like that of Hulk Hogan and all they use that for is to attack the luggage of innocent travellers.

Conclusions

The seasoned smugglers are not so dumb to cart their goods through Customs manned posts because they know the flippers will always be there. The professional one use foot paths littered across the borders over night and always find a way of getting them to shops in Makola. In the same vain the Dubai and China traders will always find a way to out smart these officers. In the end it’s our loving mothers whose dignities are thrown to dogs by these scavengers who empty the contents of their baggage in the full glare of everyone. Why should majority of law abiding travellers suffer because of some few greedy minority?

Francis Kwaku Egu, UK

Ghana Hall of Shame, August 2009

2009-08-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

I had the priviledge of working in a major department store whilst working my way through college. It was a priviledge for me because if I had worked in a donut shop, I probably would weigh a ton by now considering my love for donuts.
I personally know customer service agents can't be perky all day, every day. However, when you sign-up for a task, you buckle up and do the very best.

One thing that kept us, customer service agents, on our toes during our work shifts was "The Mystery Shopper". The company would hire random people and send them to different stores to shop. We the sales associates and customer service agents never knew who these people were, but we knew this was a method the company used.
Nobody wanted to get bad reviews from a "Mystery Shopper" so we were pleasant to everyone and did our jobs very well.

I am hoping this site will be the "Mystery Shopper" at service oriented institutions in Ghana, where no individual or institution would want their name up here too many times.

My plan is to personally call the HR dept of any institution that gets mentioned here several times, and make them aware of issues customers have with them.
I believe that will lead to change.

Please share your stories

Ghana Hall of Shame; July 2009 Edition

2009-07-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

Customer Service in Ghana!
It appears to be non-existent. I have read horror stories over the past few years and figured a forum of this nature is just what is needed.
This is a place to vent when a customer service agent frustrates you. If an institution frustrates you, this is the place to vent. Please call agents and institutions out by name, but NO INSULTS. Let's exhibit some class.
Each month will have a new thread.
I would like to think that individuals and institutions wouldnt want their names out here, and will make the necessary adjustments to do better.
That is all we ask for. Right?

Here's the mic. Lets hear your customer service horror story.