Hong Kong third from bottom in customer service survey

Hong Kong service staff are the third-least hospitable to their customers in a survey of 41 places around the world, the Hong Kong Economic Journal reported Thursday.

The city's score in a survey run by the Mystery Shoppers Service Association slid 21 percent last year from its 2012 level to 48.

The average global score was 80, leaving Hong Kong ranked 39th, above only South Korea and Slovenia.

Hong Kong ranked just below Macau (38th) but fell far short of mainland China (14th).

Among the industries surveyed in Hong Kong, transportation scored the lowest.

Wong Siu-leung, the association's chairman, said the Occupy Central movement and other post-movement activities contributed to the poor ranking of Hong Kong.

But Cheung Lai-ha, head of the Retail, Commerce and Clothing Industries General Union, said the lack of support from employers for frontline sales staff, who are under great work pressure, is mainly to blame.

"Mainland customers are quite rude most of the time and make unreasonable requests sometimes," Cheung said.

The drop in sales resulting from the central government's anti-graft campaign has made it especially tough for sales staff who earn their living from commissions, she said.

Translation by Vey Wong

[Chinese version中文版]

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