Sunday, May 17, 2009

...so pissed (updated)

we were at Yishun Northpoint mall yesterday when I decided to breastfeed tsugtsug at their Family Room at Level 2. It was a simple room with a diaper changing table, hot and cold water and 2 cubicles, each with a door for privacy for breastfeeding. Went inside one of the cubicles, locked the door and tried to nurse tsugtsug. Pangs left us so he could get his hair cut. About 5 minutes later, someone knocked on the door.. sounded like an old lady.. I said 'Yes?' then the old lady responded but it wasn't english so I asked again "I'm sorry?' then the old lady blabbed on again.. I still haven't learned a new language so I just ignored her. I figured she thought I was someone she knew or something. She left a few seconds after that. Another 5 minutes and someone knocked again! It felt like deja vu because I still said 'Yes' and 'I'm sorry?' and she still didn't speak in english. I was trying to whisper loudly at this point because tsugtsug was already half-dozing off. I was not going to open to some stranger when it was just me and tsugtsug in that family room.

The third time, it was already a guard with a walkie talkie who forced me to open the door because of his loud knocking was saying "Hello? Hello?". To say i was extremely pissed at this point is an understatement. I was fuming! Here I was, half-naked, trying to nurse my baby to sleep and I've been interrupted 3 times! So I opened the door with tsugtsug still latched and sucking at my breast and asked "What the F*CK???" and this guard who looked too young to be one looked down on us, muttered 'Oh' and then left.

WTF again!? not even an apology!? arrrrrgh. I was trying to stay calm for tsug then Pangs got in minutes later. I told him the story so he was asking me if I want to complain to the mall management. I agreed. I wanted to know what all the racket was about. When we went down to Level 1, I saw the boy guard but I wasn't 100% sure if it was him so I asked calmly "Excuse me, where you the one who knocked at the breastfeeding station just now?" I had to repeat myself because he was mumbling and acting dumb and was incoherent. (thinking back, I guess he was pretty nervous already) He denied it at first (the nerve!) so I just said 'Well, there was a guard who knocked blah blah blah' and told the story again and asked what's the reason behind it. He said there were students who use the cubicle to smoke or whatever so he was just doing his job. Pangs took over this time and was asking 'So you just keep on knocking on the breastfeeding station door every time its closed? What if there's a baby sleeping, just like our case?' and he just said 'It is management's rule and I'm just doing my job' (so it's you! you little idiot.) so at this point Pangs was like 'then let's talk to your manager' and that little idiot turned away from us! LOL. he had the gall to leave us right then and there. (ano yun, walkout?) My husband rushed after him (the guard walked OUT of the mall) so they were talking just outside the entrance. I couldn't hear them but they were still arguing then the guard walked away from Pangs again. I shouted at Pangs to stop following him and to calm down. He said the stupid boy muttered something like 'I know you're a FILIPINO' as if that should mean something. Huh? so friggin what?

I was talking to pangs trying to calm him down and I said something like let's just talk to the management or customer service to complain about that stupid boy guard. I didn't want him near that kid for fear he might punch that dumb look off that kid's face. So we filed the report at customer service with a promise that they'll give us a call. Still haven't heard from them, but Pangs said he'll give them a week to respond.

Thinking back, if students do use the breastfeeding station for their horny reasons, knocking on the door everytime it's closed is NOT the solution. If they're worried then have someone guard the friggin family room. smoking is something you can smell in a little airconditioned room so that's easy enough to detect. Or common sense would dictate for you to just WAIT. Whoever it is inside would have to leave at some point! I've used numerous breastfeeding stations in Singapore malls and this is the first time I've had this problem. And a simple apology from that idiotic guard could have appeased my nerves! I think he's too young to be a guard. An adult guard would've handled it completely different. One would just apologize for the mistake and not make lame excuses. And he would NOT turn away in the middle of a conversation!

Breastfeeding is hard enough as it is and something that was supposed to be a private, calm moment between you and your baby was messed up by an idiot who wasn't even mature enough to handle a mistake he has made.

***UPDATE***
Raymond got a call the following Monday, just asking for the detailed story with a promise that they'll look into it. 2 days after, he got a call again. They were trying to locate the guard so he could apologize to us but they were unsuccessful. He was already fired a couple of days after the incident (so tuesday, probably). Good friggin riddance. with regards to the knocking issue, they told Raymond they will no longer do that and would only investigate for very obvious problems (like smoking in the room).

TG!

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey Geri! hay naku! ganun talaga sila mga bastos at mayayabang. taas ng tingin nila sa sarili nila! hmp!

rEeYuH said...

ganun?!?! discrimination talaga. how's the status of your complaint with management?

aMgiNe said...

oh wow i could feel your anger geri.

i just hope you get a timely feedback on that complaint.

twistedzero said...

Sumagot na yung mall, they fired the gaurd!