Dear Editor,
I permanently reside in New York, and am proud to still be Guyanese by nationality. However, I like many other US-based Guyanese have become tired with the poor level of customer service from the Guyana Consulate in New York.
Even the most basic component of customer service, answering the telephone, seems to be a mammoth task. First, no one actually answers the phone.
On calling the consulate, the phone rings until an automated answering service explains that a message cannot be left because the mailbox is full. The caller is then given a fleeting glimmer of hope when prompted to press zero for the receptionist. This transfer also goes unanswered and sends the caller back to the automated introduction. Circumlocution at its best.
Nothing can sufficiently explain this kind of service. It’s 2012! Where is the official consulate website? (The current one is a part of an online news and information website). It’s fine if the Consulate does not want to accept telephone inquiries.
Many other nations do that. Whatever the case is, they should state so in their automated introduction and refer customers to their website. Regardless of customer volume, consular services should be provided in a prompt and efficient manner. No one is asking for perfection. All that is needed is better accountability. Hopefully, I’m one of the remaining few people who will be peeved on account of a telephone run around.
Yours faithfully,
Joanna Duncan