When I am used to dealing with a good service provider or brand, I rarely look for alternatives.
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A while back, I was approached by a young entrepreneur who presented an interesting collaboration project.
She was fun and talented, and I had a great time planning the project with her.
By the end of the day, she asked whether I would join her business group on a social networking site. I agreed, and that night I posted a thank you comment on her page.
The next morning, after my daily ritual of checking emails and my social network accounts, I was shocked to receive a comment from a stranger who insulted the entrepreneur with whom I had collaborated, accusing her of not repaying a debt to a local bank.
I deleted the comment and sent a private message to the person who had posted it, asking her why she had felt it necessary to make that comment publicly.
She said she worked for a debt-collection company and that the entrepreneur had failed to repay a credit card debt of more than Dh20,000 (US$5,444) to a local bank and that the bank could not locate her because she kept changing her contact details.
The person who had posted the comment went on to justify publicising her issue and talking to the entrepreneur's connections on social networks as a way to pressure her into repaying the debt.
You can imagine just how angry I was. I had known the entrepreneur for less than a week but had been dragged into her financial affairs.
I emailed the debt collector telling her that if she approached me again on any matter of that sort I would press charges against her.
Dealing with debt collectors and angry bank agents in the UAE is a topical issue nowadays. I believe this is linked to people not meeting their banks' payment deadlines because of the economic climate.
A friend of mine receives as many as three calls a day from her local bank if she misses a payment deadline. And sometimes the calls come at inconvenient hours.
"They make me feel like a criminal who is about to flee the country, especially when they ask me personal questions like what were you doing yesterday instead of coming to the bank and paying your due amount," she said.
Other banks have opted for automation: a customer receives numerous recorded telephone messages every day reminding him or her about payments due.
Because these messages are automated, many customers receive calls early in the morning or late at night. This just adds to their frustration.
If customers still do not pay, some banks resort to hiring debt collectors, who pursue the customers, talking to their friends, and calling their workplaces and even their families in their home countries, telling them about the money owed and threatening the debtors with arrest.
In the interest of balance, I decided to get a bank employee's perspective.
An acquaintance of mine who works as a relationship manager at a local bank told me that a client's payment behaviour can determine the attitude adopted by a bank's agents, stressing that a bank will chase a customer only if the person frequently misses payment deadlines.
My acquaintance said that if a bank agent reminded a customer a number of times about payments due but got no response, the agent would have to be harsh, because that employee could be blamed for not obtaining a payment from the client.
If a customer presented a valid reason such as a sudden illness or job loss, a bank would work on a payment strategy tailored to the person's new situation, my acquaintance said.
Luckily, I was never in such a predicament, but I believe that banks and customers often both deserve blame in these situations.
Banks should advise debt collectors to refrain from hunting down everyone associated with their delinquent customers, and customers should not put themselves in a situation where they are being harassed by angry bank agents and debt collectors.
Customers should also remember that if they are in any way insulted by a bank's agent, they can file a complaint to the bank, referring to the date and time of the call, as all calls are recorded.
If you encounter debt collectors who are looking for someone you know, you can always ask them to stop breaching your privacy.
Debt collectors are not allowed to harass, oppress or threaten violence or lawsuits in connection with the collection of money owed. If debt collectors engage in this behaviour, you can usually stop the improper conduct by telling them that you will sue them or by complaining to the police.
Be sure to note the dates and times of any calls, and you should save the call log on your phone as evidence of your interactions with debt collectors.
As for me, after my bad experience with a potential new business relationship, I am sticking with the brands and service providers I know - at least until the financial crisis is over.
Manar Al Hinai is a fashion designer and writer. She can be followed on Twitter @manar_alhinai
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
THREE
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
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Company%20Profile
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RESULTS
Main card
Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision
Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision
Lightweight 60kg: Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision
Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Fixtures - Open Men 2pm: India v New Zealand, Malaysia v UAE, Singapore v South Africa, Sri Lanka v England; 8pm: Australia v Singapore, India v Sri Lanka, England v Malaysia, New Zealand v South Africa
Fixtures - Open Women Noon: New Zealand v England, UAE v Australia; 6pm: England v South Africa, New Zealand v Australia
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%C2%A0specs%20
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TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PLUS
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
The biog
Name: James Mullan
Nationality: Irish
Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)
Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”
Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”
Mental%20health%20support%20in%20the%20UAE
%3Cp%3E%E2%97%8F%20Estijaba%20helpline%3A%208001717%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Ministry%20of%20Health%20and%20Prevention%20hotline%3A%20045192519%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Mental%20health%20support%20line%3A%20800%204673%20(Hope)%3Cbr%3EMore%20information%20at%20hope.hw.gov.ae%3C%2Fp%3E%0A