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Overpaid, incompetent HK civil servants!

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Nov 2014
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    853

    Overpaid, incompetent HK civil servants!

    So, I lost my driver's license and this morning I went to get a new one. I went to the office, filled in a form (took me 15 seconds), walked to the counter, handed in the form and my ID card, paid $110 and got the license. The whole thing took me about 3 minutes, and everything was done with a smile.

    What are you people whining about? Try to replace a lost driver's license in Thailand, or even in Europe. In Thailand it would take you weeks, and compulsory tips to some idiot rude civil servant who wants some pocket money to do what his is paid to do. In Europe it probably also takes weeks, as you have to send your forms to some place, and they have to verify everything. In HK they manage to verify everything in 20 seconds. Go figure.

    HK civil servants are among the most efficient in the world. But of course you need to pay for that, because they have to fear losing their job. In Thailand they earn peanuts, so you need to give them some tea money to make them do their job. I very much prefer the HK system!





    P.S.: DISCLAIMER (No need to read this if you have a brain): title is tongue in cheek, which means that I like HK civil servants, as they are efficient. Some people complain about them, but I disagree with these people.


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
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    Sarcasm - because beating the crap out of people is illegal
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    14,622

    Well Hong Kong front-line civil servants have to certain level of competence. After all they have to deal with idiots. ^^^


  3. #3

    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Clear Water Bay (In Da Jungle)
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    The TD is quite good , I lost my car registration document, went to police dept to file a report as per the stated requirement, took the report to the TD, filled in the form, paid the money and got a new one in 20 mins. Lovely Jubbly.

    Some Govt depts are very easy to deal with but some other stuff, they like to play the bouncing game. I see it a lot on Sai Kung groups in Facebook for example trees being cut down illegally, try reporting it to the relevant govt dept.

    hongkong7 likes this.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Sai Kung
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    4,151

    On an individual level the Civil Service is quite good, on a corporate level it's a clusterf**k. And anything out of the ordinary forget it.

    Case in point. We've had issues with trees on government land near our workplace which are clearly aged and a huge 10 meter branch came down from one last year, heavy enough to lay a nice dent in a container. There were a few dangling branches and we complained to the Lands Department about the danger and after much back and forth they eventually sent out a contractor who said yes work does need to be done. So they come out and in typical HK fashion done half a job and left all the hacked branches there. We complained and nothing, no one wants responsibility. Yesterday another came down, this time crushing 2 cars parked. Complete write offs. Police all over, estate owners out, contractors all over and still no one from the Lands Department. We still have a Police Cordon there. I wonder whether it will take someone being killed before they pull their finger out their arses. Lazy, check. Incompetent, check. Overpaid, well the fact they steal oxygen is enough.

    shri, Skyhook, wtbhotia and 1 others like this.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Posts
    853
    Original Post Deleted
    A bit like the British decision makers...


  6. #6

    Join Date
    Dec 2011
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    Tsim Sha Tsui
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    3,963

    Missus recently lost her HKID card, the process to get a replacement was painless, even when she couldn't pick it up herself and I went instead of her.


  7. #7

    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    6,076

    Do you look alike?

    Tom007, East_coast and jgl like this.

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    猴山
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    23,652

    A few months ago I saw an abandoned motorbike near a steep drop. Filled in a 1823 online app to let the government know.

    Within 2 hours the police called me to inform me it looked like just a dumped vehicle

    Within 2 days the lands department had arranged for this effective fly tipping to be removed.

    Immensely efficient and unbureaucratic.

    Tonight a man was standing outside my local Jockey Club shop in a state of complete undress and mental anguish. I called the local police station.

    5 minutes later they called back saying officers were at the scene.

    Immensely efficient and unbureaucratic.


  9. #9

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Pampanga, Philippines
    Posts
    29,766

    Agree, I have always found the civil servants good. Now if only they could take the banks into public ownership and replace the staff with civil servants............


  10. #10

    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    4,574

    A while ago I also used the 1823 app.

    I reported a shop near my home which was keeping garbage in their rear lane (in garbage bags yes, but the rats were very interested)
    Within a day or two I received a response, FHD Officer xyz was on the case, phew!
    A day or two later, the rubbish was gone and I'd been contacted by Officer xyz who gave me his mobile number and asked me to call him if the rubbish came back (it hasn't)

    So, thumbs up for:
    * officer xyz
    * the 1823 app
    * frontline government workers (specifically, not the decision makers)


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