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One private hire driver has seen it all and has grown tired of entitled customers who complain the first chance they get.
Perhaps driven by frustration, the man has plastered numerous handwritten signs on the plastic divider in the middle of the car, meant specifically for his passengers.
"My eyes small but [I'm] not sleeping!"
A picture of these signs shared by passenger Clara Fu on May 26 has gone viral on Facebook.
In the middle of the divider, the man lays out his rules as a driver -- he would only wait five minutes at the pickup point and he would only follow the shortest route provided by the GPS.According to him, damage to the car would incur a fee of between S$65 and S$3,000. He wrote that these incidents may be reported to the police.
To end off the informational note, in a bid to appeal to his passengers, the driver added that he is just earning a living and driving for 13 hours each day.
There were also some more pointed signs.
In one, he asked why passengers would provide feedback that his service was poor. He urged them to be more communicative if they want anything extra. "Please tell me, don't complain!"
The man also felt the need to add a disclaimer for his volume. "Driver voice loud is not rude!"
Then in much smaller font, this time printed for ease of reading: "My eyes small but [I'm] not sleeping!"
Internet reactions
While some Facebook users took it in good humour, a few who responded to Fu's post did not appreciate the man's attitude.
Another pointed out that these disclaimers might also do more harm than good, especially in a service industry.
Several people were empathetic to his plight as a private hire driver with long working hours and having to face difficult customers.
Driver was not rude
Fu said that she believed the driver must have met many unpleasant customers to cause him to put up these signs.
Fu told AsiaOne that the driver had a firm and serious tone, but was not rude. The man had also thanked them at the end of the trip.
Afterwards, she prompted her friend who booked the ride to rate him five stars.
She stated that she wanted to share the picture as she thought it was "amusing".
Fu also noted that the signs might have proven their use, as she made an effort to speak more softly during the ride.
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Top images by Clara Fu.
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