Beijing vs. Shenzhen, Beijing better
I can't pinpoint a single cause, or even outline a series of causes, but very recently both Randy and I have been a little down about our living situation here. He still mostly enjoys his work, and we still mostly appreciate the opportunity to explore Beijing and beyond on our own, but we've really been feeling this (for want of a better word) pressure in Beijing that we didn't necessarily feel when we lived (or when we recently visited) Shenzhen.
However, as we've been wondering if living in Beijing and specifically this part of Beijing is a mistake, we've had a few things happen to us that remind us that all is not bad.
Yesterday I waited all afternoon for our satellite dish repairman to show up. Dispatched from another part of Beijing, his travel time to our apartment was expected to be somewhat uncertain. We were just to expect him in the afternoon. He did arrive, later than we wanted but still within the afternoon. He very quickly diagnosed and repaired our dish. Our charge for his visit did not include the cost of the replacement parts. Apparently even our unofficial equipment came with a one year warranty. Still, the repairman came within the time he said he would, and didn't demand any money beyond the already quoted service charge.
This morning I received the first of what will probably be many regular deliveries from a import grocery delivery company. Their ads promised free delivery to everywhere in Beijing, and I wanted to test if they really meant everywhere. I was beginning to wonder if they were coming when I never received a phone call asking for directions. I did receive a call from their main office advising me that they were within 15 minutes of our apartment. I doubted it, because still no one was calling me for directions and I was sure that they would soon call me from some other part of the larger Changping District where foreigners lived rather than the town of Changping. Within that fifteen minutes two men were in my hallway, in front of my door, bearing milk and diapers. Ah, there is nothing quite like the sight of a man bearing milk and diapers, now is there?
Both of these situations were completely different than our expectations, expectations formed after a few years living in Shenzhen. The first time in Shenzhen when a delivery or repairman called me the day after they were scheduled to arrive and tell me that they had come to my apartment and no one answered the doorbell, I felt embarrassed. But then, the second, third, fourth, fifth, and so onth time after that, I started to wonder at the amazing coincidence that I never heard the repairman ring my doorbell, and they couldn't call to tell me until the next day. Once or twice, or even three times, I could understand. But every time? I am sure that the answer was really that these services were overbooked and understaffed, but no one ever gave that answer to me. To compare, my morning grocery delivery was actually little later than originally promised, but when someone from their main office called to tell me to expect them in a few minutes, he also apologized for their being busier than usual this morning.
Of course, these are just two anecdotes, but for us, such an interesting contrast to our Shenzhen experiences and (fortunately) to some other vague annoyances we've had recently. It could be just that these two service companies deal more with foreigners, and that particular higher-paying market is so much more established and competitive here in Beijing than in Shenzhen. These companies probably differentiate themselves not on price but on trouble-free service. And it works. We aren't even considering swtiching to a different statellite company (or returning to local cable), and I can't stop gushing about this grocery delivery company (which you would know if you followed me on twitter).
So, even though we're still not quite feeling Beijing, this week we've already had two positive experiences the likes of which never happened to us in Shenzhen. Better than that, they were two experiences that were part of our regular life, which means they might actually happen again.
However, as we've been wondering if living in Beijing and specifically this part of Beijing is a mistake, we've had a few things happen to us that remind us that all is not bad.
Yesterday I waited all afternoon for our satellite dish repairman to show up. Dispatched from another part of Beijing, his travel time to our apartment was expected to be somewhat uncertain. We were just to expect him in the afternoon. He did arrive, later than we wanted but still within the afternoon. He very quickly diagnosed and repaired our dish. Our charge for his visit did not include the cost of the replacement parts. Apparently even our unofficial equipment came with a one year warranty. Still, the repairman came within the time he said he would, and didn't demand any money beyond the already quoted service charge.
This morning I received the first of what will probably be many regular deliveries from a import grocery delivery company. Their ads promised free delivery to everywhere in Beijing, and I wanted to test if they really meant everywhere. I was beginning to wonder if they were coming when I never received a phone call asking for directions. I did receive a call from their main office advising me that they were within 15 minutes of our apartment. I doubted it, because still no one was calling me for directions and I was sure that they would soon call me from some other part of the larger Changping District where foreigners lived rather than the town of Changping. Within that fifteen minutes two men were in my hallway, in front of my door, bearing milk and diapers. Ah, there is nothing quite like the sight of a man bearing milk and diapers, now is there?
Both of these situations were completely different than our expectations, expectations formed after a few years living in Shenzhen. The first time in Shenzhen when a delivery or repairman called me the day after they were scheduled to arrive and tell me that they had come to my apartment and no one answered the doorbell, I felt embarrassed. But then, the second, third, fourth, fifth, and so onth time after that, I started to wonder at the amazing coincidence that I never heard the repairman ring my doorbell, and they couldn't call to tell me until the next day. Once or twice, or even three times, I could understand. But every time? I am sure that the answer was really that these services were overbooked and understaffed, but no one ever gave that answer to me. To compare, my morning grocery delivery was actually little later than originally promised, but when someone from their main office called to tell me to expect them in a few minutes, he also apologized for their being busier than usual this morning.
Of course, these are just two anecdotes, but for us, such an interesting contrast to our Shenzhen experiences and (fortunately) to some other vague annoyances we've had recently. It could be just that these two service companies deal more with foreigners, and that particular higher-paying market is so much more established and competitive here in Beijing than in Shenzhen. These companies probably differentiate themselves not on price but on trouble-free service. And it works. We aren't even considering swtiching to a different statellite company (or returning to local cable), and I can't stop gushing about this grocery delivery company (which you would know if you followed me on twitter).
So, even though we're still not quite feeling Beijing, this week we've already had two positive experiences the likes of which never happened to us in Shenzhen. Better than that, they were two experiences that were part of our regular life, which means they might actually happen again.
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Becky