Modern Electronics Co. Ltd. (MECL), the sole distributor of Sony products in Saudi Arabia, recently won the gold award for excellence in service centers at the annual event organized by Sony Corp. The award was meant to honor the agents and distributors who have managed to achieve pioneering steps and initiatives of the quality of the service sector, which is reflected directly in customers’ satisfaction and loyalty as a result of providing the best quality service levels, in the Middle East and Africa region. Winners were awarded at a ceremony held in Hong Kong recently. Asim Al-Humaid, GM-Service, and Saudi Arabia Service Manager Turky Al-Marshedy received the award on behalf of the company. MECL’s Managing Director Bader Al-Swailem said: “This award is in recognition of the company’s phenomenal achievements. Ours is one of the fastest growing companies in the electronics sector in the Saudi market. The award came as a result of great developmental work, which included company’s service centers and showrooms throughout the Kingdom. The modernization and development work covered the company’s service centers in Makkah, Jeddah and Al-Ahsa in the Eastern Province, where these centers look like an integrated clinic for electronic devices, equipped with the finest and latest tools, and effective technology applications in order to provide fast and efficient service in a professional environment based upon a group of highly qualified managers and technical team. MECL, a subsidiary of Al-Faisaliah Group Holding Co. Ltd., has been operating in Saudi Arabia for more than 35 years.
Dallah General Services Co.’s Umrah division, represented by Yasser Sulaiman Magboul, GM and executive manager of Dallah Hotels, has appointed Rahman Brothers Travel & Tours, represented by Abdul Rahman, CEO and chairman of Rahman Brothers Group, as its Umrah representative in Malaysia. The Dallah company has been providing services for Umrah tour operators and travel agents worldwide for nearly a decade and has received excellent feedback from the pilgrims who have utilized its services, whether accommodation, transport or meet and assist facilities. Rahman Brothers Travels & Tours, which deals with the hospitality and leisure industry, with Abdul Rahman’s vision to be among the top 10 travel agents in Malaysia, has been expanding its branches across the country’s major cities. As an Umrah representative in Malaysia, it claims to provide high quality services to all Malaysian pilgrims. Distinguished guests and invitees from both companies were present at the formal signing ceremony between the two entities followed by an iftar party at Durrah Beach Resort in Jeddah on Saturday.
Nokia launched its Warranty SMS Validation campaign in Saudi Arabia recently. This SMS service provides customers with the chance to get the Nokia warranty related queries directly on devices or accessories pre- or post-purchase. Potential customers may now send an SMS to all available operators in the Kingdom before their purchase to confirm that the 12-month Saudi warranty applies to their device of choice. The warranty applies to any Nokia mobile device purchased within the Kingdom from an authorized dealer. The new SMS Warranty Validation will assist consumers with instant warranty verification by sending the unique IMEI code of the device to the following numbers STC 815677, Mobily 624342, and ZAIN 712226. The code will be crosschecked to see if the device is covered under the warranty in the Kingdom or not. If so, the SMS will confirm warranty coverage. Also consumers can call 800 8441457 to find the most convenient Nokia Care Centre location for the customer to drop his device off for repair. “We have been investing in the care service and increasing its resources in Saudi Arabia to better serve our consumers. The introduction of the Nokia Warranty SMS validation is our most recent step to ensure our customers receive the best service we can offer. Providing a means for them, not only to allow us to be more in tune with their needs, but also providing them with an enhanced sense of confidence when buying any Nokia product,” said Hani Ghibah, customer care manager, Nokia Saudi Arabia & Yemen.
KIA
In a unique experience, KIA organized an exciting journey all the way from Seoul to Moscow carried out by 13 professional drivers in an adventure testing the new KIA Sportage. Driving 12,000 km, this exciting journey aimed to raise the awareness of the launching of the New KIA Sportage in Russian Market and for display at the Moscow International Motor Salon. Kia Motors Russia hosted this program for a group of prominent travel bloggers and their video crew. Three professional drivers with previous experience on the route accompanied the team and took part in the adventurous route between the South Korean and Russian capitals. “We chose this route because of the exotic locations from Asia through to Russia,” said Tak-Uk Im, president of Kia Motors Russia. “The all-new Sportage SUV has faced the long challenge providing great comfort for the team, and turned heads along the route for its great design.” The team was riding in a fleet of three Sportage EX (DSL 2.0) vehicles with added fog lights and roof storage boxes. No other changes were made to the vehicles for the two and half week journey. The team drove a minimum of 600 km a day and they left two to three hours for filming each day. “This trip has really brought awareness to the quality and durability of Kia products,” says Andrey Matveev, head of PR, KIA Motors Russia. KIA vehicles are distributed in the Kingdom by KIA Motors Saudi Arabia/Al Jabr Automotive.
Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo visited Abu Dhabi, where he had a series of meetings with Ferrari partners in the Emirates and visited the construction site of the Ferrari theme park. “Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is a fantastic project, realized by one of our partners, who shares with us a great passion,” Montezemolo said. “The theme park will offer the perfect mix of innovative technology, spectacle and unique excitement with attractions you can’t find anywhere else in the world. It’s not only the perfect place for adults and kids, and families but also for our fans who will enjoy an unforgettable experience.”
The International Islamic Tourism Conference & Travel Mart (ITCM), with the theme “Harvesting the Potential of Intra-Regional Islamic Travel & Tourism,” has received encouraging response from industry players, according to the organizers. Scheduled from Oct. 28-31 at the Putra World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the ITCM is set to be an annual event to promote and enhance Muslim travel and tourism. An additional feature of ITCM 2010 is the platform for the convergence of academic perspectives and business aspects of tourism for the Muslim traveler. Apart from participation from local tourism and travel trade industry players, state governments as well as foreign participation, with about eight countries, are showing positive interest and response. These include Saudi Arabia, Brunei, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Egypt, Oman, Iran and South Africa. “Sponsorship is currently being offered at a limited number of tiers and each sponsor may expect to receive sponsorship benefits to commensurate with the amount of commitment,” a spokesman for the organizers said. The organizers expect 200 exhibitors to participate in the show, 100 foreign travel trade buyers to be brought in by Malaysia Tourism Promotions Board as well as 200 conference participants during the two-day by-invitation only event, which begins on Oct. 28-29 for conference and trade visitors. A two-day free entrance for public to visit the Travel Mart exhibition will precede the ITCM.
Emirates NBD, a major bank in the region, has joined the ranks of major Saudi banks by becoming the first overseas bank to offer customers the electronic bill payment system or SADAD. The payment facility, managed by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, offers customers the convenience of making direct payments for a host of services such as utility bills and, now, government services. In addition, customers are able to have any payments returned to them via the same system, where refunds may be applicable. Although SADAD utility bill payment facility is mandatory for all banks operating in the Kingdom, the inclusion of government services has only been adopted by the major ones, the bank stated. Now, Emirates NBD Saudi customers are also able to take advantage of the system, which facilitates payment for services such as Saudi passport fees, company or family visa fees and civil registration fees for births, deaths, marriages and divorce. The facility also covers driving license fees, motor vehicle fees and traffic fines. “The announcement underscores the comprehensive nature of our service offering in Saudi Arabia, which is an important market for our corporate, retail and Islamic banking brand,” said Mohammed Al-Hegelan, country manager Saudi Arabia, Emirates NBD. “With our newly unified brand identity, more and more customers recognize the quality and breadth of our services, which are on par with major local banks in the Kingdom.”
