Bad exp. with Cable Ski Park in Batam, Singapore

Overseas wakeboarders : You are suggested to read the following message before making decision to go there.}}

My husband and I are Hong Kong wakeboarding enthusiasts, and recently made a trip to Singapore for the purpose of visiting the Cable Ski Park, Batam. This visit was very unforgettable, but in a very bad way. We have already filed our official complaint with the Singapore Tourism Board, and other relevant authorities in Hong Kong. We are determined to let every one we know, or people who is interested in wakeboarding, to learn our experience with the Cable Ski Park!

We booked via our agent 2 full-day passes with the Cable Ski Park valid on Sep 3, 2005. We were told to go to the meeting venue at Harbourfront Centre, Singapore, at 9:00 am on Sep 3, 2005. The person to meet us there would be Mr. E.H. Long, with contact numbers at +65 9487 5007/9183 5050. We were supposedly to depart from the Harbourfront ferry terminal to the Cable Ski Park by a 9:55 pm ferry.

We landed Singapore on Sep 2, 2005 in the afternoon. We immediately called Mr. Long at the provided numbers to reconfirm our Cable Ski Park tour. But Mr. Long was unreachable at the numbers ¡V no one answered at either number. We stopped calling after 8:30 pm.

On the next day, Sep 3, 2005, which is the date for the Cable Ski Park tour, we called Mr. Long starting 8:30 am, but again no one answered at either number. We nonetheless arrived at the designated meeting point, on time, at 9:00 am. No one was there to meet us up, and there was no signage whatsoever with regard to the Cable Ski Park tour. We kept on trying to contact Mr. Long but the numbers were unanswered. We also sent Mr Long three short messages (¡¥SMS¡¦) via the mobile phone, but again there was no response.

We waited at the meeting point for 45 minutes, asking for help from the concierge (beside Delifrance restaurant) at the Harbourfront Centre, different service counters and even passer-bys. At the same time, we tried searching for the slightest glimpse of Mr Long and kept on phoning him but to no avail. Finally, some staff at one of the service counters spotted us, saw our panicky expressions, and helped us to contact the Cable Ski Park directly. We were told over the phone, by presumably a staff of the Cable Ski Park, that the park was actually closed due to technical problems! There was no trip for us!

We contacted our agent in Hong Kong immediately. Our agent managed to get a Singaporean named Michael Tan (contact number +65 9456 8924, who operates The Board Shop at 04-08 Far East Shopping Centre, Orchard Road), who claimed to be a business partner of Mr Long, and his wife Irene (contact number +65 9336 6679) to contact us. Irene told us the Cable Ski Park has run into technical problems since Aug 24, 2005! We got our service voucher on Aug 29, 2005 to enter the Park!

To comfort us, Michael offered us a tow-boat wakeboarding trip, a free wakeboard, and a free cable-skiing DVD. But we declined to accept any of these, as none of these is a substitution of a cable ski trip. We never heard from or saw Mr Long, who was supposedly the contact person.

We are extremely frustrated, disappointed, and feel being cheated. The whole reason we made the trip to Singapore was for cable-skiing. Cancellation of the Cable Ski Park trip renders our whole trip entirely pointless and meaningless. Worse still, no one from the Cable Ski Park was responsible enough to notify us the cancellation. No staff to meet us at the meeting point on the morning of trip departure to avoid our unnecessary waiting and panicking. Not even a phone call or SMS. We suffered from the hassles of needing to find out, on our own efforts, what was happening to the trip.

Certainly this is not the kind of service to be expected from a listed wakeboarding centre provided in the Wakeboarding Association (Singapore)¡¦s website.

wow...i can't believe this thread is even started here! you really sure want the whole wakeboarding/cable community to know about your little adventure in our little city huh...i think u forgot to add the link to the orginal thread started by you at wakeboard.com.sg to fill everyone with more details.

(Message edited by sublimed on September 06, 2005)

Done.

Hei! Kid. Good job deserves commendation conversely nobody is necessary to accept your fault. Your parent should correct your attitude.

Augustine,

I was at batam cable at the beginning of the month, we headed out there from the UK specifically for a wakeboard/cable trip. we weren't met at the harbour centre because we looked at the batam website and realised it wasn't much effort getting the ferri across to batam and the cable was only a short distance from the batam port.

When we were riding the cable links kept popping out which was pretty unnerving. On the second day I went to do a raley (which I land farely consistently in the UK) the cable carrier popped the rope out as I pulled back in. This caused me to flip over onto my board again, landing in an awkward position hence twisting my knee and taking me off the water.

Me and my friend had to travel home 2 weeks early from our trip.

This was very annoying and we didn't get any compensation like you did (free 2 hours wakeboard boat, and a free board!!!!! thats amazing). all i got was a screwed knee and an early flight home (costing extra).

My post is not however a complaint, because in this industry you've gotta accept that people do try their best, for example the cable was not up to standards i'm used to and problems like carriage breaking does happen regularly. Perhaps I should have got compensation, but if you're gonna hastle people for this you shouldn't be wakeboarding because thats not what its about!!!

Just my thoughts........

Maybe they should add to their website that their cable is a piece of crap and nobody who is serious should go there unless that want to risk f*king themself up. That would be an adequate disclaimer in my book. Thanks for the report Augustine. It appears that some people here like being mushrooms.

Why would you go to Singapore for a cable park? What is special about there that you cannot get in Florida, Texas, etc..

you should have taken them up on the tow boat rides, free board and dvd. Stopped your pitty party and salvaged your vacation.

for sure what colorider said.

guys, if you read the other forum it says they did take them up on the complementary boat riding, DVD's and actually got a free board out of it.

The reason I went to singapore was because it was a bit different and a lot cheaper than if i went to the US.

You just don't expect the cable to break and twist your knee on the second day tho, eh!

OWC... all I can say is, OWC!

harry, they didn't get the freebies like you said.

anyways, tough luck for you guys.

Harry (harryhog)

Should U are free, please read my first message again and again. I mentioned that I didn't accept anything in lieu of Cable Ski. The operator, Mr Micheal Tan invite me to his towboat riding is on Friendship Basis. I insisted to paid for the 2-hour wakeboarding, but he refused my reimbursement. Before the 2-hour towboat wakeboarding, I emphasised that I accepted his invitation was on Friendship basis. It doesn't mean I treat this as a compensation.

Your story is completely different from mine. Nobody can avoid accident. You should cover an insurance before wakeboarding and understand that danger does exist in each kind of sports.

The fault of the Cable Ski Park is irresponsible of hidden breakdown. Once they figured out their equipemnt got a problem on 28th August 2005 and relapse on 2nd Sept. 2005, they should notify any related parties immediately. It should not be "let it go".

Don't misinterpret my story. Guy!

Ronald (ron)

No matter whether you do care about my bad experience, you are the only one able to read my message well.

All i'm going off is the singapore forum which explains things in much more detail, and makes much more sense. There it says that you had the 2hours boat riding free, and a free wakeboard. Thats pretty good compensation.

What i was saying about my misfortune, was altho' i had insurance, that I let it go because the wakeboard industry is relaxed in service (which is the area you are talking about), and also cannot help injuries such as that I had from their equipment failing

Harry (harryhog)

It is a free society. People could trust anything what they want. It's upto you. But, I am suspecting you must be the friend of Cable Ski Park, Batam. So, you try to twist the truth of my story.

John Anderson (Fly135)

You seem to be another guy who read my message well. Thank you for your hearing.

Augustine, I'm not a friend I'm just another wakeboarder tourist who knows things can go wrong, I originally looked at your post with the thought of agreeing, I then read the other forum to see their point of view.

I don't wanna argue about this because its obvious you had a bad time with them and were messed about.

Everyone who's arguin in this forum should read Batam cables' point of view, it seems things did go wrong and they were deaply regretful about this, but they did try and more than make up for your loss (whether you accepted it or not is not the issue, that was your choice). Every holiday company has things go wrong occasionally, and in this case I believe (from the other forum), they did all in their power to make it up to you.

peace.....

(Message edited by harryhog on September 08, 2005)

(Message edited by harryhog on September 08, 2005)

I had a great time there when I was in Singapore on Biz. I'd go again in a heart beat.

Sorry you had a bad experience.....