What is it with Asians and email? Thais are the same.

[vocalneal]

I have been to two scooter shops to spend money. I went both times on a Sunday. OK the owner wasn't there but I left a message and got email addresses. I was told at both shops that the owner speaks English.

So sent two emails one to each. NOTHING! No acknowledgement or anything. I did get a flippant whatsapp message from one shop.

In one shop I'm trying to spend 6 juta.

 

[dafluff]

Kind of hard to pin down. How many of the 4+ billion did you try before generalizing? Maybe the error is on your end?

 

[waarmstrong]

What's a "flippant whatsapp message"; is that not the nature of the beast? Would a flippant email reply have negated the urge to start a Forum thread?

 

[R Cameron]

In my experience, most Indonesians (and increasingly most in "the West" as well) use email only for very formal use, and for their account registration for all the messaging services they actually do use regularly (Facebook, WA, Line, etc) and the use of those messengers, especially WA, is still primary for most professional needs. @vocalneal I think you should only be confused if you asked how to contact them and were given emails, but if you asked for specifically emails that was your mistake of not understanding what is most commonly used.

 

[jstar]

Life can be very easy here; just ask for the phone number and call or send a WA.

NB: I assume your e-mail was in English? Did you ever answer an e-mail in a foreign language? All by yourself?

 

[vocalneal]

Kind of hard to pin down. How many of the 4+ billion did you try before generalizing? Maybe the error is on your end?

Sorry I'm very slow will you explain the 4 billion bit?

most Indonesians (and increasingly most in "the West" as well) use email only for very formal use,

Surely trying to spend 6 million on parts and service from a shop that sells parts and service is "formal"

 

[Supir Angkot]

Sorry I'm very slow will you explain the 4 billion bit?

That's the number of Asians you need to send your emails to, lol.

 

[R Cameron]

Surely trying to spend 6 million on parts and service from a shop that sells parts and service is "formal"

I would disagree, and ... the proof is in the pudding.

Spending 6 thousand or 6 million doesn't change the frequency someone checks their email or their comfort level in communicating there. I have used email with lawyers and government officials about official business, but usually the bulk of the conversation still takes place in WA and email is only used for attachments and very formal invitations, announcements, etc.

 

[Daniel50]

So what is it with Asians (including Thais) and emails? And why are up to 4 billion Asians up to the same, or similar things, when it comes to emails?

 

[kroshka]

... it has also always been a puzzle and a struggle to me why they do not like to use emails, but instead prefer to mix private and professional matters on wa, and prefer to send several very short messages instead of wrapping it up in one.. I often get 3-6 ding ding ding ding.. instead of one longer. And I have also experienced several times, that if you ask or address more things in one mail/message, then I often only get answers/reactions to a few, and must then send my message/mail once or twice more..

 

[waarmstrong]

Not an Asian thing, more a generational distinction to serial text, WA, or email or not.

 

[snpark]

Come on, even the banks do not use email, and in fact a lot of the time their email addresses do not even work!

And yes I agree, nothing worse than 25 beeps for hello. how are you. where are you. did you eat? why not? etc etc instead of just putting it all in one message

And what is it with Asians and rice, Thais are the same. Lol

 

[kroshka]

I also consider the WA thing as a problem when it comes to official and work related things. WA's are often used on private phones, and not company phones. This complicates things when there is a need to follow a communication - and especially after the employee has left the company.

 

[R Cameron]

Not an Asian thing, more a generational distinction to serial text, WA, or email or not.

I think it's even more so a difference in how and when countries transitioned from analog to digital. In the USA most families (and businesses) had a home computer and internet connection (2002-2006?) before smartphones were common, so email became widespread. In Indonesia it seems that most families (and businesses) never had a computer or internet connection before having a smartphone, so they naturally gravitated towards the messaging apps.

 

[waarmstrong]

That sounds very logical.

 

[Puspawarna]

For what it's worth, many people (and by "people" I generally mean businesses) don't use email much here on the Big Island of Hawaii, either. There is some use of email, but SMS and phone are the primary means of contact. And I do business with one company that actually uses snail mail! Amazingly enough, they mail out hard copy contracts rather than emailing something for me to print, sign, scan, and email back.

I found it a bit weird at first but I'm getting used to it. I do see the convenience of snapping a photo of a broken faucet with my phone and sending it to the plumber, for example. But the use of snail mail remains perplexing.

 

[kroshka]

well as you know, tons of paper and "snail mail" is still the thing here.. we need to put the magic materai on

 

[Daniel50]

I think Indonesians, at offices with computers, were using emails for business a number of years ago. I think some of what has changed, wherever a person is from, is the use of smart phones. How many people like to tap out detailed emails using their cell phones?

 

[Jaime C]

I actually got a fax at my business, in the US last week. 20 years ago, I’d get 2-3 per day. This is the first I’ve gotten this year. Times change!

 

[snpark]

I actually got a fax at my business, in the US last week. 20 years ago, I’d get 2-3 per day. This is the first I’ve gotten this year. Times change!

And I bet it was either from a Prince in Nigeria or an office supplies company with a promo on copy paper

I remember the good old days when we used to get spam faxes hahaha