Don't Let 'Em Fool You - Ain't Nobody Is Perfect!

I am incredibly impressed with Hong Kong's efficiency once one has purchased/requested something.
For instance, if you do your grocery shopping in the morning and find that you have too much to carry, you can get your groceries delivered. They will tell you,"before 6 o'clock" every time, and every time they will deliver it by 1pm, no matter what time you made your purchase (I did test them one day by going at 12:30pm!). Very efficient.
Arriving in the country and getting into town from the airport is every traveller's dream. Articles have been written about it. It is highlighted in all the travel guides. Very efficient.
Buses run on schedule. Traffic is minimal except in extreme situations. Tradesmen show up within 30 seconds of the appointment time. Our new bed came a week early. We can usually walk into a restaurant and get seated within minutes. I can make an appointment with my hairdresser for either the same day or at least within 24 hours. Life has been pretty easy here.
However, all was not as it seemed.
There seems to be a lack of proactivity that makes me wonder about how much thought people put into their daily activities.
Things like getting a phone line have been a slight disappointment. I spoke to the sales rep and everything was very efficient when it came to set-up and installation of broadband, etc. I was highly impressed. Until we tried to make an overseas phone call. Strangely, the rep did not think to set up international dialing capabilities even though I had told her we would be calling the UK and US quite frequently, as well as Thailand (I was hoping that there would be special 'friends and family' rates, but she told me there was none). So that was the first lesson I learned - you must specifically ask for something and make sure everything you asked for is either repeated back clearly, or listed on a piece of paper.
The other non-proactive tendency I am discovering, is in relation to applications. Like credit cards. If they have a question about something on your application they will set the whole set of paperwork to the side of their desk until you call them, frustrated from hearing nothing, a month later. Then they will tell you that they need additional information and inform you of the information needed once you ask what that is.
And visas. We sent in our helper's visa application a month ago, expecting it to take two weeks to process, as anecdotally related to us by friends. Finally, after seeing nothing in the post, nothing in the post, I followed up. Ah, yes, ma'am. We need additional documentation for proof of address. I see. They had been sitting on the application for three weeks, with our phone number, email address, home address, etc. but waited for us to get frustrated at lack of news and call them.
So my new philosophy is: if I am sending in any paperwork I will call the next day to confirm receipt, ask if everything is in order and if there is anything further needed.
My two new lessons learned are common sense, really, but I think I had been lulled into a false sense of complacency after experiencing all the other efficiencies of this great place. No one is perfect, nor should I expect them to be.