Traffic Violation in Pasig City

A week ago, I was apprehended by the blue boys of Pasig city for making an illegal U-Turn along Ortigas Avenue. It was my fault. The No U-Turn sign was there and I purposely disregarded it due to stubbornness, and the need to find a sign of relief for you know No. 2 and heavy traffic condition on the said area. The Traffic Officer was courteous enough  and it never actually entered my mind to argue with him. He even volunteered to lower my violation from the illegal U-Turn violation which has a fine of Php 1,000.00 to just D.T.S.which has a much lesser fine of Php 500.00 as I pleaded that I was not familiar with the area and that I surely will not do it again. I was never the type who'd bribe a traffic officer just to get out of the jam so I took it head on.

The violation ticket was valid for 5 working days. To me it was more than enough time to go about my business there and claim my license. Failure to do so within that period will result to an additional 5% surcharge on top of the violation fee plus I won't be able to drive anymore. So I used the power of the internet and did a lot of research but there were very few articles that was helpful thus resulting in me writing about my whole experience.

First off, According to some articles I read online. They also experienced their traffic violation being lowered from something to just D.T.S. which is a lot less grave and has a much lesser fine. I mean, A) is this really a part of their S.O.P. or B) are they just really that courteous and polite or C) is this their way of bargaining with you.

Secondly, just an F.Y.I. to all of you guys who are wondering why they confiscated my license and asking Aren't they suppose to just issue you a ticket and not take your license at all? According to him (Traffic Officer) only the M.M.D.A. does that. But if you were apprehended by the local traffic constables they are still doing that. Confiscating Licenses that is. 

Third, Violation fees between the M.M.D.A. and the Local Traffic Bureaus aren't always the same. The M.M.D.A. may fine you only Php 150.00 for D.T.S but I got fined Php 500.00 by the Blue Boys of Pasig with the same offense. So don't be surprised guys. The former's fees are also available online unlike the latter. 

Claiming my License wasn't a walk in the park either. Primarily because I was not familiar with the area. I have been to the Pasig Mega Market once and I only relied on Google and the very vague memory of my first visit to the area. Luckily when I saw a familiar landmark it didn't take me a lifetime to find the converted fire station in the corner of  F. Manalo and V.Baltazar St.

It was a rainy afternoon and I didn't expect the line to be that long. When I got there I was right. There was no line but there were a lot of people just like me, hoping to be done with our business there. People at the cashier are wanting to maintain order but due to the spatial restrictions  of the second floor corridor there was very little they could do. I even over heard on claimant saying "Sa laki ng perang pumapasok dito araw araw, dapat hindi ganito dito." To me he was right.

After everything has been said and done, I drove out of there thinking maybe bribing the Traffic Officer was not a bad idea after all. It could have saved me a lot of time and money and the hassle of driving all the way to Pasig just to experience all these. I don't know if this is their way for us to learn a valuable lesson which I'm not sure if it's to be very careful and never to break any traffic law or it's an implicit way of saying just bribe us the next time you get caught so you won't have to go through all these trouble again.

To me I learned my lesson the hard way. Maybe the next time I had to break any traffic law, I should make sure that the enforcers around are from the M.M.D.A. It's a lot cheaper and a lot less inconvenient. hehehe (JOKE)

Samsung C322 from Flasher Cellphone Repair and Accessories

I recently purchased a Samsung mobile device at Flasher Cellphone Repair and Accessories located on the 3F of SM Southmall last January 25. I was so excited to unbox it because this unit will solve the hassle of me carrying two phones. When I reached home, I was exploring the functions of my recent purchase. I have been a Samsung user for quite a while now and there really is no difference with this one except for it dual sim functionality. While I was waithing for it's factory charge to run out I noticed that the unit restarts on its own. I said it was no big deal because I also experience that on my other phones but the restarting wouldn't stop to the point that it became so irritating. I said this isn't normal. So I decided to put it back in the box planning to return it to the store the following day.

On the 26th, I again walked back in the same store and explained what happened. The saleslady brought the unit to the samsung stall on the same floor. The Technician said just go ahead and replace the unit since it was just purchased yesterday. So they gave me a new unit except off course the aaccessories.

I was very happy with the new one though the unit still restarts from time to time, it wasn't as annoying as the first unit. So I could settle for this one hoping that it wouldn't get worse. I researched the web and found out that most C322 users also experience the same problem.

Friday night came, The phones dual sim functionality doesn't work like that of the "China Phones" that also has the same feature. This has a button for switching sim for out-going calls and texts. It was the feature that hurdled me to give the unit a 10 on the rating. What I did was I tried to change the theme for one sim so I can distinguish one from the other. I tried using the Sienna theme. After that I noticed a white dot on the upper part of the screen. It was definitely a dead pixel. It was not obvious on the default theme because it was bright but it was annoyingly obvious on the Sienna one.

Saturday night, I came walking back to the same store to again reason with them. This time the y refered me to the Samsung Service Center at SM Mall of Asia saying that the warranty will cover it. They shoo-ed me like a fly! So I went directly to the Samsung store on the same floor which by the way is also owned and oprerated Flasher. I saw the Sales lady who I bought the unit from. The technician was also there. I explained everything and then the man from flasher store went there. I thought he was the owner, cause while everyone is wearing their uniforms this one is casually wearing a shirt and shorts. He asked if maybe I dropped the unit.

I mean Duh! Look at it. My unit has Screen protector and a hard case. I wanted to ask him if that's how he handles his phone cause it sure isn't my way. The Technician who checked his own unit noticed the spot himself but they really can't do anything about it. That I should bring it to the service center. I insisted that why should I if the unit they gave me was defective on the first place.

They were like at a lost cause I can see from the way they blankly stare at each other they have no Idea. Then they said If I want I could just leave my unit with them and I said unless you'll give me a spare phone to use, the answer is no. We came to the last resolution which is, they'll call me today, Sunday if they'll change the unit or not and as expected their answer didn't change. I still need to bring the unit to the service center.

So, consumers out there beware!

Imagine, you buy a brand new unit from a reputable mall (I wish I could say the same to the Vendor) only to find out that the unit you got was as good as a second hand one.

I would like to quote some text from the DTI website.

Why is the presence of a “No Return, No Exchange” notice considered deceptive?

Such statement is considered deceptive because consumers may return or exchange the goods or avail of other remedies, in case of hidden faults or defects, or any charge the buyer was not aware of the time of purchase. By provision of law, sellers are obligated to honor their implied warranties and grant corresponding remedies to consumers.

Can a store exercise only a policy of exchange but not refund?

Consumers are entitled to either an exchange or refund, as long as there is a defect in the quality of goods or imperfection in the service.

Is there a time limit within which a buyer may return defective products?

There is no hard-and-fast rule on the period within which a customer may return the products he purchased. A rule of reason should, however, be observed, taking into consideration the nature of the item purchased and the express / implied warranties mandated by law, i.e. Consumer Act and the New Civil Code of the Philippines.

Can a store impose the condition that merchandise can only be exchanged once?

No, because merchandise can be exchanged as many times, as long as the consumer chooses the option of replacement.

Why should the consumer burden the problem of bringing the units to the service centers when they were defective on the first place. Even the big malls offer the 7 day return policy right? Why should this store be any different?

Know your rights!

Just Get Me There...

I know that with this, I'll just be stating the obvious, but you know what they say you'll never really feel the frustration until you're on them magic shoes...

Taxi's become a scarce commodity during the wee hours of the night in the Metro especially now that Christmas is just a few days away. Well last night I had the chance to experience this personally.

I was with a couple of new found friends in Macapagal ave. Already done with the fun stuff and ready to call it a night when in fact it was already in the A.M. From where we are standing, I could see a lot of wanna be passengers who stood there restless waiting and maybe praying that they could already catch their rides home. The funny part is that there are a lot of taxis in the area and most of them, empty. I know that this is a common thing but man, I felt really helpless last night. Yeah I could list down the plates of those b*st*rds who refuse to convey passengers but I said to myself what good will it do me. You can see them one by one pulling over to the side of the road as they try to negotiate the fare for their service with their prospective preys.

If your destination is a li'l off, you get turned down. If you wanna use the meter, you get turned down. If you look suspicious they won't even bother stopping but hey I think that ones fair... The plate number's diffrent so is the face of the driver but their modus is just the same. They ask for your destination... When you thell them they try to think a little and they ask you, how much do you usually pay. If you say you don't know, they'll drop a very unreasonable figure in your face.

My Destination was Las Piñas City and the route is through Coastal Rd. The first cab made an offer 350. The 2nd one 500. The 3rd one 300. Funny huh? It's like an old game show called "If the price is right".

It took us quite a while before we got to sit inside a cab. I made an offer. He thought about if for a while and boom! The next thing we know we're on our way to LP. The driver tried to make small talk by trying to justify that what he and his fellow cab drivers are doing is wrong but he said they just hope that the commuting public will just try to understand and blah blah blah. He said a lot but these are just some of the few words that registered the rest are just noise.

So if this shall happen to you, report it to :

• 7890 - DOTC Action Center

Don't forget to also get the following information:

• Plate Number of the Cab
  
• Operator Name or Taxi Name
• Cab Model, Color, Etc.
  
• The Time and Date

I just thought if the CCTV's that the MMDA installed all throughout Metro Manila can see this. If not why not require the operators to install their own cctv's inside their cabs. It will also serve as a security device for their drivers.

Frustrating as it is I think this is just a never ending cycle that we will experince until the public no longer needs or can no longer afford to ride cabs, which ever comes first.

Christmas Season Beware!

I just want share to you my girlfriend's experience. She got mugged riding a jeepney to work along the stretch of Buendia, between Harrison and Leveriza. This took place Thursday(21 Oct.) evening around 6:30 PM.

The Modus:

One guy boards the jeep first and after a couple of meters the three others followed. There were Three of them on the vehicle that night, all girls. The four culprits situated themselves in a very organized way. Then it happened. One man casually said " Kung ayaw n'young masaktan ilabas lang nyo yung mga cellphone nyo." Just like that. The suspects left with an Apple Iphone 3gs, a Samsing Galaxy and a Nokia 2730c.

According to her one man was pointing a knife on her side and the other on her face when she hesitated on letting go of her phone. Sabay sabing "pag di mo binigay, papatayin kita"! so she let go.

We all know what they said that you're never really a PINOY if you don't have a personal experience to share about this kind of things and It's a sad thought that this happens everyday. No matter how carefully you live your life with all the precautions. Majority of these crimes are not even logged on record for what ever reason.

It's not the object lost but the trauma that remains with the victims afterwards that really bears the impact. Some of them are forced to change their way of life. Some are enveloped with fear.

Chistmas is just two months away and you know what they say, it's during this time of year that majority of these crimes peak the charts. It's also this time of year when we become cash cows to these people.

Anyhow, back to the story. The jeepney driver was either clueless of whats happening at the back or he's in on it. She told me that the the only thing the driver said was "Bakit hindi kayo sumigaw?" Duh!? He didn't even bother to offer any assistance whether to escort them to the nearest police station or what not. Talk about civic duty huh?

I think the problem we have here is way bigger than the issue of Jueteng. Hindi lang nabibigyan ng pansin dahil wala naman silang mapapala dahil walang pera dito unlike in Jueteng. So the rest of the Filipino just has to live with it. Bakit hindi isulong ang mas mabigat na kaparusahan sa mga mapapatunayan nagkasala kesa kung anu-anong batas ang kanilang ipinipila. Yung ngang mabibigat na bags ng ating mga magaaral ay may nakapilang batas sa senado eh bakit hindi ito?

If such thing will happen to you? Ano ang una mong gagawin? Or makakita ka nang ganito while you're on your way home? Same question. Ano ang gagawin mo?