Rant Na Naman?

I was pretty late in having Sharkteeth's uniform made. I was getting desperate too, kasi June na nun. While buying fabric in a local store, thankfully, another mom buying some fabric herself recommended a tailoring shop that specifically sews uniforms. PHP150 per blouse daw ang charge.

When I went there, the guy owner said they can finish it in a week. Eh di kampante naman ako kasi S still has her uniform from last year and kasya pa naman, albeit getting a bit tight for her na. Still, the old uniforms would do for the meantime. I confirmed the price. Nagkasundo naman kami.

When we got back from Bacolod, nagka-gastroenteritis ako and I wasn't able to pick up the uniforms on the date they specified, June 30. On the Saturday of that week, when I tried to pick up the uniforms, wala daw dun. Wala rin dun yung owner. Hindi ko naman alam kung saan yung main branch nila. When I returned on the next Monday, July 7, andun yung asawa nung tailor, and di pa raw natatahi ang uniform. Jusko naman. Naiwala daw nila yung measurements. I didn't wanna argue anymore 'cause I was getting tired na of arguing with them and with another shop (a laundryshop, another story). I just had S remeasured, and the lady promised I can get two uniforms after two days. Unfortunately, I hurt my back, which restricted my mobility. Long story short, kanina ko lang na pick up.

I was actually expecting the worst, i.e., hindi pa rin tapos. Buti naman tapos na. When I paid, naghihintay ako ng sukli sa 1000, kasi PHP600 ang total, tapos, wala, deadma lang yung lalaking sastre. When I asked for the sukli, wala daw kasi PHP250 per blouse. WUTTTT???!!! I told him na sabi nya sa akin PHP150 lang yung blouse. Sabi daw nung wife nya eh PHP250. But my point is, sya (guy owner) ang kausap ko in the first place, hindi yung wife nya, and he told me na PHP150 per blouse. He was sort of denying na sya ang kausap ko, asking, "Tayo ba ang nag-usap? Parang hindi naman."

@#@#%$%!!!

No matter how much I promise to avoid cursing, parang the whole of the universe, o sige, the whole of Dumaguete's service industry is conspiring to make me curse, and curse loud. I really tried to hold my temper in check, and I actually succeeded. Pero kung inakala nya na papayag akong hindi makuha yung pera ko, well, he was sorely mistaken. I just told him, despite his protestations that his wife told him to charge PHP250, we agreed on PHP150 and I told him that, in fact, he was the one who first took S's measurements. Eventually, he must have realized I wasn't going away till I get my money and relented.

Pero, grabe, bakit kailangan ko pang makipag-argue? To paraphrase my friend M, why do they have to draw this out of me? I was getting angry, I was close to the point of yelling, and I felt terrible because I was behaving like a bad person, for what, 400 pesos?! I know I could just have let it go, it's just money, but I know I'd get angry at myself more if I let bad services have their way.

This isn't the first time I've encountered bad services, kahit saan naman, merong ganun. It's just that sobrang frequent talaga dito. Nakaka-bother na. The laundy incident I mentioned above, it was awful, but I won't talk about it yet 'cause I filed a case sa DTI. Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.

SHARKTEEEEETHHHH!!! Water, please, saka gamot sa alta-presyon!

Rant

I was asking for my ultrasound results...

Radio staff: Ano yung ultrasound mo?

TPS: Thyroid and TVS.

Radio staff: Heto. [handing me my thyroid ultrasound results]

TPS: Yung TVS?

Radio staff:  Meron ka bang TVS?

TPS: Yes.

The radio staff disappeared to the next room, presumably looking for my TVS results.

Radio staff: Di mo pa ba kinukuha yung TVS results mo?

TPS: Hindi, kasi walang release ng results ng weekend, di ba? Gusto mo balikan ko na lang tomorrow, hanapin mo muna?

Without replying, she disappeared again, then returned. She handed a piece of paper to me, but she was looking shifty about it. Buti na lang ni-check ko kasi copy lang yun ng thyroid result ko.

TPS: Same lang eto ng thryroid results. 

Radio staff: Di mo pa ba kinukuha ang TVS result mo?

TPS: #@%$! OO! OO! OO! NAKUHA KO NA ANG RESULTS NG TVS KO! I AM JUST HERE TO ANNOY YOU, THE WAY YOU'RE ANNOYING ME NOW. #%#%$@%# ANG KULIT-KULIT-KULIT-KULIT MO! NAKA-ILANG TANONG KA NA KUNG KINUHA KO NA AND SINAGOT NA KITA! DO YOU THINK I'D WASTE MY TIME HERE KUNG NASA AKIN NA YUNG RESULTS?! @#$$#

Hehehehe! I didn't actually say that; it was only in my mind. But, gaaaaahhhh, how it would have satisfied me to let that one out.

♥♥♥

A similar incident happened before, when we were still living in Laguna. I had a bag and a wallet repaired. I sent the bag and wallet via a courier and just went to the shop in Sta. Ana, Manila, to pick them up. Pagdating ko dun, okay na yun bag, but they couldn't find the wallet.

Shop owner: Di ko makita yung wallet. Sigurado kang may wallet kang pinadala?
TPS: Oho, meron. Pakitanong na lang dun sa anak nyo kasi sa kanya ko ni-address.
Hanap, hanap, hanap...
Shop owner: Di sumasagot ng text si Noli eh. Baka naman nakuha mo na? O kaya pinadala na sa iyo ni Noli?
TPS: Hindi pa ho. Usapan namin ay pi-pick-in ko dito sa shop.
Hanap, hanap, hanap...
Shop owner:  Sigurado ka bang hindi mo pa nakukukuha?
TPS: [please, pasensya, pasensya, pasensya] Hindi ko pa ho nakukuha.
Hanap, hanap, hanap...
Shop owner:  Baka naman nakuha mo na? Wala dito eh.
TPS: Ano ba?! Ilang ulit ko nang sinabing di ko pa nakukuha, tanong ka pa ng tanong? Galing pa ako ng Laguna, sa palagay nyo bibiyahe ako papunta dito para kuhanin ang wallet kung nasa akin na?!! Naiwala nyo ba yung wallet? 

And that time, I really said it. I tried to be as patient as I could, pero, wala, my patience ran thin and snapped, especially since more than an hour na kami sa shop. Long story short, dumating yung anak nya and finally nahanap nila yung wallet.

♥♥♥

It's so frustrating when people are all too quick to wash off their stupidity from their hands and dump the dirty water on you. It especially galls me when they insist that, since they couldn't find the result, item, or what-not, I already have it. What kind of logic is that? 

Tempering My Temper

I was buying a few stuff for the home. Seeing a shorter line in another cashier, I made a beeline for it. I immediately regretted my decision because she moves ever so slowly. I thought, "meh, the one ahead of me is just paying for two umbrellas. How long would it take?" VERY LONG, apparently. My face fell a little when the cashier line I was supposed to queue in in the first place cleared up, and when I was about to transfer, two other customers beat me to it. So I stuck on my line, after all, the umbrellas ahead of me were already rang and paid for. Did you think the cashier proceeded to ring up my purchase? NO! She looked around languidly, seemingly unaware of my impatience. Then she looked at me and said, "Ma'am, lipat na lang kayo sa kabilang cashier kasi babalutin pa yung umbrella." That's when I lost it. I really did. "ANO?! PALILIPATIN MO AKO?! NGAYON?!!! AFTER I WAITED FOR YOU NA MA-PROCESS ANG DALAWANG UMBRELLAS, WHICH TOOK YOU A VERY  LOOOONG TIME? BAKIT, IKAW BA MAG-PA-PACK NYAN? MAY PACKER DYAN DIBA? RING MY PURCHASE AT AKO NA MAG-PA-PACK NG PURCHASES KO." My voice is naturally loud and high-pitched without any trace of lambing; combine that with my [natural] bitchface and you now have an unpinned grenade in your hand. The cashier must have sensed my irritation (to say the least) and immediately rang my purchases. It was over in a few seconds. May ibibilis pa naman pala ang kilos ng cashier na eto, kailangan lang ng konting, ehem, "prodding."

Related thought: I should do something with my temper. Ironically, for someone with an explosive temper, I am surprisingly very patient. As in napakahaba ng pisi ko. Napakahaba. But give me inefficient, illogical, or plainly stupid service, I really crack. I remember getting terrible customer support from Unionbank a few years back, and in my fit of anger, I castigated the agent with so much vehemence that my daughter said that it was like I was breathing fire into the phone. In fairness, in a matter of minutes, naayos nila yung problema. Which again brings up the point, magagawa naman pala ng mabilis, bakit kailangan pang i-prod. Next time, cattle prod gagamitin ko eh. Makita nila. Hmmmppp.