When was the last time a total stranger did you a good turn? Or better yet when was the last time you did a good turn?
In the Philippines prepaid cards are normal, and we have what we call load retailers to service those who prefer prepaid than being a regular or postpaid subscriber. I am one of those load retailers, my second month today to be exact.
It was one of those days, those busy days when I have to struggle between FarmVille and CafeWorld that a new customer walked in to have several celfone numbers loaded, that was the same day the Service Provider had a system failure. To my surprise instead of sending the request to load once I sent it thrice because there was no confirmation on my side that the number was loaded already. It was my mistake. I was thinking too much about the wilting crops on my plantation and the pot roast that I needed to serve in the cafe.
Nah! I was just confusing you.
In fact I was so sure I already loaded the correct amount for the correct number but have not received the confirmation. So, what I did was to load it again and still there was no confirmation. In the end I had to tell the subscriber to be patient and that the load will be messaged shortly. After she left, Only then did I receive a message, that the whole system was down and my distributor had no way to check if the amount was uploaded on their system. I tried calling the main office but I had a long wait and in the end my call was dropped after a voice over machine said it cannot process my request. It was one of those frustrating moments, making you curse with irritation. What else can I do? I had to message the subscriber this time and used up my personal load because we had to message each other more than 5X so that my customer will be assured that I will not run away with her money and fully understand what's happening. I also told my customer that if nothing happens that evening I will make sure to return her money come morning. The system was not fixed that night and no other help came from my distributor.
I rose early the next morning to try and call the main office again, but it was taxing to wait for a live person to assist me. Until, another one of my regulars asked for her number to be loaded. To my gladness, the system confirmed my request right away. What made me queasy and uneasy was when I discovered a large amount of discrepancy from the last amount I loaded to last night's balance. I had to call my subscriber last night if she received the load amount she requested she said yes, received only that morning. I also had to bravely ask her if any of the load last night registered on her celfone, she said no only the ones I loaded that morning. I was restless it was a loss for me and not a small sum. To my relief she said that she called the main office and had to call me back because upon checking her balance, her celfone was indeed loaded 3X. So my customer told me that she will load me back the amount. I was so happy and I thanked my lucky stars!
Please give me my load back?! I did not have to say this and beg and struggle just like the other stories I heard before I became a retailer, about those who mistakenly loaded to other celfones or loaded them 2X. Because, it happened again today. To my happiness, when I messaged the subscriber he came back right away and paid for the extra load. I prayed that many of my customers would be like these two. Their types who return stuff that they did not pay for, those who give you back the extra dollar you gave as change, etc, etc, etc, because of these kind of kind people I learned that "honesty is the best policy", and that there are still many in this world who care more about people than the money or the "free load" they will get instead of thinking it's their mistake let them suffer the consequences. I will strive to do as they did, more than that if I can. . .
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