Grrrrr Moment

On Sunday, January 24, after watching Manny Pacquiao's great fight with & victory over Erik Morales on their rematch, my sister Bonet texted from Kuwait and asked if we are free that night to chat with her through the internet with webcam. We set the chat at 7pm Philippine time and by 6:30pm, my sister Mimi, niece Mariz & boyfriend Rolly were cruisin' along Pasong Tamo looking for a decent & quiet internet cafe with webcams. We didn't find one that suited our needs so we decided to proceed to Makati Square. Unfortunately, the only internet cafe there was already closed before 7pm so we went to Walter Mart across the street.

The guard told us we can find one at the 5th floor so off we went. Once there, I noticed there were 2 Netopia branches and so we entered the nearest one. I asked the lady at the counter if we can use a unit that has a webcam and she said Unit #12 has a webcam. I admitted it will be our first time to use this service and that we would be needing her assistance. Also I asked her if it would be okay if I started using the internet and she'll only charge me for the 'internet rate' of P40 and will only start the 'webcam rate' of P45 when my sister goes online. She agreed and asked for my name for their record. Then she didn't say anything else so I excused myself and told her I'll be back in a few minutes, then I went to the ladies room.

I was back in no time but I could not find the lady and instead another employee, a guy, was there . While waiting for her, I suddenly needed a pen. I approached the guy at the counter and politely asked:

Me: "Excuse me, pwedeng makahiram ng ballpen?" (Excuse me, may I borrow a ballpen?)
Guy: "Anong kulay?" (What color?)

I was surprised with the answer/question especially when I noticed that his face was not that accommodating. He was wearing a bit of a smirk and kind of 'provoking' or 'testing' my patience. I convinced myself, maybe he's just kidding and so I just smiled and said:

Me: "Ah, kahit anong kulay lang po. Pwedeng pencil. Basta pangsulat." (Oh, any color will do. Or maybe, a pencil. Anything I can use to write something)

Then he handed over a blue pentel pen. I took it coz it really didn't matter to me what type of writing tool it was. I just had to write something down. After taking just 3 steps away, he called me to return the pen while waving a blue ballpen. I signaled it's ok but he was insistent, so I obliged to avoid a scene. While handing me the ballpen, he said:

Guy: "Eto nalang, di ba ballpen naman ang sabi mo?" (Here, isn't it that you wanted a ballpen?"

At this point I was already pissed off but I gathered enough self control and just smiled at him. When I sat down at Unit #12, he followed me and said:

Guy: "Meron nang webcam yan." (It already has a webcam)
Me: "Ay sandali lang po, ang usapan namin nung girl wala munang webcam. Internet lang ako."
Guy: "Ang usapan natin, may webcam yan pero di naka-charge."
Me: "What do you mean, may webcam pero di naka-charge?"
Guy: "May webcam na yan at gagana lang pag gagamitin mo na."
- (Obvious ba? I resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow)

Me: "Ok. Sabi ko lang, na pumayag yung girl na Internet rate muna ako ngayon. Pag gagamitin na namin yung webcam, saka na kami singilin ng webcam rate."

This guy just wanted to prove something but I don't know what it is. This didn't end here, though. At that time, I preferred to speak with the lady but she was always somewhere else and he was the only one available. And everytime we needed assistance, we had to call him several times before he approached. He was just 4 meters away & it was no use just raising a hand because he was reading. Moreover, the place was so quiet as there was only 1 other customer present.

What really made me angry was the fact that he made a customer angry and look stupid. I admit that I am not very good with the latest technology but that doesn't give anyone the right to put me down like he did. This guy's got an attitude problem! What kind of customer service is this?! I regretted I didn't ask for his name or for his Manager, but maybe I'll find a way to raise this complaint.