Customer Experiences

Happy REI Visa Customer - I just had the nicest experience with my credit card company. Since stuff like this doesn't happen all the time, I thought I'd share it here. So in the hustle and bustle of getting to Manila and then the lack of internet access for my first two weeks here, I missed my credit card payment by 2 days. But I called REI Visa customer service (for free on Skype - love Skype!) and the nice customer service rep was able to reverse not just the late fee but also the finance charge. The interest rate on this card is not the most competitive, but they are pretty fair with the P/$ exchange rates (with about a 3% transaction fee), and if you pay off your balance every month, the benefits are nice - you get 1% of the amount of your purchases - and 15% of the amount of purchases made at REI - back in your REI member dividend at the end of the year. You can either spend the dividend at REI, or get it in cash. So here's to a credit card that has done right by me and I recommend it - http://www.reivisa.com/cgi_w/cfm/credit/rei/intro.cfm?ics_src=50361&redirect=61rei

Challenges at the Laundry - Oh, woe is me, the trials and tribulations of having your laundry done for you for fifty cents a pound! Here in Manila, no one seems to do their own laundry. I haven't seen a laundromat, but wash/dry/fold services abound. My first experience with having my laundry done, I used a place near the hotel I stayed in the first week I was here, which was in the "red light" district of Makati City (believe me, this is no Bangkok, it's a very mellow red light district). The place was aptly named "Let's Talk Dirty" and they did a great job for P45/kilo (though they made a little extra since I only had 2 kilos and they have a 3-kilo minimum). Then I moved into my apartment at the Paseo Parkview and tried the Kuff'n'Kollar across the street for P40.50/kilo. Here is where I realized, when dropping off there for the second time, that you can request that they not use fabric softener. Hooray - no more walking around smelling like a chemical factory! Alas, two visits was all for this laundromat because they kept finishing my laundry late - and seemed to have almost lost it the second time. I don't mind if they're backed up and are going to take three days to do my laundry - especially for the lowest price I've found so far in my well-heeled (ok, designer-flipflop) neighborhood - but be honest about it! After checking in morning and evening for two days before finally getting my second load of laundry back from them, I decided to give "Lavandera Mo" a try. They advertise as "the safest place for your laundry" and give you an itemized receipt listing the brand name and description of all your clothes. For P60.50/kilo and the 3-kilo minimum it's the equivalent of $4 to even walk in the door, but they've got a loyal customer in me. It didn't hurt that the first time I walked in there, as I was filling out the order slip a couple of ladies who were folding got my attention to ask how I kept in such great shape ... I'm a sucker for a little flattery, I guess. I did bow pose for them and when I picked up the laundry the next day the bag didn't have my last name on it like everyone else's, it had "YOGA" and my slip number. Personal touches are the best ... if you're in Salcedo Village, they're a solid bet.

Taxi Trickery - I've taken a taxi five times since I've gotten here. Once when I came in from the airport, twice when schlepping my luggage from the hotel to Salcedo Village, once home from Market! Market!, and once home from the grocery store with 12L of bottled water. Cabs here are plentiful and cheap - the meter drops at P30 and the half-hour ride I had from the airport was only about P300 (~$6) for a ride that would probably have cost $30 in NYC and $50 in Boston. The little rides around the Salcedo Village area are P50 or P60. So it's quite annoying when you get into a cab, tell the driver the few-blocks-away destination, and he (are even 1% of cab drivers globally female?) doesn't turn on the meter and says, "100 pesos, OK?" The ride will cost P50 or less and I know it. Once you tell them to turn on the meter they do it, but they're clearly trying to prey on me as an ignorant tourist. Oh, well. For the average tourist, $2 to take a cab a few blocks is no biggie - the meter drops higher than that most places - but knowing that the market rate is $1, I'm not going to be the easy mark. If they're honest with me (and 60% of them have been honest, to be fair), then they get a tip.