A Sobering and Expensive Experience...

I recently had the unfortunate experience of losing my credit card. Albeit better than losing my entire wallet, the events that transpired soon afterwards was and still is a nightmare...

On Friday, I proceeded to the Department of Foreign Affairs along Macapagal Avenue to renew my passport. I was there at 10:00am. Since the officer needed identification, I got my driver's license from my wallet. It must have been during this time that my hand brushed against the credit card slots, sliding and dropping my card to the floor without me noticing.

It was only the following day, Saturday, when I was about the check in to the airport to catch a flight, I noticed that I was missing a credit card, so I immediately called the card issuer to report the card lost, and thus preventing the card being used (I was bracing myself for this possibility since I only reported the following day - this I admit is my fault). The CSR that I talked to said that my card was used in a watch store in SM Mall of Asia (conveniently near the DFA) three consecutive times, with the amounts P300,000, P185,000 and another P185,000. All three transactions were declined since these were way above my credit limit of P80,000.

Now that very same person proceeded to a store called Infomax, located on the 2nd floor, North Wing of SM Mall of Asia and tried to use my card there. Three times. And three times did the transaction go through; P62,000, P35,000 and P1,300. The person also used my card in a bakery P245 (he must have gotten hungry from all the shopping).

According to my card issuer's CSR, I can only file a formal dispute once the transaction has been posted, and since it only happened the day before, all four transactions were still floating. the CSR also suggested I contact Infomax and get in touch with their branch manager, Shan (I was already out of Manila during this time, mind you). I explained the incident and asked if I could get a copy of the transaction slips. He emailed me the transaction slips and upon seeing them, I noticed that the forged signatures were totally different from my own signatures. I gave Shan a copy on the my valid ID, showing him the difference in my signature with that of the forged, which he verbally agreed.

Come Sunday as I was hearing mass, I got 3 missed calls from Shan. I texted him after mass and he immediately called me. He asked me if I have already filed a formal complaint with my card issuer. I said no because I can only do such when the transaction gets posted. He then said that if it would be possible not to raise it to the bank's attention anymore and they will just settle. I said, if they are willing to do that, I will catch the next flight out to Manila. He said yes and confirmed that they indeed will settle with me, and that management is just meeting as to how to transfer the payment to me and which bank account is to be used,

"we still having a meeting po kung anu mas magandang way kung panu itratransfer yung pera sainyo. Advice kita agad kung ok na po. Thanks."

Shan also said if I could go over Monday, it would be better since we can settle this earlier.

Countless times through text did I ask if they are sure that they will settle, and Shan assured me,

"Opo cgurado po ako na babayaran namin kayo."

I even told Shan that I will be bringing additional identification such as my SSS ID, driver's license and passport to show to them.

Come Monday, I did not hear anything from Infomax. I assumed that everything was ok because I got the assurance. My flight arrived 6:30pm. While still in the plane, my phone was ringing and it was Shan. I ended the call and said that I could not pick it up since I was still in the plane. I called Shan and was told that the check was still not available because they still needed a signatory. It was at this time that I got peeved because they were the once who insisted I go to their store the earlier the better to settle this matter. I asked Shan if the owner (which I later found out was the daughter of the DTI permit - registered owner) was there and to ask her to call me up. She did and was told that they were no longer settling with me because the merchant bank of the machine they used to swipe my card called them up and told them that I already filed a formal dispute.

Mad was an understatement. I went with my lawyer to Infomax Mall of Asia from the airport and talked with Shan and the store owner (if anyone asks the name of the store owner, I will freely mention). They again said that someone from the bank called around 4:00pm them up but since Shan was not there in the store, they did not get any details of the call, from the name of the caller to the reason as to the call. They claim that they were waiting for the person to call again.

I threw questions at them of which they answered:

1. If the person who used my card showed any identification. They said he did. A driver's license. People who know me knows that I have a long name. I asked Shan if the driver's license had all of my names, he said yes.

2. Shan said that the person who used my card was thin, fair skinned and tall (i'm only fair skinned). When I asked him face to face, he adjusted his definition "tall" to that of around my height.

Shan also kept on repeating (over the phone on Saturday and during the Monday evening "meeting") that the person who used my card has been going to their store for months browsing over their goods and it was only last Friday that he finally made the purchase (does he think that by going to the store often for months long makes him me?)

I asked Shan again, "did you not, last Saturday, upon seeing my signature, agree that the signature given to you and made by the person on the charged slips, is different from my own signature?" Shan's answer was, "I never said that." That pissed me off. Now I'm made to be the liar.

I asked him again the same question. This time, his answer was "why would I say that it's different if it's the same." This time, i showed him the charge slips that he gave me, and my valid IDs.

I had to step out to talk to another friend, leaving my lawyer inside the store to talk to the store owner (who is also a Filipino-Chinese) and Shan. I would later find out from my lawyer that the store owner denied ever saying that they would offer to settle. This pissed me off even more. I showed my lawyer the text coming from Shan (yes, it's a prepaid number which Shan could easily dispose of).

Upon the counsel of their lawyers, we agreed to give them up to Tuesday lunch time to give us feedback, if not, I would formally file dispute charges with my card issuer (since by this time, the transactions would have already been posted). Before leaving their store, I asked for copies of the charge slips and to have them sign that the copies were authentic. After around 15 minutes of talking over the phone, the store owner said that they can not release any documents.

Come Tuesday, I received a text (yes, not even a decency to call me up) from Infomax's store owner saying that upon their bank's advice, I should call and deal with my card issuer regarding the contested transactions. She then just left it at that. With my lawyer in tow, I proceeded to my card issuer's dispute department and formally filed dispute against the transactions.

NOW, what I find intriguing are:

1. Why did Infomax ask over and over again if I've already reported and disputed the transactions?

2. Why were they more than willing to offer a settlement? If they are so sure of their stance that they did all proper due dilligence, why offer to settle it quietly?

3. Why did they all of a sudden take back that offer?

4. Evidentiary support shows that my signature differs from that made on their charge slips, and yet Infomax personnel still insists that they are the same, while last Saturday, they agreed that it was different. Why?

5. Why later on deny that they offered any settlement?

6. Was there indeed someone from the bank who called them up or was this just a bluff?

I know I don't have any written proof that they did indeed offer to settle (except for the SMS message, which Shan can easily dispose off by throwing his prepaid sim-card away) or that he agreed that the signatures were different, so technically, I'm on the losing end. But still. Oh, funny thing, they never asked for the contact details of the person who used my card. Isn't this a requirement of DTI, especially in cases where there are product recalls?

So there, that's what happened to me. Infomax on the 2nd floor North Wing of SM Mall of Asia.

This is not about retaliation. It's about the principles behind it and me protecting my name and my reputation. I do not like being called a liar, especially with all the proof right in front of me proving otherwise. This serves as a learning experience to myself and others that there are individuals who would go to the extent of ruining other people's reputation just to protect their own asses. Shame on them. Shame on their parents for having raised children such as them. It's people like them who shame off the work that the rest of world is working towards.

I welcome other stories where retailers have taken advantage of customers, and vice versa. Please do send them in.