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.

Splurging Is Good for Your Health

Taken from the Wall Street Journal - hence, a legit source ;)

Buying overpriced indulgences may feel good in the short term, but you pay the price later. Or at least that’s the conventional wisdom.

But a study by a couple of business-school professors says splurging now makes you happier later. Even more surprising: Not splurging now gives you pangs of regret later.

Anat Keinan, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School, and Ran Kivetz, a professor of marketing at Columbia Business School, make their case for thevice lifestyle in an article in the Harvard Business Review.

One of their studies polled college students and alumni on the subject of spring breaks. Regret about not having spent more money or traveling during breaks increased with time, whereas regret about not having worked, studied, or saved money during breaks decreased with time.

The authors write: “We saw a similar pattern in a study of how businesspeople perceived past choices between work and pleasure. Over time, those who had indulged felt less and less guilty about their choices, whereas those who had been dutiful experienced a growing sense of having missed out on the pleasures of life.” (As the old saying goes, nobody dies saying “I wish I’d spent more time at the office.”)

The authors also did a study of mall shoppers, asking about their regret about buying an expensive item of clothing. Those who anticipated short-term regret bought less-expensive items, while those who anticipated long-term regret splurged. “Thinking about short-term regret drives consumers to be virtuous, while thinking about long-term regret leads them to be extravagant,” the authors write.

Luxury-goods makers, of course, will eat this up. I can see the slogan now: “Luxury: It’s Good for Life.” Or “Cartier: You’ll be sorry you didn’t.” Whether luxury is good for your finances is another matter. (Nobody goes bankrupt saying “I wish I’d spent more on Gucci bags).

Wealth Report readers, what do you think? Do the long-term benefits of indulgence outweigh the short-term risks of regret?

http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2008/07/07/splurging-is-good-for-your-health/?mod=yhoofront

For all photographers out there...

Young blind photographers use 'eyes of the heart'

Agence France-Presse

TOKYO - Yutaka Meijo holds his breath to make sure his camera stays steady, carefully brings the object into focus and waits just a moment before clicking the shutter -- relying only on his ears and a hunch.

"I take pictures relying on sound," said the 18-year-old, who lost his sight when he was seven.

"But there's just a feeling to it," Yutaka said, as he took shots of his visually impaired friends playing table tennis, hitting a ping pong ball with a bell inside.

"I press the shutter button and don't hesitate when I think the moment's right. The moment can't be brought back. That's my secret for taking pictures," he says.

Yutaka is among 23 youth photographers at a school for the blind in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, whose pictures are gradually drawing public attention.

"I can measure an object's distance by ear," blind 12-year-old Yuta Ueno said at a Tokyo exhibition of the children's works where captions were written in both braille and traditional script.

"I have no concept at all of color, but when I take pictures I use my imagination to its fullest," Yuta said, smiling as he made the gesture of shooting a camera.

"I don't care about putting objects into a frame," Ueno said. "Taking pictures is a lot of fun. I especially like the moment I release the shutter. Who dislikes taking pictures? I guess no one does."

The children held cameras for the first time in their lives two and a half years ago when Hiroshi Suga, an award-winning Japanese photographer, gave a lecture at their school.

Suga, who is known for his documentary photographs taken around Asia, described the children as having "eyes of the heart".

"When I told them to hold cameras, at first some of them held cameras back to front or upside down while others covered the lenses with their hands," Suga said.

"But they learnt quite fast and I was really surprised to see how impressive their pictures were. It was beyond the ordinary work of ordinary people."

He gave them cameras with old-fashioned film, not digital models, and told them to take pictures of "whatever you like".

The results included photographs of family, teachers, friends, a street performer, dogs, trains, a castle, flowers and road studs for the blind.

"Nothing in life is limited"

The students worked out their own techniques to make up for their disabilities, such as tapping on the cameras with their fingers to attract the attention of the people they are shooting.

"Their pictures are natural and honest," Suga said, looking at their works in his studio.

"I have repeatedly said pictures should reflect the photographers themselves and their pictures proved what I have said was right."

Suga decided to make the childrens' work public, kicking off an exhibition last year in the port city of Yokohama and publishing two collections of photographs entitled "Kid Photographers".

Exhibitions have taken place across eastern Japan, including Tokyo, drawing big crowds and selling more than 7,000 books.

"Nothing is limited in life," Suga said. "The kids have a disadvantage for sure but they aren't pitiful."

Kanna Yoshida, 14, takes her camera with her whenever she goes out as she says taking photographs allow her to "visualize" memories in her mind.

"I can keep memories of scenes more vividly when I take pictures," said Kanna, who lost her sight as a baby. "I like taking pictures of people, especially children."

One of her pictures at the exhibition shows a young boy apparently gazing at her eyes, not the lens, while he plays in a park in early spring sunshine.

Yuta, the 12-year-old, said: "I like taking pictures of my friends. My mother told me that friends in my pictures are always smiling."

The young photographers, however, do miss at least one thing -- appreciating their own work for its own sake.

"I can't see my pictures, of course," said Takahiro Tsurui, 14, who lost his sight four years ago in an accident.

"But taking pictures matters in itself. I can't see them but I can imagine what I take," Takahiro said, touching a braille caption at the exhibition of his picture of a castle.

"I can recall the scenes when I sort them out in my album."

Takahiro says photography has helped him build the confidence to go out and talk to people.

"No matter what job I have in the future, I want to continue taking pictures all my life."

SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryID=123779

Very relevant...

While reading the newspaper to take a break from the headache that is the government, I read an article in the Inquirer about Anabelle Rama, and I quote:

"Dati, masyado akong makunat, maka-sarili. Hindi pala dapat ganoon. You have to share your blessings. Kung 'di ka mag share, hahabulin ka ng BIR. I-share mo nalang; tax deductible pa!"

And yes, I am slowly learning this trait of giving in order to receive in the Philippines; giving money in other to receive your goods...

Hay, onli in da pilipins

Interesting Comparative Railway Project Costs

A classmate sent this email on a comparative study of railway project costs.... After reading it, I'm even more worried about the direction the Philippines is headed..

Considering the lack of any public bidding as required under RA 9184, just how cost competitive is the Northrail project?

As per the BCDA website (http://www.bcda.gov.ph/projects-northrail.asp) the project proponents are the North Luzon Railways Corp. (NLRC) and the Chinese contractor - China National Machinery and Equipment Corp. (CNMEC) financed through the Buyer Credit Loan Agreement between the Export-Import Bank of China and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and approved in August 2003 by the NEDA-ICC. In 19 August 2003,  EO 232 signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo directed "the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to exercise primary oversight function over the Northrail project, transferring the Northrail Corporation from the Office of the President to the DOTC, and reorganizing the respective governing boards of Northrail and the Philippine National Railways (PNR). The BCDA remains as an investor of the Northrail."

Northrail details:

Phase I - 80-kilometer rail line between Caloocan City in Manila to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) at the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) in Pampanga;

The initial phase of the Northrail Project entails the reconstruction and upgrading of the line from the existing Caloocan Station to the DMIA at the CSEZ. This was born out of a plan to reactivate rail service to the North to develop the CSEZ as Asia-Pacific's regional transshipment logistics hub. Phase I is further divided into two sections: Section 1 - 32.2km from Caloocan to Malolos and Section 2 47.8km from Malolos to DMIA. Construction of Section 1, Phase 1 began in October 2006 following the successful relocation of almost 20,000 project-affected families occupying the site of the Philippine National Railways (PNR).

Double track (separate tracks for north and south bound trains to allow for simultaneous operation) at-grade (ground level).

Operating speed: Approximately 80 to 130 kph (for Inter-Urban Service)

The total cost the 32.2 km Section 1 of Phase 1 of the project is $503 million.

Cost per km = US$15,621,118
Cost per meter = US$15,621


This is what was found on the following website for NEW High Speed railway projects with trains less than 250km/h (significantly faster than Northrail) and where the prices and distances were clearly stated. if a range for the distance or prices was stated, I used the lower distance and higher cost - http://www.railway-technology.com/projects

It should be noted that The International Union of Railways an international rail transport industry body with 171 members (railways, rail operators, infrastructure managers, railway service providers, public transport companies, etc.) on all 5 continents defines high speed lines as, "Specially upgraded High Speed lines equipped for speeds of the order of 200 km/h". The preamble also states, "Finally, in many countries where the performance of the conventional railway is not very high, the introduction of some trains capable of operating at 160 km/h and offering a significant level of quality - often as a first step towards a future genuinely high speed service - may already be considered as high speed." (http://www.uic.asso.fr/gv/article.php3?id_article=14). The Northrail project with a top speed of "130kph" would therefore not be considered high speed.

1. Ankara-Istanbul High-Speed Train Project, Turkey 250km/h (156mph) - http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/ankara-istanbul/

TCDD has divided the Ankara-Istanbul high speed train project into two phases. The first involves the construction of a 251km (157 mile) section of fast line between Sincan and Inonu at a cost of US$747m by the end of 2006. 
Phase 2 covers much more complex terrain, and will be undertaken in two sections. The first is 158km (98.75 miles) long between Inonu and Kosekoy including more than 60 bridges and viaducts. Completing the second phase is a 56km (35 mile) section between Kosekoy and Gebze. In total, the second phase will cost US$2.27bn. The entire route is 533km (333 miles) long, some 43km shorter than the current alignment.

Phase 1 total cost is US$747m / 251km = US$2,976,095.617/km
Phase 2 total cost is US$2.27bn / 533km = US$4,258,911.82/km

2. Argentine High-Speed Railway, Argentina - http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/argentina/

The high-speed line is split into two sections. The first is a 250–300km/h high-speed route between Buenos Aires and Rosario. Construction on the Buenos Aires-Rosario section is aimed to commence in March 2007 and trains to be running by 2009, at a total cost of between US$700m and US$1bn

Total cost of US$1bn / 250km = US$4,000,000.00/km


3. AVE Spain High-Speed Rail Network, Spain - http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/spain/

The next section to open will be the Antequera-Malaga section of the 155km Cordoba-Malage route. This includes the Abdalajis tunnel (approx 7km - http://www.ita-aites.org/cms/837.html) – the longest on the AVE network – and is due to be completed at the end of 2006 at a cost of €125m. Opening of this section has been expected before the end of 2007.

Total cost of €125m or US$182,175,00 / 155km = US$1,175,322.58/km


4. Queensland High-Speed Line (Tilting Trains), Australia - This is a good comparative - http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/queensland/

Tilt train technology has been introduced to eastern Australia in June 2003 following completion of Queensland Rail's (QR) AU$590 million project to upgrade its 1,681km main line between Brisbane and Cairns, cutting journey times by seven hours, three times a week. It competes more aggressively with road and coastal shipping. 

The project, which began in early 1992, has increased both the maximum speed and capacity on the 1,067mm-gauge route from the south of Queensland, linking several major cities and tourist centres. It is also a busy corridor for containerised freight.

Total cost of AU$590m or US$542,800,000 /1,681km = US$ 322,903.03/km

Some 300+ kmh very high speed projects

1. California High Speed Rail Network, USA - http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/california

The new two-track high speed rail line would have trains capable of speeds up to 200mph (321 kmh). These would carry up to 115,000 passengers per day and serve up to 30 stations along a 700 mile (1,126 km) route serving the population centres of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego. 
After more than a decade's work the project is now hanging in the balance, as the US$9.95bn bond initially allocated to the high-speed rail project may be removed from the public spending plan in November 2006. 
Total cost of US$9.95bn /1,126km = US$ 8,436,944.94/km

2. Beijing - Shanghai High-Speed Line, China - http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/beijing/

the Chinese Ministry of Railways has a much bigger project in progress – the 1,318km Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line running parallel to the existing route. It will be solely dedicated to passenger train operation, and the Chinese Ministry of Railways is promising a 2010 opening date. 

The new high-speed line will be designed for 300km/h (186mph) operation and reduce the journey time between Beijing and Shanghai from 14 hours to just five. An estimated 220,000 passengers per day will use the trains. 
Despite China wishing to complete the line by 2010, engineers have said that construction could take at least until the middle of the decade. The total cost of the new line is expected to be ¥100bn ($12bn). Foreign investment will be allowed.
Total cost of US$12bn / 1,318km = US$9,104,704/km