My eldest sister and youngest sister was out last saturday and went to the SMART Tel. branch in Monumento to apply for the new promo of getting three cellphones for one postpaid line. They were just waiting in line to get a number when the guard take one look at them and said that they should ask for the promo materials inside the office rather.
My sister said that the guard thought they were just collecting glossy papers. and not really interested in the promo.
My sister, being humble and not one to start a fight let this go and proceeded to the office when their number was called.
But the woman in the desk ( if it was me I could have taken note of her name..) refuse to take their application seriously and ask my sister instantly how much is her monthly salary. To which my sister- in her monotonic voice and poker facial expression answered - 45,000 a month.
After hearing this the woman must have thought that my sisters are trying to fool her saying such stupendous amount like it's something so casual.
The woman asked for my sisters last billing records and specifically instructed her that she will need to bring back an original copy of her employment contact and payslip. Plus valid ID's etc.
Then she kept on looking at them - both wearing casual tshirts, jeans and sandals- with a kid in tow. They brought gelai with them. and then she said for the nth time that my sister can only afford the P500 a month postpaid promo. She said this without checking first her records and taking what my ate have told her.
If she had then she would have spared herself from shame.
She would have seen from the SMART record that my sister have previously owned three SMART postpaid lines and all of it have been payed well for and was extended for two more years.
That it was SMART who first sought after my sister- informing her of the promo and offering her some special ones because of her outstanding finance records.
That she wasn't kidding when she said she's earning 45k a month.
I got angry when I heard of this and if I was with them I could not have let such insult to go unchecked. At the very least an apology coming from the two proverbial flies who had been standing on top of a carabao and thought that they were bigger than the carabao itself.
My sister just lost her interest in applying for a smart postpaid line and just check the Globelines promo instead. She just thought of it all as something funny because it's the first time that she was insulted that way because of how she dressed up.
Anyone can wear neckties and business suits but how many of them can really afford to pay? Why do filipinos always criticized and judge co-filipinos and their financial states by the way they dress? So what if she doesn't dress herself sophisticatedly? darn. it makes me angry that up to now, some filipinos are just too materialistic and dumb...
ellamae14 posted on Oct 21, 2007
| views: 511
Comments
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lfbno7 said on Oct 21, 2007....
That's so weird. I can see how your sis wouldn't be insulted by it because she knew all along that she would impress them in the end. She was holding four aces, they thought all she had was a miserable hand, and she knew that sooner or later they would see the aces in her hand, so she just let it play out. -
Lioness said on Oct 22, 2007....
I like the carabao-fly thing. So true.
It's so annoying that people judge people based on how they look. Maybe these providers were not briefed on how to properly treat people. I just admire your sis for not making a scene. But it would have been so nice to see the guard and the lady curl in shame if she did. Sometimes what we need is to be bold enough to show right in their faces that they're wrong on judgment. Grrr.........
This happened to me in a bank. When I was in a casual attire (jeans and shirt), I was treated shabbily. When I went back the following day dressed in formal clothes, wow, I was treated like a queen. The lady didn't even recognize me as the same person as yesterday. I know... She didn't bother take a second look. Bitch.
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ellamae14 said on Oct 22, 2007....
lfbno7: yes, I can see that too. My sister knows her worth that's why she didn't find it insulting at all. she just think that those people are being silly. but still - i would have love to see how their haughty self righteous expressions will turn sheepish the moment they realized their mistake. Plus the fact that they are not being paid to pass judgement on potential costumers who doesn't quite fit their idea of well to do or good payer.
Lioness: I am also amazed at my sister's self control and generosity of letting it go. But I will handle it differently if it was me. Those type of people will not learn unless someone did stand up to them and make them eat humble pie.
oh, don't start me with bitches aka bank tellers. I have had bad experiences with those women whose faces have at least 2 inches of foundation and make ups- making it impossible for them to have any other expression than a stiff frowning one. I got tired talking to them and I just went directly to the general manager and asked him to handle my transactions because his tellers won't.
i got better treatment after that. -
LayaMaria said on Oct 22, 2007....
That reminds me of a story I once heard. This man goes into a bank and the guard tries to make him go away because he's wearing tattered clothes and chinelas and carrying an old bayong. Turns out the bayong was full of money and the man was really a millionaire (a very unpretentious one) who had a big account with them, but he didn't care about how he looked, he just wanted to deposit some money into his account!
Anyway, I like giving that sort of stuck-up people their comeuppance. I usually go around like a student in jeans or shorts, t-shirt and messenger bag and sandals, and let them patronize me. Then when they ask me for identification, I whip out my IBP id and wish that I could take a picture of their faces. =))
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ellamae14 said on Oct 22, 2007....
laya : i think people who judge people by looks and what they wear are really insecure about themselves that's why they took it upon other people who they think is "less".
I remember one of my tambay neighbor inquiring about what one of my siblings does. You know, people who have a lot of time doing nothing-this sibling of mine doesn't care if she's wearing old ragged clothes most of the time, she doesn't even wear blouses. The nosey neighbor asked if she's a street vendor in quiapo because she goes to quiapo early every sunday. I had a good laugh at his face when I told him that my sister is a civil engineer and her present work is in quiapo. i don't think he beleived me, he's so set that she's a street vendor. the nerve. it's now a common household joke. :) -
LayaMaria said on Oct 22, 2007....
Ella: You're right. They're the ones who think that they're superior because they're all dressed up. We don't need to dress up because we already know what we are and we are confident with what we are. We know that we won't lose whatever we've achieved, whatever we wear! It's like this former boardmate of mine who just came home from abroad (as a DH). Ang hilig sa branded! She kept wondering why all our other boardmates kept deferring to me, when I usually just went around looking like a student, in Divisoria-bought clothes, no less! She even queried one of them, "Are you sure she's a lawyer?!" and the other girl just laughed at her. Di ko naman nilalait ang mga katulong, pero hello! Kahit sa kano pa siya nagtrabaho, katulong pa rin naman siya no! Lakas ng loob niyang mang-asar! -
ellamae14 said on Oct 22, 2007....
laya : as my mom will usually call me "baduy" when i wear tsinelas to work. She'd said it's not befitting my title. I don't care. As long as i'm not breaking any office rules. It's important to me that I'm comfortable with what I'm wearing. :)
Yep, that's another proverbial fly out there. they think clothes can buy them class and therefore it will elevate their life status and place in the society. But keeping up with the dictates of the society is tiring and pointless.
I also buy clothes in divisoria. I spent money on more important matters like tuition fees and good food. I know a lot of people who's material things are all branded and expensive but goes cheap on what they eat and can't send their kids to school. that for me, is pathetic. -
dazed_and_confused said on Oct 22, 2007....
Actually I know what you mean, I sometimes am misjudged too by people.
There was a time where I was at my mom's store (during a weekend and I was the cashier), wearing worn out maong shorts, flip flops, and a shirt, and this woman kept looking at me from head to foot. Curious, she asked if I had a job and that why was I hanging out in my mom's store, implying if I was a tambay. I said no, I am working na po and I am just here for the weekend. Then she asked if I was a graduate of a local university in our province, and I said no, and casually replied that I am a graduate of UP, she then asked if I graduated with honors, I said I was part of the Dean's List. She then asked where I was working, and I said I was working in Eastwood, and she quickly asked a follow-up question: in a call center? I answered straight faced yet again, No, I am working in a software firm and I work there as a software engineer. Thankfully she did not ask what my exact position was nor my other qualifications. And finally she asked how much was I making, I answered without batting an eyelash, I make more than 30k a month. And finally she asked how old I was, I said 22.
Now she seemed impress. She seemed to be making assumptions that I am young, stupid, and have no future whatsoever. When she heard my age and my salary, she turned a bit red and went on her merry way. Honestly, these are questions that is a bit invasive, but hey if you want an honest answer, I'll give it to you. LOL.
Cheers
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secretlife said on Oct 22, 2007....
i would make a formal complaint.and you know what? i might do business elsewhere next time. -
queenparanoia said on Oct 22, 2007....
ay putanginang gagong yun ah....so sorry about my potty mouth i'll say it in english para sosyal...the motherfuckershit asshole smart employee...i would have gone wild if that happened to me! that bitch should shut up and do her job. ay puta anung pakialam nya kung ano trabaho ng ate mo? this is one filipino trait that i really hate. just because you wear something simple you are judge quickly. you know this is one of the lesson my father thought me in business. whatever the status of a person you never judge a customer. you give him the exact respect you give to everybody. here's an example...you know we own a hardware right?there were two customers who came to my father. the other one was poor and my father knew that he lived in the squatters area. the other one was rich or we assumed who was rich because he brought a big car. but my father treated them equally. as always he was nice and charming to both customers.in the end. the rich guy only both like a 20 pesos worth of nails or something..the poor guy bought 15,000 pesos worth of stuff because he was fixing his house.now tell me what do you think would happen if my father behave like the smart employee? our big loss!!!kaya don't worry it's there loss. =) -
ellamae14 said on Oct 22, 2007....
dazed : i think it's a generation thing. madame talagang matatandang ale ang nosey at mapangmata ng kapwa which I think is because they feel cheated of the opportunity to achieve something for themselves because women are not expected to be anything but housewives during their days. if it was me, I'll give her a straight answer too. And it doesn't matter if I'm not earning as much- as long as I earned it. I passed up two work opportunities that would have given me bigger income but less self respect. The problem nowadays is that people are gauge according to how much they earn and not on the quality of their work or work ethics.
secretlife: i will do the same thing too.
Queen: ay mga gunggong talaga noh. nainis nga din ako ng husto eh, pucha hindi naman sila dapat ang sinusuyo dahil in the first place- yung ate ko ang customer. naku kung kasama lang talaga nila ko, tatanungin ko ng diretsahan yung babae kung bakit nya ipinipilit na pang 500 lang ang kaya naming iafford at na kung meron ba silang existing dress code para sa mga customer nila kasi tingin siya ng tingin. badtrip!
anyway, your father taught you well. keep at it. :) -
queenparanoia said on Oct 23, 2007....
you said! hay naku kung kasama nyo ako ganun rin ang reaction ko!!! )
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