Got plastic?

I have mentioned many times here that I am maintaining only one credit card. That card is BPI. What I love about BPI credit card is they are old school. Another cool thing with this product is that they will not charge with penalty for being unable to pay on the due date so long as your next cut off is not generated yet.

Oh, and I was able to redeem my rewards points for an A4 internet Dolby headset which was delivered to me in 3 days!

Okay so much for the rear licking. This is not a paid post anyway.

Here's the deal. I use (but rarely) the card for groceries.

I had a list of toiletries so during my one-hour break I went to the grocery near our office. I even grabbed my favorite Cornetto ice cream. Just when the cashier was swiping the card she got an error prompt advising the holder to contact card provider. I felt clammy. I am sure that I still have funds in it because I just settled my bill.

I called 89-100. Just as soon as I pressed 2 (credit card option) I was greeted by a prompt that "All BPI credit card transactions are not available at the moment...blah blah".

So I got back to the cashier and relayed the matter. I just had with me some coins. I told them that I just have to be back in my 15-minute break to get my toiletries and my Cornetto.

When I got to my post. I called BPI again and it took me 40 minutes to get hold of a phonebanker. This is one bad thing I don't like about BPI.  Getting through their hotline will get you old and bearded on the phone.

Anyhoo, the phonebanker told me that system is down since late afternoon. I snapped back and told her that when they have promos, it's easy for them to send SMS how come that they did not send such a notice about this shameful event (yeah, there were people lined behind me in the grocery). Hell I knew what she were thinking: I also ask that myself. (Haha). Nah, I was not really mad. It's the first time it happened although it's a shameful one. I asked if they had an udate when can we use the plastic, she said around six. Then I said to her if it's not too much to ask, if she asks someone to SMS me as soon as the tweaking is over. She committed.

I was so pleased that I got 2 calls from them in less than an one hour. First, the phonebanker informed me that I could request for manual charging from the store (the old swiping thing) and the second was for the notice that card network is now online.

So I swung by the grocery and guess what? They have kept my toiletries in a bag. So they just scanned each item and swiped my card.

I asked them if there were other customers who have had the same dilemma. They said yes but I was the first one to get punk'd. But there was this one lady who went mental and hysterical.

Is it a card holder's right of passage?

Thank goodness my lorazepam was still kicking then. haha