A Unionbank Internet Banking Service Experience - It Sucks!

Have you ever been duped by a bank?

I've been a Unionbank of the Philippines checking account holder for quite some time now, and have twice been a victim of a faulty internet banking system and poor people service.

I once got penalized more than PhP 3,000.00 pesos as penalty for having insufficient funds for a check that I issued. But in thruth, I made sure that I deposited enough money in my checking account before the check's due date, enough to cover the drafted amount, plus an additional PhP 200.00 to cover an expected end-of-month penalty fee for not meeting the bank's required average daily balance. It turned out that my checking account was debited PhP 400.00, instead of PhP 200.00, a day before my issued check's due date, for not meeting the required monthly balance, which therefore left me PhP 200.00 short of my check's issued amount.

I immediately deposited the lacking amount as soon as I found out about this, only to find out that the check had already cleared. In turn, I was forced to pay a penalty fee of more than PhP 3,000.00 for this fiasco (roughly half was for the requesting bank, and half was for Unionbank).

I soon found out that the reason why their internet banking system "automatically" debited PhP 400.00 from my account was because it was not able to debit PhP 200.00 for the previous month (for being lower than the required average daily balance), even though my account had more than enough money to accommodate the debit amount.

Anyone with half a brain can see that this was, as clear as daylight, a system fault and that I should not be the one to suffer from this. And at the very least, the penalty fee covering Unionbank's side should have been waived.

I tried to reason out with the branch officers but no one could even lift a finger to help me out, all claiming that everything was system generated, and that they had to get clearance form "upstairs". Dang! Talk about empowerment, these were managers I talked to! I even wrote an email to the bank's president, Mr. Ortiz, to no avail.

It just goes to show you that all they care about is money. And they seem to forget that the reason they have any money at all is because of their clients.

The bank ought to review their existing system as well as their existing business rules. And as for their personnel, they ought to empower them more, so that they could make on the spot decisions when it comes to situations like these. And most of all, they should train their employees more on how to enhance their people skills.

Manila Willing to Demolish Zoo for PBA Venue

According to reports, some officials of the City of Manila are willing to demolish the Manila Zoo to make way for a new PBA venue, to be dubbed the "PBA Dome".

Are these city and league officials off their knockers? Most people would rather have the PBA make a donation for the zoo's renovation instead of having to demolish one of Manila's most endearing (and smelliest) tourist attraction.
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Links:
Inquirer.net
The Manila Times - Internet Edition
Manila Bulletin Online

PBA Semis - Alaska Aces Take Game 1 vs. San Miguel

The Alaska Aces won a close game over the San Miguel Beermen in Game 1 of their Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) semifinal series (click here). They won by a point (100-99).
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Links:
PBA Official Website
Alaska Aces Official Website

And the final slot goes to...

What's slower than a turtle or a snail? In the Philippines, one possible candidate for the distinction would be the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).

It's been more than a month since the May 14 elections but the Philippines' so-called election governing body has yet to proclaim the winner for the 12th and final senatorial slot.

This leaves many disenfranchised Filipino voters to think that the delay gives ample time for the government's "cheating" machinery, if there is such a thing - God forbid, to do its work and somehow pull a fast one by easing Team Unity (TU) candidate Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri into the final slot and leave Genuine Opposition (GO) candidate Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III in the doldrums.

Not to take anything away from Mr. Zubiri, who's a reasonably able politician, but winning controversially is not what one wants to have hanging on one's coattails to victory.

Let's hope that the COMELEC remains true to its duty and creed of serving the Filipino people by finally put this baby to bed, faster than you can say"Rock-a-bye Baby".