Patience is a virtue I have had difficulty learning. I am happy to say that in my 27 years of existence, almost akin to treading in water, a girl has to learn what she has to learn lest she drowns.
I learned, yeah, but it seems the patient me has gotten herself confined only in the workplace. Outside the BPI building, hell may break loose. You don't want to be around me when that happens. Ask my sister. Ask O.
On Wednesday morning, my sister and I got duped into wasting over 45 minutes of our precious shopping time with an agent who was blabbing about how we should start saving our mulah today.
The truth is, whenever I go to Megamall, I patiently check the shops out. Only when my heels start to scream, nicely designed sweet-smelling shopping bags are fully loaded on both arms (OK, I'm exaggerating but how I wish!), and my beloved plastic has gone brittle from too much swiping, will I wake up from this tantric experience and tell myself, "Enough is enough!" Oh well... We know this didn't and will never happen, God forbid. Honestly? I stop when confronted with the thought my hair will start to fall from eating pancit canton for the rest of the month.
There's only one thing I avoid at Megamall and that's the throng of agents strategically positioned at hallways on every floor, except for the basement where it is mostly kid's stuff. The mall has ceased to be just an abode for food court, the cinema, National Bookstore, a few novelty finds here and there, and clothing. It has now gone to retailing houses, land, fitness, health, financial stability, and, yes, our future. You can get them on bargain too!
The trick here is to avoid eye contact. Stick to the shops because the moment you lock eyes with an agent calling out to you, you will find yourself in a well-adorned office on the 5th floor with another agent, who insists he is a "consultant" by the way and seems to hold a Guiness record for the most number of unintelligible words per minute. He will promise to take only 45 minutes of your time but even after 30 minutes, also known as "eternity", he wouldn't be done with the introductions yet.
He tells you he's from UP Diliman. Don't ever say "Really?" when you're just secretly wondering whether your taxes are even allotted for education in the country because his reply to that is, "Yes. UP Diliman. In Quezon City." You will then wonder if this guy probably thinks you're that stupid you don't even know where UP Diliman is.
I'm sorry to tell you but you are now in D Ville, damned to listen to nonsensical chatter on securing the future by charging your credit card P16,000. Before you decide to continue on your journey of the, uh, underworld, allow me to scatter pieces of bread along the way so you can find your way back out.
* Your "consultant" will ask to see your credit card a number of times. If you want to be polite, make sure to cover the digits with a finger. Better yet, tell him flat out that you're not giving your card number away. Expect a change of strategy on his end. If you can't help it, ask your card company to cancel the number out. Most card companies will have a new card sent to you in 3 banking days.
* Never trust a "consultant", or any person for that matter, who isn't wearing a watch. I have a thing for this. If a man wants to talk business with me, he needs to get himself a good-looking counter. If he can't afford a brand he can't pronounce right because he-will-only-sound-like-his-tongue-is-sparring-with-an-ice-cube, a stainless Seiko will do just fine.
* Your "consultant" will try to convince you to sign up TODAY. Don't. Weigh your options well.
* Your "consultant" will show you his clients' statements of account to entice you into signing up with them. A financial company should not be doing this at all. A client's statement of account is supposed to be confidential.
* Your "consultant" will have a lot in common with you. If you're from Zamboanga, he's from Zamboanga too. If you're working at an office found in the RCBC building in Makati, then he will tell you he used to work at RCBC. If your dad is a seaman, his uncle is one too. If you say your mom is no longer living, he will say his father has just passed away, and later, he will slip by saying he comes from a broken family.
* Never ever go just by what the "consultant" tells you. Check the company out from other sources.
* When it comes to finances, it is always best to invest in more established institutions. There will always be risks but you are surely not minimizing the risks by investing in a 2-year old company that sucks up to a 43-year old insurance corporation for credibility. Your "consultant" will tell you that they are a holdings company with investments in this much older corporation. (Sweet Jesu! I invested in a 100-year old company and I still say my prayers everytime I go to the Stocks section in the papers.)
I hope you will never find yourself in D Ville but if you do, investing (or not!) your money is your decision to make.
Honestly? If 45 minutes of crap seem like an eternity, impatience helps. Forget forbearance. Be a bitch and simply walk away.
I learned, yeah, but it seems the patient me has gotten herself confined only in the workplace. Outside the BPI building, hell may break loose. You don't want to be around me when that happens. Ask my sister. Ask O.
On Wednesday morning, my sister and I got duped into wasting over 45 minutes of our precious shopping time with an agent who was blabbing about how we should start saving our mulah today.
The truth is, whenever I go to Megamall, I patiently check the shops out. Only when my heels start to scream, nicely designed sweet-smelling shopping bags are fully loaded on both arms (OK, I'm exaggerating but how I wish!), and my beloved plastic has gone brittle from too much swiping, will I wake up from this tantric experience and tell myself, "Enough is enough!" Oh well... We know this didn't and will never happen, God forbid. Honestly? I stop when confronted with the thought my hair will start to fall from eating pancit canton for the rest of the month.
There's only one thing I avoid at Megamall and that's the throng of agents strategically positioned at hallways on every floor, except for the basement where it is mostly kid's stuff. The mall has ceased to be just an abode for food court, the cinema, National Bookstore, a few novelty finds here and there, and clothing. It has now gone to retailing houses, land, fitness, health, financial stability, and, yes, our future. You can get them on bargain too!
The trick here is to avoid eye contact. Stick to the shops because the moment you lock eyes with an agent calling out to you, you will find yourself in a well-adorned office on the 5th floor with another agent, who insists he is a "consultant" by the way and seems to hold a Guiness record for the most number of unintelligible words per minute. He will promise to take only 45 minutes of your time but even after 30 minutes, also known as "eternity", he wouldn't be done with the introductions yet.
He tells you he's from UP Diliman. Don't ever say "Really?" when you're just secretly wondering whether your taxes are even allotted for education in the country because his reply to that is, "Yes. UP Diliman. In Quezon City." You will then wonder if this guy probably thinks you're that stupid you don't even know where UP Diliman is.
I'm sorry to tell you but you are now in D Ville, damned to listen to nonsensical chatter on securing the future by charging your credit card P16,000. Before you decide to continue on your journey of the, uh, underworld, allow me to scatter pieces of bread along the way so you can find your way back out.
* Your "consultant" will ask to see your credit card a number of times. If you want to be polite, make sure to cover the digits with a finger. Better yet, tell him flat out that you're not giving your card number away. Expect a change of strategy on his end. If you can't help it, ask your card company to cancel the number out. Most card companies will have a new card sent to you in 3 banking days.
* Never trust a "consultant", or any person for that matter, who isn't wearing a watch. I have a thing for this. If a man wants to talk business with me, he needs to get himself a good-looking counter. If he can't afford a brand he can't pronounce right because he-will-only-sound-like-his-tongue-is-sparring-with-an-ice-cube, a stainless Seiko will do just fine.
* Your "consultant" will try to convince you to sign up TODAY. Don't. Weigh your options well.
* Your "consultant" will show you his clients' statements of account to entice you into signing up with them. A financial company should not be doing this at all. A client's statement of account is supposed to be confidential.
* Your "consultant" will have a lot in common with you. If you're from Zamboanga, he's from Zamboanga too. If you're working at an office found in the RCBC building in Makati, then he will tell you he used to work at RCBC. If your dad is a seaman, his uncle is one too. If you say your mom is no longer living, he will say his father has just passed away, and later, he will slip by saying he comes from a broken family.
* Never ever go just by what the "consultant" tells you. Check the company out from other sources.
* When it comes to finances, it is always best to invest in more established institutions. There will always be risks but you are surely not minimizing the risks by investing in a 2-year old company that sucks up to a 43-year old insurance corporation for credibility. Your "consultant" will tell you that they are a holdings company with investments in this much older corporation. (Sweet Jesu! I invested in a 100-year old company and I still say my prayers everytime I go to the Stocks section in the papers.)
I hope you will never find yourself in D Ville but if you do, investing (or not!) your money is your decision to make.
Honestly? If 45 minutes of crap seem like an eternity, impatience helps. Forget forbearance. Be a bitch and simply walk away.
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