Lunch at Iskargu

For the last six years I’ve been going to Victoria, Laguna to visit my grandmother every month. We always passed by Iskargu and we’re really curious because we always see that parking is full. 

The restaurant was badly hit during Typhoon Glenda but after few months, they built it again. Last Saturday, we picked up our son in school and went straight to Laguna then it was time for lunch so we tried Iskargu. Iskargu for isda, karne and gulay. 

I thought it was a restaurant but I was surprised when we went inside, more on carinderia or turo-turo. There were ready food already and all you have to do is choose.

My husband ordered fried chicken, pork binagoongan, and pinakbet. They gave us complimentary soup but I can’t understand the taste. The food and soup are just ok but we did not really enjoy it because they served it cold. 

I think they should have a microwave to reheat the food and soup before serving it. But anyway, they have a nice view of rice field and mountain. The food bill is less than P500.

For turo-turo style, we prefer Rose & Grace because they always serve hot bulalo soup. :) 

You can also visit Isdaan and Kamayan Palaisdaan. 

Royce Nama Chocolate

No post for the last few days because last week was my son’s exam and I wasn’t feeling well these past few days. Anyway, hubby was in Brunei last week, he was asking me what I want for pasalubong. Honestly, I don’t know what is the popular pasalubong in Brunei so wala ko bilin. But my husband never fails to buy chocolate for pasalubong. 

Hubby’s flight was delayed last Friday + traffic in Pasay because of Oktoberfest so nakatulugan ko na paghihintay. The following day, I went down the stairs and I was surprised when I saw the Royce plastic bag.

Me: Ano yung Royce na plastic dun? 
Hubby: Pasalubong ko.
Me: Bigay sayo?
Hubby: Binili ko. 
Me: Wow, level up na chocolate mo.
Hubby: Bakit ano ba yun? 
Me: Mahal na chocolate kaya yun. 

My husband just bought Royce Nama Chocolate without any idea that it is popular and expensive chocolate. I was happy because finally, I can taste this chocolate. FYI, Royce was founded in 1983 at Sapporo, the capital city of Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido. 

I checked the fridge, the chocolate was inside the cooling bag with dry ice pack to make sure that it will not melt on your way home. 

I notice that the packaging is good and secure. 

I can really say that this is not an ordinary chocolate. It was cut in cubes and my son said, yummy brownies. Hahaha! I find it amazing that the chocolate is soft even it came from the fridge. It is not sweet so there’s no umay factor. 

We loved and enjoyed it very much and I told my husband to buy another flavor if he will go back to Brunei. It is cheaper compared here in the Philippines.

How to Refund MERALCO Bill Deposit

Moving to our new home six years ago was not easy as 1, 2, 3 because there are so many things that you need to buy and prepare. One of those things is applying for your electricity and water supply. 

We all know that in order to have electricity, you need to pay a bill deposit. Bill deposit is an amount required from customers of distribution utilities as a guarantee for payment of electric bills. It is equivalent to your average monthly electricity bill and earns interest at a rate prescribed by ERC. 

The bill deposit may be refunded in full if you have been consistently paying your monthly electric bills on or before the due date for the past three years. 

Last April, aside from our Meralco bill, I saw another paper stating “As a good paying customer, we are pleased to present to you the following options regarding your bill deposit.” 

Option 1: Refund the bill deposit in full including accrued interest. 

If you prefer this option kindly accomplish the application form at the back of this letter and submit it to the nearest Meralco Business Center together with the necessary documentary requirements. 

Please be informed, however, that as prescribed under the rules of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), a bill deposit previously refunded in full prior to the termination of service may be re-imposed if the customer fails to pay the monthly bill on or before the due date. Further, once the bill deposit is re-imposed, the customer loses the right to refund the same prior to the termination of his/her electric service. As such, we encourage you to continue paying your bills on or before the due date to maintain your good credit standing and avoid having your bill deposit re-imposed. 

Option 2: Retain the bill deposit with Meralco to continue earning interest in accordance with the existing rules of the ERC.

If you prefer this option, Meralco will defer collection of the additional deposit should your existing bill deposit fall below the required amount as long as you continue to pay your bills on or before the due date. On the other hand, should the bill deposit go beyond the required amount, the excess amount will be credited to your electric bill. 

April 2015 

Of course, we chose Option 1, the amount is not that big but we decided to refund it. #peraparinito My husband went to Meralco to refund but we were not able to get the money yet. They just get some information and we need to wait for 30 days to process. 

Months had passed and we forgot to follow up on our Meralco Bill Deposit Refund and we did not receive any letter or call if we can get the money already. #asapa 

August 2015 

My husband was on leave so I told him to call Meralco and check if we can refund the bill deposit and off he went to Meralco. 

I prepared the following: 

Original Receipt that we received when we applied six years ago. It was attached to the Contract for Electric Service Form.
Letter of “Meralco Bill Deposit Refund” 
Photocopy of ID 

He was able to refund the bill deposit. Meralco got the original receipt + letter then they gave my husband a paper“Acknowledgement of Credit Refund” + stamped “BD Claimed” on our Contract for Electric Service. 

And because I want to be a good paying customer so they will not require us to pay the bill deposit again, I enrolled Meralco in my bank account so I can pay it online. 

Read: How to View Meralco Bill Online

Important Notice from Meralco

Early Refund of Bill Deposit due to Good Credit Rating

Registered customers with good payment records can avail of the Early Refund of Bill Deposit. The bill deposit serves as a guarantee for payment of electric bills and earns interest at a rate prescribed by ERC. Eligibility for early bill deposit refund is earned through consistent payment of monthly electric bills on or before the due date for three consecutive years.

To know if you are eligible for this program, kindly call any Meralco Business Center or the refund hotline at 632-8888. 

If you are eligible and decide to refund your bill deposit, kindly be advised to keep paying your monthly bills on or before the due date to avoid deposit re-imposition. Under ERC rules, a customer with a re-imposed bill deposit loses the right to refund the same prior to the termination of the electric service contract.

Lunch at Slappy Cakes

Slappy Cakes is an all day breakfast restaurant that started in Portland, Oregon, USA in 2009. They only have few branches here in the Philippines so it was only last Sunday that we were able to try this. 

After our LazerXtreme experience we moved to SM Aura just to eat. It was already lunch time so most of the fastfoods and restaurants were packed. Then we saw Slappy Cakes and good thing there is still an available table for us. 

The staff handed us the menu. Even it was lunch time, I still ordered pancake so my son can cook his own pancake. Well, he knows how to cook pancake at home but I know that he will have fun because he can create different shapes and styles of pancakes. 

For DIY Pancakes 

1. Choose your batter - buttermilk, chocolate, peanut butter and red velvet

2. Pick some fixins - (Sweet) chocolate chips, mangoes, bananas, and coconut.
(Savory) bacon, sausage, chorizos, cheddar cheese, salted duck egg and white cheese

3. Add some toppings - blueberries, creamy peanut butter, lemon curd, apple sauce, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, hazelnut spread, cream cheese frosting. 

My son chose Buttermilk P225 + Chocolate Chips P45. Hubby and I ordered Slappy Moco P250 and Pop’s Pot Roast P390. 

While waiting for our order, we started cooking our pancake. Good thing we ordered pancake because it took them so long to serve our food, twice pa kami nagfollow up. For the 8oz batter we were able to make these pancakes.

After cooking and eating pancake, our order came. 

Slappy Moco - Grilled hamburger party with steamed rice, sunny side eggs with mushroom, red bell pepper and spinach sauces. 

Pop’s Pot Roast - The classic comfort food. Tender, slow cooked beef with gravy, sauteed broccoli and carrots with your choice of rice or mashed potatoes.

I did not enjoy their mashed potato because I want a creamy and smooth texture. The gravy is so limited and bland. 

The price is on a pricey side but the serving is big and I can’t even finish my order. Taste is just ok, nothing special. I guess they need to improve on the food presentation and service. Good thing our table is beside the counter where you can get water and maple syrup so we served ourselves na lang. Staff are nice pero parang ang tagal lahat maski sa pag bill-out.

LazerXtreme

I mentioned in my previous post that I wasn’t feeling good but I’m trying to be okay because I know that life is a gift to be enjoyed no matter what. 

Last Saturday, my husband went to school to get my son’s school card. I was nervous about his grade in Araling Panlipunan and I’ve been telling to myself, accept whatever the grade. Hehehe! Of all the subjects kasi, we’re really having a hard time in Araling Panlipunan because my son is not really good in Filipino Language yet. 

When my husband arrived, I asked him about the grades and he just handed me the card. #pasuspense I opened the envelope, I was glad when I saw the Gold Eagle Seal because in our school, getting an eagle seal is already a big deal because it means you did well in school. 

Gold Eagle Seal - 91.50% and above with grades not lower than 89 in any subject.

As expected Araling Panlipunan is the lowest grade of my son which is 90, not bad at all. I just need to teach him more Tagalog words so he can understand the questions lalo na pag Tama or Mali na questions. Malalim na sa kaniya ang ipagmalaki, ikahiya, talaan, or anything na mahaba, di niya gets. 

And because he did well in school, there is a reward for that. If you remember my post before that we went to Alabang Town Center to check the LazerXtreme but it was already closed and we promised that we will visit the other branch. So this is it, so kahit malayo ang Market Market sa min pumunta pa rin kami.

Table and chairs are reserved for party guests

LazerXtreme is located on the 4th Floor of Market Market and I noticed that it was small compared to the ATC branch. We paid for one game which is P220 per person and we had to wait till 11:20AM. 

There were no available seats inside so we had to wait outside for one hour. I did not expect that we are going to wait that long because the game is only 15-20 minutes. My son was so excited to play the game and 1 hour = forever to him so inip na inip. Hehehe!

After one hour of waiting, we were called to go inside. There was a video instruction before you started the game. 

They wear this vest with gun, the color of the vest is your team color. 

I don’t know what happened inside because I did not join them. My husband told me na madilim daw sa loob and nagkahiwalay pa sila ng anak ko. Naghanapan pa sila, good thing my son was saying “I’m lost” repeat nth times hanggang sa nakita siya ng daddy niya. Hehehe! 

The goal is to shoot your opponent (co-player). Ending, talo ang team nila (Cyan). I was teasing them na natalo pa sila nung 2 players lang. Hehehe! 

My son really enjoyed the game because he whispered to me, “Mommy next week, let’s go to LazerXtreme and I will be the red team”. Waah! I told him, not next week, if he gets a good grade again in 2nd grading, we will go back.

LaserTag Rates

Weekdays (Mon-Thurs) 

P190 one game
P170 on next games

Weekends/Holidays (Fri-Sunday)

P220 one game
P190 on next games

LazerXtreme is ideal to product launches, birthday parties or team buildings. 

LazerXtreme
4th Floor Market Market
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig

Being Strong When you have No Choice

 * not a happy post* 

It’s been three months that I’ve been going to the hospital for the my phototherapy and check-up. Honestly, I don’t like going to the hospital, I’m so dead tired. 

But still I push myself to go hoping that my psoriasis will clear. I already finished 23 sessions and still counting. I feel so depress because I cannot see any improvement. I feel that we are just wasting money in my therapy and topical medication. I feel so hopeless that I will be ok without taking oral medication. 

I posted here before that I stopped taking oral medication and I know that I may be flare up again but I’m not expecting that it will be worst than ever. I tried other natural remedies but still nothing happened. 

I’m trying to live a normal life because I have a son and husband who need me. I need to do chores, I need to tutor my son, I need to go out and do errands. I need to do my role as a wife and mother. 

But I won’t deny that there are times that I just want to be alone, I want to lock myself in the room and never go out anymore because I don’t feel good at myself. I don’t want to see my skin anymore. 

Everyday, my skin is so itchy from head to toe and painful after treatment. I feel so low and weak and I think I’m not strong enough to deal with my skin condition. 

There are times that I wish that I go back to my past. I want to have my skin back. I can wear any clothes that I want. I can enjoy beach and swimming pools. I can to do the things that women normally do such as go to salon, go to facial, have massage and so on. I just want a NORMAL LIFE...no more hiding....

How to be strong when you have no choice? I want to give up. I don’t know how to be strong anymore but I know I have no choice but to FIGHT, HOPE and HAVE FAITH that there is nothing impossible. That time will come that I will be ok. 

I do pray that God will provide our needs. I just hope that I will have the patience to wait and I just hope that I have the strength to go on. I hope that time will come that there will be cure for psoriasis.

DreamPlay at City of Dreams Manila

I do believe that learning is not confined in the four corners of classrooms so I see to it that we have our own field trip and we do not rely in school field trip alone. When my son started school, we always treat him at the end of the school year. With or without award we will treat him because we’ve seen his effort in studying and doing his best. He deserves a break. 

Click here for the video

When he was in Nursery, we went to Sky Ranch and when he was in Pre-Kinder, we went to Mind Museum.  He graduated in Preschool last March  but we did not go out anymore after our Sambokojin celebration. 

My son wanted to visit Dinosaur Island and it is so far from where we live so we really need to reserve a weekend for that. Then during my blog hopping I’ve learned about DreamPlay and I asked my son if he wants to go there and he said yes. So ito na lang treat namin but summer became so busy and we were not able to visit it before school year 2015-2016.

I felt so guilty kasi kung kelan may award anak ko, nalimutan ko iprioritize yung promise ko so when I celebrated my birthday last month at Four Seasons Hotpot City, I told my husband that we will go to DreamPlay at City of Dreams Manila. Yes, we have City of Dreams here and no need to go to Macau.  

I cannot describe the happiness of my son when he saw the entrance of DreamPlay. He was really glad and excited to Play, Create and Learn. 

The line was not that long, maybe because other people were visiting Kidzania. Hehehe! While waiting for our turn, one staff gave us a form to fill up and she encoded it in the tablet. Upon reaching the counter, we availed the 4 hours playtime at P880 kid and P400 for adult. Then they gave us our wrist band assignment. 

Adults can only participate in DreamTales Library, Madagascar Plane, Dream Theater and Science Exhibits. 

They don’t have a map, the staff gave me a piece of paper where the attractions, height requirement and clothing requirement listed. Some say that Dreamplay is the mini version of Universal Studio but I guess not. We’ve been to Universal Studio Singapore and the activities there are different from what we’ve experienced here.

At first, we do not know where to start because there was no map so we immediately look for Gingy’s Kitchen to register. The earliest schedule we got is after 2 hours so if you are getting a 2 hours pass, you might miss other activities. The place is not big, maybe that is the reason why they are not giving a map because you can explore the place without a map. 

After registering in Gingy’s Kitchen, I checked the schedule of DreamTales Library for puppet show and Dream Theater. Then we decided to watch Dreamworks 4D movie habang wala pa ganu pila. We enjoyed the 4D movie, the only thing I dislike hindi nagmove yung chair, mas ok if the chair is also moving para feel na feel ang action.

After that, we explored the second level, we checked the Science Exhibits and Madagascar Plane. 

Then we moved to How to Fly the Dragon and Dragon slides. My son enjoyed the slides, natanggalan pa ng sapatos so the staff went inside the slide to look for his shoes. 

Next is DreamStudio where you will learn how to make animated films. No picture taking allowed inside the studio. 

Then we fell in line in DreamTales Library because there is maximum of 60 persons inside. Socks are required. 

Finally,  after two hours of waiting, we went back to Gingy’s kitchen for our schedule. This is one thing that I really liked in DreamPlay because it is a nice experience for kids to make and design their own ginger bread. 

We moved to Whatever Floats your Boat, where my son made a boat and fortunately the boat floats and reached the finish line. 

He played balls in Afrocircus, we played this game when we went to Legoland Malaysia. My son enjoyed playing here and I had to remind him na meron pa iba na attractions. 

So we went to Dinotrux and Shrek Swamp. 

Then to Kung Fu Fighting Fast as Lightning, my son has no idea that he will dance here but he had fun. 

We finished everything in 3 hours because there are attractions that my son cannot join because of height requirement like Wall of Destiny and Thread of Enlightenment. 

So we killed our time in Shrek Swamp and when we are about to go home, we saw Po. Yey, buzzer beater sa pila. Sayang lang, we did no meet the other Dreamworks Animation characters. 

Souvenir Shop is available too, mahal lang din ang price. Hehehe! 

Note: 

1.I think 2 hours are not enough if you want to enjoy Dreamplay because there are fixed schedule for Gingy’s Kitchen, DreamTales Library and Dream Theater. It is first come first basis also.

2.Socks are required in other attractions so make sure you are wearing socks.

3.Outside food and beverages are not permitted inside the facility so make sure that you are not hungry when you visit. There are foods and drinks inside but expect for expensive rate. Eating inside will also consumes your play time. 

4.Adult with no child are not allowed to enter Dreamplay.

The rate is not cheap so I suggest they provide at least this map so those people who will avail 2 hours pass can manage their time. Souvenir na rin because you can’t take home the bracelet. 

Photo from Dreamplay site

Operating Hours 

Park hours 

Weekday 11AM to 8PM 
Weekend 10AM to 10PM 
(Counter closes at 7PM) 

DreamShop Hours 

Weekday 11AM to 8PM 
Weekend 10AM to 10PM 

Dreamplay Admission Rate 

Weekday Rate (Monday to Thursday) 

2 hours P480 children, P50 toddler, P260 adult 
4 hours P680 children, P50 toddler, P300 adult 
Hourly Extension P250 children and P120 adult 
Day Rate P1200 children, P50 toddler, P350 adult 

Weekend/Holiday Rate 

4 hours P880 children, P100 toddler, P400 adult 
Hourly Extension P300 chidlren, P150 adult 
Day Rate P1500 children, P100 toddler, P680 adult 

Toddler: Below 100cm 
Children: 100cm up to 17years old 
Adults: 18 years old and above

How Do You Celebrate Your Child's Birthday?

My son’s 7th birthday is fast approaching and it seems like yesterday that he was just a baby but now he will enter a new phase of his life. No longer a baby, no longer a toddler and no longer in preschool years. How I wish there is a pause button but time incredibly flies so fast. 

Here in the Philippines, we celebrate 1st, 7th, 18th and 21st birthday and now I’m planning for my son’s 7th birthday, it is not something grand but I want it to be memorable. For the very first time, I’m so clueless on what to do, my son is already 6 years old so he is part of the planning stage. The problem is he is not consistent with his likes and wants. 

Since last year, I’ve been asking him what he wants for his 7th birthday so I can prepare the budget. He was so firmed that he doesn’t like party and no games. I asked him if he wants staycation, he said, no, sa bahay lang. I was blessed to have a son who wants simple celebration too.

But now, I have less than a month to prepare and we still have no definite plan. My son is like a typhoon who has no definite path. One day, he likes dinosaur party, next day he likes pirate party, then he likes nerf party, then he likes fireman and so on. How can you plan if there are so many changes? Waah! 

We are not throwing big birthday party since we are not really into that but I’m asking for his theme so I can prepare banner and cake designs. Anyway, I reminisced his past birthday parties. 

1st Birthday 

Since it is the first birthday, we want to throw a party to celebrate his first year. I want everything to be easy so I just went to different fastfood chains to check their birthday party packages and among the three choices, we picked McDonalds Alabang Town Center. 

The party place size is just enough for my visitors and there is ample parking space. It is not difficult to find so my visitors from provinces will not be lost. It was two weeks after the Typhoon Ondoy so I was thankful because the party was successful and God gave us good weather. 

2nd Birthday 

For his second birthday celebration, we decided to have an out of town trip. It’s been years since the last time we had a getaway so this is the best time to plan a trip.

We booked a plane ticket before his birthday para free pa airfare so we went home day before his second birthday. Lol. We had CDO and Camiguin trip. It was my son’s first ride in airplane, ferry boat and boat. Then we had a mini birthday celebration at home, I invited my in-laws for birthday dinner. 

3rd Birthday

Our initial plan is Enchanted Kingdom but the weather is not good so we decided to go to Ark Avilon Zoo and Fun Ranch in Tiendisitas. 

Then we went to Enchanted Kingdom the following week because I already purchased the voucher two months before his birthday. 

4th Birthday 

My son was in Nursery that time and we decided to celebrate in school. This was the first time that I prepared for DIY party. It was a Lightning Mcqueen party. 

5th Birthday

My son enjoyed his 4th birthday party in school so for his 5th birthday party, we celebrated it again in school. It was a Mickey Mouse Birthday Party. It is nice to celebrate in school because preparation is not stressful.

6th Birthday 

I transferred my son in traditional school and unfortunately, birthday celebration is not allowed. So we had simple birthday celebration of his 6th birthday at home. It was a Mario Birthday Party. 

Then we had school field trip in Subic on the day of his birthday. We were on our way to Subic and his classmates sang happy birthday inside the bus.

I have few more weeks to prepare for his 7th birthday. How about you, how do you celebrate you child’s birthday.

Read: 7 Things for 7th Birthday

Craft Easy: Canvas Painting Kit

I went to the National Bookstore just to buy a ballpen but knowing me, the bookstore is one of my happy places. I love checking school supplies, books, and many more, looking for something that I might need.

Then I saw this Craft Easy Canvas Painting Kit P115, I asked my son if he wanted to paint and he said yes. He chose the “knight” design, maybe he remembers our trip to Legoland Malaysia. The ride that we never dare to try.

Anyway, the kit includes 1 piece canvas with print, 6 pieces paint tubes and 1 piece brush. 

There’s no example on how to paint it so it is really up to you on how you are going to paint it. 

I let my son paint this canvas and here is the finished product. I hang his painting on our wall. He prefers painting to coloring so I’m planning to buy more designs.

Uncle Tetsu’s Cheesecake

I always see Uncle Tetsu’s stall in Alabang Town Center but I haven’t checked their product. I’ve been reading good reviews about this Japanese cheesecake but it was only last Saturday that I bought a box. I supposed to buy the P99 cheesecake because I just want to try it but it was not available so I settled for P299 Uncle Tetsu’s Original Cheesecake. The small box of cheesecake was placed in a paper bag + free plastic knife.

The staff informed me to refrigerate within 12 hours from purchase and consume within 3 days. So off we went home and because I love cheesecake, I immediately tried it. 

The Japanese Cheesecake is very different from the cheesecake that I love. Uncle Tetsu’s original cheesecake is soft, fluffy with melt in the mouth texture while the American Cheesecake is creamy with graham crust.

My husband said, “parang isang malaking mamon” hehehe!. The cheesecake is good, it is really soft, fluffy with slight cheese flavor but it is not sweet. I want a sweet cake so it is not a hit for us. But surprisingly, my son liked it. He said it is creamy bread. My son loves mamon kaya siguro nagustuhan din.

My Experience when my Credit Card was Hacked

Several months after I graduated from school I had my first credit card and I’m very careful in using my credit card. I’m not fond of online shopping because I’m not comfortable entering my credit card details and I only use my card in booking airfare tickets, hotel reservations, and renewal of the domain. 

After 11 years of using my credit card, I became a victim of bad guys. Exactly a year ago I was awakened by a call, I was hesitant to answer the phone because I don’t know who is calling. Good thing I answered it because it is from my credit card company. 

September 1, 2014 

The customer service rep asked me if I’m using my credit card, I said no and I told them that I’m not using the credit card for a few months already (I’m using another card). They told me that there are unusual transactions in my credit card and they will block and replace my card. 

I asked the CSR, how much the charged and she said, it was just a small amount CAD 1.63. She started to verify all my personal details like address, birthday and mother's maiden name and she advised me to call after 3 days to dispute the charges. 

After the call, my husband tapped my shoulders and asked me, sino daw kausap ko at binibigay ko lahat ng details ko. I was alarmed and nervous kasi baka hacker mismo tumawag sa kin. So I immediately checked my credit card online but I can’t access it anymore. I called my credit card company and I felt relieved na taga HSBC nga tumawag sa kin. 

I can hardly sleep at night because I never thought that it would happen to me. I have no idea how they got my information and how they were able to access it because I have enrolled my credit card in a “verified visa” where I have to type my password to confirm the purchase. 

September 5, 2014 

I called the credit card company to check the charges so I can dispute it but no posted charges yet. 

September 15, 2014 

I called to follow up on my replacement card and I was advised to wait till Friday. Since I can’t access my credit card online, I asked the CSR about my charges and he said “pag-nablock po usually no charges”.

After a few hours, I received a text regarding my balance of P3,027.86. I was shocked because as far as I know, the only charge was CAD 1.63. Waah! I called again to verify all the charges, the CSR informed all the charges from Canada and Moscow. Grrrr, I don’t even know those websites and I thought my card was already blocked bakit may mga sumunod na charges pa.

I was advised to file a dispute form. I checked the website, printed the form and filled up the necessary details. I thought I will just call and they will just credit all unusual transactions but I was wrong I have to file a dispute and email HSBC if they have received the form. 

September 16, 2014 

I faxed the dispute form. 

September 18, 2014

I received my credit card pin but it was not in good condition so I called the credit card company about it and they replaced it. I asked the CSR again about my replacement credit card and rush delivery na daw status. 

September 20, 2014 

Verified if they received the dispute form. 

September 24, 2014 

I called again to follow up on my credit card replacement, “redispatch as of Sept. 23.” I also filed another dispute for foreign exchange loss. They credited the CA USD 1.63 but there was a P5.04 difference. 

September 29, 2014 

Finally, I received my credit card so I called the credit card company again to activate it. I told the CSR to decrease my credit limit. At last, I can use my online account because I’ve been spending money on calling the credit card company. #longdistancecall 

September 30, 2014 

I thought the dispute form is already enough to fix the problem but I was advised to send a formal letter to (email) including the name of the cardholder, transaction details, and signature of the cardholder. 

October 11, 2014 

For the very first time, I received calls from the collection. They are asking me to pay my bill. I told them that I will not pay anything because it is not a valid charge and it is still under investigation.

October 13, 2014

From October 11 until 13, I’ve been receiving calls from collections telling me to pay my balance and I can’t use my credit card because it was blocked due to non-payment. I don’t care about the block credit card but I was so irritated to receive calls.

From P3,027.86, the amount due is already P3719.19 because of late charge assessment and finance charges.

So I emailed the collection regarding my concern and finally, they stopped calling me.

Investigations till November 10, 2014

October 16, 2014 

I received a confirmation email that they have received my dispute letter.

November 5, 2014 

The collections stopped calling me but I received a letter from collections. Again, they are telling me to pay my balance. 

November 6, 2014 

I emailed collections again to verify the amount because everything should be back to 0.42CR if everything was reversed. 

November 7, 2014 

All invalid transactions were reversed. 

November 12, 2014 

I checked my online account and I’ve seen a balance due again. So I emailed HSBC again. I received a call and they will fix everything. 

November 14, 2014 

I checked my online account again and finally, everything is back to normal.

 ____________ 

It took them more than two months to fix everything. It was really a loooong process. 

I was thankful that they discovered the unusual transactions and was able to block my card. The amount is not that big but it causes me so much stress and time to fix everything. I did not pay anything for all invalid charges but I spent money on long-distance calls. 

It was not a good experience and it seems a nightmare. After that incident, it took me a long time to use my credit card again. I do hope it won’t happen again and I hope you will not experience it.