An Inquirer.net reader wrote a stinging open letter to Banco De Oro Credit Cards:

To Whom It May Concern,

It has come to my attention that recently delivered credit cards to your clients will be declined due to your “Systems Upgrade” activities which will last until April 16, 2007. I have already suffered major inconveniences and embarrassment today and I sympathize with others who will surely suffer the same inconvenience. Clients who do not know about this will put gas in their cars, check into hotels and line up at the groceries and supermarkets in preparation for the Holy Week break. If they are not informed they will surely experience stress and embarrassment because of this and this will not look good on a company that takes pride in “finding ways.” I was told that I was informed about it but for the record, I have not received any email, text, email or any written notification whatsoever. I paid for my bill in full in preparation for the Holy Week break only to find out that I would not be able to use my available credit until April 16, 2007 long after the Holy Week break which I have painstakingly saved for. Numerous cardholders will find themselves in similar or probably even worse predicaments when they have their transactions declined while out of town. I now feel lucky that this happened to me while in Manila. It frightens me to think about what would have happened if the card was declined in a hotel after a few days stay. Now, that would be very stressful, traumatic and embarrassing. Please find it in your corporate heart of hearts to “find ways” in informing your clients about this.

Sincerely yours,
BOBBY BERNAS

I spoke with Mr. Bernas to make sure this wasn’t a nuisance email nor a prank. I cannot disclose to you exactly what he told me, but he had some very strong proof that this really happened to him. All the guy wants to do is to warn fellow cardholders.

I then called up Banco De Oro to give them a chance to comment. Visited their website to see if they at least informed their clients. Nada. In fairness, they fixed Mr. Bernas’ problem early this week so he could still enjoy his vacation, but only after he refused to talk to BDO’s call center and took it upon himself to pound on the doors of bank officers handling credit cards.

Lesson of the day: know your consumer rights. As a credit card holder, you are paying quite a huge sum of moolah in the form of annual fees and you deserve to be heard when you have complaints. But know who is answering you on the other line. Make sure you are talking to the right person. Be calm but firm.

Customer service still has a long way to go in this country and it is weird that Filipinos just take this sitting down. Want to be a good Christian? Let the company know what they are doing wrong so they can improve.

Have a good Lenten break.