The Mafias have no say

Yesterday as I was going through my daily grinds at our other project that I am asked to assist, I received a call from a bank agent regarding my outstanding bills. I have to say, the mafias have no say.

After stating his scripted introduction, he asked when I am able to pay my outstanding bills. As I am not able to give him definite date I casually said, “Next week I will be making some payment”.

You won’t believe what the man on the other line has to say. “I’ll make you a deal. You pay half of your outstanding tomorrow or else we will refer you to the police and let the police call you”. As much as I am surprised it sounded funny to me.

Firstly, I’ve never heard of any bank agent would use such threat to its customer, much more to experience it first hand.

Secondly, it sounded funny to me because as if the agent is so desperate to a point that he mentions the police just to make you pay.

So, I said, “Ok, bye”. Shrugging off what had just happened.

As I was browsing the web last night, I thought of calling the hotline on my credit card to make some complaint of such behavior by their agent. I managed to talk to a customer service and as an introduction to my purpose of complaining, I asked if it is their practice to threat their customers by reporting them to the police if they don’t pay in a given date. Surprisingly again, the customer service said “Yes”.

I said “What?”

“Why are you asking sir?”

“I just had a call this morning from your bank agent telling me that he will refer me to the police if I don’t pay half of my outstanding by tomorrow. Why is it necessary to refer me to the police if I am paying”?

He then requested my details for him to check.

“Sir, you have outstanding and you paid less than the minimum”.

“Yes I know I have and I paid less than the minimum for two months now and the bank is charging me on my late payments, would that justify such kind of harassment?”

“Sir, please call our recovery department and talk to them about your case, if not you will have more problem”.

Another form of threat / harassment, whatever you call it… I gave up and ended my call.

I then checked in this popular forum in the region, Qatar Living, if there is a similar case as mine. To my surprise, it is actually very common especially to the bank I am attached with.

So many stories that would shock you and you will regret that you have business with this bank. Like the police holding you up at the airport when you are about to depart. Like the police still holding you up even after you had paid your obligations just because the bank forgot to withdraw their complaints to the police when you already cleared your dues.

I don’t want to go through with all these troubles and embarrassment so I decided to call the bank agent and asked for more time as I normally get my salary on the 7th of every month.

Out of this world, only in the Arab world and the mafias have nothing to say to these goons in a suit….

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A Dose Of His Own Medicine

Some people are too arrogant that they don’t let anything to pass without sarcastically side-commenting. But if they happen to be at the other person’s shoes, they will react even worst than how they acted in the first place. Such kind of person I am wanting to give a dose of his own medicine.

One person that fits to my description above is JC, our English MEP Manager (?).

I have noticed this one kind of a character he is since the first time he attended one of our internal meetings. He has always have something to say, regardless if he is off-the-issue, whenever someone has raised an issue or replied to an issue or someone is supporting your issue.

Quite surprisingly, JC always hit hard on my countrymen specially IV our Project Engineer. JZ, our Deputy Construction Manager, is also getting the queerly ire from JC. What is very obvious to me is that he never agrees to any position/point that my Filipino colleagues take. He always takes the other end of the stick just to have the chance to put down my fellows. JC is lucky, despite his untoward attitude they always try to respond to him with a smile.

I don’t understand his attitude towards my colleagues. I can’t say that he is a racist or discriminatory against “us”, because he is married to a Filipina.

OOOHHHH!!! Now I get it. Maybe because he never wins over his wife and he cannot do anything to get back at his wife. So, he takes his frustration towards his Filipino colleagues. (Wicked thoughts).

Anyway, yesterday in our internal meeting I am raising an issue about one of our subcontractors. Due to the subcontractor’s lack of progress, they are now affecting our own progress, I was suggesting taking over some of their works in order for us to progress our own works and at the same time putting pressure to the subcontractor that we mean business.

Our Project Manager explains that we are not in a position to further finance our subcontractor’s works. I insist the idea of taking over a portion of their work and about to explain that we are not in anyway to finance the subcontractor’s work because, firstly, we will just take over in terms of labor. We have the extra workers, in any case, we are paying the workers, why not use them more productively? And the cost incurred in providing the subcontractor’s labor works will be recovered from him. So, there is no financing involved.

Secondly, even if we say we take over “everything”, that means providing labor and materials. In that case, there is financing involved. But end of the day, the portion we executed will be omitted from the subcontractor’s scope. And that mean we are cutting our loss by 100% for every portion we take over.

It is a win-win formula, right.

But before I can explain myself, our “hero” JC, suddenly interrupts and makes his usual manners towards my race saying, “You are not listening”.

Wrong pick JC. I will not reply you with a smile.

I said: “I am listening, don’t tell me I am not listening”. But before things escalate, the Project Manager intervenes and ended the discussion on the issue.

And so, we move on.

When one of JC’s engineers asked if the brackets for the CCTV’s are under our scope. I told them that this has been a recurring issue and we have maintained our position that it is not our scope.

At that instance, I saw an opportunity to give JC a dose of his own medicine.

I continued, “Your MEP manager should know if it is under our scope, is he not reading our contract?”

He is so pissed-off that after the meeting he waited for me by the door and said “I need to have a word with you young man” pointing at my face. “Anytime old man”, was my response.

I was waiting for him to follow me to my office but I think the Project Manager called him to cool down.

That is how this type of person reacts when he have a “Dose of his own medicine”.

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