A balikbayan victimized by Pinoy cheats
My husband and I recently purchased a second hand car in Iloilo, a 1995 Mitsubishi Lancer. I must say the car appeals to the eye, it is metallic with black leather seats; I had my misgivings but my husband, an Austrian, didn't really heed my warnings, I cant blame him. In Europe, people are honest, what you buy is what you get. I, for my own female brain, didn't realize that Filipino innovations could lead to the fixing of cars or in layman's term "disponering."
Yes, we were fooled. We bought a car in good faith, hoping that although it's a second hand, it would run, that the gas indicator at least works, that it would run for months at least. Not that after the first day I purchased it, it overheats, and twice we were stranded, one in Anilao, Iloilo and the worst one, in front of Gaisano City where it really smoked right in front of us…
The man whom we bought the car acted like he cared, that he has "palabra de honor." He told us he will fix it. The car stayed with him for days and told me he and his mechanic did all the possibilities they could imagine so that they could find out what's wrong. This caught me wondering, this can't be, he should know, his mechanic can find out what is wrong. Finally, after two days the car was returned, when you turn the aircon the car still overheats, when you shift on the 4th or 5th gear, it overheats, the doors don't close and the handbrake is broken. I have a baby and a toddler, I couldn't believe anybody could sell a damaged vehicle to earn cash and endanger small lives.
One more chance was given, the man took it again for two days, I test drove it all the way to Barotac Viejo, it is still the same… overheats when you shift to the highest gear, or when you turn-on the air condition.
I came here to have a vacation, it seems I'm having trouble, I work very hard in Europe, every single cent that I have, my husband and I worked for it with love, tears, blood, combined with homesickness. I literally don't pick up money on the road in a foreign land, everything is hard earned, I am a Filipina, I can't believe my kababayans would fool me. My husband couldn't believe that people would be cheating; in Europe it doesn't happen. Every single foreigners that come here are no idiots nor fools, they simply don't believe that this happens because it seldom happens in other countries.
Finally, I returned my car, I was even nice to give the man P10,000, I thought it's my payment for using it for a few days and for the bother that he has to face, but no he asked for more, because he said he bought materials, and he fixed it. I got ballistic. I hired a mechanic, he told me that everything that they claimed they fixed was not done at all. The watertank is rusted but the guy claims it's because his cooler is red, my mechanic said he works for more than 20 years now he definitely know the difference between the red color and the rust; the cylinder heat casket is busted and the radiator needs overhauling, when asked if he can open the engine, the car dealer refused. I asked him for the receipts for the fixings that he claimed he did and for the materials that he bought but he can't provide anything.
I found out later that the car is a wreck he brought from the surplus, not his personal car as he claimed. Everything inside the car was not Mitsubishi spare parts, "disponering" as they call it. The car looks smashing from the outside cause its newly painted, that's it, a trap.
When I asked for my money they dared to tell me, I should give it as a gift to them, that it should serve as a lesson for me and my husband that it is like that here in Iloilo. I couldn't believe my ears!
Tourism is a major industry in the Philippines especially in Iloilo, an added economy booster. As a Filipina that earns abroad, I am able to help the community with the Euros I send. I don't know what to feel right now, I just want to go back and never come back here ever again if not for my family.
I am not generalizing all the Filipinos, the real vultures are the men like in that carshop right beside Caltex Station near SM City. The place is called Ali's. They are people who act like they are so suave and educated but feed their children with blood money. Small time crooks or snatchers are nothing compared to them, they are dogs with no souls, no conscience.
The hour after I returned my car a couple came to return theirs for fixing, they recently bought it too. To you guys, goodluck. A man named James I met a few days ago told me that I'm lucky I discovered the car's defect early; his friend bought a car there too and it exploded, it went on fire when he drove it. Thank God, the guy survived.
Is their hope for us? I asked this question on my last article, but as long as we continue not to arm or make ourselves smarter, worst continue buying in store like this, no… we are hopeless. Tourists will never come back, even our own kababayans abroad. To those men in Ali's especially to the man with the initials M.M. I must say you are the epitome of a real "used car" salesman. Definitely Filipinos need more than a prayer.