Post: #6326

(10-07-2018 02:30 PM)zamfir112 Wrote:  What irritates me the most in the Phills is that they think every foreigner is a millionare, anything you try to buy or navigate someone will try to rip you off! You will never get a locals price , this is not as common in malaysia and thailand, sure you can get scammed occasionally but in Phils its everywhere

What kind of purchases are you making for which you're not paying local prices? I pay the same as everyone else for food, transport, accommodation, any kinds of goods. Perhaps for entry to some tourist sites you might get ripped off but that's never happened to me either.

Post: #6327

Yeah I'd agree.. I don't really think the Philippines gets enough tourists compared to places like Thailand for them to have developed a culture of ripping off foreigners.

When I first came to the Philippines, I thought I was being ripped off for being a foreigner but then I realised that Filipinos are constantly scamming and ripping each other off on all levels and as a foreigner, you actually get a pass on that a little bit.

Filipinos will generally not call someone out on ripping them off and even not really admit to themselves that they're being played, I guess it's an asian saving face thing, whereas often they know that foreigners won't stand for their crap so don't even try it.

Post: #6328

Huh. I dunno, they try gouging me all the time. And if I don’t pay significantly more than normal rate they’ll get all flakey, or huffy and act like they can’t be bothered. I called up this plumber to come over to fix a clogged sink, he asked for way too much so I haggled him down a bit — still more than normal I’m sure — and he got kinda annoyed, said he was going to show up in the afternoon, didn’t, and didn’t return texts or answer his phone, then he shows up two days later when I’m not home, didn’t even call until he got to my place, sounded kinda drunk. Next day he shows up three hours late, clearly hung over and reeking of beer. Pretty much sums up my interactions with service types here. This place is Mexico af

Post: #6329

(09-21-2018 02:59 PM)the-dream Wrote:  In my experience, hostility is much more likely to come from the ones who benefit from our money/tourism (which is probably 1% of the population). The average Filipino on the street who tourism doesn't affect is generally very pleasant.

(10-07-2018 03:35 PM)the-dream Wrote:  Yeah I'd agree.. I don't really think the Philippines gets enough tourists compared to places like Thailand for them to have developed a culture of ripping off foreigners.

When I first came to the Philippines, I thought I was being ripped off for being a foreigner but then I realised that Filipinos are constantly scamming and ripping each other off on all levels and as a foreigner, you actually get a pass on that a little bit.

Filipinos will generally not call someone out on ripping them off and even not really admit to themselves that they're being played, I guess it's an asian saving face thing, whereas often they know that foreigners won't stand for their crap so don't even try it.

They will rip you off if you do any house maintainance or labour, i was trying to repair a broken aircon in my condo and they charged me 3 times the actual rate, was informed by a local that the price should be way lower,again if you try to buy anything without a fixed price you will be ripped off

Post: #6330

Yeah that's often my experience of those types too, especially the turning up at random times after flaking on you or cancelling. I tried getting my local girlfriend to deal with them and arrange things for a while to combat this but they just get screwed over and played around with even more.

Often if they are dealing with someone who can speak Tagalog, they will chat a ridiculous amount of shit and make the most stupid, nonsensical excuses but if they have to go to the effort of trying to make their nonsense translate into English then often they'd rather just get on and do their job.

The only workaround I've found is to get workers through some sort of agency who are accountable to a boss who has their head screwed on a bit more.

The way the local Filipinos combat this is they usually have someone who knows an uncle or cousin who can do it who would be too shy to screw over their relative but that's not really available to us.

Post: #6331

(10-07-2018 04:19 PM)the-dream Wrote:  Yeah that's often my experience of those types too, especially the turning up at random times after flaking on you or cancelling. I tried getting my local girlfriend to deal with them and arrange things for a while to combat this but they just get screwed over and played around with even more.

Often if they are dealing with someone who can speak Tagalog, they will chat a ridiculous amount of shit and make the most stupid, nonsensical excuses but if they have to go to the effort of trying to make their nonsense translate into English then often they'd rather just get on and do their job.

The only workaround I've found is to get workers through some sort of agency who are accountable to a boss who has their head screwed on a bit more.

The way the local Filipinos combat this is they usually have someone who knows an uncle or cousin who can do it who would be too shy to screw over their relative but that's not really available to us.

if you deal with agencies they will charge a lot more than the standard rate! thats just how it is. i also found it funny how expensive vegetables and fruits are in supermarkets(specially the ones in makati and bgc) compared to the local street markets, one kilo tomato at 300 pesos at robinson come on is that a joke?,if you buy that from the local market its way way cheaper.any place with foreigners the prices tend to shoot up to switzerland prices it seems,didnt see any of that nonsense in thailand or malaysia,you can buy cheap vegetables in tesco supermarket in thailand

Post: #6332

Some tips on how I've found good plumbers, electricians, air con technicians etc...

1. Most condos have a full time maintenance team of staff who are generally reasonably professional and have the added benefit of knowing the plumbing, wiring etc in your building inside out. Use them. In some buildings, you go to the admin office and do it officially through them and get given an invoice to pay the admin office a set fee. In other buildings, they are not officially for hire but will come over and fix your problem when they're not busy for a tip. Just ask the guards or admin office about the maintenance.

2. A lot of the shop assistants in the DIY home depot stores are actually plumbers, electricians etc who can get a more consistent wage working there. They're a lot more service orientated and professional than your average workman off the street, are on a tight schedule as they are working all day so won't screw you around with timing and will quite happily come over after work and fix your problem that will take them an hour or two for 500 pesos as that is what they earn working all day at the shop.

Post: #6333

Yeah vegetable prices are a joke in supermarkets, fish prices are very high too. Meat prices are actually very good though - basically the same as market prices and significantly cheaper than the West.

Post: #6334

(10-07-2018 04:19 PM)the-dream Wrote:  Yeah that's often my experience of those types too, especially the turning up at random times after flaking on you or cancelling. I tried getting my local girlfriend to deal with them and arrange things for a while to combat this but they just get screwed over and played around with even more.

Often if they are dealing with someone who can speak Tagalog, they will chat a ridiculous amount of shit and make the most stupid, nonsensical excuses but if they have to go to the effort of trying to make their nonsense translate into English then often they'd rather just get on and do their job.

The only workaround I've found is to get workers through some sort of agency who are accountable to a boss who has their head screwed on a bit more.

The way the local Filipinos combat this is they usually have someone who knows an uncle or cousin who can do it who would be too shy to screw over their relative but that's not really available to us.

(10-07-2018 04:38 PM)the-dream Wrote:  Some tips on how I've found good plumbers, electricians, air con technicians etc...

1. Most condos have a full time maintenance team of staff who are generally reasonably professional and have the added benefit of knowing the plumbing, wiring etc in your building inside out. Use them. In some buildings, you go to the admin office and do it officially through them and get given an invoice to pay the admin office a set fee. In other buildings, they are not officially for hire but will come over and fix your problem when they're not busy for a tip. Just ask the guards or admin office about the maintenance.

2. A lot of the shop assistants in the DIY home depot stores are actually plumbers, electricians etc who can get a more consistent wage working there. They're a lot more service orientated and professional than your average workman off the street, are on a tight schedule as they are working all day so won't screw you around with timing and will quite happily come over after work and fix your problem that will take them an hour or two for 500 pesos as that is what they earn working all day at the shop.

500 pesos? i was quoted 6500 pesos to install my inverter aircon by a agency, thats the cheapest i found. for 4-5 hours of labour. as i had to replace a broken aircon,i was told thats the standard price in the country,4000 to 5000 by normal individual,6500 by agency

Post: #6335

I'm just talking about installing some lights or bidets or something, I've never had to get an aircon installed. I just checked the Gawin app which is decent for that kind of thing and it's more expensive on there than what you were quoted so maybe that's just the going rate. It does seem very extortionate though. Maybe try and find the maintenance office in your building if there is one and ask them how much they'd charge.

Post: #6336

(10-07-2018 04:47 PM)the-dream Wrote:  I'm just talking about installing some lights or bidets or something, I've never had to get an aircon installed. I just checked the Gawin app which is decent for that kind of thing and it's more expensive on there than what you were quoted so maybe that's just the going rate. It does seem very extortionate though. Maybe try and find the maintenance office in your building if there is one and ask them how much they'd charge.

aparently thats the going rate, very high if you ask me, specially since it costs about almost the same here in europe, but the wages here are way higher . even truck/car rental is fucking expensive in Manila,specially for large SUVs and Trucks. , those can cost a dime to rent.

Post: #6337

Yeah my guess about car rental price being high is that cars are no cheaper than anywhere else but there are a lot more accidents, the people you're having accidents with probably won't have insurance and there is no functional legal system to protect the car owner if you decide to trash it.

Plus they only really want to rent out the cars with a driver which is probably partly to protect their cars and partly because that's what the local market demands but that's annoying too.

Post: #6338

(10-07-2018 04:57 PM)the-dream Wrote:  Yeah my guess about car rental price being high is that cars are no cheaper than anywhere else but there are a lot more accidents, the people you're having accidents with probably won't have insurance and there is no functional legal system to protect the car owner if you decide to trash it.

Plus they only really want to rent out the cars with a driver which is probably partly to protect their cars and partly because that's what the local market demands but that's annoying too.

yeah wich means over reliance on Grab,speaking of Grab ever since Uber stopped operations i noticed they hiked up all the fares too.in some places they simply will not pick you up during rush hours.thats why having a car is a major advantage here.specially if you want to bring home a girl or you are simply too tired after a long day.

Post: #6339

Would rather spend the extra to live very close to Grrenbelt/Ayala Mall, Rockwell, BGC.

Post: #6340

This brings back memories.

For sure they will rip you off on anything that requires labor. As for flakiness and zero communication / showing up late or on the wrong day, that was my PLDT install experience.

Apply online, no response. Apply online again, I get a phone call from a CSR who explains that my application can not move forward because of "requirements" and that he must cancel the application. No problem I say.

Two online applications continue to be processed.

I get my wife to call them, scan and send in a bunch of documents, all good. Nothing for a week.

I email the guy my wife called, a few days later, he replies that the application is being processed. I wait a few more days then I ask for an estimate of how long this will all take. No response.

One morning I'm chilling at home, and my phone rings. It's the front desk. "PLDT is here sir, do you have a work order?"

I've also had a range hood installed where they forgot to remove the plastic plug covering the vent rendering it all but useless, I had to take it apart to figure out what was going on. Appliances come with ground wires that nobody seems to know what to do with. "Just removed, sir" or "can not touch or will void warranty".

All you can do is laugh. Well I suppose you could let it all drive you crazy, but I'll chose option A.

Post: #6341

(10-07-2018 05:00 PM)zamfir112 Wrote:  

(10-07-2018 04:57 PM)the-dream Wrote:  Yeah my guess about car rental price being high is that cars are no cheaper than anywhere else but there are a lot more accidents, the people you're having accidents with probably won't have insurance and there is no functional legal system to protect the car owner if you decide to trash it.

Plus they only really want to rent out the cars with a driver which is probably partly to protect their cars and partly because that's what the local market demands but that's annoying too.

yeah wich means over reliance on Grab,speaking of Grab ever since Uber stopped operations i noticed they hiked up all the fares too.in some places they simply will not pick you up during rush hours.thats why having a car is a major advantage here.specially if you want to bring home a girl or you are simply too tired after a long day.

Yeah its worse. The surcharge can get up to 95 php above meter. These days grab car is actually the cheaper option, and that never used to be the case.

You're better off going old school and flagging a taxi down and negotiating a fare before you get in.

Post: #6342

The dickhead taxi drivers want to negotiate 500p on top of the meter even for short distances and adamantly refuse to take you if you disagree or decline. I'm noticing on Grab too that the riders are taking a page from local taxi drivers and messaging you with "500 fixed po" or they'll ask you to cancel.

These idiots can't possibly fathom that someone could be in a hurry.

Post: #6343

Here's how to get PLDT or globe internet installed. Don't apply online, it takes forever or just doesn't happen.

Find a Globe or PLDT agent and apply through them. They get a commission for each signup they get so are just as desperate to get your application processed as you and can expedite it. Your condo building will probably have a dedicated agent and if you can use them then you won't have to go through all the area coverage checks so ask your guards or admin office. They should have some fliers with their phone number. If not, just search on Olx or Facebook and you'll find some agents.

Post: #6344

(10-08-2018 02:05 AM)Il Bersagliere Wrote:  The dickhead taxi drivers want to negotiate 500p on top of the meter even for short distances and adamantly refuse to take you if you disagree or decline. I'm noticing on Grab too that the riders are taking a page from local taxi drivers and messaging you with "500 fixed po" or they'll ask you to cancel.

These idiots can't possibly fathom that someone could be in a hurry.

Never had anything like that happen. I've been quoted high prices but I just say no and they drive off. Never had any issue with a Grab driver either.

(10-08-2018 02:07 AM)the-dream Wrote:  Here's how to get PLDT or globe internet installed. Don't apply online, it takes forever or just doesn't happen.

Find a Globe or PLDT agent and apply through them. They get a commission for each signup they get so are just as desperate to get your application processed as you and can expedite it. Your condo building will probably have a dedicated agent and if you can use them then you won't have to go through all the area coverage checks so ask your guards or admin office. They should have some fliers with their phone number. If not, just search on Olx or Facebook and you'll find some agents.

This is exactly how I got it done.

Post: #6345

Hi All-

Just got through the 200 something pages...phew!

I've been living in Cebu for 3 years and obviously the advantages of living here outweigh a quickie vacation.

If you are coming to Cebu, hit me up. I can show you around and educate you quickly

Post: #6346

An attempt by ISIS to assassinate President Donald Trump in Manila last year was foiled by Secret Service agents, a National Geographic documentary aired on Sunday detailed for the first time.

https://www.newsmax.com/thewire/donald-t...id/886455/

Post: #6347

(10-16-2018 06:42 AM)gradmac Wrote:  Hi All-

Just got through the 200 something pages...phew!

I've been living in Cebu for 3 years and obviously the advantages of living here outweigh a quickie vacation.

If you are coming to Cebu, hit me up. I can show you around and educate you quickly

Just mped you. I arrived 2 days ago and I will be @ Cebu City 80/90% of the time in the next 3 / 4 months or so.

Anyone else living in Cebu? No hesitations to mp

Post: #6348

Can any of you expats, vets, or otherwise local guys help with this perspective:

What in God's name has made pinays so entitled recently? Seems that only a few years ago they were just that much more pleasant. Now, they're on a fast track to being American cunts that speak tagalog.

Thoughts gentlemen, please.

Post: #6349

(10-23-2018 07:27 AM)musicalprodigy1 Wrote:  Can any of you expats, vets, or otherwise local guys help with this perspective:

What in God's name has made pinays so entitled recently? Seems that only a few years ago they were just that much more pleasant. Now, they're on a fast track to being American cunts that speak tagalog.

Thoughts gentlemen, please.

Can you give us some examples of what you've encountered?

Post: #6350

Music, no clue but its been like this since I arrived in late 2015. Definitely gotten worse though. Vast majority strutting around with a perpetual bitch face or scowl. Nothing impresses them. A lot of guys claim they werent always like this, so maybe the rising economy went to their head?