We continued our search and we soon narrowed it down to two choices: a condo at Crissanta Tower which is located across the Valle Verde Country Club, and the other, an apartment in St. Ignatius Village. It was a tough choice - the condo a bit pricier but more spacious and has excellent parking area and security, the apartment, a bit cozier and has a great layout. So we prayed about it and agreed that if the St. Ignatius property was still available after our trip to Singapore then that would be it.
And indeed that was it. As soon as we finalized the contract and paid our dues, came the task of furnishing our new abode. We had no idea then that it would be a hair-pulling, patience-trying experience. SM Megamall had a sale that weekend and we thought that it might be a good idea to buy most of our furniture there. Big mistake! You would think that a store as popular and as ubiquitous as SM would be efficient in dealing with its customers. Based on our experience, obviously not so. First they still the used the old "bait-and-switch" trick. It happened to is twice on the same day. Cynthia was negotiating for a refrigerator while I was trying to pick out a bedframe. On both occasions, they told us the items we picked were out-of-stock (not right away, but when we are already lined up ready to pay) and so we had to return to our respective departments, where in both cases they recommended another, albeit more expensive, item. At this point my wife and I were both worn out so we agreed on their recommended items with nary an argument from us. Note that all these happened in a span of about two hours. Then came the payment part. Cynthia used her credit card and specifically told the cashier that it would be a straight (not installment) charge. An hour passed and my wife was wondering why her transaction still have not been processed. When she found the cashier, who disappeared after receiving Cynthia's credit card, the cashier explained that she was trying to get an approval because the credit card was still new and did not have a history of purchases. Finally, after another half hour or so, the payment went through.
At the other side of the store, I was also lined up to pay some of the smaller furnishings that we bought. After scanning the price on my first item, they had a shift change! My cashier had to log off, account for her previous transactions and then turned over the machine to the incoming cashier, who in turn had to log in, account for cash in the till and at last turned to me and told me she had to scan my first item again (which was already wrapped-so they had to unwrap it and start the procedure all over again)! This procedure took almost an hour!
Because of all this hassle, we had to pay P100 for parking instead of the usual P40 had the employees been more efficient and handled our transactions in much less time. As we got into our vehicle, Cynthia and I both let out a blood curdling scream to vent all the frustrations and exasperation and anger that we felt but were unable to express towards those who actually deserved them.
