Maynilad – May have Water on the Brain
My Deacon and I went to the offices of MWSS (or as we like to say, My water supply sucks)
MWSS provided one engineer to co ordinate the meeting and to try to facilitate solutions to our complaints.
Maynilad supplied six engineers to try to debate and to hold their position of doing a fine job in the community. (which they are not)
We spoke about many things. I must admit it must have been difficult for MWSS’ engineer to moderate although he did a fairly good job, Maynilad’s reps were not there to solve problems. They were there to profess their righteousness.
One of the men there was the man (if you recall in a different blog) who told my Deacon that he would fire the young lady who made the mistake and told us we had residential rates even after he already admitted that the computer also can be wrong.
At that point we established the hardened heart of the Corporate giant and knew that there was going to be virtually no progress at the meeting.
We spoke about the 10-15,000 people that were only getting water two hours per day and how that might be resolved. One engineer calls out, “where did you get that figure?” I said, “From this engineer”.
Where would I get the figure. I did not make it up.
They also brought out a sheet saying we are receiving .10 pressure (don’t ask, they are the engineers) for 15 hours PER DAY. THEY SAID THIS READING WAS TAKEN AT THE TOP OF OUR HILL WHERE OUR SUBDIVISION IS.
Of course it could have been taken at the pipe that is bypassing the pipe that leads to our community. The paper was dated August. This is now February. No one could answer my question why there was only one paper and it was dated one half a year ago? Was that the day they forgot to close our valve?
We did get a glimmer of hope. There is a water tank that was donated to Manila at our subdivision and they SAY they are going to have a meeting, and investigation to see if they can repair it and use it for water distribution for our small community and by next year be able by adding pipes, to address the greater picture of the lower areas.
The other questions however were never addressed properly.
We never were open to paying commercial rate especially being their rules say houses with religious activity will be charged commercial rate. Now I don’t care what they meant when they made that rule but it is just out and out discrimination. Imagine if I wrote all White people will pay commercial or all Chinese?
I could not in good conscience give in and pay 1000% more because I love God. That would mean by doing so I have said that people who love God deserve to be discriminated upon.
When they offered me the meter at residential rates I accepted. We paid the residential rate for the installation of the meter. Then a month later they sent me a commercial bill. When I complained they told me that it was in error and I do have a residential rate. The next month I received a double commercial bill and when I complained they said they made a mistake.
Did you understand that? THEY made a mistake. One of their engineers apologized not once but twice for their “MAKING A MISTAKE”.
Where I grew up it was, you pay for your mistakes and I’ll pay for mine yet Maynilad thinks that we should pay for THEIR mistake. On top of that even after I told them I absolutely would not pay commercial rate for water, they still sent it to us.
Imagine if someone said do you want to buy this watch and you said yes but I will not pay you for it. Would you still give it to him?
They did and at the meeting when I asked why one of the engineers said even that we said we didn’t want it, we still sent it because we know you need it.
That’s right. I almost fell off the chair after hearing that one.
And—they kept sending it. For seven months. Now, even that their policy is after two months you shut the account, they ignored that. Even that we wrote, saying we did not want it, they ignored that. However they still insist we pay 7000 pesos for THEIR mistake.
In all fairness, no one at the meeting, not MWSS and not Maynilad water had any authority to do anything about it. They were just carbon copies of what they were told by their superior.
The next step is to seek the assistance of the President of the Philippines. I know it sounds crazy that a busy man would be bothered with this but he is in charge over such things.
He is also an anti-corruption President and against stupidity so I am sure that we will be helped by him.
By the way, I was told no one has ever complained about these things confirming my assertion that Filipinos are just too darned nice and easy.
Come on, fight back. If you have a complaint, email me.
