Maximize Your 13th Month Pay with ShopeePay

Your 13th-month pay is just around the corner, and as much as you want to enjoy the fruits of your labor and check out everything in your cart, it’s best to be wise about spending your hard-earned money. 

With ShopeePay, not only can you save more, but you can also enjoy big rewards while embracing the season of giving. Here are three tips on how you can make the most out of your year-end bonus with Shopee’s integrated mobile wallet, ShopeePay.

Be on the lookout for the best deals for big savings

Filipinos start the holiday shopping season as soon as the -ber months hit. If you’re thinking of saving up for holiday gifts to your friends and family and you're on a budget, why not check out ShopeePay’s ₱1 Deals? Get your aunt a Christmas basket from Puregold or your nephew delicious treats from Potato Corner, Bonchon, Candy Corner, and Goldilocks. If you want something useful or educational, National Bookstore has some great finds, too. Want to give load to a student doing online schooling or reconnect with friends and loved ones via video phone calls? Load up using ShopeePay and get up to 10% off on load and promos from all networks.

Pay your bills ahead of time -- and get cashback too!

With the busy holiday season up ahead, being able to save time doing errands is a big help. With ShopeePay, you can conveniently pay for all your monthly bills with just a few taps on your phone. Not only that, you can even get up to 25% bills cashback for Electricity, Landline, Internet, Water, Postpaid Mobile, Credit Card, and TV Cable companies such as Meralco, Maynilad, Globe, Smart, PLDT, BPI, and over 60+ ShopeePay partner billers.

Cash in for more cashless transactions

Other than Christmas gifts, we also need to take care of other responsibilities this holiday season; like buying load, paying bills, and even buying groceries for our holiday festivities. ShopeePay makes it easier to go cashless when checking off our Christmas to-do list, as users can now cash in their ShopeePay wallet for free via InstaPay! You can cash in instantly from your bank apps such as RCBC, Metrobank, BPI, Chinabank, Unionbank, and more. Even better, until December 5, 2021, you can skip the added fees when you get up to ₱25 cashback on your InstaPay fee*.

Though it can be tempting to buy all the gifts to treat ourselves and our loved ones, it’s important to keep in mind that we should be practical on how we spend our money, even with our 13th-month pay. With ShopeePay, not only can you enjoy greater savings, but you can also look forward to plenty of rewards. Activate your ShopeePay now and experience seamless online transactions when you Buy Load, Pay Bills, and Scan to Pay with ShopeePay. 

How to Cancel Globe Broadband Unli BB Bundle? Oh, it's such a nightmare!

If you got a Globe Broadband plan a 1-2 years ago, you probably at see a promotion - UNLI BB BUNDLE included on your monthly bill. If you have no idea what it is, it is a special promotion/ add-on from Globe that allows you to call Globe and TM numbers for free using your landline.

Most plans have this special promotion free for two years (24 months) after which you will be automatically billed Php 99 per month. I believe this is actually a good deal if you are making a lot of calls to Globe and TM however if you think that you do not really need it, then you may want to cancel this to avoid that extra Php 99 charge on your Globe internet bill. 

How to cancel the Globe Broadband Unli BB Bundle? 

Before the new normal, we simply have to call the customer service hotline to cancel. However since Globe's customer service hotline is not available anymore (let's say it's hard to get a hold of a live person), the best way to contact them is through their social media pages.

TIP: If you send them directly a private message, more likely you'll end up with a chatbot which is not your goal. So, it might help if you send them a message then make sure to leave a comment on their posts too and from there they might send a reply and ask you to continue the conversation via private messaging. 

In my case, after weeks of trying, I have finally chatted with a live person and was advised to answer this online form.  

Here's the link to the Google form -- http://glbe.co/UnliG2G-optout. Just fill this out to file a request for your unli bb subscription removal. Based on their instructions, once you're done answering all the needed details, kindly submit it and free your line and their support team will keep you updated regarding your concern.

Here's a bit of a warning! Answering the form doesn't mean that your concern has been resolved. You have to follow up and ensure that it has been removed if you don't want to be charged extra. 

In my case, the promised turnaround time of 24-48 hours to process my request was not true. No one from their support team contacted me too. 

I had to answer the form multiple times after making a follow-up since it was still not processed. I guess this is the sad reality of Globe customers. Getting help from customer service nowadays is really challenging. 

Let me share our detailed experience of this very simple request. 

It was October 6 when finally, I was able to get hold of a live agent. I was really happy because I was running in circles with their chatbot on Facebook messenger. I thought that finally my concern will be resolved. I made time to report before the new billing cycle so, that I don't need to see extra charges on our bill. 

After more than a week (October 15), since I never heard anything from Globe, I made another follow-up.

After another week had passed, I still did not hear from Globe so I made another follow-up last October 22. This time I was already frustrated but the agent said that he will expedite the process. Well, let's see. I decided to wait longer and extend my patience. 

So, after almost a month (November 20) -- I still did not get call nor my concern was resolved.  I have no choice but to follow up again for the 3rd time. 

And guess what? Here's what the agent told me. 

So, yes, it is such a nightmare! I feel that I am on a dead-end now but have no choice but to wait for the next update. 

Since I never heard from Globe ever despite their promises of a callback, I decided to seek help from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and sent them an email. 

I was happy that I immediately received a reply from NTC. They asked for more information about my concern and said that they will act on it accordingly.

True enough, I received a call from Globe's head office last December 24. They said that they received my complaint through NTC and they are willing to assist me. After 72 hours, I already saw adjustments on my account, and finally, the UNLI bb bundle has been canceled. 

In a nutshell, Here's How to Cancel Globe Broadband Unli BB Bundle? 

1. Contact Globe Customer Service via Facebook Messenger. Answer the online form that they will give you. 

2. After 48-72 hours, follow-up and check if it has been canceled. If it is still not resolved, try for the 2nd time (yes, we are understanding and they deserve a second chance!) 

3. Follow up again in 48-72 hours. If still not resolved, file a complaint in NTC. 

Our government agencies work and they can be contacted easily online.
There is even no need for you to go to their office. 

To report or file a complaint, you can just email NTC at consumer@ntc.gov.ph. 

P.S. This may not be the best way to have your Globe customer service concerns get resolved but this is the only way that worked for us after the 3-month ordeal and multiple follow-ups.

How about you? Do you have any experience adding/ removing paid services with Globe? How was your experience? Feel free to share on the comments section below.

BDO, voted by Filipino consumers in Reader’s Digest Trust Brands Awards

FILIPINO consumers have once again voted for BDO Unibank as a brand they trust, according to the results of Reader’s Digest Asia’s survey on most trusted brands. 

This vote of confidence led to BDO receiving Platinum Trusted Brand Awards in the Bank and Credit Card Issuing Bank categories, and Gold Trusted Brand Awards in the Personal/Consumer Loan and Investment Fund Company categories—all for the 2nd straight year—during Reader’s Digest Philippines Trusted Brands Awards 2021.

Platinum Trusted Brand Awards are given to top-performing brands that achieve the highest score in their categories, while Gold Trusted Brand Awards are presented to brands that score substantially higher than their closest competitor. 

All awardees have been voted by regular consumers from the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Reader’s Digest Asia tapped market research company Catalyst Research to get more than 8,000 respondents to name the brands they trust the most across 50 product and service categories, and rate their trustworthiness and credibility, quality, value, understanding of customer needs, innovation, and social responsibility.

“For the brands themselves, trust matters when it comes to weathering a crisis, and ultimately, trust is built on the traditional foundations of quality, consistency, honesty, and delivering on your promises,” said Reader’s Digest Asia editor in chief Louise Waterson. “In terms of the current situation, with this pandemic, that also means getting proactive and reaching out to your customers like never before. It’s very much about maintaining a relationship with that particular individual.”

BDO has been consistently identified by Filipino consumers as a trusted brand since 2010 when it received Gold Trusted Brand Awards in the Bank and Credit Card Issuing Bank categories.

TRUSTED BY FILIPINOS. For the 2nd straight year, BDO Unibank won Platinum Trusted Brand Awards in the Bank and Credit Card Issuing Bank categories, and Gold Trusted Brand Awards in the Personal/Consumer Loan and Investment Fund Company categories in Reader’s Digest Philippines Trusted Brands Awards 2021. In photo is Rafael Ayuste Jr., BDO SVP & Head of Trust and Investments Group, who accepted the awards during the virtual ceremony. 

“Receiving these honors during unprecedented and challenging times is made even more meaningful,” said Rafael Ayuste Jr., BDO SVP & Head of Trust and Investments Group. “We are grateful to our valued customers for their unwavering trust and loyalty. Consumers can count on us that our We Find Ways’ service philosophy will remain constant and evident in the way we serve them by providing the best banking solutions to match their needs.”

Book Feature: Distorted Purposes + Exclusive Interview with Author Morgan Douglas

After reading Dan Brown's Deception Point, I fell in love with suspense thrillers and science fiction books. This is why we got excited to hear about the latest book, Distorted Purposes. 

This is about a sudden mass shapeshifting event that happened around the world. Where human beings were instantly transformed into indistinguishable blank figures.  The story starts by describing this phenomenon happening in the small fictional college town of Calbury, Pennsylvania. Where a group of individuals was spared this fate for reasons unknown to them as they set out to find answers to this problem. What Grace, Danny, Jacklyn, Henry, and Cam uncovered was a heinous plan devised by two government officials who finally brought everyone back to their regular selves after being discovered. Using the People Morphing Plan they extorted world leaders by the threat of changing them back into “bubble figures,” via an enhanced computer. The goal was to manipulate humankind into making positive strides in various human rights and other issues such as climate change. None of this could stop two thieves from stealing the blueprints to the technology though.

This thrilling book is the debut album of Author Morgan Douglas from Portland, Oregon. 

Today, we are blessed with this opportunity to have this exclusive interview with her. 

1. Can you share with us something about the book that isn't in the blurb?

The people who fall victim to the mass shapeshifting event are still sentient despite the fact that they are blank figures. They are able to communicate to others in their vicinity via electrical frequencies.

2. What inspired the idea for your latest book?

During my last year in college, I went to a class discussion after being up all night at the hospital. I was so tired that I am not sure if I just temporarily fell asleep or just daydreamed the image of a human-like figure emerging from the ground and sitting in a desk chair.

3. How long did it take you to complete the book?

It actually took me 2 years to finish writing the book.

4. What part of the book was most challenging to write and why?

I find the middle section of the book the most challenging to write because I had to reveal the reasoning behind this People Morphing Plan. Coming up with an explanation and providing the moving parts of this was the most time-consuming part.

5. What do you hope your readers take away from this book?

I hope my readers will find a sense of adventure and joy in reading a book with this bizarre concept.

6. If you’re planning a sequel or writing the next book, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?

I am currently working on a sequel. After one of the two thieves decides to take drastic measures to experiment with the technology blueprints that they stole and replicated. Manipulation of this device as a way to threaten to use it if their demands for money are not met does not work at first. They do however get the money they want but at the cost of starting a war.

7. Where can they buy your books or find out more about you?

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Distorted-Purposes-Morgan-Douglas/dp/B09G9LSKSB 

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1585911880 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/distorted-purposes-morgan-douglas/1140163255 

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/distorted-purposes

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Thank you, Author Morgan, for agreeing to this interview. We are happy to learn more about you and your book and we are looking forward to its sequel. 

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