Satisfaction Rating

After three months of unemployment, I still haven't received my Final Pay. 


One of the reasons was that I just couldn't be bothered to chase after it. Translation: I still got some moolah so I'm not too bothered. 


Another reason, which got me in a snit, is my previous employer's payroll department. Attached with the Exit Clearance Form I completed was the note stating that my Final Pay will be released within thirty days of submitting the completed Exit Clearance Form. However, the lady who received the form gave me an inch-wide strip of paper with a name and phone number of a person. When asked what the purpose of the paper-strip was, she kindly advised me to contact that person after thirty days to follow up on when I can get my hard-earned money and clearance papers. 


Thirty days later, I called that land-line number like the good little girl that I don't pretend to be. Yes, it rang. And rang. And rang. I stayed on the line. For ten minutes. It still rang. I must point out that I'm using my mobile phone. And because I believe in not passing judgment on just one encounter, I gave it another shot. Refer to the first eight sentences of this paragraph (yes, I counted 'em). You get the picture.


So I went online and fired off an email to their department. Then called again. I was able to get through this time. The lady did not even provide me with her name and placed me on hold for three minutes. She then came back and told me that, since "the process" (she stressed these words as if they are very important and that only the elite are allowed to utter them) takes thirty days, she will have my request "expedited" (same stress as "the process"). Oh, and that I need to call back the next day to check when I can finally claim the money that is rightfully mine. I had to ask the lady what was taking up so long. She replied that it needs to be "computed". I have no idea what they were doing for the past thirty days if they are just getting on the computing stage. Or maybe it takes more than thirty days for them to compute. I don't know. I don't know.


The next day, I received an email response from them. I was advised that I have to wait for five working days for my request to be addressed. And that they have found that I have a social security loan balance so this will need to be deducted as well. I was also asked to furnish them with a contact number. So I did. 


And of course, since I was also asked by the lady who cannot be named to call her back on that day, I did. She told me not call back since my request is already being "processed" and that she will contact me instead. When I provided her with a mobile phone number and advised that I will be coming from Bulacan, she very kindly advised that calling a mobile phone number is costly so she prefers it if I can provide a land-line number instead. I'm sure I'm aware how costly it is - I've been calling them through my mobile phone, have I not? Oh, and before the call ended, that's when she finally deigned to get my name and phone number. The lady is clairvoyant.


This is one of the times when all the fond memories I have about the company I worked with, when all the friendships I've formed while there and when all other positive stuff about it gets overshadowed by an experience. 


I felt as if I was a customer contacting a call center expecting to have her questions answered but instead was lied to, interrupted, insulted, made to feel as if I was not worthy of the agent's time and handed off to another department. 


Now I understand why some customers no longer ask to speak to a manager. Because they no longer trust that their concerns will be addressed. Because they are no longer interested in doing business with that business.