It has been mentioned on this site before that receipts are important in the Philippines. I can remember, when living in the States, we would often just throw away our receipts for stuff. After all, it was very rare that you would ever need the receipt for anything. Now, I am not talking about major purchases. I mean, if you spend thousands of dollars on something, of course you keep the receipt, at least for a specified period.
Several years ago, though, and event happened in our life here that proved just how important receipts are here in the Philippines. You see, when you rent a house in the Philippines, in most cases (not all though), the landlord will not allow you to change services like telephone, electricity, water, power and such into your name. These accounts remain in the name of the landlord, but you pay it. Personally, I don’t understand this. If I was a landlord, I would want the renter’s name to be on the bills for these services. That way, if the renter is delinquent in paying the bill, it goes against the renter, not the landlord. But, that is not how it works in the Philippines.
Well, about 7 years ago, Feyma and I moved into a house in Davao. As to be expected, these services were to remain in the name of the house owner, but it was our responsibility to pay. Well, I needed to get a DSL connection from the telephone company. Having all of my businesses on the Internet, I need a decent Internet Connection. We went to the telephone company to apply for a DSL connection, and we were told that since the telephone account was not in our name, we could not get a DSL account. We had to go to our landlord and have them request the additional service of DSL. We talked to our landlord and she was fine with that. She simply gave us a letter stating that the phone company should go ahead and set up a DSL account for us, in her name. The telephone company accepted this arrangement, and got us hooked up for DSL.
Everything went fine, we paid our bill every month, and there were no arrears on the account. After living in the house for more than 2 years, we moved out. When we were ready to move, we went to the Phone Company office, returned our DSL modem, and took care of everything to close down the DSL account. The people at the phone company, though, told us that technically, the landlord would have to come and have it disconnected, since the acount was in their name. So, we notified the landlord that she needed to go to the Phone Company to take care of this. She agreed, and we moved out as planned.
A couple of years later, we were moving again. When we got set up in our new house, we went to apply for a DSL account at our new house. When we talked to the agent at the Phone Company, we got a surprise. Our old landlord had never gone and shut down the DSL account! This was more than 2 years later, and between service fees, late fees and such, about P60,000 was owed to the phone company! They refused to hook up our new DSL account since this money was due. It was not due in our name, though, it was due in the name of the old landlord. We had paid all of what was due when we lived there. The fact that the landlord did not go and have the DSL disconnected was certainly not our fault.
Funny thing was, though, that the Phone Company then sent a bill collector after us, and also threatened to sue us! All this, and our name was not even on the account.
The Phone Company said that the only way they would let us off the hook was if we could produce a receipt showing that we had paid all amounts due at the time we moved. We had receipts, but it was a matter of trying to find the proper receipt! After several days of searching, going through papers and such, the receipt was found. We presented the receipt to the Phone Company and they hooked up our DSL for us.
Next step, the phone company filed a lawsuit against the former landlord demanding payment for the amount past due. The landlord came to us for the money. We reminded them that they did not fulfill their obligation of just stopping at the phone company for final cut off of the account. We also told them that the phone company had already cleared us of responsibility, and showed our receipt.
I don’t know what ever happened with the situation for the landlord. What I do know is that if they did not pay the past due amount, they will never be able to get telephone service in the house again, so I can only assume that they must have finally paid the amount due.
I sure am glad that we had the receipt, though!
As an aside, on the same topic, basically you must keep every receipt that you get here. For example, if you get stopped by a traffic cop, they will ask to see your driver’s license – and also the receipt for your license! That’s right, the receipt that you get when you pay for your license is required if a policeman asks for it! If you don’t have the receipt and the license, you are in trouble. Just another example that you really need to keep every receipt that you get here. It’s not Kansas, after all!
Hi Bob,
rest assured if you got a filipina wife, nothings's being thrown out. even plastic from the grocery's being kept, right? Anyway, lucky you for keeping the receipt. Here in the States, i do keep all receipts, it comes handy especially if we need to return some purchases. When we needed my husband's pay slip from 2004, i was able to produce it and we received whatever we should be getting from a beaurocratic place, no question asked.
Hi Bob – Receipts of any kind are extremely important in the Phils. One never knows if and when someone or something will require your producing a receipt.
We're currently going through some "extended family" issues where our receipts for property tax payments will rule the day. Our "Valentine's Day" present was a text from our engineer/contractor – he was being sued by an extended family member for knocking down and relocating our family house's dirty kitchen without permission and, in doing so, causing damage to the structure and to the family's reputation. 😯
Our tax receipts, together with deed papers, provide evidence that the family member bringing the suit has no standing – is not an owner and couldn't have suffered any damages. That, coupled with the facts of Asawa-ko being physically present at the time of the relocation, directing the contractor to effect the relocation, paying for the relocation (another receipt kept) after the work was completed, and her being the sole owner of the property (and had herself paid for the original construction of that dirty kitchen (receipt kept) will make adjudication a simple win.
One never knows when a receipt (even the simplest) might come in handy over there! 😉
Proof of purchase that's all they want to see and yea forgery is big time business ..keep your receipts ..Phil n Jess
Hi Bob- Good sound advice always retain your receipts.
Regards.
Jim
Hello Bob,
Post like this is why I read daily. hehe I know I throw receipts away daily. Now I know to buy BIG file cabinet for when I get there. I am sure now you have one. I am so glad I found this site. between this site and reading Sun Star online daily I might even know what to expect. Thank You
I bought a cheap watch for $14.00 at the Mactan International Airport prior to my departure. I didn't have any more pesos, so i used my credit card. I was given a receipt and I threw it away thinking $14.00 was no big deal. When I received my credit card statement, I was charged $85.00 and I had no receipt to prove otherwise. That was a lesson learned for me. Good article BTW!
Hi CRIS – That is true – with a Filipina wife nothing will be thrown out! It's just a matter of finding what is needed when the time comes up.
Hi Paul – Very true – you just never know when a certain slip of paper will be needed! I hope that the case relating to your family gets worked out quickly!
Hi Phil – Yep, keep your receipts so that you don't need to have them forged! 😯
Hi Jim – Yep, it never hurts!
Hi Andy – Well, I hope that our site can help you have a better idea of what to expect here.
Hi Robert Hansmeier – I'm glad that you enjoyed the article. That watch got a little more expensive suddenly, didn't it? 😯
Thanks Bob! Like Andy, this is why I read daily. A file cabinet will be necessary I'm sure. For the computer illiterates like me, labeled folders (in alphabetical order) for various categories will be necessary so that I won't have to spend days searching for one receipt. Major purchases will have a folder of their own with stapled receipt unless I come up with something different. Maybe a 5" x 7" card file (in alphabetical order also) will be needed to determine which folder it can be found in.
Of course everyone's system will be different, so long as one has a system.
Thanks again, Bob
Hi Ed Griffin – I appreciate you reading every day, and also your support through other websites too.
Yes, I agree, a good filing system is necessary, and no two will be exactly the same!
Hi Bob, This has to be number one on everybody's list before coming to the Philippines – something I know I never thought of. Thanks for all the timely tips and a great website!
Hi John in Austria – I have a policy or a motto that I might start using here on LiP. Here it is:
"I do the stupid things, so that you don't have to!"
I do the stupid stuff, and then write about how it turned out for me, then everybody else gets to learn from my experiences! Works out good for everybody but me! 😆
Hi Bob
I could never understand why my wife kept every single receipt, until one day while I was home the electricity was going to be cut off unless we paid an outstanding bill from a long time back. I cannot remember the amount but it wasn't small. The receipt was produced and the electricity was left on, that was the last we heard of it. So yes it is mandatory to keep all receipts. Good warning Bob.
Jack.
Hi Jack – Yep, it's funny how they will be ready to cut your power, but that little piece of paper is mightier than a gun or a sword! It will save you every time!
I think I will ask the next LTO officer or cop that stops me to give me a receipt for the payoff I have to give him to get out of the ticket. Just to see his expression. LOL
Hi Steven – Ha ha… that would indeed be a classic.
Bob sorry, I think miss understand what I was saying If you have a receipt then the document that you have is proof that it has not been forged ..I don't think anyone would want to forge a receipt .might get deported – boooooooooo ….. Phil n Jess
ha ha ha ok 🙂 🙂 ….Phil n Jess
I made a foriegn purchase in the UK while I was visiting there. I purchased the UKP equivalent of about $350 USD and when I got my card statement I was charged about $750 USD. I called the card company, they said all of their information was accurate as received from the store I bought the items from. I called the merchant who I had done business with many times before and since then so it was not like I was just another foriegn visitor. In the end it was found that by accident the merchant overbilled me ( accidentially ) and underbilled one of his local customers. It was the merchants honest mistake reporting transactions to the card company. By having the card reciept it expedited finding and correcting the error and I was credited the difference.
The merchant faced the task of contacting one of his local customers to get the remainder from the customer he grossly under-billed !
It is especially important to keep all reciepts of items purchased or otherwise acquired when traveling in a foriegn country just in case on your return to your home country you are asked by Customs what the value of something is that you may have decalred of unintentionally forgot to declare on your re-entry customs form. you could avoid being overtaxed by showing the reciept.
On my last visit to the Philippines, I had a desktop PC in my suitcase as a gift for a friend. It was not a brand new PC but a factory refurbished " nearly New " PC that a visual look could easily indicate that it was brand new. I brought the reciept showing what I had paid for it ( a real bargain ) just in case I had to prove to Ph Customs where it was purchased and for how much and also that it had fully licensed Operating System.
I had no problem at all but I made sure I was prepared just in case.
Bob, like your idea for a motto although I really think your idea for one degrades you a bit. What about something like :
" I blaze the trail making it easier for you to follow "
You have certainly answered a question for me. Marlou saves everything and she always knows where to find it. I have never understood this until reading your article. She has been conditioned to save receipts and save them she does. I cannot for the life of me understand why we need a receipt for grocery items, etc but we do have them. Thanks Bob for providing me a clear understanding of Marlou's peculiar (at least to me) habit.
Hi Bob New York – On the motto thing, I was just making a joke with that… didn't intend it to be serious. 😆
Regarding receipts, I understand you point. But, it's a little different because you are talking about buying in a foreign country, needing a receipt for customs and such. I live in the Philippines, so this is not a foreign country for me. Needing the receipt for your driver's license if pulled over? That's a little above and beyond… don't you think?
Hi Ron – Yep, it's a Filipina thing from years of training!