It was raining cats and dogs and elephants and hippos yesterday, around lunch time. I stopped by my favorite dim sum restaurant to buy some century egg porridge and other tidbits for lunch. Unfortunately they had already ran out of the porridge, so I ended up with just one char siew pau and one egg tart. And since I had gotten drenched with my jeans wet through to my shin level, I might as well make the trip worth it by buying some organic tau foo fa (soya bean curd) from the shop next door too.
As I was approaching my car after making my purchase, I noticed the parking ticket man standing nearby, with an umbrella in his hand. So I motioned for him that I was headed for my car and asked him how much. On hindsight, I could have just walked to my car and drove off, because I was only parked for not more than 10 minutes, but my conscience would have pricked me so hard it would have bled.
Anyway, he told me “Empat puluh sen”. (40 cents was the rate charged every half hour)
I paid him and waited for my receipt.
But that fella walked away!
I called after him, and asked, “Mana resit?” (“Where is my receipt?”)
He said, “Oh, tak payah resit laaa..” (“Oh, no need to issue a receipt…”)
Eh???
Immediately, I retorted, “Tak payah resit, tah payah bayar la!” (“If you don’t give me a receipt, I don’t need to pay!”), and extended my hand to him, as if asking for my precious 40 sen back.
Hey, I was all alone, cold and wet, incredibly hungry, holding my lunch in packets AND I was rushing for a meeting. I probably sounded a LEETLE bit angry, but I had every reason to feel that way. Yes, it was only 40 sen, but it’s still money, right? It would have been conveniently squandered by him, had I not put my foot down at that very instant and demanded for my receipt.
Of course he issued me one after that, but I wonder how many incidents of “40 sen tak payah bayar” he had actually escaped with. I wonder how many people would actually insist on a ticket. Times are certainly bad, and every single bit counts.
I’m sure that parking ticket man is well aware of that. But nobody should ever use dishonest means to make that quick buck. Or that quick 40 sen.
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You said it! I’d have stood my ground (wet or not) and either got my receipt or got my money back. Times are hard, but they are hard for EVERYONE not just the ticket man.
The Giddy Tigress says: I absolutely agree!
Sometimes it’s a matter of principle. You showed him girl!
The Giddy Tigress says: And am mighty proud of myself!
hehe…wah…u ask for receipt one eh. i’m those that pay and fly away…forget bout receipt..too many paper
The Giddy Tigress says: I even keep my receipts for 3 months! Once the Majlis Perbandaran sent me a notice to pay a fine for a parking ticket which they claimed I did not pay. That’s when I showed up with the proof of payment!
Yeah, u did it right.
The Giddy Tigress says: Thanks, and I know you would have done the same too.
*claps* Way to go GT!
I’m one of those people who insist on asking for receipts (for things like parking) even though I can’t use it to claim anything.
It’s just a matter of principle for me that the people in charge shouldn’t quietly slip monies into their pocket.
The Giddy Tigress says: Absolutely!
I had on a few occasions paid the ticket man, showed him which car it’s for and left (trusting that I’ll see a receipt on the windshield later) and later returned to a receiptless windshield!
The Giddy Tigress says: Oh yeah, that happens quite a lot too. And sometimes they conveniently write a starting time on the receipt which is WAY before you arrive, just so they can charge you more!
Ticket men should be banned… machines can do their job pretty well.
The Giddy Tigress says: I agree to a certain extent. With machines, however, we need to be vigilant what time we need to go and top up the machines, but I’d go with that any day over the ticket man.
hahaha…
but 40cents is still 40 cents! 🙂
The Giddy Tigress says: It’s still money, right?
Still got ticket man in Penang ah?!!!..haihh……:-p
The Giddy Tigress says: Yeah la, still got….SIGH.
My hubby would.
But for me.. poor man, how much is he earning? 40sen, just give him la..
The Giddy Tigress says: …and donno what he will do with it wor…. 😛