I just got to the “too many staff” part and I think you’re right. I’m a manager and got allocated more staff last year. I thought we would be more productive as a staff. Opposite happened just as you were saying. Now staff felt less stressed and could slack off more or they would think that other staff were doing this or that. So it’s actually been more of an effort for me to manage them. I am not a fan of Thailand but you’re right that the cues in the grocery stores are not as frustrating as Philippines. The Filipino grocery stores are so bizarre in their inefficiency. Almost as if they’re trying to be bad at their jobs. But to be fair, it seems more of an ownership/management issue.
Action starts at 7 mins in. There are several cultural nuances which contribute to the downstream effects you've experienced. 1. Honor culture - this causes all sorts of inefficiencies as a "loss of face" is considered a higher value than Contract Enforcement. 2. Lack of Contract Enforcement - influenced by visible systemic corruption throughout all islands. 3. What's in it for me? The wage staff has very little incentive to do a good job as often there are monopolies which prevent you from using a competing service. 4. Resource management allocation. From observation the standard P.I. retail operation does not encourage best practices or lessons learned from foreign business models and standards. Your irritation with what you have experienced seems measurably justified.
Hi Simon. I agree 👍 with you and the reasons why you had been "aggrivated" in this past week. Hope it all gets better soon mate. Just remember this,..."PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE" !!! Take care and be lucky.
Simon, the thing that shits me the most about the Philippines is the service. I hate when I walk into a building and staff just stand there talking to themselves instead of serving you.
Echo all of your frustrations and anyone contemplating the move is invaluable. Personally the good outways the bad and have learned to always carry a bucket full of patience with me but will still get frustrated and have a rant from time to time about customer service. Keep up the good work. Best wishes to you and Ellen Take care Jim
I was there for just 5 weeks in February for the first time. I experienced all of the above frustrations, and a few more. Good for you to get it off your chest and like you said, no disrespect to the Filipino people. Above and beyond all, its still better than the decadent West. Liked and subscribed 👍
The thing that i find out funny is the metro dept store, they have one register open. Yet, they have so so many floor people standing around doing nothing. There was 10 people in line to pay, and about 20 or so standing around on the sales floor.
The water is a very frustrating problem. You need it to cook with, drink, make coffee, brush teeth, etc. We complained and now ask for 3 bottles at a time because it takes too long when you have no water. I understand your frustration. Our grocery store has literally 50 check out stations with almost all working. However they still have 6 to 7 deep. The lines move at a very slow pace. I do not understand the process of using the credit card or ATM card. Now sure why they have to enter all these things in the register, then write things down in a book. If you expect to tap to pay and walk away, that does not happen in a lot of places.
As a Pinoy, I support this message, and to any Pinoys who disagree, folks, we won't change things if you keep thinking it's ok to have our culture this way...truth is the path to pride, pride at the expense of truth gets us...well, this...
In the US we are trained to immediately think of a solution to a problem. So if we see all these employees and the service is bad. We can immediately identify the problem and how to solve the problem. It is amazing they can't think of solutions. We are trained to put systems in place even if we have no knowledge of that business.
I agree with all you said I been in Philippines nearly 6 years need massive patience and adjustable spirit even listening to your video it kept freezing bz internet here and had a run in with neighbor last week bz sounds I did loose it after 3 years tolerating his karaoke yes it's more fun in Philippines compared to the UK it's still no brainer 😊
You are saying don't rush in the same as Reekay said 10 years ago. I think the reason people don't listen is that they are rushing to get our of their old life so quickly that they don't think through how it is there. I have had all the same experiences as you so I just go there for a holiday when I am relaxed but I live in Japan, where everything works properly
Hi Simon, laughing my ass off and thank you, you portray daily life here perfectly, 100% correct. Sometimes it does make you stop and wonder WTF, but here in Laguna the good days still outweigh the bad ones and still a million times better than the UK, I stopped trying to make sense of things long ago, our local SM has about 24 tills but in 15 years I have never seen more than 6 open, ( that was during COVID), the management should be fired for wasting money, lol. Take a step back and breathe, and yes it may be coincidental but I started to grow a beard a few years ago 😂and things have…. Been the same😂, it is more fun in the Philippines. Take care and chill.
By the way, you could set up a fairly cheap solar system now to avoid the power cuts. It's quite simple to set up to. Solar panel. solar controller, and inverter and a battery and Bob's your proverbial.
why not buy one of those 3-stage water filters and hook it up to the kitchen tap? should be available with all those hardware stores around now. at least tie you over during an emergency or even do away completely with the commercial filtered water. so self-filter then boil for drinking if especially worried; surely the domestic piped supply is not so terrible that those self initiated actions would be enough.
It's an option and if we continue to have problems it's something I'll look into 👍 Hopefully, the water station will start delivering again and we won't have to 🤞
Taking into account all the issues (food, infrastructure, service, inefficiency embedded in every organisation/business, general lack of initiative among the populace, etc) I think overall the Phillipines is too expensive. Time is money. Spending the better part of a day on tedious chores or appointments with the bureaucracy. Think I could live in Japan over the Philippines (and forgo the easygoing Filipinos in exchange for food, efficiency, infrastructure but also the sterner Japanese)
Will have to check out the Kingswick next time we are in Dumaguete. Used to imagine I could live in Philippines but a month near Bayawan reminded me that its got too many drawbacks. Its good to have a whinge once in a while.
One thing I found funny about processes in the Philippines is drive thru fast food. You pay at one window and then you must give the receipt to the worker at the pick up window like someone is going to cut the line and grab your food. I totally agree with your opinion of customer service there. Sometimes there is a sign saying something like "The customer always comes first" but you're getting the worst service you can imagine.
It's funny, when I first moved here an American guy asked me if I had tried many of the slow food joints in town. He was referring to McDonalds, Jollibee etc 😂😂
I never had a bad week in over 40 years in the Philippines but I have had a few bad days. 1 Food poisoning at Kenny Rodger gloriette. Bomb went of on Valentines day Ayala bus station. No hot food brown out 2008 Typhoon Ondoy, 2015 they closed decades and 2022 they closed café Havana. Don't know how you guys survive without living in a Condo.
I live in a tiny village in Northern Thailand, power goes off weekly when big storms hit and even so today I ran out of water, called the guy and he came over in an hour on his motorbike who 2 boxes of water. Maybe it's time to move back to the land of smiles. :)
Have you been to an Indian airport for a transfer? Bombay airport was the most frustrating places on earth. So inefficient with masses of staff doing the same job badly. Reason? It's an overpopulated country and they get jobs via family connections so companies are over staffed. Same in the Philippines. A 3rd World country with too many people doing (or not doing) the same role combined with poor pay and lack to promotion opportunities. Anyway. Good informative video. COYI 😊
Very good vid for people that never been. You can build a wonderful illusion of the Philippines. You will never know unless you come over for yourself. It takes a certain type not everyone loves it. Fortunately for me its my dream come true. Don't ask why its just the way it is.
Let me preface this by saying that I have been living in SE Asia since 1988. 36 years, with time split into different stints in several countries. I'm 61 and retired, married to a Filipina decades ago, with a 27 year old son, who happily lives ans work in Metro Manila, and been back in the Philippines for 5 years in this latest stint, following a 6 year stint in Bangkok. If you have not realised that EVERY country has its quirks and annoyances, then you need to get around more. I presume you came out to Philippines because you got fed up with the UK? My brother tells me customer services is crap in the UK nowadays. Arguably, in many respects, he says, worse than it is out here. If you can't accept the quirks of the country you have chosen to stay in (nobody forced you to come to the Philippines, did they?), then you need to either go back and enjoy the UK's quirks again or go and deal with the quirks in some other SE Asian country. You need to learn to let these things wash over you. To put it into context, you were not without water. You had the option to go and buy some from another outlet. Or you could have thought ahead and taken the empties with you to the water filling station and exchanged them for full ones. And the rubbish is a minor issue, if they're only a day late. Certainly not enough to "fill up the garden", I am sure. And the queues in the supermarket? Did it occur to you that other staff probably aren't trained to operate the tills? Companies are very strict with cash-handling jobs in the Philippines. That's just the way it is. Foreigners can't come here and expect to impose their values on the locals. This is their country, so we either go with the flow and adapt or move on to some other place and complain about that, and then move again... and again... because nowhere matches your expectations, even your your home country is pretty sh*t in many of the same aspects.
As, I said in the video it's always expats like yourself that jump on with all this "go back to the UK bollocks!" First of all this is not your Country so I'm not interested in whether you think I should be here or not, it is of zero interest to me. Secondly " I need to get about more" have you ever watched my channel. I'm 52 years old I've been to 75 countries, I've lived in 10 of them. As I said in the video for the past 10 years I've been living in South East Asia. I came here after 8 plus years in Thailand & Cambodia, I haven't called the UK home in a long, long time. "I need to travel more", do me a favour 😂😂😂
@@SpeakingofAsiathis argument always bothered me as well, maybe I am not born there but I am a fu. Kin customer and my money is just as good as any native, so my opinion does matter. Also just because you have the patience of saint doesn't make you right
Great rant x I am leaving England next month, it's gone. But the Philippines is just too hot for me. I prefer the mountains and lakes. Shame it looks great value.
@@SpeakingofAsia Cheers fella. I am going to Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Perfect weather and each village or town around the lake has a completely different atmosphere.
In your opinion...i have discovered delicious, flavourful dishes..bulalo beef soup, sinigang soup, lechon kawali (crispy pork) from Batangas, bagnet pork from Ilocos Norte, grilled bangus stuffed with tomato, onion, chili, and fresh, zesty kalamansi juice so refreshing to name just a few. Each to their own but dont write off all Filipino cuisine.
Thailand is a 2nd World country now. It is developing and wealthy. Massive Chinese investment. The Philippiness is still very Third World in places. People going there need to be aware of that.
I lived there recently for 2 years and I agree completely in all aspects of life. I prefer life here in the Philippines only because I'm super happily married with a couple baby boys hahaha. If I could bring my family there free of visa issues I would consider it.
If you are a Brit and rely on your pension, don't choose Thailand, you will not receive your annual state pension increase, in the Philippines you do, be careful where you choose to retire to..
I would imagine the biggest problem in Thailand is the language issue. Just being able to sort everyday things out in English in the Philippines is a huge advantage and has less stress.
@@Britilocano I guess that’s the intrigue of living there haha. I found learning language basics in Thai is much easier than Visaya. The English is refreshing and crucial to have a meaningful relationship with
Not uncommon several staff dont show up on the same day. Sometimes they simply don't bother even coming back. Most are paid so little they leave as soon as they find something to pay more. Overstaffing prevents being caught short.
I'm sure you'r right but surely the solution is to pay more, include bonuses and commissions etc so that staff have incentives and they do turn up for work.
@@SpeakingofAsia One would think that would work. Not sure it would be a good idea to offer that to just anyone who applied and finding the right staff for it to work is probably harder than it appears.
I'm hearing you. I will never understand why a business puts obstacles in your way of spending cash. Defeats the whole purpose of opening their doors. Get em in. Keep em happy and get em out... relieved of some of their cash. Works every time.
Roads,roosters,customer service,karakoe 😳 ffs id be long gone.ive no patients so phils is not for me. I experienced a bit of the service issue in cambodia but they are improving
Simon Trouble in paradise. I know some points are possibly uniique to the Philippines, however as I have mentioned previously; 3 yrs ago i returned to the UK , following over 40 years living n working overseas. So I've found that many things here have gone down hill, as they had in the US , where I'd spent the last 20yrs prior to returning to the UK. Plus I'd first worked n lived in the US in 1978, where it was much much better. Here in the UK Ive stopped eating out due to many of the points you've mentioned.... Maybe its just me ....lol... My take is that its the world of today.... Which makes me glad that im an old fart, who is glad in sooooo many ways that hes not a young guy in the weird n wonderful world of today...lol... All in all i agree with you 100%... Enjoy your day Cheers Glenn In closing great video, again good luck making the 4k subs ASAP....
I hear you Glenn, maybe the world is changing for the worse or maybe were just getting older mate? I suspect it's a bit of both 😂. Be lucky my friend 👍
I have been living out here in SE Asia for 36 years, in various countries, but now retired in the Philippines. I dread the thought of ever having to go back and live in the UK!
I read a great book about the history and customs of the Philippines, helped me so much to know what to expect. However I understand some of your frustrations. COYI
Thanks mate, I've just seen your reply on your video mate. That's great, I'll email you! Sorry I haven't replied sooner, I should have checked before. Be lucky mate COYI👍
But we do take a lot for granted in the US. Constant electricity and water. Hot water 24/7. Take long baths. Pay those bills with a few key strokes. Supermarket full of food...always in stock.... If i could afford to live in the US i would stay in the US. My disability income is less than $1k, my biggest expense is repaurs to my old vehicle. I also need help as my chronic health issues make it difficult to get out of bed some days to ho get groceries etc. That is why i have to leave the US. I will miss living in the US because having running water, 24/7 hot water. Absolutely zero brown outs. I know the brown outs are going to be difficult. I take that back, i did lose electricity once but i got a text from the electric company that a truck ran into an electric pole and they gave an estimate of the time to repaire it. They even sent another tect to say it may be another 30 mins longer but in 20 minutes it was back on. Yes, the US if you are an employee you are told to drop everything you are doing and attend to the customer. Unreal...i can't stand lazy people! Yes we have so much efficiency in the US. I do get upset sometimes if the staff are slow and i will make a nasty comment to let them know i am not happy.
I have always said, the best way to tell if a foreigner has been in Philippines a long time, is to see how angry he is. The longer one is here, gradually, the more angry he gets. Its always the ones who are living in a dreamworld, that have zero anger.
Mate why apologise to people whether they’re Filipino or not? It’s still your experience and your thoughts mate. If somebody else feelings are hurt , that’s not your problem. Just means they’re thin skinned.mate
If you don’t have patience don’t live in the Philippines. I am not a patient person I left the Philippines. It can play havoc with your limbic system. 😊
You/Filipina ought to visit mainland China and Taiwan 🇹🇼 for a couple months, regroup and recoup. Return to PH. Then travel to 🇹🇷 Turkey with your Filipina. Enjoy your videos. Cheers
Thanks for the advice mate, it's appreciated but I'm guessing you must be new to my channel? China is the last place in the world that I'll be going th-cam.com/video/Tz3h_DXoL9s/w-d-xo.htmlsi=nZmkeQavln8gjw0L
Food is the same the world over, the difference is in knowing how to cook. As to clean water, we keep a couple extra 'jugs' around in case of delay in delivery, plus there's dozens of local trike drivers that will gladly go fetch some for 50P (or less). And you're lucky to have garbage pick up at all, our neighbors burn theirs, plastic & all! And the TOXIC smoke is quite sickening, literally. But spot on about most of what you say. There seems to be no 'culture' of 'customer service' in many places, which to me shows lack of training & organization.
I'm easy going guy too mate but had a few issues myself moved south of Cebu about 6 months ago signed a 1 year and there was a dought then so had trouble with the water and city but got that solved then met couple guys that own trikes here hired them do couple odd jobs everything great for a while then needed a long trike ride and needed to return next day guy says give me 200 I'll take you back well wasn't able to go back till following day cound't find him got his buddy got back he wanted 200 I tried to explain but anyway give him the 200 then I guess week later needed same trip different guy guess what he wanted 200 and I gave quit using all 3 for while we they knew we since worked it out didn't mean to write book I could go on but I know what you mean
Mate, I can relate to that 100% On the whole I thnk the Filipino people are a very good sort. Hearts of gold the vast majority of them but the obvious exception seems to be trike drivers. I've met a couple of OK ones but most of the trike drivers, at least in Dumaguete anyway, are less than honest to say the least.
@@SpeakingofAsia well I think these guys didn't know me and now they do and I'm using them again some but they know,they know and so do I maybe I'm wrong but all 3 changed a little for the better were friends again
If you read my long story below 1 of my tirke drivers is neighbors water man so I bought couple bottles put with theres the other is there trash man so 🤣 yeah theres ways around
I just got to the “too many staff” part and I think you’re right. I’m a manager and got allocated more staff last year. I thought we would be more productive as a staff. Opposite happened just as you were saying. Now staff felt less stressed and could slack off more or they would think that other staff were doing this or that. So it’s actually been more of an effort for me to manage them. I am not a fan of Thailand but you’re right that the cues in the grocery stores are not as frustrating as Philippines. The Filipino grocery stores are so bizarre in their inefficiency. Almost as if they’re trying to be bad at their jobs. But to be fair, it seems more of an ownership/management issue.
I think its a huge part of the problem 👍
This reminds me of the quote, "When you live in the US you die from stress, when you live in the Caribbean you die from frustration."
That is a great quote, never heard it before, thanks 👍
Imho there is a heck of a lot of frustration in the USA, which subsequently leads to stress??
Try living in Germany....lol.
.
Also , I've had beards on n off since 1975. Longest 24 yrs , present one 6yrs....lol..
@@britgerus1956Glenn I went back to Germany this year, and Germany really fell off.
Simon, hate to break it to you, but your rant videos are your best ones!!
😂😂
Action starts at 7 mins in. There are several cultural nuances which contribute to the downstream effects you've experienced.
1. Honor culture - this causes all sorts of inefficiencies as a "loss of face" is considered a higher value than Contract Enforcement.
2. Lack of Contract Enforcement - influenced by visible systemic corruption throughout all islands.
3. What's in it for me? The wage staff has very little incentive to do a good job as often there are monopolies which prevent you from using a competing service.
4. Resource management allocation. From observation the standard P.I. retail operation does not encourage best practices or lessons learned from foreign business models and standards.
Your irritation with what you have experienced seems measurably justified.
Hi Simon.
I agree 👍 with you and the reasons why you had been "aggrivated" in this past week.
Hope it all gets better soon mate.
Just remember this,..."PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE" !!!
Take care and be lucky.
Thanks mate, you too. Be lucky
I left Thailand after 5 years as I got bored of the weather. I missed the seasons. Hot and dry or hot and wet day in day out takes it's toll.
Simon, the thing that shits me the most about the Philippines is the service. I hate when I walk into a building and staff just stand there talking to themselves instead of serving you.
I hear you 👍
Echo all of your frustrations and anyone contemplating the move
is invaluable. Personally the good outways the bad and have learned to always carry a bucket full of
patience with me but will still get frustrated and have a rant from time to time about customer service. Keep up the good work.
Best wishes to you and Ellen
Take care Jim
Thanks Jim, all the best to you and Nora mate 👍
I was there for just 5 weeks in February for the first time.
I experienced all of the above frustrations, and a few more. Good for you to get it off your chest and like you said, no disrespect to the Filipino people. Above and beyond all, its still better than the decadent West. Liked and subscribed 👍
Thanks my friend. Welcome to the channel 👍
@@SpeakingofAsiathanks mate👍
The thing that i find out funny is the metro dept store, they have one register open. Yet, they have so so many floor people standing around doing nothing. There was 10 people in line to pay, and about 20 or so standing around on the sales floor.
The water is a very frustrating problem. You need it to cook with, drink, make coffee, brush teeth, etc. We complained and now ask for 3 bottles at a time because it takes too long when you have no water. I understand your frustration.
Our grocery store has literally 50 check out stations with almost all working. However they still have 6 to 7 deep. The lines move at a very slow pace.
I do not understand the process of using the credit card or ATM card. Now sure why they have to enter all these things in the register, then write things down in a book. If you expect to tap to pay and walk away, that does not happen in a lot of places.
As a Pinoy, I support this message, and to any Pinoys who disagree, folks, we won't change things if you keep thinking it's ok to have our culture this way...truth is the path to pride, pride at the expense of truth gets us...well, this...
Thank you, I appreciate your support 👍
In the US we are trained to immediately think of a solution to a problem. So if we see all these employees and the service is bad. We can immediately identify the problem and how to solve the problem. It is amazing they can't think of solutions. We are trained to put systems in place even if we have no knowledge of that business.
I agree with all you said I been in Philippines nearly 6 years need massive patience and adjustable spirit even listening to your video it kept freezing bz internet here and had a run in with neighbor last week bz sounds I did loose it after 3 years tolerating his karaoke yes it's more fun in Philippines compared to the UK it's still no brainer 😊
You are saying don't rush in the same as Reekay said 10 years ago. I think the reason people don't listen is that they are rushing to get our of their old life so quickly that they don't think through how it is there. I have had all the same experiences as you so I just go there for a holiday when I am relaxed but I live in Japan, where everything works properly
I agree Paul !!! It can get on your nerves!! It never seems to change, keep up the good videos ❤cheers Guy ( and your new partner)
Thanks mate, much appreciated but I'm not Paul 👍
Hi Simon, laughing my ass off and thank you, you portray daily life here perfectly, 100% correct.
Sometimes it does make you stop and wonder WTF, but here in Laguna the good days still outweigh the bad ones and still a million times better than the UK, I stopped trying to make sense of things long ago, our local SM has about 24 tills but in 15 years I have never seen more than 6 open, ( that was during COVID), the management should be fired for wasting money, lol.
Take a step back and breathe, and yes it may be coincidental but I started to grow a beard a few years ago 😂and things have…. Been the same😂, it is more fun in the Philippines.
Take care and chill.
Thanks mate, be lucky 👍
By the way, you could set up a fairly cheap solar system now to avoid the power cuts. It's quite simple to set up to. Solar panel. solar controller, and inverter and a battery and Bob's your proverbial.
Good advice, thanks 👍
why not buy one of those 3-stage water filters and hook it up to the kitchen tap? should be available with all those hardware stores around now. at least tie you over during an emergency or even do away completely with the commercial filtered water. so self-filter then boil for drinking if especially worried; surely the domestic piped supply is not so terrible that those self initiated actions would be enough.
It's an option and if we continue to have problems it's something I'll look into 👍 Hopefully, the water station will start delivering again and we won't have to 🤞
Taking into account all the issues (food, infrastructure, service, inefficiency embedded in every organisation/business, general lack of initiative among the populace, etc) I think overall the Phillipines is too expensive. Time is money. Spending the better part of a day on tedious chores or appointments with the bureaucracy. Think I could live in Japan over the Philippines (and forgo the easygoing Filipinos in exchange for food, efficiency, infrastructure but also the sterner Japanese)
Will have to check out the Kingswick next time we are in Dumaguete. Used to imagine I could live in Philippines but a month near Bayawan reminded me that its got too many drawbacks. Its good to have a whinge once in a while.
One thing I found funny about processes in the Philippines is drive thru fast food. You pay at one window and then you must give the receipt to the worker at the pick up window like someone is going to cut the line and grab your food. I totally agree with your opinion of customer service there. Sometimes there is a sign saying something like "The customer always comes first" but you're getting the worst service you can imagine.
It's funny, when I first moved here an American guy asked me if I had tried many of the slow food joints in town. He was referring to McDonalds, Jollibee etc 😂😂
I lived in india for 20 years and can speak fluetly but will embrace western civilization any day of the week over what they had their literally chaos
I never had a bad week in over 40 years in the Philippines but I have had a few bad days. 1 Food poisoning at Kenny Rodger gloriette. Bomb went of on Valentines day Ayala bus station. No hot food brown out 2008 Typhoon Ondoy, 2015 they closed decades and 2022 they closed café Havana. Don't know how you guys survive without living in a Condo.
On the up. !!🎉🎉
I live in a tiny village in Northern Thailand, power goes off weekly when big storms hit and even so today I ran out of water, called the guy and he came over in an hour on his motorbike who 2 boxes of water. Maybe it's time to move back to the land of smiles. :)
It's very tempting at times 👍
Have you been to an Indian airport for a transfer? Bombay airport was the most frustrating places on earth. So inefficient with masses of staff doing the same job badly. Reason? It's an overpopulated country and they get jobs via family connections so companies are over staffed. Same in the Philippines. A 3rd World country with too many people doing (or not doing) the same role combined with poor pay and lack to promotion opportunities. Anyway. Good informative video. COYI 😊
Thanks mate 👍
I really enjoyed that rant, sounds so true so its allowed innit😊
Glad you enjoyed it 👍
... interesting thought... I think another thing is on top of that: general reluctance to act responsible
Very good vid for people that never been. You can build a wonderful illusion of the Philippines. You will never know unless you come over for yourself. It takes a certain type not everyone loves it. Fortunately for me its my dream come true. Don't ask why its just the way it is.
Why??? Just joking mate 😂It's fantastic that your dream has come true 👍
Let me preface this by saying that I have been living in SE Asia since 1988. 36 years, with time split into different stints in several countries. I'm 61 and retired, married to a Filipina decades ago, with a 27 year old son, who happily lives ans work in Metro Manila, and been back in the Philippines for 5 years in this latest stint, following a 6 year stint in Bangkok. If you have not realised that EVERY country has its quirks and annoyances, then you need to get around more.
I presume you came out to Philippines because you got fed up with the UK? My brother tells me customer services is crap in the UK nowadays. Arguably, in many respects, he says, worse than it is out here. If you can't accept the quirks of the country you have chosen to stay in (nobody forced you to come to the Philippines, did they?), then you need to either go back and enjoy the UK's quirks again or go and deal with the quirks in some other SE Asian country. You need to learn to let these things wash over you.
To put it into context, you were not without water. You had the option to go and buy some from another outlet. Or you could have thought ahead and taken the empties with you to the water filling station and exchanged them for full ones. And the rubbish is a minor issue, if they're only a day late. Certainly not enough to "fill up the garden", I am sure. And the queues in the supermarket? Did it occur to you that other staff probably aren't trained to operate the tills? Companies are very strict with cash-handling jobs in the Philippines. That's just the way it is. Foreigners can't come here and expect to impose their values on the locals. This is their country, so we either go with the flow and adapt or move on to some other place and complain about that, and then move again... and again... because nowhere matches your expectations, even your your home country is pretty sh*t in many of the same aspects.
As, I said in the video it's always expats like yourself that jump on with all this "go back to the UK bollocks!" First of all this is not your Country so I'm not interested in whether you think I should be here or not, it is of zero interest to me. Secondly " I need to get about more" have you ever watched my channel. I'm 52 years old I've been to 75 countries, I've lived in 10 of them. As I said in the video for the past 10 years I've been living in South East Asia. I came here after 8 plus years in Thailand & Cambodia, I haven't called the UK home in a long, long time. "I need to travel more", do me a favour 😂😂😂
@@SpeakingofAsiathis argument always bothered me as well, maybe I am not born there but I am a fu. Kin customer and my money is just as good as any native, so my opinion does matter. Also just because you have the patience of saint doesn't make you right
Great rant x I am leaving England next month, it's gone. But the Philippines is just too hot for me. I prefer the mountains and lakes. Shame it looks great value.
Best of luck wherever you decide to go 👍
@@SpeakingofAsia Cheers fella. I am going to Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Perfect weather and each village or town around the lake has a completely different atmosphere.
Also , I've had beards on n off since 1975. Longest 24 yrs , present one 6yrs....lol..
I can relate to your rant.You cant put brains into coconuts.Easy things made difficult,i,ve got used to it all and let it go over my head.
the food in phils is worse than dog poop lets be honest
Agreed!
In your opinion...i have discovered delicious, flavourful dishes..bulalo beef soup, sinigang soup, lechon kawali (crispy pork) from Batangas, bagnet pork from Ilocos Norte, grilled bangus stuffed with tomato, onion, chili, and fresh, zesty kalamansi juice so refreshing to name just a few. Each to their own but dont write off all Filipino cuisine.
@@timtarlac3476 ok whatever man you cant accept your country is the worst in the world and the food is worst than dog poop ALL OF IT
thats okey but dont tell that face to face they might cut your pen*s and feed to their dog,,,
Thailand is a much easier place to live than the Philippines. It's not even close.
Thailand is a 2nd World country now. It is developing and wealthy. Massive Chinese investment. The Philippiness is still very Third World in places. People going there need to be aware of that.
I lived there recently for 2 years and I agree completely in all aspects of life. I prefer life here in the Philippines only because I'm super happily married with a couple baby boys hahaha. If I could bring my family there free of visa issues I would consider it.
If you are a Brit and rely on your pension, don't choose Thailand, you will not receive your annual state pension increase, in the Philippines you do, be careful where you choose to retire to..
I would imagine the biggest problem in Thailand is the language issue. Just being able to sort everyday things out in English in the Philippines is a huge advantage and has less stress.
@@Britilocano I guess that’s the intrigue of living there haha. I found learning language basics in Thai is much easier than Visaya. The English is refreshing and crucial to have a meaningful relationship with
growing a beard did lots of good things for me
I'ts working me too mate, at least it is so far 🤞
I’d love to see the quiz questions 😂 Can you post them in the comments?
I can't mate, they're on power point
@@SpeakingofAsia I’ve got poeepoint
Not uncommon several staff dont show up on the same day. Sometimes they simply don't bother even coming back. Most are paid so little they leave as soon as they find something to pay more. Overstaffing prevents being caught short.
I'm sure you'r right but surely the solution is to pay more, include bonuses and commissions etc so that staff have incentives and they do turn up for work.
@@SpeakingofAsia One would think that would work. Not sure it would be a good idea to offer that to just anyone who applied and finding the right staff for it to work is probably harder than it appears.
I'm hearing you.
I will never understand why a business puts obstacles in your way of spending cash. Defeats the whole purpose of opening their doors.
Get em in. Keep em happy and get em out... relieved of some of their cash. Works every time.
I know mate, it's soooo stange 🤔
Roads,roosters,customer service,karakoe 😳 ffs id be long gone.ive no patients so phils is not for me.
I experienced a bit of the service issue in cambodia but they are improving
Obviously this would not be content I’d want to watch on the regular BUT I appreciate this video. Cheers
Cheers mate, don't worry I'm not going to turn into a 24/7 moan channel, this was a one off 👍
I for one like your rants 😅@@SpeakingofAsia
Simon
Trouble in paradise.
I know some points are possibly uniique to the Philippines, however as I have mentioned previously; 3 yrs ago i returned to the UK , following over 40 years living n working overseas.
So I've found that many things here have gone down hill, as they had in the US , where I'd spent the last 20yrs prior to returning to the UK. Plus I'd first worked n lived in the US in 1978, where it was much much better.
Here in the UK Ive stopped eating out due to many of the points you've mentioned....
Maybe its just me ....lol...
My take is that its the world of today....
Which makes me glad that im an old fart, who is glad in sooooo many ways that hes not a young guy in the weird n wonderful world of today...lol...
All in all i agree with you 100%...
Enjoy your day
Cheers
Glenn
In closing great video, again good luck making the 4k subs ASAP....
I hear you Glenn, maybe the world is changing for the worse or maybe were just getting older mate? I suspect it's a bit of both 😂. Be lucky my friend 👍
I have been living out here in SE Asia for 36 years, in various countries, but now retired in the Philippines. I dread the thought of ever having to go back and live in the UK!
@@QuicknStraightthen don’t…lol…
@@britgerus1956Glenn I don't plan to! lol
I read a great book about the history and customs of the Philippines, helped me so much to know what to expect. However I understand some of your frustrations. COYI
Thanks mate, I've just seen your reply on your video mate. That's great, I'll email you!
Sorry I haven't replied sooner, I should have checked before. Be lucky mate COYI👍
Can you tell us the book name and author ? I would be interested in reading that. Paul (West Ham fan since 1980)
I'm going back to the the UK on Wednesday for a month. I'll do a you tube today mate.@@SpeakingofAsia
@@paulokeefe2737I gave it away, but you could get the same info on a Google search.
@@colinkosky OK mate, safe journey. I'll touch base with you when you get back. Be lucky 👍
But we do take a lot for granted in the US. Constant electricity and water. Hot water 24/7. Take long baths. Pay those bills with a few key strokes. Supermarket full of food...always in stock....
If i could afford to live in the US i would stay in the US. My disability income is less than $1k, my biggest expense is repaurs to my old vehicle.
I also need help as my chronic health issues make it difficult to get out of bed some days to ho get groceries etc.
That is why i have to leave the US. I will miss living in the US because having running water, 24/7 hot water. Absolutely zero brown outs. I know the brown outs are going to be difficult. I take that back, i did lose electricity once but i got a text from the electric company that a truck ran into an electric pole and they gave an estimate of the time to repaire it. They even sent another tect to say it may be another 30 mins longer but in 20 minutes it was back on.
Yes, the US if you are an employee you are told to drop everything you are doing and attend to the customer. Unreal...i can't stand lazy people! Yes we have so much efficiency in the US.
I do get upset sometimes if the staff are slow and i will make a nasty comment to let them know i am not happy.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry???? 😅😅😅😅
You should put the mug down instead of doing that slow juggling from hand to hand.
I have always said, the best way to tell if a foreigner has been in Philippines a long time, is to see how angry he is. The longer one is here, gradually, the more angry he gets. Its always the ones who are living in a dreamworld, that have zero anger.
Get to the point. You spent the first 5 minutes talking about nothing.
Agreed...
Mate why apologise to people whether they’re Filipino or not? It’s still your experience and your thoughts mate. If somebody else feelings are hurt , that’s not your problem. Just means they’re thin skinned.mate
Because he is a GUEST there. It's called 'having manners', so I'm guessing you're not familiar with those being an American? (or acting like one?)
And yet 100 staff who get paid just enough to feed their family, feed there family.
If you don’t have patience don’t live in the Philippines. I am not a patient person I left the Philippines. It can play havoc with your limbic system. 😊
You’re really interesting😊
😉
You/Filipina ought to visit mainland China and Taiwan 🇹🇼 for a couple months, regroup and recoup. Return to PH.
Then travel to 🇹🇷 Turkey with your Filipina. Enjoy your videos. Cheers
Thanks for the advice mate, it's appreciated but I'm guessing you must be new to my channel? China is the last place in the world that I'll be going th-cam.com/video/Tz3h_DXoL9s/w-d-xo.htmlsi=nZmkeQavln8gjw0L
Food is the same the world over, the difference is in knowing how to cook. As to clean water, we keep a couple extra 'jugs' around in case of delay in delivery, plus there's dozens of local trike drivers that will gladly go fetch some for 50P (or less). And you're lucky to have garbage pick up at all, our neighbors burn theirs, plastic & all! And the TOXIC smoke is quite sickening, literally. But spot on about most of what you say. There seems to be no 'culture' of 'customer service' in many places, which to me shows lack of training & organization.
Get on with it 5 minutes you said nothing.. 😮
Exactly
Poor dear. Lost 5 minutes of your VERY important life that you will NEVER get back!! HAHAHA
I'm easy going guy too mate but had a few issues myself moved south of Cebu about 6 months ago signed a 1 year and there was a dought then so had trouble with the water and city but got that solved then met couple guys that own trikes here hired them do couple odd jobs everything great for a while then needed a long trike ride and needed to return next day guy says give me 200 I'll take you back well wasn't able to go back till following day cound't find him got his buddy got back he wanted 200 I tried to explain but anyway give him the 200 then I guess week later needed same trip different guy guess what he wanted 200 and I gave quit using all 3 for while we they knew we since worked it out didn't mean to write book I could go on but I know what you mean
Mate, I can relate to that 100% On the whole I thnk the Filipino people are a very good sort. Hearts of gold the vast majority of them but the obvious exception seems to be trike drivers. I've met a couple of OK ones but most of the trike drivers, at least in Dumaguete anyway, are less than honest to say the least.
@@SpeakingofAsia well I think these guys didn't know me and now they do and I'm using them again some but they know,they know and so do I maybe I'm wrong but all 3 changed a little for the better were friends again
I keep missing parts of your conversation, due to your strong accent. Sorry, I can't stay on your channel 🤷
I am out too ..
I love his cockney accent. I live in America but this guy reminds me of home. I get every word. COYI
@@paulokeefe2737 COYI ⚒
Dear , all these are minors things compare to the hospital bill that will leave you bankrupt
...And breeaathe.
😂
@@SpeakingofAsia 😂
Why not try Benidorm and your fellow countrymen?
Because I would miss people like you!
Did you not hear of Brexit?
If you read my long story below 1 of my tirke drivers is neighbors water man so I bought couple bottles put with theres the other is there trash man so 🤣 yeah theres ways around
@)06:00 Poor country? Many countries are poor, including the UK and the USA. LOL.
The US isn't poor ,just one gets a good drink or share of the pie on average
So many problems in the Philippines. Fact.
When you know, you know 👍
Every country has problems, you can't take it out easily....
Go. To. Another. Place. Get water