Jollibee Padala: Making Ordinary Days Extra-Ordinary

Ever heard of Jollibee Padala?

I first heard of them last month.  There was a phone call, which, sadly, didn’t end well, because either I have paranoia in my genes, or just being too careful.  With all the cellphone scams going around, I think it makes sense to be wary at all times.

Just look at this text message I received late last year.

Secret code, really?  Sorry, dude!  I’m just not that gullible.

So when some guy called asking for my home address, it just didn’t fly.

You be the judge.  If you were me, what would you have done?  How would you have handled the call?  Below is the actual conversation in Tagalog, which I translated to English

Caller: May I speak with Mrs. Marge Aberásturi?
Me: Yes, this is Marge.
Caller: Ma’am, good morning. I have something for you from Jollibee padala. Can I confirm your address?
Me: Ok, go ahead. [Waiting for him to give me something I can actually confirm]
Caller: Ma’am, what’s your complete address?
Me: Please check your record. Please tell me what you have and I’ll confirm.
Caller: I need to know your complete address.
Me: So tell me what you have there, and I’ll confirm if it’s correct.
Caller: I just need to confirm your address, Ma’am.
Me:  Listen, you called me. I have no idea how you got my number. Now you want me to tell you my address.  Not gonna happen.  You tell me what you know is my address, and I’ll tell you if what you have is correct
Caller: Okay.  So do you know anyone from abroad?
Me: Yes..
Caller: Can you give me names at random?
Me: Oh dear, sorry.  Not gonna happen.
[I switched off the phone.]

A week later, there was another call:

MyBrother:  Baby, has Jollibee delivered? I saw their advert on TFC (The Filipino Channel) and I just thought I’d try.  I would have preferred Shakey’s, but your area is not in their list, so I settled for Jollibee.  I wanted to suprise the kids, but I’m wondering why it’s been a week and you have not acknowledged or mentioned it. When I check online, I see the status as on hold.

Boom!

I have made peace with myself that I have just carelessly forfeited my chance to have free chicken joys, and promised the kids that we can still have spaghetti and sundae on my payday.  My brother, on the other hand, was like, “Oh, it’s a small amount.  I just tested the service anyway.”

So we have forgotten about it.

And then early this month, I received another call.  This time, it’s a feminine voice on the other end, and she asked the right questions.  Like, “We just want to know if there is a landmark near you.  And is this alternate number, +63 9xx xxx xxxx, that was provided still active?  What is your relationship with _____?  What is the nearest Jollibee branch that you know of?”  I was just happy to confirm with her all the information that I know she has.

It was late in the afternoon, and the lady said they can deliver within the hour after we terminate the call.  Apparently, the call was coming from their main office in Manila, and they dispatch deliveries based on the customer’s location.  While we were still on the call, she was checking which among the branches near us is a delivery branch.  After she was able to identify which branch to send our package from, she told me that we would receive it within the hour.

But realizing that it was late, and my sister was arriving from Manila to spend the weekend with us the next day, I requested that the package be delivered the following day instead, in time for lunch, so that my sister could also partake of the blessing.

I really appreciate the fact that Jollibee still pulled through despite the long time that elapsed.  And that they were really prompt after all the initial hassle.  By the way, my brother mentioned that Jollibee was supposed to make the call within 24 hours after his card was charged.  Which I believe they did.  It’s just that the one who made the call was not properly trained in the verification process.

If Jollibee can address that particular kink in the process, I think this service is really a great idea.  Even Shakey’s, according to my brother, offers this.  With different providers to choose from, family members abroad can easily send loved ones a treat on special occasions.   Or maybe even on ordinary days.  After all, we don’t need to wait for a special occasion to celebrate, do we?

Here’s our treat all the way from California.