Has the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) checked all the receipt-issuing meters installed in taxis? How will passengers know if meters have been approved by the agency?

I took a taxi last week and got issued a receipt that listed the date as 1/14/2000 or Jan. 14, 2000. The receipt did not have the name of the taxi company or contact details. I only found out about it when I got home and checked the receipt.

It is quite obvious this meter has not been checked by the LTFRB.

Another taxi I took last week issued a receipt dated about two weeks ago. But at least it had the name of the company, its telephone number and even the LTFRB’s own hotline.

Perhaps the Bureau of Internal Revenue should also monitor taxi meters, if it hopes to collect the correct taxes from operators.

Incidentally, not even a year has passed since taxis were required to issue receipts yet many meters are already breaking down. Many are unable to print receipts because the paper always gets stuck.

Did somebody make an offer on taxi meters that operators could not refuse, even if they are not the best available?

Feedback

Reader Roselle wants to bring to the attention of authorities taxi drivers who deliberately “forget” to give passengers their change. She says the worst part is that drivers make her feel like it is expected of her to leave a tip even if the service is bad.

I think a legislator has filed a bill that will make this practice of taxi drivers illegal. I hope, though, that bill will also cover retail establishments which also fail to give customers exact change, supposedly because of coin shortage.

Another reader, who asks not to be identified, wants to know why Goto King charges P5 per packaging for takeout food. She says the food establishment’s logo is printed on the box, so why should customers pay for something that advertises the company?

She wonders if other establishments also charge for packaging. In the case of Goto King, she says, the charge for packaging is listed separately and clearly on the receipts. She suspects other companies hide the charges by incorporating them in the prices of their products.

She says, since Goto King uses Styrofoam boxes, she cannot even get back what she paid for them as junk collectors and dealers do not buy those things.

Proper storage

Sally Wadyka, writing for MSN Health & Fitness, offers some tips on how to keep eggs fresh longer and safe for eating.

“Keeping eggs safe means keeping them cool. Make sure you purchase them from a refrigerated case and store them at home—in their carton—in the refrigerator,” she says.

If the “best if used by” date is stamped on the carton, that should be used as the safe-eating guide. But Wadyka says, as a general rule, eggs should last for about three weeks after you bring them home.

Buzzle.com explains why it is better to keep eggs in their original packaging when placed inside the refrigerator. The website says the protective cardboard slows down moisture loss, keeping the eggs from absorbing other odors and flavors of food in the ref. It has nothing to say though about plastic, which is now the packaging of choice in local groceries and supermarkets.

Eggs should be placed in the inner side of the fridge where the temperature is cool and consistent, it adds. “Storing them on the fridge door, where warm air enters each time the door is opened, can cause the eggs to deteriorate quickly,” it says.

I wonder why, if this is the case, ref manufacturers continue to have the egg shelf at the door.

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