If somebody knocks on your door saying he wants to check whether your LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) tank is safe to use, don’t be too eager to let him in.
A friend who was visited by such a “safety inspector” ended up paying P5,000 to replace the tank’s hose and regulator, which I think cost only about P200. I told her she was lucky that was all she lost.
There is no telling what these people are after. They may be trying to case the joint, so to speak, determining if there are enough valuable items in the house that can merit a return “visit.”
They may not even wait to make a return visit if they find that nobody in the house will be able to offer resistance if they have sinister plans.
Almost every year I get a visit from such LPG “inspectors.” The earlier callers claimed to be from an office attached to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). I think I’ve written in a previous column that DTI denied it was sending out people to check the safety of LPG tanks in residences.
The department said it did its quality and safety checks at the company level, not house to house to ensure compliance with its regulations.
This recent would-be visitor mumbled the name of an agency, which definitely did not sound like DTI or the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP). He said it was part of a fire prevention campaign.
The timing of the visit alone seemed curious. Such campaigns are usually conducted in March when the country marks Fire Prevention Month. The rainy season has started, according to Pagasa (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration), and people’s attention is turned to flooding and typhoons.
Why wasn’t the campaign coordinated with barangay officials so they could inform us of the visits?
If you are concerned about your LPG tank, tell your dealer next time you order a replacement that you want your setup checked for leaks and other possible problems. The delivery person can do the simple test advise you if there’s a need to change the hose and/or regulator.
I have shifted to Solane after learning that its staff conducts seven checks right at your home when a replacement is delivered. Checking for leaks is one of the things the delivery person does.
And please keep reminding every member of the household, especially your kasambahay, not to let in strangers no matter what.
Bigger but not cheaper
Recently I bought some wet wipes from a popular drugstore chain. A pack of 10 sheets was priced at P19, so I assumed a pack of 20 would cost twice that amount, if not less. Imagine my confusion when the bigger pack turned out to be more expensive at P39.
Do the math—P19 times two is P38. So the 20-piece pack is more expensive by a peso. I decided to just get two 10-sheet packs. I have found the same kind of skewed pricing in a major department store.
Next time you go shopping, take the time to do simple computations and don’t be quick to assume that you will save money by getting bigger packs of products.
PRC Week
The culmination activity for the annual celebration of PRC (Philippine Regulatory Commission) Week will be held today, June 21, at Robinsons Place Manila. PRC officials will attend the event. To be shown is an audiovisual presentation on the new PRC Service Centers in Robinsons Malls.
There are now eight PRC Service Centers in different Robinsons Malls. More are scheduled to open within a year or so.
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