What To Do When Your Phone Gets Stolen

Strike 1: My wallet got stolen.

Strike 2: My phone got snatched while I was riding the jeepney last week (Philcoa area, 5:00PM).

I was partly to blame since I was texting in transit, but it never came across my mind that someone would be interested in my crappy phone! Good thing I was never into techie stuff. Had I bought the latest iPhone or Samsung S-something, I would've cried buckets when this had happened. But since it was just a phone I used to text, call, and as alarm clock and calculator (haha), I just cursed once out of surprise and that was it. I was more sad about the SIM card I lost, since I had it since 2001.

But then, with this experience, I learned 3 (interesting) things worth sharing! Behold this "what to do when your phone gets stolen" kind of post. :D

Lesson #1: Even with a prepaid SIM, you can choose your desired mobile number (under Sun Cellular).

Right after the incident, I went to buy a new SIM. I spotted this at our friendly neighborhood kanto store. You can choose your 6-digit number, which I planned to name HELENB (435362) but failed since someone already used that combination. It's alright since that number was hard to memorize anyway. In the end, I was able to get my birthday number, and my friends thought I went postpaid. Nope, I got my birthday number for just P35.00! :D

Lesson #2: If you lose your prepaid SIM, you can still get the SAME cellphone number (under Globe). Yes, I was amazed, too.

I dropped by Globe in UP Technohub during my office lunch break and brought along my old SIM pack. (I love this branch since there's not much people so less waiting time compared to Trinoma or SM North!) After a short explanation on losing my phone and SIM, the Globe man borrowed my old SIM pack and valid ID to get some details.

I had to pay only P40.00, and after a few minutes, I got my activated new Globe SIM (with my old number - the one I had since 2001), and the remaining prepaid load still intact. My old SIM card which got stolen along with the phone was already inactive, without signal.

Lesson #3: If you have free time, you can have your stolen phone blocked FOREVER.

I got this phone for free from one of our business suppliers, so I think this one doesn't really cost much. If your expensive phone gets stolen, I think this step is worth going the extra mile for. Drop by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) office in Quezon City, bring 2 valid IDs and your phone's box with the IMEI No. intact. They will block your phone, and it will not be usable forever. Yey! Karma to the snatcher and whoever buys the stolen phone.

I feel sort of empowered knowing that you still have some form of control over your stolen phone. If you can't use it, then no one else can, too. Haha! I actually enjoyed doing this post, and I hope you learned a thing or two from my experience.

Love,

Helen

Buy Figaro Treats With Globe Reward Points!

I've been a Globe prepaid subscriber since 2001, and up until now I'm still using the same and only SIM card I've had since I was in Grade 5. It's been 12 years since I've had the same number, and though my SIM card is already yellow with age (it used to be white), I hope I could keep it for a few more years. I should really get a loyalty award from Globe, but only postpaid subscribers have that kind of thing. 

Right now, Globe has a rewards program for all their subscribers so that's better than nothing. MyRewards MyGlobe entitles each subscriber to earn points for every reload, and you can use these points to claim rewards. Over the year, I've accumulated a little over 1000 points (with the help of my family), and time came that I needed to finally use it since it would expire by the end of the month.

It was very timely as a week or two before the points would expire, I received a text message from Globe stating that I could claim Figaro treats in Figaro SM North EDSA and Tomas Morato using my Globe Reward Points. The so-called "exchange rate" for this promo was also very nice, as 1 point=1 peso! That means, each point is just good as cash when it comes to purchasing anything from Figaro.

The procedure was very easy. You'd just order as usual, and tell the cashier that you'd be paying with points. You'd need to text a keyword (which you'd find on the poster in store) to transfer the points to the Figaro branch you're in. If your purchase exceeds the number of points you have, you can just pay for the excess with cash. You need a minimum of 50 points to redeem this reward.

Using the Globe Reward Points, I treated my family to these: 

Cafe Mocha (P105.00 each/8 oz.)

Vanilla Frost (P135.00)

Arrabbiata (P179.00)

Al Tonno (P189.00)

Marble Cream Cheese Brownie (P70.00)

Pandan Cake (P110.00)

Figaro's Summer Fusion

I got curious with Figaro's newest offerings for this season, Summer Fusion. Only Four Seasons and Lychee Cucumber Fusion were available that day, so I chose the latter since it was more unique.

Lychee Cucumber Fusion (P125.00)

I actually loved this drink. It had a distinct but light cucumber flavor, like cucumber water with lychee juice combined. It even had real cucumber bits inside the drink. This one was a very light, refreshing drink with a very fresh flavor. I liked this better than the regular Figaro Frosts that I have tried before.

My sister wanted to try Figaro's Milk Tea Craze drinks, but only Honeydew Frost with Figaro Tea was available. I was told that the other flavors were already phased out. We didn't buy this using our points, but instead, we used our SM Advantage Card (SMAC) to avail of the Buy 1 Take 1 promo on the Milk Tea Craze drinks.

Honeydew Frost with Figaro Tea (P100.00 for 2, SMAC promo)

Thank you, MyRewards MyGlobe and Figaro Coffee Company for the treat! If you still have some Globe Reward Points, you better claim it before it expires. :)

Love,

Helen