Canadian Family Charged $2,500 US For Two Pizzas While On Holiday In The Philippines

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According to WalletPop, the family got more than they bargained for when they ordered two pizzas at a Pizza Hut in the Philippines. The family, from Alberta, CA, were mistakenly charged in US dollars and not Philippine pesos, running the credit card tab to a whopping $2,500 US.

It was apparently an error in currency conversion and one that looked to be causing quite an issue:

This ‘flaw’ converted all Philippine pesos into American funds. BDO [Banco De Oro] DID reverse the charge of 900+ pesos immediately. it was the charge of 1600+ that was not reversed right away. I called both BDO and Mastercard countless times and everyone was very polite. BDO informed me that the amount was reversed… but it wasn’t showing on my statement.

The local bank was wonderful and took care of the charges immediately but it looked as if some confusion might have caused a little stress with the remaining amount that was not showing up as reversed. However, one simple phone call to a television troubleshooter apparently got her the money back from the local credit card. The power of national reporting.

The honest mistake was one that can occur not matter where one travels and the woman did relay on her site that she adores the Philippines and they are wonderful people. She also stated that:

We have never encountered such kind, caring, genuine people as we did on our trip there. We were treated like royalty, greeted with smiles, and always had people willing to help wherever we went. They are not crooks. They are not theives. They are not rats. They are a society full of people that we would be very proud to call our friends. We were extremely fourtunate to have had the opportunity to have gone there.

As this couple will obviously return again to the wonderful Philippine Islands, this minor inconvenience serves as a lesson for many when it comes to travels abroad.