Ever since I noticed gas station workers sometimes tend to round liras when I ask them to fill up the whole tank, I’ve been asking them to fill up a certain amount of money.
Today, I passed by Total Gas Station on the Dora maritime road and asked the worker to fill up my car for 70,000 LL. I went to buy some stuff from the gas station’s grocery store and gave him my credit card. Once I got back in the car, he made me sign the receipt and gave me back 1000LL. I checked the counter and it said 68,456 Liras.
Not only did he charge the credit card before filling up my car, but he decided to keep 500 Liras to himself. I asked him why he only gave me back 1000 but he did not answer and gave me the extra 500 Liras. I did not bother get into an argument with him but I am going to email Total’s management about that.
This is no longer a rounding matter, but pure theft.
At least, you have the option of specifying the exact amount to be filled beforehand…
Let me invite you to Dissect an electricity bill (EDL):
Say your consumption and related taxes amount to (xxx)Thousand and (n) Liras where 1<n<999; These (n) Liras are rounded UP to the next Thousand LBP.
For example, if your Consumption is 44,002LBP, you end up paying 45,000LBP (round up=998LBP).
Similarly, if your Consumption is 44,997LBP, you also end up paying 45,000LBP (round up=3LBP).
Excellent.
On average, the Round Up amount will be 500LBP Per Bill (average of evenly-distributed round-ups from 001 to 999LBP).
Multiply by (at least) One Million Households and Shops that have a monthly EDL Bill, and end up with around 500 MILLION LBP of ROUND-UP (read:FREE) MONEY per Month, about $$$$4 Million per Year, raining upon our dearly beloved EDL form heaven above 🙂
Na3eeman.
P.S.: a big wink and thumbs UP to Sareen for the EDL-related expressive caricature…
https://blogbaladi.com/najib/lebanon/a-miracle-in-lebanon/
Off topic Najib.
But is this guy Lebanese? 😛
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GFmroBsfGRY
I once tried to pay with a small chiclets 500.LL because my total was 10.250 L.L and i had a 10thousand note and 100.000 L.L i didnt want to spend the 100.000 L.L just for 250L.L , so i gave her the chiclets she gave me a day before at the exact same supermarket , same cashier, it made a whole story, the supervisor had to come…i hate how all bills get round up in lebanon !