I am in for any joint action. As TS says, we are legal residents, APRC holders, we have local credit cards. We should be in equal conditions with any snoot nosed kid who shops from his college dorm, and I think we won’t be scammed that easily. So, why, in the name of all Shopaholics out there, don’t we have the right to shop on line, just because our IDs do not have the requisite amount of numbers?
I would even argue that excluding foreigners goes against Taiwan’s WTO provisions. If an international company -PC Home- cannot offer the same international service here, that does not look good for Taiwan’s “liberalization and internationalization” policy.
But then I am preaching to the choir. Who do we need to get in touch with to move this along?
Things change in Taiwan when there’s enough letter writing and enough people making a kufuffle with a good point.
Keep in mind Taiwan’s foreign population is overwhelmingly blue-collar. Exploited and vulnerable domestic helpers aren’t going to complain about how they can’t buy a humidifying micromist fragrance diffuser in cyan cobalt blue on PChome.
Those with the luxury to complain are a minority.
I have a coworker making the purchases for me on ruten. I have also managed to create a new Paypal account and associate it to my Taiwanese bank account (it took me like 30 fuckin’ minutes to explain the bank what was going on with the Paypal 40 NT charge and get the freaking code!). You can not use your ARC/passport for registering on Ruten, but there are always other ways.
I think one of the biggest issues is that the government continues to use ID numbers for foreigners that are different from the local format. Lots of businesses have systems set up to accept ID numbers that start with one letter instead of two, and it’s too mafan for them to change their systems. Rather than do all that work, they just say they won’t do business with foreigners. Rather than go to each company that does this, why not write to the government?
Thinking hypothetically here (mostly) but I wonder if there’s any possibility of government administrative action in such cases. Can companies refuse to recognize a legally-issued government ID number as being such?
That’s a separate requirement though. I doubt there’s even any law preventing companies from doing business with non-ROC-nationals if they don’t wish to. I’m talking about situations where only a valid ID number would be required to complete a registration etc., but the government-issued ID number is being rejected as invalid.
Not being able to cash in receipt lottery winners at 7-11 might be a good example. We have to go to the post office because our foreigner ID numbers are recognized by the system. We’re allowed to win though.
Edit - Although I’m not sure if the new electronic system was set up by the government or the convenience stores themselves…
Mmm, wonder if we could argue that the company is not complying with government regulations, then. [/quote]
Yes, Icon. That’s the way. But don’t give too much of our hand away. Are we proven to be responsible residents? “Yes”. Show it.
This is discrimination. Discrimination of law abiding average people looks bad to cameras and international media. We can pull off what some well know civil rights voices (right or wrong) do in America.
Even if a few of us are $&#^#&$. The merchandise won’t get delivered or returned to the shops. Let’s demand a list of how many locals don’t pay up. I bet a higher average of Westerners meet their obligations. But that’s distracting the point.
As an organization.
Hmmm… Mr Skype. Are you sure you should stay contracted with PC home. Why not join Yahoo or (another company that does the same thing). You must be against the right of all residents to have the freedom to purchase. I just want to buy a popcorn maker. No local store sells them. But Ruten does. You say I can’t have that popcorn maker.
Possible Rebuttal: You’re married to a Taiwanese. You have Taiwanese friends. Just get them to buy it for you.
Answer: My wife is against popcorn! I love it. I don’t have to ask someone just because I want to buy a popcorn maker or a $&^##. Don’t i have a right to privacy or be on my own.
Really. SOMEONE DRAFT A GROUP LETTER IN CHINESE AND ENGLISH. THEN LET US SIGN IT. Then we will start an E-mail and phone campain.
On Receipt winnings… I didn’t know foreigners were banned from getting cash for lottery winnings 7-11. I got offered to spend the money on products at 7-11. As far as I knew, 7-11 did not give cash to anybody. I cashed my receipts at banks and post offices. Stupid me did not know that I could have had the tax refunded. Oh well… too late.
On Receipt winnings… I didn’t know foreigners were banned from getting cash for lottery winnings 7-11. I got offered to spend the money on products at 7-11. As far as I knew, 7-11 did not give cash to anybody. I cashed my receipts at banks and post offices. Stupid me did not know that I could have had the tax refunded. Oh well… too late.[/quote]
I’m not sure if you could ever get cash from the receipts, but before they switched to the computerized system, I could use the receipts to get things from the store. Now, they have to input ID numbers into the computer to use the winnings, but when they put in mine, they get an error message and it won’t go through. They told me that I need to complain to the post office about this. They said that’s who made the system.
On Receipt winnings… I didn’t know foreigners were banned from getting cash for lottery winnings 7-11. I got offered to spend the money on products at 7-11. As far as I knew, 7-11 did not give cash to anybody. I cashed my receipts at banks and post offices. Stupid me did not know that I could have had the tax refunded. Oh well… too late.[/quote]
I’m not sure if you could ever get cash from the receipts, but before they switched to the computerized system, I could use the receipts to get things from the store. Now, they have to input ID numbers into the computer to use the winnings, but when they put in mine, they get an error message and it won’t go through. They told me that I need to complain to the post office about this. They said that’s who made the system.[/quote]
Yes. I think this all goes down to laziness of the programmer. They seem to forget that there are different systems. I have not won anything with the new electronic system yet. Let’s build a block and complain on that too. One reason I got a Chinese name a long time ago was the way my English name was truncated. Awful.
When I get some time to waste, I will call, try to get a representative that speaks good English and share with them my feelings that they are discriminatory. That no international firm that I know of denies service to any legal resident, citizen or not, wanting to do business within that country. Also, as they are the only supplier of what I want, they are causing hardship.
After I’m denied, I wil say that we are forming an organization to take publicize what is going on and possible take legal action.
I did use that method a few times but it was long ago. Usually they would crack and make an exception. Just for me. Then just for the next guy and so on and so on.
For you newcomers… When I came here. I had to choose between a visa based on my spouse with no right to work or a visa based on my employer with permission to work. I had an A-hole boss at the time, and when I talked to him about switching visas, he used he threw that choice in my face. Fortunately at the time, through lobbying the law had changed a month later. Told the boss to stick it in his ear.
Just before my first was born, children of foreign fathers would have to leave the country upon turning legal age. It didn’t matter if the father was dead, a dead beat or still living in Taiwan. Moms, did not matter. That changed. Now moms get to keep the kid right or wrong.
Then a few years later, came the open work permit. So we’ve come a long way. I will not give up my us citizenship until I see if Taiwan is a secure country or America goes down hill. Let’s get our right to “spend our dough”. I’m kind of tired of fighting. Get someone else to scream.
If you go back in time far enough, you get when the children of foreigner fathers did not have the right to citizenship/stay here, when we foreigners couldn’t apply for NHI, or as Ironlady recalls, when you were not even allowed to be paid in local cash!
So everything changes, hopefully for the better. I think I’ll mosey to the Consumer Agency, see what’s their take on this matter.
[quote=“Icon”]If you go back in time far enough, you get when the children of foreigner fathers did not have the right to citizenship/stay here, when we foreigners couldn’t apply for NHI, or as Ironlady recalls, when you were not even allowed to be paid in local cash!
So everything changes, hopefully for the better. I think I’ll mosey to the Consumer Agency, see what’s their take on this matter.[/quote]
I’d “like” you if this discussion were in an other place. But let’s keep it clean. Please do find out. I hope the law is on our side. If not, then we still can persue it by group letter writing, public embarrassment and rewarding and praising businesses that are reasonable.
(Why does Yahoo have a HIGHER SHIPPING COST TO 7-11 for COD? Almost Double that of Ruten. I chose Family Mart and got a bit cheaper price but still more expensive than 7-11. Is my favorite Chain chiseling retailers? ) The cost of the items I want to buy are about the same.
[quote=“Taiwan_Student”][quote=“Icon”]If you go back in time far enough, you get when the children of foreigner fathers did not have the right to citizenship/stay here, when we foreigners couldn’t apply for NHI, or as Ironlady recalls, when you were not even allowed to be paid in local cash!
So everything changes, hopefully for the better. I think I’ll mosey to the Consumer Agency, see what’s their take on this matter.[/quote]
I’d “like” you if this discussion were in an other place. But let’s keep it clean. Please do find out. I hope the law is on our side. If not, then we still can persue it by group letter writing, public embarrassment and rewarding and praising businesses that are reasonable.
(Why does Yahoo have a HIGHER SHIPPING COST TO 7-11 for COD? Almost Double that of Ruten. I chose Family Mart and got a bit cheaper price but still more expensive than 7-11. Is my favorite Chain chiseling retailers? ) The cost of the items I want to buy are about the same.[/quote]
Ayio, what I mean is that I agree with you. Things were even worse before. So, like you say, we can expect silly stuff like a couple of numbers/letters foul up to be cleared soon. Things are getting better and better.
The agency used to be close by. I have to look up their new location, and use my charms to figure out if the law is on our side. Logic says it should be. If the law is OK, then the agency can intervene on our behalf as consumers to press the big guys to adjust their settings.
My take is that Yahoo is more reliable and probably the extra cost means you get a tracking number. But yeah, that sounds weird.
By the way have you tried contacting the seller directly? If you click on its “about” page, sometimes it will have their phone number or email. You can then contact the seller directly and buy stuff from them. Who wouldn’t want a sale without fees?
[quote=“Taiwan Luthiers”]By the way have you tried contacting the seller directly? If you click on its “about” page, sometimes it will have their phone number or email. You can then contact the seller directly and buy stuff from them. Who wouldn’t want a sale without fees?[/quote][quote=“Taiwan Luthiers”]Ruten is only a trading platform, it’s up to the seller.
I can help you buy stuff on ruten in the meantime until they get their acts together…[/quote]
Thanks 'Luthiers. I have a few was of getting these things at “no additional cost” by going through friends or through the wife. Maybe I should not be kicking down these safety values stopping me from parting with my money. But, sometimes you just want that impulse purchase and not have to screen it through your better half.
Contact the seller. Would postage be higher? My language is not that good. I’d still have to use intermediaries to buy something so I’m back as I was before. Unless, I could get a better half. I don’t buy that often. so I would not know.
It may be up to the sellers to decide, but I can’t even register without the being able to enter my id number in the system for the sellers to decide for themselves.
Again… How can a Foreign Devil cheat them the sellers so much that they won’t even allow the Foreign Devil to purchase something.
Credit card? Well I have a Taiwanese credit card. If it is defective or bad, yes. I would cancel payment and return item. Wouldn’t anyone. If I had bad credit. Purchase won’t be approved.
COD? The mail man or store clerk won’t give me the package. It goes back. The seller may have to eat the shipping costs but… are we more or less likely to do something like that than a local.
I want to know now… How can I cheat you man… (As you see, part of my strategy is to annoy the other party until he just pays me to go away… but I’m too far for this kind of attack)
