www.OhMyGas.com a fraud?

As you know, I'm thinking of cutting down costs. One of the most problematic money depleting assets of mine is, obviously my car. It's a Mitsubishi Adventure which gulps 55 liters (yet one of the most fuel efficient vehicles today---18 kilometers per liter). And you know the pump price of diesel right? Every week, I spend close to 2,000 pesos for fuel costs.

While writing my recent post at Facebook, I stumbled upon an invitation from www.ohmygas.com. As I learned later on, this is a site maintained by Streetedge Media, a local below-the-line advertising agency based in Makati City, specializing in this niche market of car advertising. They promised to give car owners 10,000 pesos every month in exchange for giving them advertising space. If you allow them to stick advertisements in your car, they'll initially give you 5,000 pesos and when you complete 1,000 kilometers, they will then honor their end of the bargain by giving you the rest of the 5,000. Not bad, given that this could possibly save me easily 10,000 pesos worth of fuel and car maintenance costs.

Me and my wife went to their Streetedge Media booth in Makati and registered our vehicle. We were made to pay 40 pesos as registration fee. Our vehicle was photographed. The speedometer was read and registered. And they posted a www.ohmygas.com sticker at the back of my car. The guy from Streetedge Media told me that the last week of November, they'll be a campaign and someone from their company will visit me and post the ad.

It's already December and no StreetEdge Media member in sight. And I'm beginning to think that I just paid 40 pesos for them to post their sticker in my car. No hi, no hello. Nothing. And I'm starting to think that I've been had.

I'm starting to consider complaining but I am giving the Streetedge Media people the space they need to explain their side. A promise is a promise. I promise to compromise myself and my car for you; you better honor your side of the bargain. Otherwise, I'm also giving you the chance not to honor your word. Overpromising is best kept outside the advertising industry.