Dubai: When Filipina cashier Nerissa Maglanque fell short of the day’s earnings by nearly Dh400, she thought she had little hope of getting it back, but thanks to a customer with a big heart, her fears were allayed this week.
Maglanque, 27, was on duty at an exchange bureau in Dubai Airport on Monday, when she realised at the end of her shift, her cash box was Dh390 short.
“It was around 1am. I had five customers who exchanged 100 euros that morning, which is equal to Dh390. My boss was so kind to help me trace who the customer was and we ended up with two leads,” Maglanque told Gulf News.
Using CCTV footage, Maglanque realised that she had mistakenly given Dh390 to a customer twice for a 100-euro bill.
Maglanque called the customer but when she couldn’t get through, her heart sank.
I had to try and recover the money, otherwise I would have to pay for it (Dh390) out of my own pocket, but I only had Dh60 on me and that was not an option...
“I had to try and recover the money, otherwise I would have to pay for it out of my own pocket, but I only had Dh60 on me and that was not an option,” she said.
Luckily, though, the mystery customer rang back and even exchanged messages to assure her that everything would be OK.
“Don’t worry,” read one of the texts from Pierre Yves Couplet, a Belgian national.
'I really hope you don’t get into trouble'
“I am sorry about this issue. Yesterday, I was tired and did not check the money you had given me until I reached the hotel. I really hope you don’t get into trouble because of that.”
The export manager of a chocolate company, who is in Dubai for business at the Gulfood exhibition, was flying in from Germany before the incident and was too exhausted to notice the mix-up when he landed in Dubai and changed his money.
Couplet said he wanted the issue resolved as soon as possible and when the two met on Tuesday at Dubai World Trade Centre, he returned the money and threw in some chocolates to make sure there were no hard feelings between him and a relieved Maglanque.
Dh390 is already more than 5,000 [Filipino] pesos, which is almost half the money I send home monthly,” she added. “God is truly amazing. I just realised to never doubt his faithfulness.
“I really felt sorry for her,” the 39-year-old father of one told Gulf News on Wednesday. “But what I did [returning the money] is just normal. To be honest, I did not feel I was doing anything special.”
Maglanque, however, did.
“For someone to go out of his way to do this good deed though he is only in Dubai for four days is a praiseworthy act, and something worth emulating,” she said.
“I have experienced customers ignoring calls in similar situations. But Mr Pierre did not. It’s not every day that you meet someone like him. I wish more people would have the same big heart.
“Dh390 is already more than 5,000 [Filipino] pesos, which is almost half the money I send home monthly,” she added. “God is truly amazing. I just realised to never doubt his faithfulness.”
