Tag Archives | service

It’s 2017 and The General Security Just Started Accepting Debit/Credit Cards

By Rami on August 25, 2017 in Government

Although the General Security is probably the only governmental institution that you feel is actually efficient with its smooth operations, but no one can deny that fee payment there can really be irritating sometimes.

You probably have been through it too, each time I renewed my passport I had to bring that exact renewal fees in Lebanese Lira in addition to -god knows why- a photocopy of the bills! And yes, carrying dollars instead is guaranteed to delay your application a bit until you go exchange the money… but it seems like those days are long gone.

I was on my way to work this morning when I noticed several billboards announcing that the General Security has just started accepting payment cards to settle application fees. I know it may sound silly to some but it’s definitely a life saver for others, especially those who do not have the luxury to spend an extended time to submit a simple application form.

And now that this governmental institution seems to have caught up with “modern” payment methods, let’s hope for others such as municipalities or Electricité du Liban (HA HA HA!) to follow suit and hopefully even offer online payments. It’s 2017 for god’s sake!!

P.S: I couldn’t find any online article about this new service except for this post on Blom Bank’s FB page announcing their partnership with the General Security to make it happen.

Valet Parking Fee Officially Set at 5,000L.L.

By Rami on August 4, 2017 in Law

If there’s one thing that unites the Lebanese people then it must be their hate for the Valet Parking workers. They’re overpriced, always rude, and they have the capability to doom a whole areas just like what they did in Gemmeyze and Mar Mkhayel! I seriously pity the people living in that surrounding as I personally do my best to avoid going there at night…

And unfortunately, just as in the case with illegal internet and cable TV providers, the government couldn’t keep the valet parking thugs from hijacking public spaces so it simply resorted to “regulating” their activities. For years now they have been imposing ridiculous prices up to 10,000L.L and sometimes more at lush venues, but a recent joint memo by the ministry of interior and the ministry of tourism fixed their service fee at 5,000L.L. So let’s hope it gets applied!

I’m not sure though if hotels are also subject to this memo.

Touch is Into The Money Lending Business Now?

By Rami on July 8, 2017 in Telecom

To all those who run out of credit before their line cycle is over, Touch recently added a new service to its prepaid Magic lines called “Advance Credit” allowing their subscribers to get an advance credit amount once their balance falls below $1, and it of course gets paid back once they recharge their line.

It sounds all nice until you know the rate at which the advance amount should be paid… A screenshot on Facebook shows that for a $3 in advance, $4.2 get deducted once the subscriber has enough credit again. That’s a whopping 40% in interest and it sounds more like usury to me…

Even banks are not that rude with their offerings… With such rate this must be Touch’s most profitable service right now! But then again, no matter how awful you think their tactic is, you wouldn’t expect less from a company operating in a monopolized industry.

Blink My Car – The Latest On-Demand Car Wash Service

By Rami on January 28, 2016 in Lebanon

blinkmycar

“Blink My Car” is a new mobile app that allows people in Beirut to book a car wash for their car or motorbike wherever they are around the city. All they have to do is place an order through the app and a team will show up at their place to clean the vehicle using waterless products.

The idea is not new to the market since two similar services were previously launched in 2010 (Yara Service) and 2014 (Just Wash), but Blink My Car seems easier to use since it doesn’t involve calling any phone number.

I actually downloaded the app and it required me to register and enter basic details about my car in order for them to identify it once they arrive (car model, color, and plate number). I’m not sure though how much helpful will these info be in crowded areas, but anyway I was mostly curious to know how much is their fees. It turned out they charge $10 per car/motorbike and an additional $2 for the car interior, so that’s a total of $12 of 18,000L.L to properly clean your car.

I honestly found the fare a bit too high since I usually can get my car cleaned for anything between 5,000L.L and 10,000L.L. But then again, if I ever felt like I really really need to wash my car ad was unable to go out, then I will probably consider using “Blink My Car” and will be willing to pay the extra 8,000L.L.

I wish their team all the luck anyway!

You Can Finally Netflix and Chill in Lebanon!

By Rami on January 6, 2016 in Lebanon

Netflix_Web_Logo

Netflix just announced today during a keynote at CES the launching of its service in more than 130 new countries including Lebanon! So yeah, you can finally “Netflix and chill” now 😉

The only way to have Netflix in Lebanon and other Arab countries prior to this announcement was by signing up to some US VPN service, but as of today you won’t have to go through the hassle of doing that anymore.

I personally really love their content and used to abuse my brother’s account in Dubai everytime I went there, however the only and most important concern here in Lebanon is whether our shitty internet connection will be able to stream the service in HD. The only way to figure out is by signing up for a free trial which I’m gonna do right away!

Allo Taxi App gets the job very well done!

By Rami on December 16, 2014 in Lebanon

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I’ve been using the Allo Taxi app for a while now and am really loving it. I actually used their rides several times before and was satisfied with their service, and the new app now makes the whole booking process much easier.

Now you may ask why am I writing about Allo Taxi instead of “being cool” and writing about Uber. Well, I’ve tried Uber twice and my main concern was their arrival time. Uber operates less cars and can therefore take a bit of time to reach your place, whereas Allo Taxi on the other hand are literally everywhere and seriously never took more than 10 minutes to reach my location. Moreover, unlike with other apps, Allo Taxi accepts cash instead on insisting to bill your credit card, so it’s more convenient for people who don’t have credit cards and those who prefer not to use it online.

Placing an order on Allo Taxi app is quite easy, you either enter your pick up place manually or let the GPS do it for you, then set the drop off location and get the tariff immediately calculated for you. You usually get a phone call from your driver asking for directions a couple of minutes after placing your order, and will eventually be billed once the trip is over.

In addition, in my opinion a major advantage that Allo Taxi has with the app is the ability to pre-order a ride. For instance, if you have an outing planned for the next day, you can book your ride ahead of time and never worry about it, which is not possible with Uber.

So there you go, next time you hear some bad news about Uber whether here in Lebanon or worldwide, you know you got yourself another much more reliable option!

The Allo Taxi app is available for both Android [Here] and iOS [Here].

Careem – Another cab app launched in Beirut!

By Rami on July 11, 2014 in Lebanon

Seems like it’s the cab apps day on the blog today! I was searching for similar services to Uber in the region and came across this article on the launching of Careem in Beirut.

Careem is yet another cab app that connects passengers to drivers and works exactly the same way as Uber, except that I felt like the booking process is smoother in Uber. What remains now though is knowing which one has the best fares and service.

Careem is available on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry.

Uber launches in Beirut

By Rami on July 11, 2014 in Lebanon

Uber is a on-demand car service based in San Francisco, California that connects passengers with drivers in over 140 cities through a mobile app allowing customers to order a ride, track their driver’s location, and finally pay using their credit card.

They have already been operating in several cities across the middle east, and they just announced today on their blog expanding to Beirut with Pierre Rabbat and Daniella Rahme being the first two to try their service.

I downloaded their app (Available on both iOS and Android) and found it quite easy to use. You first need a couple of minutes to create an account and verify your mobile number and you’re good to go. To order a ride, you choose the vehicle type you want and mark the location from which the driver should expect picking you up from and wait. When you reach your destination, your credit card will be automatically billed with no need to tip or carry cash.

I haven’t tried using the service yet so I can’t tell how good are their fares compared to local taxi companies and shared taxi service. However, they’re offering a couple of promo codes one for $20 (“UberLovesBeirut”) and the other for $30 (“rabbat“) which I guess is enough for us to assess the service.

Thanks @Chemali

touch now allows in-app payments

By Rami on July 5, 2013 in Lebanon

Touch Logo_managed by Zain

Late last month, touch enabled in-app payments that allow users to purchase items or upgrades from inside the apps they are using for a fee that either gets added to the monthly bill for postpaid lines, or deducted from the available balance for prepaid customers, and therefore no credit cards are used in the process.

I believe this is definitely great news to people who have no credit cards or simply prefer not to use them online, as well as developers who can now monetize their ideas by gaining access to a huge customer base.

The first application to adopt this service was Anghami by the way, which offers unlimited access to millions of songs for $5/month. So if you are an Anghami user, you can now upgrade your account and the subscription fee will be added to your bill.

If you’re a developer and interested in using the in-app payment, then you should probably know that touch currently keeps 30% of your revenue for themselves in exchange for using the service. For any additional information, you may contact them through their website.

4G pilot phase in Lebanon

By Rami on February 13, 2013 in Lebanon

As per minister Sehnaoui, the pilot phase of the 4G service will start by the end of this month including 200 students and 200 specialists as in the case with 3G back in September 2011. And I just hope I’ll take part in this testing phase like last time!

Alfa by the way is currently offering an interactive platform at ABC Achrafiyeh where’s they conducting some live experiments to show people how fast can the service be, but note that the devices they’re using are probably the only ones on the network right now.

via LBCI

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