DISPATCH #001: THE RECEIPT

How 15 Minutes  Saved Me 200,000 Naira

By Commander Bassey |
Location: Abuja | Date: May 2026

THE REJECTION
I paid for a service in cash, in a popular Mall in Abuja. Someone told me: “Don’t worry about the receipt. They know you paid.” 
I almost believed him.

THE WAR
No receipt. “The system is down,” they had said. 
Two weeks later, I was asked to pay again when I sought delivery of the service. “No record of payment on our system, sir,” they said. 
No proof. Just my word against theirs. I had 2 choices: pay again, or fight for the receipt.

THE TURNING POINT
I went back to the Mall the next day and refused to leave until I got a stamped receipt, even for the old payment. Luckily they had CCTV cameras installed. I told them the exact date of the transaction and advised them to playback the camera and check. That was what vindicated me. It took 15 minutes of standing there and waiting.

THE VICTORY
When they came for the second payment, I put the receipt on the table. Case closed. 200,000 naira stayed in my pocket.

LESSON LEARNT
No receipt, no transaction. You may not be as lucky as I was to have CCTV cameras installed, or even if they are installed, are they working? If the “system is down” and they won’t give you paper, they don’t want you to have proof. Walk away.

BOTTOM LINE
15 minutes of discomfort beats 2 weeks of fighting and losing money. 

Anonymous truth: This happened. Names and location hidden. Lesson stands.

End of Dispatch #001

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