‘They were laughing’: Puregold staff face criticism over MariBank payment issue

MANILA, Philippines – A social media post accusing Puregold staff of laughing at a customer during a MariBank payment dispute has gone viral, prompting criticism over how the incident was allegedly handled.

X user @hoshieverytime said he witnessed a commotion at a Puregold checkout after a customer was reportedly told that MariBank was no longer accepted at the store.

“There was a commotion when the customer was paying na kasi di na sila tumatanggap ng MariBank daw at any Puregold,” the netizen wrote.

He said what particularly concerned him was the alleged behavior of the staff after the customer left the checkout area.

“What did not sit right with me is the cashier and the baggers pinagtatawanan pa nila yung customer pag alis,” he said.

The netizen further alleged that the staff made jokes with other customers, including a remark that the customer might be the “tagapag-mana” of MariBank.

He questioned why the customer was not shown more sympathy, particularly if the person had no cash or another payment option available at the time.

“Instead of sympathizing with the customer kasi what if wala siyang cash diba?” he wrote, adding that there was allegedly no sign informing customers that MariBank was no longer accepted.

According to the netizen, the supervisor was also called during the incident and allegedly told the customer, “No matter which Puregold you go to, they won't accept it. We have just one management.”

I was at puregold kanina, there was a commotion when the customer was paying na kasi di na sila tumatanggap ng maribank daw at any puregold. Eh since Puregold is very traditional and refused to modernize, Gcash in-app QR or card only lang sila. Okay sige fine, what did not sit…

— snapback hoshi 🪖 (@hoshieverytime) August 9, 2026

The account has since prompted other users to share their own experiences with MariBank cards at Puregold, with reports varying among customers.

Some Reddit users said they had successfully used MariBank cards at Puregold, while others reported being asked for identification or the card’s expiry date before completing transactions.

These differing accounts raise questions about whether MariBank card acceptance varies depending on the branch, payment terminal or processing arrangement.

MariBank Philippines, formerly known as SeaBank, is a digital bank owned by Sea Limited, the parent company of Shopee, and operates under a banking license in the Philippines.

The bank provides digital banking services, including deposit accounts, fund transfers and a payment card.

The netizen said he hoped Puregold would review its policy, while MariBank could also look into why some merchants reportedly do not accept its cards.

As of publication, neither Puregold nor MariBank had issued an official statement specifically addressing the reported incident.

— The Summit Express