Beware: Moto Rental Corruption

>
> Cabarete 4/27-28/05

> i rented a dirt bike (small motorcycle) for our time here to get around....
> .. the day before we leave, it's stolen...
> .. i feel confident the people who have stolen it are the rental company, and now they want me to buy them a new one... for 90,000 pesos ($3500.00) ...it was worth about $250.
> anyway they tell me i have to file a police report at the nearby town of sosua....
> when i get there i can see just how friendly the cops are with the moto guys...
> .. the cops tell me i have to pay, or they will put me in jail...
> i am with the hotel receptionist who speaks very good english as my interpreter.. thanks to her they agree for me to return to the judge in the morning with a lawyer from the hotel...
> .. later that eve the lawyer tells her that it is very corrupt at sosua and that they have not issued a supenea and therefore i should just go to the airport and split..
> the problem is, the moto people have my passport as bike collateral when i rented it...
> i call the US consulate (Sarah ?) and they advise me the same and say they will call my airline & Dept of homeland security to ok my departure and arrival in NY with only my drivers license...

> well as i expect, the police and the moto guys show up at the airport and demand i come back to sosua..
> i give my girlfriend the number to the consulate and tell her to check-in and then call the embassy and tell them i have been taken to sosua....
> .. she does so, and 3 hrs later as she is boarding the plane, she calls the embassy and they tell her they have checked every police station on the north side of DR and NO AMERICAN IS BEING HELD! ..... she knows how shady this is and has to fly back to NY not knowing what happened to me...
> what happened was this...
> they put me in the jail! .... for about 1/2 hr..
> the wouldn't let me call anybody... i had the hotel lawyer ready to come if i had a problem, i had the consulate number who they were telling "no american here", i even had a friend from a local cafe in cabarete who told me if any **** happens, call me... "no calls amigo"..
> .. then told me that i had to pay the money or i would remain in jail, until a court date (approx 2 weeks, they say)...
> now even I can see a loose loose situation...
> OK YOU WIN! ....

> they took me to a judge who asked me to tell him my story through a translator, and then tod me i COULD be running a business of selling motos and reporting them stolen...
> . i then said.. lets get on with the paying part so i can go home....
> he orders them to take me to the local bank and take 70,000 RD$ out of my credit card accts and hand over the cash....
>
> then i picked up my bags and they starting dividing up the take before i even got out of the room....
>
>
CORRUPTION IS ONE MATTER. THE BIGGER MATTER IS WHY US SERVICES DECIDED THAT ALL THEY COULD DO IS CALL THE POLICE DEPTS. AND JUST TAKE, "NO AMERICANS HERE" AS AN ANSWER AND THAT'S IT! I WAS IN A VERY STRANGE SITUATION. AFTER THE INCIDENT I SPOKE WITH 2 PEOPLE AT US SERVICES. THEY ASSURED ME THEY WOULD WAIT UNTIL I RETURNED TO THE US, THEN EMAIL TO GET THE FULL STORY AND INVESTIGATE. IT IS A WEEK LATER AND I HAVE HEARD NOTHING.

Rick
NYC, USA

1- they gave me a contract that said mothing about "STOLEN" situation, only liabiltie in an accident.
2- I called the US consulate, and they said, "Leave the country" as planned the next day, and they arranged it with the airline!
3- Can't argue with you there. NEVER AGAIN!
4- They forced me to take a CASH withdrawls from my cards.

THE MOTO INFO:
Rodriquzez Rent-Motor
Calle Principal Cabaret N* 10
Blue Yamaha DT125
Placa No. MI-IM73
Chasis # DE 02X003384

I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF IT WASN'T BACK ON THE STREET FOR RENT!

Gracias
rick

reciept..

Robert said:

Please post the details of the rental company, name and address.

Did you get any form of paperwork for your RD$70,000?

What about the credit card receipts? What did you credit card company say?

Did you have any insurance, if so, what?

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i did get areciept.. and the judge said if they find the bike, it's mine! ... i asked the moto rental guy what HE would then give me for it.... they all laughed....
they took cash from me at all times ... credit card companies don't refund cash withdrawls...

rick

Chris said:

Were they Dominicans or Germans?

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they were domincans.... a friend of mine who is x-cop, and living in Cabaret, said even if they had let me call him, there was nothing he could do because HE is not Dominican.... he has heard this story a few times... and so have my surfing friends from DR.. unfortunately, nobody mentioned it to me until AFTER it happened!
... don't mis-understand me, there is corruption everywhere .... it's just important that people who live and count on TOURISTS $ in beautiful places like DR , take some action or soon they will fall like the countless other "NO-GO VACTION" destinations. I actually went despite many, "why DR?" qustions... hell, i've been 500 miles into the deep bush of west africa with no problems at all!

mojoman
NYC

That's right!

it may or may not have been fraud... but then why no insurance offered, why no explanation or warning about theft , AND THAT I WOULD PAY IF IT WAS STOLEN... and why the corruption at sosua...why did they insist that it is DR policy to HOLD your passport when renting a vehicle...AND WHY DID WE HAVE TO GO TO SOSUA POLICE WHEN CABARETE HAS IT'S OWN POLICE STATION.... because it's set up to go just the way it did....
ps: no chain, just a pad lock for the sproket...
it was stolen out of the HOTEL AGUALINA parking lot, which has security (in theory)....

Escott said:

It may or may not be a fraud. My gardener would have quit working for me if they insisted he keep his motorbike at the entrance to the gated community and not be allowed to drive it to and into my property.

Motorcycle theft is rampant here. I had people stay in my condo last year and the same thing happened to them. They had to pay the whole wad of money in order to leave the country. They also didn't use the chain and lock they were given when they got the rental. Did you get one of these and not use it?

I will check the bikes for the plate at this place this week.

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uh..... this guy may be the nicest guy on the planet (with you).... but his business and his CLEAR association with Sosua cops is FAR from being a respectable and friendly tourist business....
... you MUST tell people that you do not have insurance and THEY are responsible for X amount if something happens!
... He charged me $70,000 RD... does that seem right to you for a smoke blowing 2002 DT 125?
..nice guy huh?

gjsuk said:

Whilst not doubting one word of your story for a heartbeat.

I have known, Frankely Rodriguez, the president of this company for over 2 years. He is a good guy.

Whilst there appears to be an understandable supportive knee-jerk reaction from some posters just maybe there is another side to this, there usually is.

I shall ask him and see if said moto is still there.

Until then I'll keep MY molotov cocktails for more deserving cases!!

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mmmm...

and have you ever rented a vehicle in another country? ... i have many times all over the world and i must say, i don't read the fine print on every rental car i rent... but i assume the renter has insurance.... and they do!!
.. which by the way, isn't even my point! ...even if i left the keys in it, which i didn't, the point is that i was held without counsel, no phone calls, and LIES to the US CONSULATE calling there, until i gave up the cash.... THAT'S THE POINT MY FRIEND!

Escott said:

I didn't see the contract you signed. I also was not the one that agreed to put up my passport as collateral but you did.

I have NO idea why they went to Sosua Police. I don't know the police structure here and only have gone to the police station to answer the call of a friend one time and another friend another time.

Why didn't YOU ask for insurance and why didn't YOU ask if you were covered by theft? I would like to see what it was that YOU signed to see who is responsible.

Did you use the Padlock on the sproket? I guess if you did the bike would still be there, no? Did you stay at Aqualina? If I did I would seek out their insurance company although that has to be proven also if they did in fact promise security in the parking lot.

Look you had to pay money and I didn't. You got in the jam and I didn't. I just don't listen to the written word here and take it with a grain of salt unless I know the person putting the words down. Then I know what to believe and what NOT to believe. I will look for the plate and maybe even jot the serial number down and look. I will also let you know if I see the bike there.

Sorry you had to pay money but I am not sure exactly who is to blame despite what you have said without further info.

Escott

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