Negotiating prices

[Simon Cosman]

Hello.
I hear that negotiating for a better price is common practice in the DR.

My question is what kinds of things does this apply to. For instance can a lower price be obtained on a cheaper hotel? If you can for a hotel how much lower is reasonable?

Just a general idea of what can be negotiated would be great.. thanks.

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[the gorgon]

Hello.
I hear that negotiating for a better price is common practice in the DR.

My question is what kinds of things does this apply to. For instance can a lower price be obtained on a cheaper hotel? If you can for a hotel how much lower is reasonable?

Just a general idea of what can be negotiated would be great.. thanks.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

the fact that you are asking for this kind of information suggests to me that you are a foreigner. that tells me that you are from a country where labor costs are infinitely more expensive than they are here. i hope you have figured out where i am headed with this. if not, then use your conscience when you negotiate transactions with a high labor content. you are already *getting the labor for a pittance. if you want to negotiate the price of a used car, then proceed, by all means.

 

[Simon Cosman]

the fact that you are asking for this kind of information suggests to me that you are a foreigner. that tells me that you are from a country where labor costs are infinitely more expensive than they are here. i hope you have figured out where i am headed with this. if not, then use your conscience when you negotiate transactions with a high labor content. you are already *getting the labor for a pittance. if you want to negotiate the price of a used car, then proceed, by all means.

I do not understand where you are going with that.. are you saying I should not negotiating for lower prices?

Yes I am a foreigner. In my culture negotiating is not normal in most cases. I know many cultures it is expected to negotiate. I have no problem paying more if the person who provides the service benefits.

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[franco1111]

One example of a group that will usually not negotiate the price is union taxi drivers in tourist areas. Maybe two times out of 100 will they drop the price. Example, recently at SDQ tried to negotiate price to city down, the guy who finds the taxi for you said we can ask the dirver and of course, when I tried he said no - same price. $40 from airport to city. I had gotten $30 once before, don't remember how that happened. I might have walked farther from front door.

 

[the gorgon]

I do not understand where you are going with that.. are you saying I should not negotiating for lower prices?

Yes I am a foreigner. In my culture negotiating is not normal in most cases. I know many cultures it is expected to negotiate. I have no problem paying more if the person who provides the service benefits.

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i do not want to get into a ruckus over this, but i am sensitive to the thought of a person coming into a society of very poor people, and preoccupying himself with the idea of what things he can get for less.

 

[Simon Cosman]

i do not want to get into a ruckus over this, but i am sensitive to the thought of a person coming into a society of very poor people, and preoccupying himself with the idea of what things he can get for less.

I can assure you I am not preoccupied with it and I am a generous person. I am doing thorough research on many aspects of the country. I only want to understand the societal norms and follow them. If the laborer/artisan/or service provider will directly benefit from paying a higher price, I would certainly be more inclined to.

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[jd426]

EVERYTHING is NEGOTIATED ,,, or they will think you are a FOOL... and Weak..

From the moment you step off the plane, the taxi guy for example at like STI will try for $25 us, then $20, then 700 pesos, and if you are good, you will get the ride for 600 pesos, and it used to be 450 pesos when fuel was even higher .. and it goes ON and ON from there.
Some things you dont negotiate, like beachchairs and an Umbrella, or the price of a Beer at a bar.. EXCEPT like the Airport Bar in STI, I negotiate the price , cuz I know they full of it .. Last time they tried to charge me $8 for a Grande .. its 200 pesos and that is even too much ..again just examples .
but buying things like gifts and Tshirts etc .. OF COURSE you negotiate . usually start at half price, and maybe settle at like 75% ..
You can also negotiate better prices or a Better View on Hotel Rooms and even Rental cars .

Dont let anyone tell you differently. and dont be a Schmuck who pays the asking price on everything in the DR..

 

[AlterEgo]

Hello.
I hear that negotiating for a better price is common practice in the DR.

My question is what kinds of things does this apply to. For instance can a lower price be obtained on a cheaper hotel? If you can for a hotel how much lower is reasonable?

Just a general idea of what can be negotiated would be great.. thanks.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

It depends. Sometimes things are very negotiable, something like a hotel might not be. Of course, if you walk in off the street and they happen to have vacancies that will earn them nothing, you might get a deal.

How is your Spanish? Are you willing to walk away and not look back if you want to buy something? They may or may not call you back. Many times, just hesitating when a price is offered is enough for the person to make a better offer.

To me, there is nothing wrong with negotiating. For example, when we were in Barahona we were in a larimar shop. I was considering several pieces, because I thought they'd be a nice birthday gift for our daughter. I asked what the price would be if I bought various items, and then made a decision. [got some really nice jewelry!!]

When things are not marked with prices, sometimes I think I get the gringo price. In fact, in one mercado we went into, as we approached a booth we heard one guy say to the other something about gringo suckers coming their way. They didn't realize my husband is Dominican, but they sure knew after he was finished lecturing them for 15 minutes!

 

[Simon Cosman]

EVERYTHING is NEGOTIATED ,,, or they will think you are a FOOL... and Weak..

From the moment you step off the plane, the taxi guy for example at like STI will try for $25 us, then $20, then 700 pesos, and if you are good, you will get the ride for 600 pesos, and it used to be 450 pesos when fuel was even higher .. and it goes ON and ON from there.
Some things you dont negotiate, like beachchairs and an Umbrella, or the price of a Beer at a bar.. EXCEPT like the Airport Bar in STI, I negotiate the price , cuz I know they full of it .. Last time they tried to charge me $8 for a Grande .. its 200 pesos and that is even too much ..again just examples .
but buying things like gifts and Tshirts etc .. OF COURSE you negotiate . usually start at half price, and maybe settle at like 75% ..
You can also negotiate better prices or a Better View on Hotel Rooms and even Rental cars .

Dont let anyone tell you differently. and dont be a Schmuck who pays the asking price on everything in the DR..

Thanks this is helpful. What about lower end hotels?

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[jd426]

Thanks this is helpful. What about lower end hotels?

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There are always WEEKLY and MONTHLY Rates which are better than daily rates , but careful the maid may not come every day with towels, so know that .. ..they play a lot of games with prices .. so Negotiate , but dont be too pushy either .. but if you paying CASH ? of course

 

[Simon Cosman]

There are always WEEKLY and MONTHLY Rates which are better than daily rates , but careful the maid may not come every day with towels, so know that .. ..they play a lot of games with prices .. so Negotiate , but dont be too pushy either .. but if you paying CASH ? of course

Good to know, thanks.

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[the gorgon]

I can assure you I am not preoccupied with it and I am a generous person. I am doing thorough research on many aspects of the country. I only want to understand the societal norms and follow them. If the laborer/artisan/or service provider will directly benefit from paying a higher price, I would certainly be more inclined to.

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i hope you are not put off by my response, but here is what informs my thinking.....i went through the immigrant thing myself. *so did several members of my family, along with numerous friends of ours. at no time in our transplantation process did we ever inquire about what we could try to get for less than it was advertised. we knew that it would be great to buy things on sale, but we never thought to ask whose services we could get for less than the asking price. you called a cab, you asked the price, you paid it.*

 

[Simon Cosman]

i hope you are not put off by my response, but here is what informs my thinking.....i went through the immigrant thing myself. *so did several members of my family, along with numerous friends of ours. at no time in our transplantation process did we ever inquire about what we could try to get for less than it was advertised. we knew that it would be great to buy things on sale, but we never thought to ask whose services we could get for less than the asking price. you called a cab, you asked the price, you paid it.*

I am not put off. Thank you. I agree with you in some ways. I work as a merchant myself at times, and often people from other countries try to negotiate a better deal because it's so ingrained in their culture. It is almost offensive to negotiate in many cases where I live. So I believe it is better to understand the culture one is in and try to accommodate it.

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[Simon Cosman]

i hope you are not put off by my response, but here is what informs my thinking.....i went through the immigrant thing myself. *so did several members of my family, along with numerous friends of ours. at no time in our transplantation process did we ever inquire about what we could try to get for less than it was advertised. we knew that it would be great to buy things on sale, but we never thought to ask whose services we could get for less than the asking price. you called a cab, you asked the price, you paid it.*

Which country did your family come from and move to?

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[the gorgon]

Which country did your family come from and move to?

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moved from Jamaica to New York.

 

[Simon Cosman]

moved from Jamaica to New York.

There definitely is a huge inequality between where the tourists originate and where they visit. The industry they generate is somewhat positive for the counties but they do not provide as much as they could.

Visitors could and should do more. I can understand how it would be offensive for rich people to come and take advantage of a beautiful country. Which they do.

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[bob saunders]

One example of a group that will usually not negotiate the price is union taxi drivers in tourist areas. Maybe two times out of 100 will they drop the price. Example, recently at SDQ tried to negotiate price to city down, the guy who finds the taxi for you said we can ask the dirver and of course, when I tried he said no - same price. $40 from airport to city. I had gotten $30 once before, don't remember how that happened. I might have walked farther from front door.

Interesting , I have take a taxi to and from the airport to Carib Tours a numbers of times with the most recent time being New Years day and I paid , as previous times 1300 pesos.

 

[Mauricio]

Even though I follow gorgons notion on lowering an already low labor price, I silence my conscience with the fact that the work is done mediocre at best and often has to be done again. Besides that, in the capital labor isn't that cheap anymore.*

 

[markryan]

i hope you are not put off by my response, but here is what informs my thinking.....i went through the immigrant thing myself. *so did several members of my family, along with numerous friends of ours. at no time in our transplantation process did we ever inquire about what we could try to get for less than it was advertised. we knew that it would be great to buy things on sale, but we never thought to ask whose services we could get for less than the asking price. you called a cab, you asked the price, you paid it.*

Most prices are not advertised

 

[sanpedrogringo]

Let the pendulum swing. To the right. To the left. There are many different answers to this question, and there really is no right or wrong. I guess it all depends on who you are as a person. There are people that will try to get ahead of others at every turn. There are people that want to do good by everybody. There are people that play it somewhere in the middle.
Everything that is for sale in beachfront locations (tourist traps) should be negotiated. Case in point, this weekend for me. At the beach I needed a pair of cheap sunglasses. I asked a vendor how much? He knows me from the beach, and said 200 pesos. I told him I'd be back a bit later after lunch, as I needed change. When I returned, his buddy was there. Gave me a price of 500 pesos. As I was walking away, vendor number 1 returned, and told me 200. I gave him 300 for being fair with me. Cheap sunglasses.