Bank/Casa de Cambo won't take torn $100 bill

franco1111

Bronze
May 29, 2013
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Quite interesting. I tried to deposit some dollars in bank and the teller would not accept one of the $100 bills. I thought she said because it was torn. I thought maybe it had a small tear - I really did not see the problem while in the bank. Later I looked and not only had it been torn in half, but it was taped back together. It came from a U.S. bank so I am fairly sure it is real.

In U.S., if taped back together and serial numbers on both halves match, not a problem. They will take it anywhere, bank, store, etc. Not here. We even tried three casas de cambio.

I thought maybe one of them would offer maybe 3.000 pesos for defective bill - but no. None would take it.

I was not going to take less than the exchange rate, I just thought some entrepreneurial person might offer less.

Always something new here....
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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In the check cashing business, that's called 'Mud Money'

It goes back to the bank in a special pouch.. separate deposit.

Take that bill back to the US.... it may never float here
 

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
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agree with ww. No one will touch it here even if its a small tear. Taped together is out of the question. Just another of those strange quirks about the DR. I suspect that its related to a fear of counterfeit. You will end up bringing the bill back to the US where anyone will take it.
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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It's also illegal to write on a bill here in the D.R.

Be careful of what bills you get in change, you may have a problem getting rid of them it they are torn or written upon. My wife had a 100 peso note the other day and it was coming apart, the clerk at the store refused to take it.
 

franco1111

Bronze
May 29, 2013
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Gringo
Yes, I will just take it back to U.S. I know they will take it there. It came from the bank, in fact.

Here, they would not even take it at the bank because she saw it had been torn. I guess you mean if somehow it gets by the person at store, they put it in special pouch... Maybe I should try passing it at a bar : )
 
Aug 6, 2006
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They changed the $100 bills last year and added a bunch of anti-counterfeiting features. I never take anything larger than a $50 bill, as a lot of places will not take a $100.
I have passed a carefully taped $20 bill before, but it was not torn in two. Caribe Express will not change torn US money. I suspect that this is because they often weigh the bills to verify the count and several taped bills might give a lower count because of the added weight of the tape.

I find it amazing that I have used ATM machines for the past 25 years and I have never gotten anything but the accurate count.
 

london777

Bronze
Dec 22, 2005
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Slightly different topic:

I pay with 2000 peso and/or 1000 peso bills in La Sirena every week and the checkout person always examines each one quite carefully. Yet it is extremely rare for anyone in a bar or restaurant to give them even a cursory glance. Odd, because in La Sirena there is bright lighting and I have been identified by my Siremas card. Other locations may be quite dark and with distractions, so much easier to pass a counterfeit bill.

Returning from Sosua to Pto Pta today by publico, a Haitian passenger paid with a 1000 peso bill. Naturally this sparked an initial protest by the driver which morphed into a trip-long, and ultimately good-natured, discussion about prices in the two countries, but what struck me was the driver did not examine the note at all, despite the unusual circumstances, but put it straight into his wallet.

I would think the Ramos family could afford to lose 1000 pesos more than a publico driver. Perhaps that is why they are rich and he (prsumably) is not?
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
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Any mark or tear on a bill in this country is a problem. Luckily when it is US currency, you can always use it in the US.
 
Aug 6, 2006
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The cashier might well have been told that she will be charged for any money lost if she takes a counterfeit bill. The guagua driver can always give it to the next guy with a $2000 peso note.
I have noticed that checkout clerks always carefully and slowly examine every bill.
 

CristoRey

Welcome To Wonderland
Apr 1, 2014
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I tried paying for the publico car here in Santiago with a torn 20 peso note but he would not accept it.
Ended up having to pay him with a larger note. I still have the 20 peso note, not a huge loss but definitely a reminder to pay closer attention to my change for now on.
 

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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I ripped a 2000 peso note, taped it up..... cant even remember where it got spent :(

Also the "old" 100 peso notes, some of them are so dirty, wrinkeled and faded, it has always amazed me people accepted them.
Lots have drawings or writing on them.

Also I had a 100chf note ( maybe 4000-4500 pesos value ), with a tear in it. Changed it at a caribe express in santiago, and another at caribe express imbert. Both times the lady called her boss/supervisor, both times he nodded and was changed, without comment.

A bit offtopic, back in switzerland I worked in a restaurant. Lots of cash to deposit daily at the bank. They actually welcomed "worn" notes, to take out of circulation, i guess.
 

Pansy

Banned
Apr 14, 2009
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The larger banks will swop damaged Dominican notes, like for like, without a problem.
 

josh2203

Bronze
Dec 5, 2013
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I used to be responsible at work of dealing with receiving, verifying and sending cash to banks via a security service. We even had a unofficial policy (for our own benefit and security), that all bills that were in bad shape, we?d send to bank via the security service, for the reason that so it would be out of our mind. Up to 50 EUR notes I have myself taped together (I mean, they were literally in 2-4 parts), and if the job was done carefully, never did the security company (responsible for checking the authenticity) report us any suspicious notes. Of course when we received notes from customers, we also had a detailed process (even two staff members) on how to receive and verify it.

Then again, there nobody (I suppose) had the motive to scam us or anyone else, where as in the DR that might not be the case...
 

bob saunders

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
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I have changed worn out 100 pesos notes at the bank, but so far no toen notes. Plenty of false 200, 500, and 2000 psos notes out there. We check all of them as we've been burned several times, and the bank found them when we went to deposit. Commercial banks won't exchange torn foreign money because they have no place to exchange it themselves.
 

waytogo

Moderator - North Coast Forum
Apr 3, 2009
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Santiago DR
If you look at the tape that was used to put the bill back together, it was most likely glossy tape which makes the tear very obvious.
Whenever I receive a bill and didn't see it was taped, I remove the glossy tape and replace with matte tape, the finish is dead flat and if you reline carefully, you don't see either the tear or the tape. This procedure has worked for me every time...........
 

Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
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Off topic but related: why did the Dominican Central Bank decide to change the design of their money in such way that now I have to look carefully if I have a 100, 200 or 1000 pesos note?

Or am I getting old?

prensa_afiche.jpg
 
Aug 6, 2006
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Alas, the plastic $20 peso notes have vanished. I think they got a deal on a trial run of them. The idea is that they are as durable as metal coins, but cost a lot less to make. Canadians seem to like their plastic bills, but they were a flop in the DR.
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
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South Coast
Yesterday Ferreteria Americana refused a 1000 peso bill that had the tiniest corner missing.

Western Union refused a $100 USD bill because of a small tear too. Live and learn. :(
 
Aug 6, 2006
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I was in Barahona for two weeks recently, from Jan 11 to 26th. I was in Barahona and saw not a single $20 bill. Perhaps they are more common in SD.
I sort of like them, but many Dominicans have told me that they don't.

So I suppose my opinion was based on a limited sample. I mentioned these because the $20 bill was not mentioned in the illustrations that were posted of Dominican banknotes.