Airport 'helpers'

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tired_boy said:

The last two or three times i have been to the DR i have not been 'helped' at the airport to get my luggage to my transport. Has something changed?

The first time i went, quite a few Dominicans approached me at the airport offering to help me with my luggage. I was on my honeymoon and we commented to eachother how helpful they seemed, so a good start to the holiday.
However round the back of the bus, they stood in front of myself and my luggage with their hand out. All i had was a ten dollar bill, so.................. i was ten dollars down for 2 minutes work.

This has not happened for the last 1 and a half years. Has something been done about it?

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Maybe they were busy taking advantage of another sucker (I believe that that other sucker was me). The last 2 times that I was in SD, on July and September, it happened to me. One even wanted to carry my carry-on. They do not take no for an answer but this seems to work for me all the time: " you can carry it if you want but I only have $ 5 pesos". Show them the $ 5 pesos and see them run like if they have seen the devil himself. I only travel with a carry-on and a very small luggage and they still ask, mind you that my father is inside by immigration waiting for me and then carrying my very small luggage!!. Listen try the $ 5 and you see them moving to the next sucker. works all the time.

We tend to fly in and out of POP. The first year it was indeed a mad house once we got out of the airport. In recent years I have noticed that they have put up a barricade and have just a few people to direct you to either your bus or taxi. You still have people who want to carry your bags, but it was not so overwhelming as it was on our first trip.

When I flew back by myself in February, it was kind of funny when I got off the bus. I actually WANTED someone to help me with my bag (yes, we women tend to over pack)and it took a couple of moments for one of the guys to notice me LOL.

Really, that kind of thing doesn't bother me. The guys are usually friendly and are just trying to make a buck.

Rose

The problem is they won't take a buck. If you give them a dollar per suitcase (like you do in the US) they will be mad as hell. They see a 10 dollar tip as a minimum. If I'm carrying a lot of luggage I just let them take it out and have my Brother, who usually picks me up, pay them. I just tell him in Spanish "Hey bro, pay him", in front of the guy. Since he's not traveling they don't expect him to give them dollars. In addition since my brother is a big guy who carries a gun in plain view, they usually don't make any fuss when he pays them.
One word of advice I would give to people is to make sure when they travel to the DR to always have change. Otherwise if you let these guys "help" you and you don't have change you will end up spending a lot of money, because they will never have change for you.

suarezn said:

The problem is they won't take a buck. If you give them a dollar per suitcase (like you do in the US) they will be mad as hell. They see a 10 dollar tip as a minimum. If I'm carrying a lot of luggage I just let them take it out and have my Brother, who usually picks me up, pay them. I just tell him in Spanish "Hey bro, pay him", in front of the guy. Since he's not traveling they don't expect him to give them dollars. In addition since my brother is a big guy who carries a gun in plain view, they usually don't make any fuss when he pays them.
One word of advice I would give to people is to make sure when they travel to the DR to always have change. Otherwise if you let these guys "help" you and you don't have change you will end up spending a lot of money, because they will never have change for you.

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Totally agree with you about the change. And the thing is they would hound you until you give them the freaking tip. They'll stand there and give you the "well, are you going to pay me" look. The most I've ever given a maletero is 5 bucks.

A few years ago a guy wanted me to pay him for taking my maleta off the belt and placing it on the cart. I didn't give him anything. Then he tried to run after me outside and I cursed him out in my very "foul" Dominican spanish

I've never had a problem with the guys at the airport.
I just get a cart and stand and wait for my luggage. If someone tries to help me get my luggage off the belt I tell them thanks but I can do it. Then if they do take it off I just say thanks and smile. I've never given a tip. Even when I had my dog and 4 large pieces of luggage. A guy was helping me with the dog. When my stuff fell off both carts I was trying to pull alone, some guys came to my aide. I was laughing at how stupid I probably looked. Maybe they felt sorry for me or something. But they helped me and I was so preoccupied with getting Sniffy outside to go to the bathroom I never even thought of giving anyone money.
You think my dog scared them? Or maybe it was me that scared them....

a malestero pain in the a..

They are bothersome, none last time in Punta Cana but this trip in POP, 3 or 4 fighting over 3 bags, so I gave the guy who won $4 US he was happy, he had better have been because that was all he was getting....

There are 2 types of luggage guys at POP. The guy who is standing by the luggage turnstile that helps you with your stuff through customs doesn't get tipped. We've tried to give them something, and they say "no." They're the airport employees.

Then there are the vultures that are outside the airport on the curbs. They want to help you carry your stuff to the car. Sometimes, we'll let several of them help with luggage. But we only tip each one 20-40 pesos. I've watched their faces when we tip them this small amount and none so far have given me that go to hell look.

We learned after first trip to DR to take home small amount of pesos for return trip - to use for first few hours down there until we can get to the bank.

Jan: That's because they know you're not dominican. If you were, they would say things like "You can keep it, you need it more than I do..." I kid you not. I heard this one before. Most likely they will just go "Pana, pero que paso...deme algo ma...que necesito darle al inspector"...Or in a hurried voice "Dame la navidad...date algo...date algo ahi..."
Santo Domingo's airport in the worse when it comes to this.

with the exception of the lady.....who didn't see any problems at the airport.....
you are all a bunch of cheap tourists. You tip in your own country...cab drivers, porters, waiters, bartenders, doormen. But, for some reason tourists come here....generally North Americans and forget all about tipping. However, you still expect to see those same happy faces...making you welcome!!!
Please, walk in their shoes. Salaries are bloody awful, it is impossible to take care of their families.
Try to have a little generosity of spirit.
If they weren't there, you would be saying.......see, THEY don't want to work.
Just my experience. I work in a hotel and I see how cheap tourist are!!!!! please don't delete me.

sami said:

with the exception of the lady.....who didn't see any problems at the airport.....
you are all a bunch of cheap tourists. You tip in your own country...cab drivers, porters, waiters, bartenders, doormen. But, for some reason tourists come here....generally North Americans and forget all about tipping. However, you still expect to see those same happy faces...making you welcome!!!
Please, walk in their shoes. Salaries are bloody awful, it is impossible to take care of their families.
Try to have a little generosity of spirit.
If they weren't there, you would be saying.......see, THEY don't want to work.
Just my experience. I work in a hotel and I see how cheap tourist are!!!!! please don't delete me.

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I do understand your point, sami, but there is no wayyyyyy in hell that I will tip a guy that take my luggage from the belt and then tip the other guy to take it to the inspector/ladron and then pay the other guy to take it to the waiting car and then pay the other guy to put it in the car. Give me a break. Once I had 3 guys fighting for my one and only luggage, mind you it was the size of a carry-on and I never asked them to help me at all. Then they all spected me to pay them all. When I gave one of them 10 dollars, he said to me " what about my 2 other friends, they have families too, come on don't be cheap" I immediately took the 10 dollar from his hand and called him a "abusador" and from that moment on, I will NEVERRRRR pay of use a maletero. Not only that I travel very light, but if you pay them all, you will end up spending all your money before you leave the airport. It has nothing to do with being cheap, it has to do with not be taken for a ride. I can just imagine them saying " there goes another a** hole".
Let's see how you feel when your friend goes to pick you up at the airport and he is carrying your bag and all of a sudden a very "nice" maletero takes it from his grip and carrries it to the car and then spect a tip. Hellooo, 2 people, 1 luggage, why would one need a maletero?. I have traveled to the DR about 75 times in 30 years and maybe 5 times I have not been bothered by a meletero.

Sami: so you think a guy who insists on aggressively grabbing tourists bags should make more money than a local hairdresser or shop worker or taxi driver?

The guys that help with bags (and steer people into taxis) at airports are scammers and are out to rip off tourists, just like the window "washers" do at the traffic lights. Except the airport guys expect USD tips instead of RD$ tips.

Whenever I arrive at the airport I now always have a trusted taxi driver waiting for me, after having so many bad airport experiences of those guys trying to rip me off.

Which is what I did today, arriving in POP. It was very nice.

A suggestion: If you want to earn USD, go to the US and earn it there. If they won't let you in, then there's a reason for it, and you'd better accept earning RD$. Or figure out a way to make yourself desireable enough to the USA so that you can get a visa.

All inclusives are extremely popular for a reason. People are tired of being ripped off.

Did you tip your trusted taxi driver? No, you probably didn't. But , you would if you were in north America or take a lot of verbal abuse. I know that from recent experience. Where did I say anything about making US $? I said that salaries here , in general are bad. You must admit, that it was always difficult for families to live on the regular wages....now it is damn near impossible. The income from tips, has always been a part of their income. I put myself through university in North America, by tending bar. I was able to do that, BECAUSE I received good tips.
I believe I have made my point. Perhaps, try to make somebodies Xmas a little nicer, today. One less presidente, or cuba libre

I've never seen them at the belt in the Puerto Plata airport but there are many outside waiting at arrivals. I usually arrive alone with several bags but I just smile, say no thank you, if I don't want help, and that is all it takes.

sami said:

Did you tip your trusted taxi driver? No, you probably didn't. But , you would if you were in north America or take a lot of verbal abuse. I know that from recent experience. Where did I say anything about making US $? I said that salaries here , in general are bad. You must admit, that it was always difficult for families to live on the regular wages....now it is damn near impossible. The income from tips, has always been a part of their income. I put myself through university in North America, by tending bar. I was able to do that, BECAUSE I received good tips.
I believe I have made my point. Perhaps, try to make somebodies Xmas a little nicer, today. One less presidente, or cuba libre

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Companeros, a tip is earned!!. If I get a bad service by a waiter/waitress in a restaurant, I really do not care if he/she needs to put herself thru college, The tip will get smaller. I see no problem in tipping someone when I was the one requesting the help. But I will not be force to tip a maletero after I have told him 20 times that I do not need his help. In one of my many trips to the DR, I had a maletero grab my carry-on bag from my shoulder and when I told him that I did not needed his help, HE THREW THE BAG AT ME AND TOLD ME VERY LOUDLY: " gracias por quitarle la comida de la boca a mis hijos, estupido" (Thanks for taking my kid's food out of their mouths, stupid). I did complained about that guy to my dad and he was almost fired at the spot. But I told dad not to have him fired because I felt, yes felt, sorry for his family. I will not let anybody make me feel guilty just because I do not need his help. It has nothing to do with not tipping, it has to do with no letting people take advantage of you. I tip pretty well when I get good service or when I ask for help. I have a few questions for you, sami, if you were rude and obnoxious to your customer, would they leave good tips so you can put yourself thru college?. What would happen to you if you told your customers : " give me more money because I have a family to support?", "give me more because I know that you have alot of money?"," help me because my family have no food?", "pana ayudame porque me esta llevando el diablo?", " is this all you are going to give me, here take it because it seems that you needs it more than I, miserable?". Among thousands of other things that whey would tell you to make one feel uncomfortable. What would have happened to you and your college education if you were as demanding and nasty as some of the maleteros are?. No college education at all or find a different mean of making money. I am aware that the economy in the DR is very bad but one should not forget that there are some dominicans that travel to the DR because they DO want to see their families and some of those people would even borrow money in order to go and visit their loved ones. They live on a tight budget and can not waste their money. Do you think that just because they are traveling, they have extra money to spend?. Or haven't you heard of a dominican going to the DR with only a one way ticket because he/she did not have the money for a round trip and an emergency came up. Well, I know of such dominicans. And trust me that the last thing that they need is giving money away to a rude and verbally-abusive maletero. And please quote me when I say that all maleteros are not bad. It's not a tourist responsability to feed a maletero's family. One can help for the help you get but, in many instances, what you give them is never enough and then the nasty looks and verbal abuse starts. Let me know when the good tippers are going to the DR so I can be rude and abusive towards you and still get a great tip. I will make a special trip to take care of you because I NEED A 2004 PORSCHE!!

Did you tip your trusted taxi driver? No, you probably didn't.

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I don't think you should be making assumptions, I think you just need to calm down, okay, YOU would tip them for carrying your bags to your vehicle. Most probably would, the thing is, many people don't want to do this, be it that they might not have the money to tip... or perhaps they don't want to give a bill when it is indeed the equivalent to making $10 for 1, maybe 2, minutes of work... that's more income than many people in the world get. It's pointless to give that much when you indeed had no troubles doing it yourself, and sometimes (from what I've read) people want to. Maybe they don't have enough money period, it cost them enough to go on a vacation... like my famnily for example, we are going to try and tip people who help, (we are going to stores that sell cosmetics and trying to get some samples for the maids of our hotel) but frankly, we don't have enough money to tip every dominican that tries to get us to use their services.

Yes, they are trying to support families, etc. But maybe, instead of aggressively trying to grab someone's few bags, stand near the luggage-retrieval point and offer politely with a large smile. That way, you waste less time with people that would tip you less, and save yourself for the big spenders.

I understand that incomes are very small, but you have to understand that some people often don't need the services of these people, or they just don't have enough to tip them... if they had the appropriate amount they maybe would give a nice 'gracias' and a good tip.

But from what I've read, it might be a little intimidating to a person to see people grabbing at their bags, and then demanding a tip. It would be much better if they offered instead of insisting.

all tourists have different experiences and not all of the dominicans at the airport have the same attitudes but i dont think it is fair to say that we do not have generosity of spirit.

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Well said.