I got RIPPED OFF -How? What did I do about it?

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johne

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Jun 28, 2003
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I think it might be an interesting and informing tread if we posted a "rip off" story. What happened to you? How did they do it? What did you do about it? Results? What can we learn from this?
Let me start this off with a couple of light and easy ones.
1) I recently bought merchandise in the DR from about 10 different vendors for export to the U.S. I had the merchandise shipped to a little store that I own in SD for inspection and counting before trans shipping to NYC. I paid all the bills from the store. AFTER (shame on me) I paid the bills I noticed that some of the vendors charged me a tax and some didn"t. When I questioned the tax I found that--by sending the product to my store address in SD I was subject to the tax. If I had used my NYC address I would not have paid the tax. Of course I asked for a refund and the answer? Sorry, next time we will correct the billing addresses.Result--Several hundred $ lost for this error. Next time several hundred $ in savings. (I think)

2) I never ever use the mini-bar in the hotel room. In an AI why bother when everything is free. In a non-AI its always way too expensive. So. one nite I remove two bottles of Coke and place them on the dresser so that I have some room for some dessert I couldn't finish at dinner. The next day (I didn't notice) someone removed the 2 bottles of Coke and when I check out there was a charge on my bill for those 2 damn bottles that I would never buy. I argue the bill and have the charge removed (worth the effort? Not really since its 15 minutes of BS I don't need in my life)
So what does this brilliant guy do 2 months later? Same exact thing. But this time there is a cab waiting for me outside and a line of check out people behind me and this is a class hotel where I would like to keep my voice down.
I course I am fustrated at myself because I have "been there before" What did I do? Paid the bill. Thats OK I took one of their towels. So there! Got you!

So what is your rip off story -I would like to learn something and save some money. Always nice to have a little loose change in your pocket:>

JOHN
 
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El Tigre

El Tigre de DR1 - Moderator
Jan 23, 2003
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someone tried to rip me off yesterday. i went to check out prices for a printer at prodacom in santiago and they wanted to charge me 9,000 pesos for a canon printer i can get in the states for 125. i didn't argue i just walked out of the store.
 
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jrf

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Jan 9, 2005
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The hotel I stay at charged me a certain rate and let me pay daily if I wanted. When I came back three months later the price had gone up and had to pay for the whole expected time up front.
Not a big deal but what was I going to do. Could change hotels but the rate wasn't too much different. Just the way I felt about it.
But, tis life in the RD.
 
K

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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johne, the only possible rip off that I see in your post is the matter of the two bottles of Coke. Sounds like those who charged tax on merchandise shipped to your SD store were following the correct procedure. The fact you didn't know all the rules of the field you are playing on is not a rip off.
 
Robert

Robert

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johne said:
1) I recently bought merchandise in the DR from about 10 different vendors for export to the U.S. I had the merchandise shipped to a little store that I own in SD for inspection and counting before trans shipping to NYC. I paid all the bills from the store. AFTER (shame on me) I paid the bills I noticed that some of the vendors charged me a tax and some didn"t. When I questioned the tax I found that--by sending the product to my store address in SD I was subject to the tax. If I had used my NYC address I would not have paid the tax. Of course I asked for a refund and the answer? Sorry, next time we will correct the billing addresses.Result--Several hundred $ lost for this error. Next time several hundred $ in savings. (I think)
Click to expand...

Hi John,

Maybe they already paid the ITBIS on these invoices, business pays monthly to the government in the DR. If that's the case, your are never going to get a refund. As Ken said, they didn't rip you off, they did the right thing :)
 
J

johne

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Jun 28, 2003
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You're right.

Robert said:
Hi John,

Maybe they already paid the ITBIS on these invoices, business pays monthly to the government in the DR. If that's the case, your are never going to get a refund. As Ken said, they didn't rip you off, they did the right thing :)
Click to expand...
Bad choice of words on my behalf. Perhaps it should have read how I can improve the process the next time. In the meantime this still might make a good tread.

JOHN
 
W

wuarhat

I am a out of touch hippie.
Nov 13, 2006
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I went to a gas station and asked for $RD600. One block away I notice that the tank is as empty as before I stopped. I went back and got a bunch of blank looks and shoulder shrugs.
 
cobraboy

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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wuarhat said:
I went to a gas station and asked for $RD600. One block away I notice that the tank is as empty as before I stopped. I went back and got a bunch of blank looks and shoulder shrugs.
Click to expand...
Always watch them zero the meter, and watch themput the gas in your vehicle. RD$600 is only 3 gallons so it could be your gauge system also.
 
Tamborista

Tamborista

hasta la tambora
Apr 4, 2005
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In 2006...when this thread was started, they probably were expecting a full tank!
 
W

wuarhat

I am a out of touch hippie.
Nov 13, 2006
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cobraboy said:
Always watch them zero the meter, and watch themput the gas in your vehicle. RD$600 is only 3 gallons so it could be your gauge system also.
Click to expand...

That's how I learned that lesson. It was about 6 gallons when it happened, which was close to a whole tank on the little thing I was driving.
 
D

DRob

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Aug 15, 2007
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Where in DR did you get gas for $100 a gallon? That's the cheapest price in a very, very long time.
 
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suarezn

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Feb 3, 2002
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A few things Dominicans instinctively know, but foreigners may not think about...

1. As someone already mentioned when you go to a gas station watch them zero it out and put the gas in, same goes for propane.
2. If you're at a bar drinking more than a few beers and you have an open tab, make sure you keep count and agreement with the waiter / waitress each time they bring you a new one. Many places will charge you for a few more than you consumed if you're not alert.
3. If you exchange foreign currency make sure you ALWAYS count you cash right there in front of the person before you walk away. Don't assume that just because you saw him count it in front of you it's all there.
4. When you buy certain things such as light bulbs, fans, etc...you always make sure they work before you pay for them and leave the store. There's no refund...

I'm sure some of the other fellow Dominicans and long time residents who are now "aplatanados" can think of other things.
 
AlterEgo

AlterEgo

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suarezn said:
A few things Dominicans instinctively know, but foreigners may not think about...

4. When you buy certain things such as light bulbs, fans, etc...you always make sure they work before you pay for them and leave the store. There's no refund...

I'm sure some of the other fellow Dominicans and long time residents who are now "aplatanados" can think of other things.
Click to expand...

Good points. Last trip we did a lot of remodeling and upgrading at our house, and purchased a lot of items at La Sirena in San Cristobal. I was pleasantly surprised when they insisted on unpacking and plugging in anything electrical before I paid for it, even the range hood came out of the box. When they delivered our new refrigerator/freezer they plugged it in and waited until it began to cool before leaving.

When we went to Almacenes Unidas in SD we bought all sorts of items for our bathroom - each and every box was opened at the cash register, for example, we bought a new bathroom mirror, they opened it and took it out of the box for my 'approval' [there was a photo of the mirror on the box, but I suppose they wanted me to see it wasn't broken??]. They didn't open the ceiling fans - I wonder if we could have returned those if they didn't work? Prolly not.

I've never seen this done in the US, but in the US I can return anything I buy without question [in most instances].

AE
 
A

Anastacio

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Feb 22, 2010
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suarezn said:
A few things Dominicans instinctively know, but foreigners may not think about...

2. If you're at a bar drinking more than a few beers and you have an open tab, make sure you keep count and agreement with the waiter / waitress each time they bring you a new one. Many places will charge you for a few more than you consumed if you're not alert.
4. When you buy certain things such as light bulbs, fans, etc...you always make sure they work before you pay for them and leave the store. There's no refund...
Click to expand...

2. in general keep the bottles on the bar or table or around the table legs so you can count up afterwards, colmados do this anyway, bars not always.

4 lightbulb testing is overkill imo, you will be considered a tight a$$ dick if you unpackage a lightbulb and test it before paying for it, infact most stores would just say buy it elsewhere. IMO, but each his own!!
 
A

Anastacio

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Feb 22, 2010
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JDJones said:
And yes David, that was me in Hooters the other day when you were there with the hooker. Be glad I didn't make a scene with you.
Click to expand...

You are a calm character, I don't think many would have been able to hold their tongue, if only to make the guy feel a little uncomfortable. Good for you!!
 
R

RacerX

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Nov 22, 2009
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JDJones said:
I bought two tickets for a cruise from a gringo named David A Vest in Puerto plata for a thousand bucks.

Turned out he got them for some web work he did for the cruise company and were not transferable.

- didn't know until I tried to change them to a different date, then he started ignoring my emails.

Funny, he won't accept my friend request on Facebook, either.

And yes David, that was me in Hooters the other day when you were there with the hooker. Be glad I didn't make a scene with you.
Click to expand...

This is the old "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." YouTube - ‪hamburger‬‏
 
H

HumbleHindu

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Jan 14, 2010
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Just ripped off by La Sirena by selling me a stale food. It happened to me before also and i had avoided Las Sirena but today I have no other choice. Had to live the night with water
 
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