I know this is not a big deal to many, but it frustrates me nonetheless.
I get it that Dominicans pay less for a lot of things than I do, and depending on what it is, I'm even ok with that -- I blessed in that I make a lot more than working class Dominicans do.
But I do not pay for parking on a public street and have never paid for parking at Sosua Beach (fair enough I haven't parked there for years). If the city wants to charge for parking, put up a sign and list the price. Until then, it's public property and no private citizen is going to set up shop charging me for using it. When Cabarete gets busy, there are often people trying to charge for street parking as well. No way in hell am i paying to park on a street that my not-inconsiderable tax bill paid for.
The 'watch your car' scam is just that -- a scam. The hidden intimation is that if you don't pay, something might happen.
Is RD$20 a big deal? No, it's not. But it's frustrating and I go to the beach to get rid of my frustration.
Best thing that ever happened to the beach? Standardizing silla prices. Used to be I'd get frustrated as hell with people trying to take advantage, even for a few pesos, by grossly overcharging me. I'm not shiney white because I'm a tourist; I'm shiney white because my job hasn't given me time to go to get out of the office and head to the beach for a couple of months, so would you kindly not **** me off on my day off?
I actually went so far as to buy a little foldable chair just to avoid the hassle. Now that sillas are the same price no matter where you go (fine, there are exceptions if you want to fight for it, but why bother), I leave my porta-chair at home and rent them all the time. Costs more than before, but without the useless hassle, haggling and annoyances.
Does that make me cheap? Some might say yes, but I submit that I'm far more tight with my enjoyment of my time off than I am with my money.