Utility bill problems and solutions?

[Jan]

Yea...everything here is a grande dolor en me culo! When you try to do any business everything is so slow. I went to get my provisional residency yesterday. The computer was froze...so everyone say around and talked and laughed! It was OK but if I was in a hurry it would have been frustrating. I had to go to the Immigrations...then go to some other place to get the cedula..then back to the Malecon to get the residency. Its all so dissorganized.
The phone and utilities are the same. They sit around and talk while you wait patiently.
But one thing good here is I'm learning patience! Its not an easy lesson. I jusr smile. Put up with all the men saying they love me. And enjoy the country..bad and good!

 

[Jim Hinsch]

<b>Originally posted by rafael:
... and said "mi amor these beers don't taste right." ...and she said "what do you want me to do about it"! I said, I can't drink them, she says "no mi problema"! </b>

It's all in the spin. Make it a game!

I love this country and I love presidente beer. And I like you! Tu forma es buena Hay dios mio, this one's got something. I'm not going to say anything because que verguenza. No busco problema. What should I do? Will you help me?

 

[canadian bob]

Well said Jim Hinsch! Also, never ask a Dominican to buy something for you with the expectation that he can get it cheaper. They never bargain as they are afraid of losing face! Canadian Bob

 

[scaramooch]

Yes Jim Hinch, besides the people that steal,decieve, lie and cheat I described other traits of the Dominicans just to catch flack from some patronizing gringos beside DR1 Robert even threatening vanishment from the forum, you must be a sacred cow among others on this forum but I happen to agree with you 100% of what you say. I just happen to be according to Robert not inteligent enough to banter with all these intellects on this forum

 

[lhtown]

I just happen to be according to Robert not inteligent enough to banter with all these intellects on this forum

Some of us wonder why Robert puts up with such abuse. We sure get tired of reading it. It is our informed opinion that he does quite a good job. That is why we post here. Why not find another board that suits your fancy better?

 

[Robert]

Don't worry, he's hanging by a thread....

 

[Golo100]

Oh,Oh!

Not again Scaramooch. You are becoming the Billy Martin of DR1, getting kicked out of DR1 in every game kicking and cussing!

TW

 

[Jimena]

WOW!!! I am quite new to this forum and I have been learning a lot! Thanks Jim and all of you!
You Know? Some of your recommendations could be aplied to Spain and anothers to Japan (where I lived 3,5 years). Amazing!
About the part of no complaining is the same in 65% of Spain. I think that is part of Spaniard culture and Castillian to be more exact. For example, in Catalunya we complain to get things done if others previous ways of commnunicating did not work. Time runs diferently in every culture, don't you think? And the idea os space too!!!
Being indirect is something that sometimes troubles me in my own culture, nevertheless we do think that latinamericans are too indirect :-DDDDDDDD
Another diference is that here when complimented we look at the person with disconfort thinking about what they really want :-DDD
But we do compliment a lot, in fact.
As Dominicans we do not say sorry as much as other cultures but we have a diferent way of expressing it like ?Vaya! ?No me digas! ?Ay dios m?o! ?Y ahora qu? vas a hacer? ?Y qu? le has idcho? Noooo,no puede ser!!!
I think that when we are foreigners we need to do a kind a translation not only with words but with forms, because the same concept has many ways of expression.
Being a foreigner is a lot of work, but is apasionante too
Thanks for your wisdom!
Big Hugs,
Jimena

 

[ozno]

hello
i live in Santo Domingo for the last 10 years i build up a very big and nice business here i spend time with all 3 government with the 3 different parties
i can say to any one that want to cam here this is a very bed time to cam live here the last 2 years was very bad for business and corruption i can say that in my opinion in the next 2 year this country will be very bed for many risen and will be in baseball to be a foreigner here
in my 10 years here i did not see so much corruption like in the last 2 years from the small inspectors up to the top government officials
i am ding to sell my business and just leave this place before it will be to late
ozno

 

[Timex]

Hola Ozno

What type of business do you have?

And are you from the DR, of another country?

Thanks
Tim H.

 

[MommC]

Meanwhile........

9 weeks later we're still waiting the results of the "investigation" of our account at AES!!

 

[Timex]

I know the feeling!

Last Wednesday, I went home for lunch and while I?m sitting out on the porch afterwards, the little truck pulls up, the guys get out, hand me a disconnect notice, and DISCONNECTED my electric.

My Wife went right at them. We were disconnected for owing $1100. Pesos for the month of February. After she calmed down, we went to the office to explain that we never received the bill, I already knew that we would be paying the bill and the re-connection charge. They promised to have it hooked back up before 5pm.

Now my wife?s blood pressure is through the roof, and all the way back to the house she keeps asking me ? How can you be so calm??. Well guess what? They never came back, and at about 8pm the lights in the neighborhood went out, so I knew the electric was out. I went out, opened the meter, and hooked the breakers back up. They just pull the wires out of the breakers and put that little wire lock tag, back on.

My wife calls me at work the next morning. She went down and told them what happened, and got the reconnection fee back. I?m still laughing about what she must have been like, for them to do that!

Tim H.

 

[ozno]

Hello timex
i can't say what kind of business i have coz it is very known in here and no i am not Dominican and Es much Es i am truing to be ejast i cant it DAs not work
i can't fiend not Evan one Dominican that i can say i can trust and leet him run my business and just ley back a letall
Its just don't work ............... wish i can sale it but then again it cost a loot of money to buy it so its very hard to fiend Sam one to buy it in this time ..... and i am flexible in the price
thanks ozno

 

[piquito8]

This one for Timex

Timex you really stink with your complaints!!!!

Why don't youget the HELL OUT OF THERE????????????

 

[Pib]

Re: This one for Timex

Timex you really stink with your complaints!!!!

Why don't youget the HELL OUT OF THERE????????????

Huh? Had platano for dinner? I recommend some papaya for your condition.

 

[Robert]

piquito8

You just got disconnected...

 

[katty]

Of course, if you are bored, you can play a game. Try to play it straight and when you don't like their answers, use big loud responses and talk like a Dominican, "COOOMO? AYYYY dios MIIIo. TU ta LOco? IMposSIble. TOdos son laDROnes. Maldita LadROnes. NO VOY a paGAR! NO PAgo.

As they try to interrupt, you walk away talking over the top of them, no me imPORTa. laDROnes. NO pago. no PAgo. YO se que HAgo. YO se. ... as you walk out the door.

This behaviour is not expected of a gringo. The other customers will just watch quietly with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

you are right on time love it

 

[MaineGirl]

Loved Jim's rules of the game. I am slowly learning. Part of my prob. is I was born direct and will die direct. My brain needs to slow down long enough to absorb the action and make the right play at the right time. (I guess I always think in terms of end results--ah, the hapless life of a visionary.) I am confident if I had read Jim's rules before my trip I would NOT have had to pay the ten dollars tourist card fee coming home (I had one coming in but it was found stuffed in the corner of my purse after I got home.)

Actually I think that it worked out for me when at the doctor's in Santiago because I was completely the helpless and exhausted gringa. Of course I remembered someone's advice to "smile, smile, smile". Plus I asked all kinds of questions of the assistant like, "how did you get this job, it look so hard, you must be so smart" and "I don't understand a thing you are doing, please explain it to me". Half buttkissing, half real curiosity (another one of my faults--incessant curiosity).When done there I gave a "regalito", wasn't much but when I called the office they all remembered my name and it took 2 seconds to get the results a few days later.

Also can relate to Bushbaby's fighting method. I get to use it often here whenever I notice a major discrepancy between advertised accesibility and actual accesibility for my husband. Once in DC at a museum we were promised a captioned film. They "forgot" or something. I got his money back and then I asked for my money back, because we were there on a date, and if he wasn't having fun than neither was I. Sometimes ballsy works. One of my fondest memories is being bumped to first class after politely explaining why it was inappropriate to put Jason in an emergency exit aisle after we had repeatedly told the airline he was deaf. Of course they got it all backwards and sent over a wheelchair to pick us up in the lounge!