- Thread starter rhanson1
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Warning to Playero customers using credit cards
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William, thank you for your comments. I agree that it is generally better to stay local. But I don’t even have a Dominican bank account. I had one a few years ago but I finally closed it because it was simply too much hassle. Ridiculous fees and monthly charges, having to stand in line for a half hour to give them my money, limiting my ATM withdrawals to 5,000 pesos, ATM machines out of order half the time, difficulty in resolving even the simplest issues, and I could go on and on. Perhaps I simply chose the wrong bank – I don’t know. But I finally came to the realization that there was no reason for me to have a Dominican bank account when I can have a totally free American bank account without any of these issues. Using my U.S. bank debit card and credit cards has never been a problem for me here other than this recent issue with Playero credit card processing.
Nevertheless I agree that going local is generally a smart idea in most circumstances. I never thought that my desire to share this information would draw angry or sarcastic responses, but like I said, unfortunately I’ve seen it before. Lots of angry old opinionated gringos living here who will lash out at nearly anything. I did not intend for this to be a Playero bitching thread. As stated at the very beginning of my first post, I have always been very happy with Playero. I like the people who work there, I like the store, and I am very comfortable shopping there. I am simply disappointed with the change in their credit card policy and disappointed by the way I was treated today when I brought this to their attention and asked for an explanation.
How many Americans would be surprised to find out that when they wandered into a Tesco supermarket in England that their credit card had an extra surcharge for using a different currency other than Pounds?
I'm getting a little tired of these Americans who think the World owes them a living and they can spend their hard earned American dollars in every foreign country and think they they are doing the World a favour. They seem to think that because they are paying in Dollars they are somehow exempt from any bank transfer or currency conversion charges!
BTW I'm also referring to that thread about the Irish pub in Sosua advertises its menu in Dollars. At least Frank is clever and realises his demographic.......Those Americans who think the greenback is all sacred.
I bet the Chinese won't be bitching about the exchange rate with their credit cards. They have more dollars than America!
I'm getting a little tired of these Americans who think the World owes them a living and they can spend their hard earned American dollars in every foreign country and think they they are doing the World a favour. They seem to think that because they are paying in Dollars they are somehow exempt from any bank transfer or currency conversion charges!
BTW I'm also referring to that thread about the Irish pub in Sosua advertises its menu in Dollars. At least Frank is clever and realises his demographic.......Those Americans who think the greenback is all sacred.
I bet the Chinese won't be bitching about the exchange rate with their credit cards. They have more dollars than America!
...those plastic cards are a problem, and you think you have problems.......one of the largest debit cards,Master debit -used by most Americans in the DR went from easy, cheap and then they changed all the rules.......cant use at bank tellers.....huge fees charged by the card company big fees by the atm machine.............Doc..............
Don't put everyone in the same basket. We have shopped there for 20 years as well as other places. Our Peso's work just fine everywhere. They will survive.
Apparently you either did not read or did not understand my post. This 4% surcharge that Playero is now charging is NOT typical here. If if was, then I would not comment about it. And I am well aware of the anti-American sentiment that you express due to the sense of entitlement that many Americans have. But I do not consider myself to be one of them.
Sorry DR Solar, my response was not intended for your post - it was intended as a response to the #24 breeza post.
Another reason why I finally decided to close my Dominican bank account was to avoid scrutiny from the IRS for possible money laundering violations when I do my annual income tax returns. One of the standard questions is the tax form is whether or not I have any foreign bank accounts. If I indicate yes, then that draws a host of other questions and possible closer examination of everything else on my return. I just find it much simpler to avoid any foreign bank accounts and use my U.S. bank accounts for everything.
Then I will try to clarify. No where in any of my posts did I state that I do not like Playero. In fact I have been consistent in stating just the opposite. What I don't like is their recent change in credit card policy and the unprofessional manner that I was treated today a one of the store employees. I don't know how I can make it any clearer.
Now you're really confusing everyone here. Replying to the wrong posts. BTW my handle is beeza, not breeza.
4% surcharge fo CC is very normal here. My merchant bank charges it for the use of the verifone machine. I absorb it within my business as my choice. I prefer to burden the cost of that convenience myself over my customers.
I'm sure that the profit margins on imported goods that Playero stock are minimal. Their business model is probably based on a volume of sales over higher profit margins. Playero have the best stock of imported goods to cater for foreigners for a fifty mile radius. They do a lot for the local community. They re-invest their capital and are always improving their store.
So they charge a 4% surcharge to USD CC payments, big deal. They don't with Peso plastic.
If you live here, assimilate and go with flow. Get a Dominican bank account or shop with Pesos in cash.
Your OP was a pretty scathing attack on Playero and its employees. I don't think it was warranted.
So let's get this right. You don't want Uncle Sam peeking into your tax affairs and don't need the hassle of having a Dominican bank account, yet you want Playero to absorb the cost of you shopping with dollars?
Is there anything else you would like Playero to do for you? Do you tip the bag boys who carry your shopping to your car in dollars too?
Forgive me for screwing up the beeza handle. And guilty as charged in regards to replying to the wrong post. I will try to do better. But your comment about a 4% surchange being normal here is contrary to my experience and it seems excessive. I have not encountered that here before.
I have stated from the very beginning of this thread that I have always liked Playero and the people who work there, and I will not repeat myself again. And it is entirely possible the Playero is not even aware of the fees being charged by their new credit card processor, and it is entirely possible that they are not profiting at all from it. My intent was to bring it to their intention and understand the reason for the change in policy. That was my reason for going to the store to talk to someone today, and that was one of my reasons why I started this thread. Since I was unable to get any answers from the store employee today, I was hoping that someone in a more responsible position at Playero might see or hear about my post and offer a reasonable explanation. I have seen that happen before on this forum where people bitch about a particular business, and then a representative of the business will come online to either explain or straighten things out. Delancer is one good example of that. My post was not intended to be a scathing attack against Playero as you state, and if anyone interpreted that way, then I hope my follow up posts have corrected that impression. I am simply disappointed in the new policy, I don't understand it, and I'm not even sure if Playero is aware of it.
I tend to agree with most of what you are saying Beeza. They have a nice selection of products.....and many specifically catering towards us extranjeros. Trust me, I shop there almost daily due to my business here.
I have noticed though that their margins are somewhat steady and a bit pricier depending on local versus imported. ......just my casual observation. I still choose to buy there due to the relative consistency of availability.....no matter the origins.
I did find the op's original post helpful though should I ever consider using a cc to pay in the future. To me, it's another tidbit of info that others may not know. Cheers!
Wow. I see that there is nothing that can remove that chip on your shoulder. I will not waste my time responding to your ridiculous and uninformed comments any more, so have at it beeza.
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