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08-12-14 00:17 #4073
Posts: 2803Originally Posted by MrEnternational [View Original Post]
Unfortunately the car got badly scratched on the rear corner and doors of the passenger side while parked in the street in Sosua, though I was not driving it at the time, so I had a guy respray the rear bumper and Polish the side of the car with compound and shine it up. This left a couple of small thumb-size dents on the door near the handle, but although they examined the car very closely when I returned it, they did not spot anything and gave me back my passport. The repairs cost me an extra $US 150, the main expense being sending someone to Puerto Plata to the Toyota dealership with the filler cap to get a computerized match for the metallic paint, and buying that paint. Still, I had the car back in about 3 hours, so no complaints.
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08-11-14 23:42 #4072
Posts: 16009Originally Posted by Grandnash84 [View Original Post]Originally Posted by Tempoecorto [View Original Post]
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08-11-14 23:11 #4071
Posts: 334Originally Posted by MrEnternational [View Original Post]
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08-11-14 19:58 #4070
Posts: 2116Originally Posted by mrenternational [View Original Post]
keep us up to date on this odyssey, hopefully, it is only a hold and you would come out unrep001hed.
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08-11-14 19:53 #4069
Posts: 2116Originally Posted by CharlesPooter [View Original Post]
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08-11-14 19:42 #4068
Posts: 2803Originally Posted by CharlesPooter [View Original Post]
One may also sometimes have to use the ATMs indoors at Santo Domingo airport. Again the Banco Popular ATM is preferred. Scotia Bank in PP has an armed guard, and there is also a machine inside the Metro Bus terminal / pharmacy in Sosua that is fairly safe to use.
I would avoid BanReservas, though this is the only ATM on the outside concourse at Puerto Plata airport, because they seem to have low minimum withdrawals, so ratio of ATM fee to amount drawn is unfavorable. I would also avoid other local banks, as some will not allow withdrawals on foreign cards and might possibly swallow your card.
Anyway Banco Popular, ScotiaBank, and BanReservas are reliable enough, so I stick to them.
As Pooter says, make sure you touch base with your home bank before you go and take a stack of US bills or Euros to change if needs be. If you don't need them, you can always take them back home.
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08-11-14 16:26 #4067
Posts: 3125Feel your pain
this why i choose to never rent anything in the dr. is gives them a license to [CodeWord123] with no vasalene.
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08-11-14 16:04 #4066
Posts: 2390Originally Posted by Manizales911 [View Original Post]
She was the girlfriend of the young son of my then (more or less) regular. It was her eighteenth birthday and he didn't have any money to buy her a present. His solution? Pimp her to me, share the payment with her, and buy her a present out of his share.
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08-11-14 15:31 #4065
Posts: 16009Accident Update
Maybe I will never understand business in the DR. After my accident, I returned the wrecked car for another one. They could not use the same card for the new car so I had to use a different card. In this process, unbeknownst to me, they made up a new contract. (I rarely read, I just sign.) Under the original, the car would cost me $217.60 for 8 days ($19.14/day plus tax). I turned the new car in 1 day early and did not notice until later (because I was in a hurry to catch my flight) that they had charged me $289.06 for 7 days ($30/day plus tax). I called Budget's US number to file a case on June 19. They said that it would take up to 30 days to investigate.
If you did not know, the car rental places in the DR are franchises and really operate independently of the actual foreign corporations. I have been in DR another time since then and rented from the same agency. I showed them my paperwork from the time before and inquired about the price difference. The agent told me that since the payment had already been processed I would have to call the US office and start a case on it. I had already done that so I was good. I never heard back in almost 2 months so this morning I called Budget USA as soon as they opened. The lady said they still had not heard anything from Santo Domingo so she went ahead and refunded $98.58 to my credit card.
I had the accident on June 8, and on June 9 called American Express to file the claim. I was emailed a list naming documents that I would need to email to them (driver's licence, police report, info of other driver, auto insurance in home country) and a list that Budget would need to send to them (Closed rental agreement. Final contract stating total charges billed to renter and return date of vehicle, Accident / Incident report, Photos of damage, Demand letter, Appraisal or estimate of damages, Fleet Utilization Log or proof of payment for completed repairs). As soon as I returned to the USA and was able to scan my documents I emailed them right off.
Soon after that I noticed that Budget Santo Domingo had charged my American Express $6449.95 (card has $10000 limit) for damage to the vehicle. I contacted the AMEX adjuster who was handling my claim by email and she told me to call the normal number and have them make it where it would show a hold on my card, but I would not have to make any payments since the claim was still being processed.
This morning I received an email from the adjuster saying that 60 days after the accident Budget Santo Domingo has still not sent any paperwork to them so they are closing the case. From the email: "What do I do if the Car Rental Company contacts me or charges the damages directly to my card? Please reach out to us by calling the number on the back of your Card to set up a dispute. ".
I will say that a month ago Budget Santo Domingo did send me the documents that they were supposed to send to AMEX, but I am not trying to do their work for them and forward them on. I do notice that the car repair total was $4604 plus $828 (18% tax) for a total of $5432. That was the estimate from the repair shop. So their sneaky asses transferred the $5432 over to the rental agreement and then retaxed that total repair bill another 18% for an additional $977, making the total $6409. They tacked on another $40 for me renting the car for those few hours before the accident.
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08-11-14 15:18 #4064
Posts: 3125Not complicated
I use BANK Popular or Western Union both give the best rates with no complications.
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08-11-14 14:23 #4063
Posts: 2390Originally Posted by Lou32 [View Original Post]
Originally Posted by Lou32 [View Original Post]
I always laugh at these threads about exchange rates. Guys agonize over dropping (say) 5 dollars if they draw 10.000 pesos but the same guys have no problem paying a puta 3000 pesos instead of 2500 (11 dollars dropped) or giving unnecessary tips and propinas all day long, or paying a motoconchista 100 when it should be 30, or paying 120 pesos for a beer they could buy for 60 down the road, etc, etc.
I think part of it is we all hate banks, especially since the financial crash, and resent giving them an unnecessary cent.
Of course you might save more than 5 dollars if you are changing thousands of dollars, but anyone who walks around with that much cash should be worrying about other things.
On my trips I always used ATMs. Worth it for the convenience. But I soon learned to change money inside the bank. Safer, and you can ask for small bills and coins. Always having the right change in your pocket can easily save you more than 5 dollars a week. Downside is you need your passport so I only do it in situations where I can go straight home and lock it away.
Warning: if you are planning on relying entirely on bank cards, bring two, or even three, as backup. And make it very clear to your home bank(s) that you will be using your card in the DR between specified dates. The DR is red-flagged all over the world for scams and financial irregularities. They may freeze your account if they see an unexpected pattern of usage, in which case you would be f*cked.
Another tip on using ATMs is always use one outside a bank, rather than a stand-alone one outside a store or filling-station. For two reasons:
(1) If the machine "eats" your card or you have other problems, you will save a day or two in getting the problem resolved.
(2) ATMs outside banks, especially if watched by a security guard, are less likely to be tampered with, such as having card cloning gadgets fitted.
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08-11-14 12:56 #4062
Posts: 430ATM exchange rate?
Is pulling cash out of the DR ATMs a good substitute for converting US dollars at some cambio if you are in a hurry?
I know the fees are high but I think the exchange rate is accurate, no?
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08-11-14 12:50 #4061
Posts: 3125I like variety
I have not had a heifer in along time. It is variety thing for me. Big girls can be very sexy. I am looking forward to banging this heifer. No shame in my game.
Originally Posted by Manizales911 [View Original Post]
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08-11-14 05:50 #4060
Posts: 2803Originally Posted by Haunted [View Original Post]
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08-11-14 04:57 #4059
Posts: 2469Originally Posted by OldKool [View Original Post]