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[QUOTE=Boriman;1176660]Guys go to a place, they drink, and sometimes, as stated earlier, they are shortchanged intentionally. Other times, as already stated, the chicas do not know how to count. Still other times the guys are plain drunk and do not recall how much they gave or got back. Sometimes it is hard to tell which.[/QUOTE]There is a reason my DR nickname is "tacaņo." Basically, this is me in the DR: [url]http://youtu.be/KNQRqAoT-2c[/url]
[QUOTE=Llttf;1176636]The ATM's charge 112 pesos for withdrawals on foreign accounts, that is $ 3. Not sure where you are getting the $5 from. I did leave the DR 3 weeks ago so it could have changed since I left but I don't think so.[/QUOTE]Therefore is it more advantageous to change money at "casa de cambio" or to withdrawal money from ATM?
[QUOTE=FoxesHunter;1176738]Therefore is it more advantageous to change money at "casa de cambio" or to withdrawal money from ATM?[/QUOTE]If you don't mind walking around with a thousand or more dollars or euros, you will not lose money by exchanging euros or dollars to pesos at a cambio. For me, ATM fees when I withdraw money in DR is $10US per transaction. If you have a Scotia Bank account or a Bank of America account, you can save on the fees by using Scotia Bank ATM machines.
Some guys use Charles Scwab or Paypal cards to save on some fees. Some guys open bank accounts in DR and use the card from their DR bank to save on fees.
[QUOTE=Llttf;1176636]The ATM's charge 112 pesos for withdrawals on foreign accounts, that is $ 3. Not sure where you are getting the $5 from. I did leave the DR 3 weeks ago so it could have changed since I left but I don't think so.[/QUOTE]I stand corrected the slightly less thieving incompetent DR banks are receiving a little over $3US per ATM withdrawal and the more greedy thieving Chase Bank is receiving $5US per ATM withdrawal in the DR (for me $8US per transaction not $10). Would be nice if Chase could teach the DR banks how to program their ATM machines to function in multiple languages. Chase ATM machines in New York have the option to chose from about 8 different languages. In the DR, most ATM machines will not give you cash if you choose English, incompetence. The US taxpayer bailed out the big banks and the financial industry (US taxpayer assumed all the burden and guys who run the banks reaped all the reward, and this is how the favor is returned by charging outrageous fees and the politicians do nothing to protect the consumer, call chase and you will speak with someone at a call center in India).
[QUOTE=Orgasmico; 1176723]There is a reason my DR nickname is "tacaņo." Basically, this is me in the DR:
[url]http://youtu.be/KNQRqAoT-2c[/url][/QUOTE]We must be related since I've had taxi drivers, chicas, souvenir dealers, and eveyone else in between call me "tacaņo." The only people who call me this are those who are trying to hustle me out of money (and do not succeed!). I remember I was once at the beach and I asked one of the workers at the booth the cost of a drink. She told me and I said that it was much too expensive. She had the audacity to say that that was the price of the same drink in New York. I had to remind her that we were not in New York but in the Dominican Republic! An old ruse, expecting tourists not to know the prices, since many tourist have only as a reference point the cost in their own country!
Also, and it has happened to me, you order a drink, and the chica at the booth will get you (and herself!) a drink; expecting you to pay for her. I am careful about getting anything along the beach.
Then there is the chica who hangs out with you. You ask her what she wants and she orders the most expensive drink in the house. I try to be weary about this and suggest a presidente so the chica does not drive me bankrupt.
My favorite one is when a drink has one price at Merengue Bar, a higher price at Classicos, and two different prices at the bars at the opposite ends of Classicos! We had to complain to the bouncer about this.
Good and fair-minded survey of the whole issue, Boriman.
[QUOTE=Boriman;1176660]Sidney's experience is not unique and I have made a complaint to management about being shortchanged in Passions. From my experience this happens when management is not paying attention or is not around. I do not see it often, though, but it does happen.![/QUOTE]Of course it wouldn't be unique. It can happen anywhere, even in Walmart. The reason I suggested it might be less common at Passions than in other working girl bars is that management does "pay attention" more there than in most other places because it is run by a European, not by a local. As I say, I hold no brief for Passions and if is closed down so we could all enjoy the same chicas at half the price I wouldn't be complaining (but that ain't going to happen!)
[QUOTE=Boriman;1176660]Sydney needs to complain since, like the experience just mentioned, one learns to lessen if not totally avoid losing money unnecessarily![/QUOTE]Yes, he was right to complain, and right to report it in a post, just as you did. (But then forget about it!). That way we can see if a consensus builds up. If we get a slew of posts saying that they were short-changed at Passions I might believe there is a general problem. But if that happened, Peter, who reads all the boards, would jump on the problem before it got out of hand. He is not some dumbass Dominican.
[QUOTE=Boriman;1176660]As for receiving too much change I find that to be even more rare than being cheated out of money in Passions! The people in that country might not know how to count but, heck, giving too much change back! I have yet to read a report on that topic. Anyone out there who knows of a place in the DR that gives too much change back can you please PM me. That is a place I would like to give all my business to![/QUOTE]I have given surplus change back a couple of times, but in normal local shops rather than in tourist bars. Although once, surprisingly, was at the ticket window for Caribe Tours. In the humidity here notes can get stuck together. I mentioned that simply to illustrate that some short-changing might be down to innumeracy among honest people rather than intentional cheating. You are not going to find repeated instances of it at any one place, sorry!
[QUOTE=Boriman; 1176761]We must be related since I've had taxi drivers, chicas, souvenir dealers, and eveyone else in between call me "tacaņo." The only people who call me this are those who are trying to hustle me out of money (and do not succeed!). I remember I was once at the beach and I asked one of the workers at the booth the cost of a drink. She told me and I said that it was much too expensive. She had the audacity to say that that was the price of the same drink in New York. I had to remind her that we were not in New York but in the Dominican Republic! An old ruse, expecting tourists not to know the prices, since many tourist have only as a reference point the cost in their own country!
Also, and it has happened to me, you order a drink, and the chica at the booth will get you (and herself!) a drink; expecting you to pay for her. I am careful about getting anything along the beach.
Then there is the chica who hangs out with you. You ask her what she wants and she orders the most expensive drink in the house. I try to be weary about this and suggest a presidente so the chica does not drive me bankrupt.
My favorite one is when a drink has one price at Merengue Bar, a higher price at Classicos, and two different prices at the bars at the opposite ends of Classicos! We had to complain to the bouncer about this.[/QUOTE]I don't know fellas. If I don't like a set price for something, I just move on. Why complain to a Dominican about a Dominican because you want to argue about their pricing structure. Protest by taking your money else where.
[QUOTE=Boriman;1176761]We must be related since I've had taxi drivers, chicas, souvenir dealers, and eveyone else in between call me "tacaņo." The only people who call me this are those who are trying to hustle me out of money (and do not succeed!).[/QUOTE]To me, it is always the broke ones who call you cheap. Whether it be pro or non-pro. You know what my answer to them is?"Well biotch you pay for it then!" That is why I'm not broke like you because I spend my money wisely and don't just throw it around like that.
[QUOTE=Sidney;1176382]The inflation of the last 2 years is incomprehensible! The 3rd highest in the world, only behind Zambia and Venezuela![/QUOTE]I just did a Google search and inflation here is less than 6, I have been living here for 2 years and I my pension income hasn't changed much insofar as my dollars to pesos are stretched. There is no income tax on moderate incomes, just a VAT tax. The government puts a lid on wages so working classes and poor are tense because of rising prices and stagnant wages. Sound familiiar? The same is happening in the USA.
[QUOTE=Riky Rapido;1176871]I just did a Google search and inflation here is less than 6, I have been living here for 2 years and I my pension income hasn't changed much insofar as my dollars to pesos are stretched. There is no income tax on moderate incomes, just a VAT tax. The government puts a lid on wages so working classes and poor are tense because of rising prices and stagnant wages. Sound familiiar? The same is happening in the USA.[/QUOTE]I think Sidney's "incomprehensible" comment referred to Argentina, not the DR?
I think 6% p.a. Sounds about right for the DR, but that is unacceptable economically. Usual guidelines in normal times are 2 to 3 per cent but these are not normal times so inflation should be nearer 0%.
Inflation at 6% means prices increase by over a third in five years and there is no way wages in the DR are keeping pace with that. Many have gone down. (Not in the same jobs, but where people have lost their jobs and been forced to take a new one elsewhere at less money).
Still, so long as the people have baseball, television and music, and can sit in their doorways staring into space all day they will go on voting for the same gang of crooks as they have for decades. The party labels don't mean shit because they are all inter-married and co-operate on the same rackets, and the parties have no real programs or ideology anyway.
[QUOTE=Mr Gogo;1176815]I don't know fellas. If I don't like a set price for something, I just move on. Why complain to a Dominican about a Dominican because you want to argue about their pricing structure. Protest by taking your money else where.[/QUOTE]You give good advice. I now ask for the price up front when I am upstairs at Classicos, to avoid being overcharged. I did not order the New York priced drink and now do not give that chica business. Everytime she sees me on the beach she recalls what happened and tries to play it off. My opinion is that if one cheats me I'll simply not go there again. They cheat me the first time shame on them. They cheat me the second time shame on me (I should have known better).
[QUOTE=Boriman;1176897]You give good advice. I now ask for the price up front when I am upstairs at Classicos, to avoid being overcharged. I did not order the New York priced drink and now do not give that chica business. Everytime she sees me on the beach she recalls what happened and tries to play it off. My opinion is that if one cheats me I'll simply not go there again. They cheat me the first time shame on them. They cheat me the second time shame on me (I should have known better).[/QUOTE]Mr. E gave the best advise. When you go into an establishment and the girls are rushing you, and everything is happening fast, ask for a menu. It gives you time to slow everything down and allows you to figure out if you should be there. If they continue to rush you and don't have a menu, then maybe you shouldn't be there.
[QUOTE=Boriman;1176897]You give good advice. I now ask for the price up front when I am upstairs at Classicos, to avoid being overcharged. I did not order the New York priced drink and now do not give that chica business. Everytime she sees me on the beach she recalls what happened and tries to play it off. My opinion is that if one cheats me I'll simply not go there again. They cheat me the first time shame on them. They cheat me the second time shame on me (I should have known better).[/QUOTE]Before I order anything at any place on this planet I always ask for a menu first. If there is not one available then of course I ask the price of what I am interested in. 8 years ago me and two wingmen were in a cabaret in Nice, France. As soon as we walked in they ordered drinks, while I asked for a menu. As they started to sip their drinks I showed them that the cheapest thing in the menu was water at 35 euro. The price of their drinks was 40 euro each.
[QUOTE=Sidney;1176379]A Pro massage, no sex, = Keka, $14. Many others for $14 offer minimal massage, HJ's and BBBJ's. There is 1 lousy strip club= Bananas = not advised! Better places offering in-house sex are Carribean Men's Paradise and Passion's (watch out for being short-changed here). The best places for fine, young chicas after 10pm are: Merengue Bar, Classico's disco and Latino's. I'll show you guys around.[/QUOTE]Thanks Sidney. Will stay at Hotel Voramar just like you have recommended? $14 for pro massage is good price, where is Keka located? If you are in Sosua or near by, definitely, I buy you a beer! PM me if you want to.
Regards,
Strad
I would like one too please!
[QUOTE=Strad; 1176943]Thanks Sidney. Will stay at Hotel Voramar just like you have recommended? $14 for pro massage is good price, where is Keka located? If you are in Sosua or near by, definitely, I buy you a beer! PM me if you want to.
Regards,
Strad[/QUOTE]