禁漫天堂

@planner

Thank you.

@pharrison742

Are asking about the process or your particular attorney? From my experience having an attorney involved is good for the process. If you don鈥檛 like your particular attorney, that鈥檚 a different matter. Talk to the managing partner in the firm and figure it out. I hope this helps.

I use Alfredo Guzman聽 of Guzman Ariza for all my real estate business. Exceptional service and total honesty......

@rfmaurone

Right now, I聽 have no problems with my attorney.

@Steverino7777

Good to hear!

@Fatima Louis

I understand Judas聽 was a Christian too, until he wasn鈥檛鈥�.

Hello,

We could say that the first common scam involves the e-ticket: some websites charge for it, even though the process is entirely free on the official government site.

Some police officers don鈥檛 hesitate to invent fake infractions when stopping foreign drivers in order to extort 1,000 pesos in cash鈥�

Then there are real estate agencies, which sometimes charge very high fees and inflate prices for foreigners, who are perceived as having money.

The same goes for lawyers: make sure to compare prices before hiring one. From one lawyer to another, for the same service, the price can vary up to tenfold (personal experience!).

In the Dominican Republic, as in many places, the best thing is to have a trusted local contact, someone who understands 鈥渉ow the system works鈥� and who can guide and support you鈥攅specially when dealing with services outside a regulated or transparent framework.

Partir en R茅publique dominicaine

And even with a trusted contact,聽 double check!

@planner

Been there聽 done that !

It looks like my first attempt didn't post, so I apologize if this shows up twice.

My experience:聽 a large Walmart-style store in Puerto Plata had signs throughout the store saying '10% off your purchase if you use your Banco Santa Cruz card to pay.'聽 I used my BSC card to pay but didn't get 10% off.聽 I had a Dominican friend with me who did all the talking - asked the checkout girl about the discount.聽 She acts confused - no idea what we're talking about.聽 We get the manager/supervisor over.聽 She also acts slightly confused then says I need to go to BSC to ask for my 10% cash back.聽 I didn't go to the bank, because in my Americanized mind, it was up to the store to take the 10% loss, not the bank.聽 This is a scam to me because they're encouraging you to buy more thinking you'll get 10% off when you won't.

Also, at a checkout register at a popular supermarket, I was overcharged for an item, but I didn't notice it until I was in the car.聽 Once you walk away from the register, it's all over, and it's your fault for not paying attention.聽 The overcharge was on a pack of cheese where聽 [price per pound] X [pounds] = [total to pay].聽 Instead of scanning the barcode which would have that all figured in, she manually rang it as [total to pay] X [pounds], and probably pocketed the change.聽 I mean, she surely knows to scan the barcode, right?聽 Definitely intent on her part, but I didn't catch it until I was in the car, so bye-bye money.聽 Since then, I watch them and have caught a few intents to overcharge.聽 Watch 'em like a hawk.聽 And don't expect the store manager or supervisor to help you out.聽 It's your fault for not paying attention.

I've also heard stories (not confirmed) of prices on the shelf appearing to be for an item, but you're charged more at the register because it's not the exact same item.聽 You can argue all you want, but you'll only be told that the stock person put the wrong thing there, and it's not their fault - it's your fault for not paying attention.

@SandyS_retired

Most stores that advertise discounts if you use a certain DR bank cc are promotions from the DR bank not the individual store.

Additionally,聽 the bank that is offering that discount will then apply the discount back to your credit after 30 to 45 business days.

As with anything keep your receipts and in addition take a photo,聽 and seal the paper receipts in a air tight bag. The ink they use here normally dissappears after so long.

Also, look at bar codes of the sale item to ensure it matches the sale advertised item, and the sale has not ended. They are very slow to remove "sales signs" that have ended. As with anything in the DR read the fine print and if your Spanish is limited again look at bar codes to match or use a APP translator..

My experience

US credit cards have similar arrangements, right? ... I find there's a lot to get used to about how stores work here even if they LOOK the same as a US store. More than one way to skin a cat etc... because it's different or even annoying doesn't make it a scam.

@CHRISTOPHER DAVID56

So, you're required to actually go into the bank and ask them to give you money back?

@SandyS_retired

As the previous poster said those are not scams - the bank will provide the credit to your account at some point. BUT聽 look close and read the fine print. Sometimes it must be a credit card and not a debit card etc. AND the聽 credit is different depending on the value of the item and there is a maximum. Its all in the fine print and often the cashiers really do not know how it works.

Yes, you must double check the sales items or discounted items. If the聽 skew does not match there is no sale.聽 You have to watch the cashier closely.

Also watch the packers. I have had items missing several times.聽 Usually it is something that got buried under a pile of bags or something like that. Once you leave the area, its really聽 over.

@SandyS_retired

No, it's automatically happens after 30 to 45 days from the purchase date. They will apply the credit or discount percentage back to your card.

Again, ensure you read the fine print on each promotions , they will have spending limits , thresholds, exemptions to every advertised discount.

If you don't recieve the discount after 30 to 45 days then yes you see your bank officer

@RockyM

The woman who was offering to take me shopping and for dinners (so I could pay) was an English speaking "self proclaimed real estate agent" from Belgium who also spoke other languages fluently like Spanish. She was not a native Dominican. I used her "services" to get apartment rentals but she wanted me to buy a condo or house.聽 She lives in DR 10+ years now integrated, and did not even have a cedula.聽 To be fair, she was friendly and did warn me about life here and did answer many of my questions.聽 But who needs friends like this whose motives are only to be friends with your wallet.

Another lesson, never make the same mistake twice and so I have learned.

@rfmaurone

I am happy with my lawyer.

I can count the trusted on the fingers of one hand by now. Somehow these numbers went down over the years, never up. Not my fault.

One funny scam is when my wife鈥檚 older sister handed out lottery tickets to everyone at Christmas. Sure 10 minutes later she started collecting the money for the tickets but I declined to buy them. But she didn鈥檛 took the tickets back so I took a closer look at them鈥�2 weeks expired!

I had a big laugh when it got to me.

So she had been collecting all these worthless used tickets and tried to sell them to her own family. To me a perfect example of how hustling is shamelessly embedded. And they would never call it stealing but rather outsmarting.

@Papito NL

Wow first time I have heard this one honey!聽 聽 Proves the point though,聽 trust must be earned and聽 always reconfirmed!聽 聽Not even family is exempt, ever!

@Conifer

I pay for the a/c maintenance depending what is done 1500-2,000.聽 In Punta Cana.聽 They guy is from Venezuela.

@planner

Can you recommend a lawyer?聽 Construction?聽 Criminal?聽 Thank you in advace!

@rgwsf

Punta cana area?聽 I don't have recommendations there but can ask my lawyer.

@Cheryl

I would say beware at the gas station. Make sure the attendant if actually filling your tank with the amount you paid, otherwise he will put less in your tank, and pocket the rest. Keep an eye on those numbers, don't be shortchanged!

@PARADISECAT

That鈥檚 a classic. A final check is when you start the car check if the gas gauge goes up about the amount you鈥檙e expecting.

I havent had happen in awhile but taxis use to never have gas and would stop at the gas station and expect me to pay for besides paying the taxi.

I was almost the victim of a road side scam. I was driving from Santiago to Sosua on the by pass road. This road is very windy so luckily I was not going very fast. There plan was to have a cow come onto the road that I would hit and they could scam me for the loss of the cow. The cow was behind a car parked on the side of the road. One person was watching for there victim approaching the car, the other person would force the cow onto the road. I did hit the cow but not enough that it forced me to stop. I kept going. I have all this on dash cam, front and back.

GOOD point,聽 dash cams are important here!聽 聽 I used to drive that road a lot and聽 luckily never saw that scam!聽 聽Glad nothing bad happened