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Originally Posted by htb
I can assure you that US$ are not welcome in Germany (and probably the rest of the Euro-Zone) and Japan either.
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Originally Posted by Peter4
Anyone else observing this?
What's more, since you're the self-proclaimed Thai expert, I can't believe you're suggesting that US$ are a good way to go in that country either. Sure, they may be accepted if you're in a sufficiently touristy place, but the exchange rate is certainly not going to be in your favor. |
Originally Posted by jpatokal
Me.
It also depends on the size of the transaction: ime in different parts of E Europe and C Asia, if you're buying a car/TV/something substantial or paying rent, then using dollars is not uncommon even between locals, because that's often what they save money in. OTOH, trying to buy something prosaic like a table or a jacket in a store with USD is usually going to end with unimpressed looks and (if you're lucky) a bunch of messing around over the exchange rate. Again, a gross generalization, but in most of these countries inflation isn't so high that there's no confidence in the local currency for everyday transactions. This might not apply to SE Asia or sub-Saharan Africa - I'll let people more experienced in those markets speak... |
Originally Posted by Peter4
US Dollars are accepted in almost every country in the world.
And, in most countries, US Dollars are preferred over the local currency.
Originally Posted by Peter4
Originally Posted by htb
I can assure you that US$ are not welcome in Germany (and probably the rest of the Euro-Zone) and Japan either.
You won't get very far with US$ in most of western Europe and if you find someone willing to accept it you're probably hit with an outrageous exchange rate (and rightly so!) In other words, I don't agree with your statement. |
Originally Posted by secretbunnyboy
it's just not the case that you can show up with USD in most places and be welcomed.
I always appreciate others pointing out my blind spots. My comment was short-sighted, because, where I've travelled most, US$ are welcomed like souvenirs. I realize that's not everywhere. (And, with the down-trend of the dollar, it will be even less so in the future.) Also, apologies, because my challenge about dollars was off-topic of this thread: "Common Tourism Scams". - Peter |
The great scam happened to a friend of mine in London. While I was talking to a concierge in the hotel, my friend and his wife decided that they are going to wait for me outside. In about 3 min. after walking out of the hotel I found them engaged in the conversation with an elderly man, with photo camera in hands. Being a very polite guy my friend dismissed my assumption that this is a scam and continued talking to the guy. Man's story was that after he retired, his hobby became to walk around the streets of London and make pictures of wonderful people :) . So asked my friends permission to take their picture and wrote down their address in the States. After all of this being done he said in the casual voice that all this will cost them only GBP 20 to cover for his shipping expenses. We payed up and the man left to look for other victims. We briefly discussed that I was write and it was a scam and forgot about this.
About 1 month later, my friend received his picure in the mail. So technically, there was nothing illigal in the old man's practice, he took a picture, got payed and sent the picture to my friend, except I really doubt that mailing an envelope with the picture costs GBP20. |
My worst experience was in Gambia, which is a pity because I met some really nice people there. But, walking outside of your hotel is exhausting. Not once was I able to walk down the street without being accosted. The highlight of the trip was when I went on a ‘tour’ into the countryside. The driver demanded twice the quoted rate. Could it have gotten worse? Yes. The ‘tour guide’ took me to a crack house- they were actually making crack in the kitchen. I demanded to leave, but he said that there was where we were having lunch. Lunch was great…until the driver demanded money that he apparently owed the crack boss. On the plus side a guy I met there was so concerned about the experience that he brought me 3 meals a day, which were all scrumptious.
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Exact same scam, different location
Originally Posted by Palal
London (Quiet Sunday Morning, March 2006):
I'm walking from my hotel to Victoria Station. My trip is nearing its end and I'm finishing up the sightseing that I haven't done during the past week. As I'm walking from my hotel towards Victoria Station, a guy pulls up in a nice-looking BMW. Something didn't look right. I later realized it was the steering wheel, which was on the left, so he was next to the curb (or "kerb" if you want to sound British :)). The guy opens his window and asks me to come over. He's holding a map, so my guess is that he wants directions. Sure, being in the city for a week, and usually knowing my way around places I haven't been to, I approach him. He then starts telling me about how my face looks Italian. I tell him in my American accent, that I'm not Italian. Abridged version of the conversation: Him: "Where are you from" Me: "SFO" Him: "Oh SFO, yeah San Mateo, Redwood City, I've been there. I'm a sales manager for Giorgio Armani..." [basically tells me how important he is. Me: "ok." Him: "Since you look like you're Italian, I want to give you these two leather jackets. I was at a trade show and these are just samples. They may have some minor problems with them, but for the most part are good. My card is in there - just let me know if you need anything else - give me a call and I'll help you out." Me [looks at the jackets which are in the bag]: "I can't take this, thank you." Him: "Take them, I don't need them, they're just extra luggage for me." Me [thinking if this guy's crazy or if he's up to something]: "Ok." He then starts telling me this story of how he was at a casino last night and he was playing and lost all his money and maxed out his only credit card (he shows me his wallet and it only has his passport - which seems to be from Italy, according to the cover - and ONE credit card. NOTHING ELSE.) He shows me his near-empty gas tank and tells me he needs two tanks of petrol to get to the Continent. He says because it's Sunday, he can't get money from a bank, because the banks are closed, and his Credit card had been maxed out the previous day. I play dumb, his English wasn't perfect, so I decide to see where this goes. At this point I still hadn't realized what he wanted and what the deal was. He wants two tanks of petrol. I make it a point of not understanding petrol, and not understanding why he would need two gas tanks of petrol (with British petrol prices, the sum turns out to be pretty hefty ~$200-300 as I later calculated.). I tell him I didn't have this kind of money (well, I did, actually, but it was in USD). After a bit of back and forth on this, he takes his jackets and off he goes with a sour face. Why was this a scam, you ask? 1. His wallet didn't have anything but his passport and a single credit card. 2. I made it a point of asking for his business card several times. He said it was in the bag with the jackets. 3. If you were at a casino last night, what would you be doing early Sunday morning in the middle of London? Do they even have casinos in the UK? I know they have slot machines IN London, but what about "full-service casinos." 4. He didn't let me see the jackets. Maybe they were good quality leather jackets, but were they really Armani? 5. Finally, a friend later told me that he had a similar thing happen to him near Times Square in NYC on his way home from work. The biggest things that stopped me: 1. It sounded too good to be true. 2. I didn't have the $$ in GBP. 3. What would I do with three leather jackets in SF (I was wearing one from Costco as it was pretty cold, which I had torn - just a bit - the day before when it got caught on an Underground fare gate, so in the beginning this sounded like a good thing - hey a free replacement jacket!) 4. If they were Armani, would I have problems with bringing this back into the US if the customs people checked me. 5. Where would I put the jackets, I already got a lot of transportation-related souveniers from the Tube staff (the effort to get a photo permit paid off :)) so room in my luggage was limited. 6. Why would someone who drives such a car would only have one credit card? Maybe this is just the American in me showing up. The guy was Italian (or was faking it pretty darn well) and was in a car from the continent (I don't remember where his plates were from) with a left-hand-side steering wheel. His passport was Italian, but in the end it didn't add up. |
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I've been fascinated to observe some very subtle scams that play out so quietly and so indirectly that the "mark" doesn't know what's happening. Here's one example. I call it the give-and-take scam. You might also call it the "hotel policy" scam, because, often the first words in the scam are, "Hotel policy ..." In this one, my loss was negligible, but I didn't like the direction it was going, so I changed hotels. First, quick background: For several months I lived in a nice hotel in Bangkok. I'd negotiated a monthly rate with the hotel. One of the sweeteners in the deal was 30% discount at the hotel's restaurant. The food was delicious and I ate there often. Here's how the scam played out: At first, I got the promised 30% on all meals in the restaurant and from room service. I order room service a lot. But after a few weeks, I noticed that one room service check did not have the discount. So I politely pointed out to the room service waiter, "No discount today." The waiter was obviously prepared and obviously embarrassed, "Hotel policy. Room service cannot give discount." Hmmmm ... give ... and take back. So I stopped ordering room service and simply went down to the dining room. After a few weeks, I noticed one dining room check did not show the correct discount of 30%. So I quietly pointed out, "Discount not correct today." The cashier was obviously prepared and obviously embarrassed, "Hotel policy: Discount on food only. Cannot discount for drinks." My drink was, as usual, ginger ale. Hmmm ... give ... and take back. I wrote a letter to the manager -- who I had seen often in the lobby -- specifying the terms agreed, and asking him to counter-sign and return a copy to me. I should have done this at the beginning, but I did not. The general manager ignored me for more than a week. If I appeared in the lobby, he would quickly turn away and scurry into the back office. Finally, when I walked right up to him in the lobby, he backed off saying, "Mr. Peter, you don't need any letters. We just want you to enjoy your stay with us." Translation: "I'm not giving you any means to confirm the deal promised." Hmmm ... give ... and take back. The financial loss was not worth noticing, but I could see the trend. Within a few days I moved to a hotel across the street. During those few days, the manager avoided me. He did not inquire why I was checking out much sooner than planned. The second hotel put everything in writing -- including a 30% discount on all food -- before I even asked. At the second hotel, everything was exactly as promised. There was not a single instance of the "give-and-take" scam. As I became acquainted with the European management of the second hotel, my respect grew. So, what did I learn? First, of course, get it in writing. In writing, or not, is a early indicator of management's intentions. Second, listen for the warning sound, "Hotel policy ...". I've heard from other friends, that the words, "hotel policy" often precede a dubious charge added to the bill. Third is a delicate matter (for Westerners) because it touches on the "politically-correct" topic of race/ethnicity. Because I stayed at that first hotel for several months, I made friends with many of the Thai staff. Many of them, told me about cheating tactics of the hotel manager. He was despised by the staff for his underhanded treatment of guests: running subtle scams whenever he found the opportunity. The Thai staff always concluded their comments about him with words to the effect, "We are Thai. We do not do like this. He is East-Indian. East-Indians do like this." Yes, yes, I know, every ethnic group has some cheaters. For those readers who are perpetually offended, send your complaints to those Thai staff, not me. I am not politically-correct, so, in the future, I'll avoid extended stays at hotels managed by ethnic groups where cheating is a fundamental part of their culture. I'll have another post about the "mini-bar scam" at this same hotel. It, too, played out quietly and slowly. If you have specific questions, you are welcome to send email or private message. - Peter |
Originally Posted by Peter4
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I am not politically-correct, so, in the future, I'll try to avoid hotels managed by ethnic groups who make extra efforts cheat customers. (Yes, some Thais cheat whenever they can, too. Yes, I know this.) - Peter |
Originally Posted by stut
This has nothing to do with so-called 'political correctness'. You state that you will make a judgement on a hotel based on the ethnic group of the manager. Call it what you want, but this is ugly prejudice.
The more I travel, the more I have learned to protect myself by quickly judging people on my journeys. I try to avoid common tourist scams in every way possible, just as the scammers try to get into my pockets in every way possible. Prejudice -- based on ethnic group -- is one of the more reliable methods I have found so far. Stut, let me ask you, what methods do you find reliable for avoiding common tourist scams? - Peter . |
Originally Posted by Peter4
Prejudice -- based on ethnic group -- is one of the more reliable methods I have found so far.
Stut, let me ask you, what methods do you find reliable for avoiding common tourist scams? I don't find ethnicity to be a reliable guide to... Well, pretty much anything, to be honest. Location and situation are the determining factors for scams, in my experience. |
We just experienced a minor taxi scam here in Buenos Aires. Rather than wait for a radio taxi called by hotel, and against my better judgment, my wife insisted we take one that was waiting on the street. We were going from the Sheraton Libertador to an area near Recoleta, what should have been a ride costing 5 to 6 pesos. The driver kept asking us questions and pointing out different buildings. I noticed that every so often his hand would wander near the meter. Sure enough, at one point when our attention was directed elsewhere, he turned off the meter. We arrived at our destination, and I asked, in Spanish, "how much." The driver said, "What do you think?" I said, "6 or 7 pesos" (I was being generous). He said, "8." I paid him 8, but gave him no tip. He wound up with exactly what he would have gotten otherwise, plus or minus a peso or so, but provided me with an opportunity to tell my wife, "this is why you don't taking waiting taxis in Buenos Aires." Apparently, he was counting on my having no idea of the cost of the ride and had I not identified the correct fare, would have quoted something outrageous. A minor league scam, but a scam just the same.
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One of the funniest things I ever saw happened to my buddy in Danang Viet Nam. A creative variation shoeshine scam. And although my buddy is American, he was born in Viet Nam and speaks Vietnamese so it's not like he was some wide eyed tourist. We were coming home from a dinner with friends and his family and we were dressed nice since it was a fancy affair when we stopped at one of the cheap riverside beer gardens to have few more beers. While there about an 8 year old little boy approached and wanted to shine our shoes. My buddy settled on something like 2000 Dong and took off his shoes and gave them to the boy to polish. The boy sat on the mat about 10 feet away diligently polishing the shoes for what seemed an inordinate amount of time. Finally my buddy ask him in Vietnamese what was taking so long and without a word the boy jumped up, bolted down the bank of the river and swam away holding my buddies shoes in one hand over his head. I really wasn’t expecting that one. Obviously we weren't about to chase the boy into the river so we just stood there and watched for the next 5 minutes or so as the boy swam down the river and just had to laugh and take the loss. They were some fairly expensive shoes too. Of course no one around knew who the boy was. My buddy made it home in flip flops we bought from some old lady.
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China scams--there are numerous scams in China, generally starting with someone coming up to you and asking if you speak English. After this happened to me a dozen times on my first day in China (Beijing) I adopted the policy of holding out my hand like a traffic cop and saying "no thnaks" to all such. Some just went away, some argued with me about my need for, interest in, the "art" they wanted to sell, the tour I needed to go on, the great restaurnat they wanted to tell me about. But, "no thanks" repeated until they went away worked well. Never engage in conversation with these hustlers.
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