Dhl And Ezeiza

[Gringoboy]

Buddy, I have gone through the bureaucracy here (and also in other latin american countries) a lot of times. No need to tell me to wake up. It is a pain in the a**. But so far I have always gotten what I needed including with customs/afip. You often need a lot of patience. My experience is that if you are polite, and talk to them then you can almost always resolve the issue.

Lecturing them will just pi** them off and get you nowhere. And just offering to pay a bribe is not going to help either.

I have to disagree mate.
Clearly this is government policy filtering down to the end user and thus creating bureaucracy for it's own sake. In fact, it's a denial of a basic human right to have items sent without hindrance and without government fraud which, let's face it, is their specialty.
Your experience in being polite clearly works for you and good luck to you, but I see no reason why we should be cheated and at the same time be expected to lick their a**ses.

 

[Gringoboy]

This thread is a good example of life in Argentina.

It is correct that in most countries, your postal packages are not held for ransom and do not require reams of paperwork, multiple long trips to Ezeiza, and uncaring bureaucrats.

But, at the same time, in most countries, if you went to the immigration officials and declared that you had overstayed your tourist visa by over a year, you would be arrested and deported immediately.

I couldn't agree more mate. If this were to happen in the UK, you'd be booted out.
Fortunately, this country is able to see the grey areas for what they are and let's face it, there's plenty of them.

 

[andesmandes]

Your experience in being polite clearly works for you and good luck to you, but I see no reason why we should be cheated and at the same time be expected to lick their a**ses.

There is a difference between being polite and licking a**es.

 

[andesmandes]

Yes the cost of the ten day get out of our country visa is 600 pesos. I actually think it's called habilitación de salida. http://www.migracion...litacion_salida

They said that was my only option, they did not offer me any type of tourist visa extension, maybe because it's been more than a year and a half since I entered Argentina.

I really don't understand why this was the only thing offered. I guess they are really trying to crack down on illegals and overstayed tourist visas.

You know what immigration would offer to somebody back in the US who overstayed their visa for more than a year? A cell in a detention center. And that is no picnic!

 

[sleslie23]

There is a difference between being polite and licking a**es.

I like to refer to it as deferring to their (albeit, meager and pathetic) authority.

It's a subtle trick, but it works wonders in getting people here to help you. "I understand that you are really busy, but if there is any way you can <insert your need here>," for example, often works as a starting point.

 

[Gringoboy]

There is a difference between being polite and licking a**es.

No there isn't. It's called capitulation.

 

[andesmandes]

right ...

 

[sleslie23]

The only time I ever got irate and began yelling at a Argentine bureaucrat, *I* ended up paying 700 USD for the right to bring in my digital SLR through customs. *They* just returned to drinking mate.

 

[Gringoboy]

Ricardo Darin nails it...
https://youtu.be/nKWZMbEX3bk

 

[Crema Americana]

Meanwhile my husband ordered something from Italy (a gun part no less), had it shipped to the US in his name, it arrived on my mother's doorstep in 5 days or less without the need for paperwork, bribes/fees, traveling to the middle of nowhere, or standing in long lines.

After living here for a while one forgets just how things should be. Every time I hear someone say "that's just the way it is" when referring to insanity or abuse, my temperature rises just a bit.