Eager Salespeople

[Celia]

If it were only "one bad experience"... I have had people try to scam me nearly every time I've made human contact here. I rarely venture out now.

 

[RWS]

. ... I have had people try to scam me nearly every time I've made human contact here. I rarely venture out now.

This sounds worse than miserable!

Why stay?

 

[Celia]

All the hassle of 2 years' tramites & property purchase. Guess I should have lived here a little longer before becoming a resident!

 

[sergio]

Elpanada, I write based on many years of experience in Argentina. I find shopping for most things difficult in Argentina and far easier in the US. Europe is generally better than Argentina (depends on the country in Europe) but, in my experience, more expensive and more complicated than in the US. You can argue otherwise however I have had countless problems with customer service, quality and honesty in Argentina. As I said, one of the biggest problems is getting overcharged just for being a foreigner. No sticker prices on most items makes this easy for merchants. Evidently you have not had this problem. If so, I congratulate you. Maybe you speak flawless Argentine Spanish and pass for a native. I don't know. I'm sorry that you think I am biased. I disagree. I believe I am pretty knowledgeable and fair in my comments.

 

[Cath]

Thank you all for the information! I actually had a far less overwhelming leather shopping experience yesterday.
Look (not to set myself up as someone who knows something, because I don't) but I think it's safe to say that Argentina is not all good and it is not all bad. It, like everything else, is in the middle so I don't really see the point about fighting about it. On the other hand, this is a forum for expats. We have lived all our lives in another (often far wealthier) country, so it is pretty natural that we should notice things that are different here and miss things about our native country. I also think that a forum for expats is a natural place to express these feelings. Some people are better than others at adjusting to new cultures, and the quicker ones might try to be more tolerant of the slower ones. I think very personal attacks launched against people who say anything approaching negative about Buenos Aires are not useful.
That being said, I would just like to point out that I made an eye doctor's appointment at a great BsAs hospital in January for which I will pay U$S 22 (would have cost over $300 in the US), and I fully plan to take the bus there, costing me U$S 0.25 ($2.00 in NYC). There was a reason we moved here and we can all move back if we choose.

Thanks again for the info!

 

[Celia]

I think there is some conflict in the way people see things due to the barrio they live in. People in Palermo are shielded from some of the stuff you might experience in Constitucion. Here, people in the hotel opposite throw beer bottles at my window for fun! We have hookers below our balcony every night and crack is smoked in the street during the day. I guess it's been getting to me!

 

[nikad]

I think there is some conflict in the way people see things due to the barrio they live in. People in Palermo are shielded from some of the stuff you might experience in Constitucion. Here, people in the hotel opposite throw beer bottles at my window for fun! We have hookers below our balcony every night and crack is smoked in the street during the day. I guess it's been getting to me!

Where do you live Celia if you don´t mind me asking?

 

[Celia]

What the inmobiliarias call Monserrat or San Telmo, but is really Constitucion. Salta y Carlos Calvo. I do love it here (!) but now that I have a baby and can't go beyond my barrio, it's becoming a bit oppresive.

Not wanting to hijack the post, regarding salespeople, the funniest thing around here are the junk store salespeople. Their prices are sometimes above the cost of buying new! They won't haggle either, would rather not sell for 2 years than reduce a price.

 

[RWS]

. . . . in Constitucion. . . ., people . . . throw beer bottles at my window for fun! We have hookers below our balcony every night and crack is smoked in the street during the day. . . .

How miserable, Celia! Can you move? Or does your work or your husband's keep you in the barrio?

 

[steveinbsas]

I think there is some conflict in the way people see things due to the barrio they live in. People in Palermo are shielded from some of the stuff you might experience in Constitucion. Here, people in the hotel opposite throw beer bottles at my window for fun! We have hookers below our balcony every night and crack is smoked in the street during the day. I guess it's been getting to me!

Are there any better reasons to live in Palermo or Recoleta, in spite of recent posts that Palermo is full of tourists and Recoleta is full of geriatrics?

The truth is that you won't hear English so often in either barrio and both are full of DDG women in almost every block (I don't mean hookers, either).