Even The Police Don't Want Pesos For A Coima

[citygirl]

I'll probably be crucified for this but it made me laugh (after I got over being pissed off).

Got stopped today in one of those random stops. Police guy asks for license and all the paperwork. I have a foreign license. He starts off with telling me that it's not allowed for me to drive here with it. It is, I point that out, he tells me I'm wrong and we keep going. Long story short, he comes up with 3 or 4 random and untrue things that will necessitate a ticket. I tell him to write me a ticket as I'm late for a doctor's appt. (rookie mistake there). He then tells me that he won't let me drive on my license and I'm going to have to wait until someone will come pick me up. Obviously, he realizes that I'm in a rush and then follows it up with the standard "cough, cough - let's find a way to manage this situation".

Long story short - I had one hundred pesos on me. He told me that amount was worthless and he then oh so politely suggested that if I had dollars on me, the entire thing would go away and go easier. (He clearly had seen the bill in my wallet when I took out my license). As I was running late at this point and couldn't miss the doctor's appt, I wound up giving him the dollars I had with me. He thanked me very politely, handed me back my license and the like and got on his motorcycle and zipped away.

I was not a happy girl but it did make me laugh after the fact. I don't know what was more ridiculous. a) He wouldn't accept pesos and requested alternate currency b)he thanked me afterwards or c) the fact that he just made shit up and knowingly did it to get a bribe. Ah.. Argentina.

 

[nicoenarg]

I'll probably be crucified for this but it made me laugh (after I got over being pissed off).

Got stopped today in one of those random stops. Police guy asks for license and all the paperwork. I have a foreign license. He starts off with telling me that it's not allowed for me to drive here with it. It is, I point that out, he tells me I'm wrong and we keep going. Long story short, he comes up with 3 or 4 random and untrue things that will necessitate a ticket. I tell him to write me a ticket as I'm late for a doctor's appt. (rookie mistake there). He then tells me that he won't let me drive on my license and I'm going to have to wait until someone will come pick me up. Obviously, he realizes that I'm in a rush and then follows it up with the standard "cough, cough - let's find a way to manage this situation".

Long story short - I had one hundred pesos on me. He told me that amount was worthless and he then oh so politely suggested that if I had dollars on me, the entire thing would go away and go easier. (He clearly had seen the bill in my wallet when I took out my license). As I was running late at this point and couldn't miss the doctor's appt, I wound up giving him the dollars I had with me. He thanked me very politely, handed me back my license and the like and got on his motorcycle and zipped away.

I was not a happy girl but it did make me laugh after the fact. I don't know what was more ridiculous. a) He wouldn't accept pesos and requested alternate currency b)he thanked me afterwards or c) the fact that he just made shit up and knowingly did it to get a bribe. Ah.. Argentina.

If I had to pick an option here, I would say b but nothing sounds ridiculous to me here. Classic Argentina.

 

[sesamosinsal]

Ah, Argentina, indeed.

 

[Canick]

if i may be so bold...what's the going rate in USD's for a "thank you"?...

 

[Iznogud]

Coima, bakshish, graisse-patte, etc., part of the universal language...
Good to know that the local PD is doing it's best to combat inflation.

LOL.

 

[citygirl]

@Canick - I had a $50 so that's what he wanted. So I guess anywhere from 250 pesos to 350 pesos depending on the exchange rate you use

Tis my experience that the ah..gratuity.. depends on the infraction. I've seen it as low as $100 pesos and as high as several hundred. I prob overpaid but it's what I had.

 

[Gringoboy]

Great story and lovely to see that you handled it with such grace and humour.

 

[jeff1234]

I had a similar thing happen in Moscow. I made the mistake of putting the photocopy of my passport in the same pocket as a roll of $430US. A huge cop with a gigantic pistol hassled me in the middle of a big market. When I took out the passport copy he got a glimpse of my roll of US$. I was amazed that he demanded $400, almost exactly the amount in the roll. I guess that practice makes perfect.
He pulled out a book that was already open to the page specifying that it was illegal to carry a copy of a passport and not the original. He kept pointing to the page and threatening me through an interpreter but I could see that he and his partner were already looking for their next victim and getting anxious to move on. In this situation time was on my side.
I finally settled for $40.
I wouldnt do that again even though it saved me alot of money.
If I pissed him off he could have take me to jail and made me disappear.

 

[Montauk_Project]

Next time say sure, you will wait there for someone to pick you up, and if you can have his badge number, you will call the US embassy and ask them how to procede. Of course you don´t want to do anything illegal and you salute his policemanship.
yes, this works.
Seems like he got more than the going rate for a bribe

 

[citygirl]

Montauk - if I hadn't had to be at the doctor's office in 15 minutes, I happily would have done it. But I couldn't miss my turno with the doc, esp since he is heading out of town for vacation and I had to get the ecografia done before he left. And since my OH was at least 45 minutes away from where we were, there was no alternative except to pay the police officer so I could make it to my appt.

It's just money and to be honest, it's the first time in 5+ years that I've actually paid so I guess I was overdue.