Expat Action

[jedard]

Please excuse me for bringing this up and interrupting all of this very important dialogue each of you are committed to on this site.
It seems to me that there must be a lot of Expats living here. It is also evident from reading much of what is said that many of you are very intelligent.
So my question is this:
Why don't we use all of this to make a difference in living here instead of talking about things none of you or us can make a differnce. All of this jargon I read is useless to many of us. However it would be more beneficial say to take on the problem we have with the ATM, banking etc. Real issues that affect our enjoyment, our living here, our reasons to be here. We can do it, we can make a differnce for ourselves, for our children if that is the case.
We all have contacts back home and here. United we can make a difference. I spoke to the Canadian Embassy last week about the ATM problem. I was told all the wrong things which led me to believe that his office ( the Ambassador ) had not done anythng at all. So I told him to shit or get off the pot. I am taking alternative action now. I will correct this problem for myself or together we can do it for al of us. The point is it can be done!
But again we all should be joining forces to correct this problem and any other issues. I am sorry but what I read here is a lot of something about nada. When we have real issues and I know we can make a difference here by uniting our strength in sheer numbers along with our intelligence
Who gives a damn about the Malvinas. the war in Iraq, the price of oil, crime rate etc, all of which none of us can do a danm thing about. Admit it, what can you alone do to change any of this?
Well I hope I will here some constructive feedback.
.

 

[vr236]

Commerce bank charges a flat fee of 15 dollars for all monthly transactions including atm withdrawals. Their exchange rate is fair also, usually somewhere between the sale and buy price.

 

[vr236]

You can also cash personal checks at Casa Piano. They charge a 2% commission but they give you dollars. At first they will only let you cash about 300 dollars at a time but they will increase your limit as you build a relationship with them.

 

[raemac]

That's what these groups are for - that’s the best ?thread? I have read here - I have read quite a few. Positive action! Good well-aimed press relations – a voice – supported by real people and hard facts and views.


However, as reasonable and intelligent people we should also look at what positive action we can take to support the people who give us a home!


I would also suggest that we look to future functions - a bit of fun - to support those who are more needy than us – charity – also good public relations for those of us who want to build a life in Buenos Aires.


Back to crime – the forum needs hard facts and a data-sheets for visitors and those new to life in Buenos Aires – it can be a dangerous in place, that is a fact, and our time-served shrewdness must be shared with those new to the group.

 

[jedard]

Thankyou. However, this information is incorrect, or correct depending on what bank (s) your referring to. I can use any bank in Argentina and not pay a penny for its service. However I do not like to be discriminated because I am from one country or another.
I have studied this problem (ATM) a lot and I have much information on this. Yes it would be beneficial to meet and discuss what we as a group can do to make life better here for us and those who come after, be it for a visit or to stay.
Our rights are the same as those who are born her. including the right be kidnapped, murdered, robbed or raped. But to sit back and do nada is irresponsible. I live in near Cordoba and would be willing to travel to BA to host or to particpate in a jam session on how to make life better here.
We should not give information that is wrong but rather advise on how or what each has experienced with this problem.
A forum is necessary. I spent my life fighting for the rights of others so I an not new to this game nor am I one to sit back and worry about my future because I want to exercise my rightts to live peacfully as others may wish to do so.
So lets hear from all of you on this. or at least tell me to get lost.

 

[sergio]

Jedard, what exactly are you proposing? You mention the Canadian embassy. It seems they have given you inaccurate information. The US embassy does very little to nothing to help its citizens. There could be a manual for all the expats here - some information about how to deal with ATM problems etc. I have no idea what consuls and other officials of the embassy do all day - when they are not talking through a bullet proof glass window! Why haven't they come up with a guidebook for living here? They work under excellent conditions for high salaries with lots of perks, they don't have to deal with many of the problems that "normal" expats live with. They probably have no idea of the needs of their fellow citizens. How can expats pressure their embassies to do a little more to help their citizens in Argentina. Any ideas?

 

[ghost]

After some amount of questioning and research, it appears the the "ATM" problem originates directly from VISA and also Mastercard SA. They have discovered that by limiting international card transactions to approx $300 pesos per withdrawl they can force you to execute multiple repeated transactions in order to reap the $5.00 USD plus or minus foreign ATM transaction fee.
It is very profitable for them. It screws the tourist royally and really is a great inconveinence to expats who do not have AR. bank accounts. This limitation is arbitrary and discriminatory and aimed directly tourists and expats. It has no effect on locals and falls into the same catagory of legal extortion as dual pricing on airline tickets, hotel rooms, train tickets and etc.
I have spent many hours attempting to work the situation out with my bank, which happens to be the B of A [East Coast version]. The net result is always the same. "It's a VISA SA rule and we can't change it from here".
The situation is typical of the catch 22 circumstances that one runs into in a country that is fixated on milking every possible angle in order to screw the undefended and unsuspecting.
I suggest that any actions taken should be aimed directly at VISA and Master, as they are the cultrips in this particular matter.
IMHO

 

[jedard]

Hello all,
Thankyou for taking the time to respond to this thread. The ATM problem is just one issue but there are others just as important.
The Canadian Embassy.. First I have no knowledge on how any other Embassy works. However the CDN Embassy and its staff including the Ambassador are there to look after our concerns that directly affect Canadians abroad. When I first contacted our Embassy about the ATMR (ATM Restrictions) I was told by a person working there ( she is Argentine) we don't get involved in Bankning Issues.
I promptly advised her to let me speak to the Ambassador or a Canadian. Then I told the CDN ( Canadian) employee that this office is there to represent all CNDs abroad. And if the Ambassador was refusing to investigated "Discrimiation against CDNs, I would raise this in the House of Parliment back Home through my Member who is the Minister of Finance.
I was immediatley told, ok we will look into it. However they handed this back to the Argentine born employee. And the information she got was incorrect and full of holes. So I then told the CDN employee to advise the Ambassador that he had failed to comply with is duties and I was taking this up to my member back home.
I also had my bank ( Scotia Bank ) investigate this problem. They advised me that V.I. (Visa International) had undertaken this discriminatory restrictions. I was advised that this was also an illegal procedure. My embassy had advised me that VI was colllecting money from all who used the ATM system. He tired to tell me that the collections were done in such a manner so that I would not see it. In fact he stated that Scotia Bank paid these fees. This too was wrong as my bank informed me that they paid no such fees at all as a result of my using a ScotiaBank debit card.
I can use any bank here and not pay one cent for the service. So the question that begs for an answer is, why am I restricted since no one here in ARG is getting any monies from me or my bank.
I would like to see all expats band together, for this issue, perhaps ante 15 or 20 dollars into a kitty and hire a good international lawyer with some financial savvy and resolve this. Also we could take out some adds in say, USA Today and the Globe&Mail in Canada advising Tourists of this discriminatory practice.
I am sure that this Government who now relies on Tourism so heavily would not want to see this happen. But they Minister of Tourism here needs to be properly, professionaly and legally advised. to have andy kind of impact.
We have the numbers but we are not united yet. So lets do it. I have connections here and in Canada. Surely we all have some back home somewhere.
One we resolve this we can then move on to othere important issues /

 

[bigbadwolf]

The Canadian Embassy.. First I have no knowledge on how any other Embassy works. However the CDN Embassy and its staff including the Ambassador are there to look after our concerns that directly affect Canadians abroad. When I first contacted our Embassy about the ATMR (ATM Restrictions) I was told by a person working there ( she is Argentine) we don't get involved in Bankning Issues.

That may just be rhetoric for political purposes. The primary function of US embassies is not to help ordinary citizens in distress abroad. It probably has more to do with helping wealthy investors and companies do business abroad and/or intelligence gathering and/or diplomacy. Helping citizens is very low down on the list -- if it's there at all. If your congressman or senator is on some finance committee that doles out money to the State Department, and you have some influence with him or her, you may have some clout, otherwise forget it.

 

[Elpanada]

I would like to see all expats band together, for this issue, perhaps ante 15 or 20 dollars into a kitty and hire a good international lawyer with some financial savvy and resolve this. Also we could take out some adds in say, USA Today and the Globe&Mail in Canada advising Tourists of this discriminatory practice.
I am sure that this Government who now relies on Tourism so heavily would not want to see this happen. But they Minister of Tourism here needs to be properly, professionaly and legally advised. to have andy kind of impact.
We have the numbers but we are not united yet. So lets do it. I have connections here and in Canada. Surely we all have some back home somewhere.
One we resolve this we can then move on to othere important issues /

I must say that I don't like this thread one bit, it reeks of the same insanity as all your other threads. Since when has become using an atm machine a human right? You don't own the machine yourself, you don't issue the card... sounds more like a privilege to me.Okay I know having an atm card can be important and necessary but not having one isn't going to kill anyone. If a bunch of small time foreigners really had the ability to make a difference with this matter and other important matters(which they don't by the way) then why is it exactly that this issue should be resolved before othere important issues? Give it a rest