Foreigners Complaining about Higher Prices

[DontMindMe]

When I was new in town my students and Argentine acquaintances would always say something like: "Oh, so cheap for you here, no?" I would say no but they never believed me, until I started telling them how much I made in a month on average. I felt tacky doing it but their dismissive eye rolling was getting old and it blew my mind that they just assumed I had more money than them even though they knew I was making pesos. (Also, they always brought it up!) The default way of thinking, even with the inflation, is that Buenos Aires remains a cheap destination for foreigners. When prices go up here, they go up for everyone, but it's weird how none of the locals I met really seemed to consider that as reality until an in depth discussion of the expenses of a foreigner in BA versus expenses in my home city took place (apartment renting, groceries, etc). Then they ask that other classic question--What on earth was I doing there then? Eventually I didn't have an answer anymore.

 

[surfing]

Yes! I am SO sick of that. "Well it's not expensive for YOU!"

Oh no? Considering that just about anything "for me" costs roughly 400% of what it cost five years ago I would have to say that YOU probably don't understand mathematics!

 

[HeyBA]

A good strategy is to go to the same places frequently, so that they know you, as mentioned above.

And still, the scams really aren't that frequent.

The problem lies in that it's difficult to push back and correct that situation when it happens. This is what is frustrating about the place. That whole "sos extranjero" vibe actually gets worse the longer you stay instead of getting better, because aggressive, corrupt people use it as an excuse to rip you off, and the more invested you get in life here, the higher the stakes and the bigger the take for the scammers.

And the prices in relation to the salaries of locals are beyond reason. For basics like rent and bills, it's probably a third of New York City. For everything else, it is more expensive than New York. I repeat. More expensive than New York City. First world prices with developing world salaries.

 

[HeyBA]

And that article is a little silly. Is there a person that doesn't know about rip-offs in Argentina?

It reminds of those New York Times articles that appear every few years saying that some area of the city is "heating up" or "regenerating" or "trendy" when that same area has been gentrified for ten or so years, to the point that Wall St. people are living there now.

 

[dennisr]

And like no foreigner ever gets ripped off in New York by a taxi....

 

[sergio]

I have a Ph D in Economics from an University in New Jersey

East Orange Community College?

 

[HeyBA]

@dennisr

Taxis are pretty well-regulated there, and there's very little "foreigner" beef in New York, because people are from all over. There is neighborhood beef, but not "foreigner" beef. Most tourists take taxis in Manhattan, which has a numbered grid system that is easy to follow, which limits drive around scams. Taxis from the airport charge flat, regulated fees. Which are about the same price as a taxi from Ezeiza.

And the whole possibility that exists here of getting in a taxi and getting driven somewhere and beaten and robbed, or a woman being subjected to the driver exposing himself or making a pass at her, simply does not exist in New York.

And here's the big difference not between NYC and BA, but between Argentina and what it claims and wants to be: In the "first world" countries, it's not some big favor to do what's right, to not rip people off, to not charge them higher prices, to not harass people sexually. If you do that, that cops show up at your door and drag your ass to jail, pure and simple. You can find instances where that's not the case, but the reason you can find them is because it's actually surprising and makes the news. The whole country talks about it for weeks, literally.

One experiences a lot of warmth in Argentina, but there comes a point where it almost becomes kind of an insult, because it's just basic decency being proffered as a huge favor. Thanks for not driving me to a bad neighborhood and beating the shit out of me, you're a real hero!

 

[HeyBA]

But don't know, I'm trapped in my house working and talking to myself at this point.

There are scams everywhere, but the frustrating thing about here is that one is constantly the target of them and it besides not going away, it continually gets worse the longer you stay.

 

[steveinbsas]

There are scams everywhere, but the frustrating thing about here is that one is constantly the target of them and it besides not going away, it continually gets worse the longer you stay.

I would really appreciate it if you could actually share some of you experiences that support this statement. It's not that I doubt it, but I think such sweeping generalizations should be backed up with additional details.

 

[dennisr]

HeyBA
I rest my case...Think the operative word is Foreigner. A hayseed like myself or a foreigner has no idea of the ground rules.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/2010-03-13-taxi-scam-new-york_N.htm