Is this Fishy?

[Iznogud]

On the 3rd hand, if customs charged this 50% duty and the landlady didn't want to pay it, the poster would get a brand new laptop for 50% of it's value to keep or to sell for a quick 200% - 300% profit.

That is just a plain stupid comment.

 

[Tourist2008]

Its just my tuppenceworth, but in her mind she is not asking you anything weird at all, its what any neighbour might ask here .... or like, would you mind looking after my dog while I am away this weekend? You´re free to say no, but don´t say yes and then veiw her suspiciously forever more ....

.... and yes, politely decline her "offer" of some help now .... but feel free to ask her for a reciprocal "favour" later, should you need it - but for gods sake don´t ask her for money, thats really crass .... it should be a favour that costs her nothing but helps you, like the one you are doing for her, in her mind.

 

[Napoleon]

Napoleon, the key word in your reply is "friends". Clearly not the case here.

iamsillywarm doesn't have any "friends" at this point, so that opens up a lot of suitcase room.

 

[Davidglen77]

I personally don't do favors for anybody in Argentina anymore except for my partner, and this is why.......I recommended the administrator of the building where I was living to another building where I had my store. And what did he do? He stole money from the consorcio in the building that I had recommended him to, and of course, nobody from the building ever came into my store again. And best of all the administrator stopped talking to me. I knew an electrician who did some very good work for me in my store, he's an older guy, late 60s and we all know how hard it can be to find work at 40 years old let alone 60 something. So I recommended him to a neighbor to do some work in her house. He stole money and a watch from her house, and when I confronted him he pretty much told me 2 things, what the hell do I care since he didn't steal my things AND the lady looks like she has enough money so stay out of it or I will pay the price - a threat. My ex-business partner used documents from our SRL to try and take loans from several banks for a family member of his, I was getting calls from all over the place and had no idea what was going on. He then said I had to help his family member by making her a part of the business, since I refused, he then wouldn't come and sign papers that were required, I had to pay lawyers and send carta documentos over and over to make him comply. And finally there was a friend of a friend who supposedly had a falling out with his buisness partner and had to move his office out of a shared space along with all of their files, etc. At the time I had a property that was empty and my ex-business partner begged me to let the friend (who I knew) use the space for just "a few months" until he could find a new office to rent. We made an informal short term rental contract and then he moved in - after he moved in to the space what did he do? Never paid me any rent, broke the entrance door, the rolling metal gate, broke a refigerator that was stored there, changed services into his name, and refused to move out - after spending a good $7,000 pesos and legal threats, he moved out, but of course cut wires, and cut a matress I had stored in the basement into pieces. I will never do a favor for an Argentine again, sorry this is why and if you THINK you won't get cheated - YOU WILL - these people wrote the book!

 

[surfing]

Its just my tuppenceworth, but in her mind she is not asking you anything weird at all, its what any neighbour might ask here .... or like, would you mind looking after my dog while I am away this weekend? You´re free to say no, but don´t say yes and then veiw her suspiciously forever more ....

.... and yes, politely decline her "offer" of some help now .... but feel free to ask her for a reciprocal "favour" later, should you need it - but for gods sake don´t ask her for money, thats really crass .... it should be a favour that costs her nothing but helps you, like the one you are doing for her, in her mind.

and your doctor, dentist, lawyer, maid, portero and on and on.....
I have probably had over 100 different Argentines ask me to bring them (just one small thing -- always electronics). The last time was for the maid's daughter -- a laptop --- and I said to myself: OK --- this is the LAST time I will do this. The hassle of "why do you have two laptops" at security is reason enough.

 

[LostinBA]

That is just a plain stupid comment.

You're a jerk.

 

[Iznogud]

That would make you then a not too bright thief, uh ? Same logic...

The circumstances described don't make the item your property, they just add to your problems.

I'd go easy on the name calling if I were you. You showed everybody that being honest and thinking things through are not your strong suits, please don't add being a potty-mouth. Tsk, tsk.

 

[Davidglen77]

That would make you then a not too bright thief, uh ? Same logic...

The circumstances described don't make the item your property, they just add to your problems.

I'd go easy on the name calling if I were you. You showed everybody that being honest and thinking things through are not your strong suits, please don't add being a potty-mouth. Tsk, tsk.

I agree with this line of thinking - since no Argentine would think twice about taking advantage of a situation like this, I agree with thinking like them. If I had any problems at all while doing a favor the problem then falls on the 3rd party. As the saying goes "When in Rome, do like the Romans" (Si a Roma fueres, haz como vieres" - same saying in Español)

 

[PhilinBSAS]

I agree with this line of thinking - since no Argentine would think twice about taking advantage of a situation like this, I agree with thinking like them. If I had any problems at all while doing a favor the problem then falls on the 3rd party. As the saying goes "When in Rome, do like the Romans" (Si a Roma fueres, haz como vieres" - same saying in Español)

Point 1. Stereotypical and in my experience incorrect to suggest no Argentine would think twice about taking any advantage.

OK particularly in Buenos Aires there is this viviza criolla moral deficiency thing which is hard for an Anglo to recognise until after the event. But having said that are many Argentines who I know and I would, sincerely, trust as much as I would trust anyone (including people here).

Point 2. quoting "When in Rome do like the Roman's do" doesn't give you carte blanche to lie, cheat, swindle based on preconceptions, ignorance, inexperience and cyncism .... it means learn the rules.

David has had no end of unpleasant experiences here. Possibly this could have happened in other places too. Admirable that he keeps going because given what he says I don't think I would have and definitely I'd have a jaundiced attitude towards anyone asking for random favours (which I don't do incidentally other than for my g/f and make it clear so I don't get asked!)

But consider just because a large number of norteamericanos are gun crazy homicidal maniacs who regard killing anyone without a second thought as a god given right resulting in one of the highest murder rates in the world doesnt mean its ok for me to grab and gun and join in the bloodshed supposedly "when in Rome"

Ok so that last paragraph included a stereotype but I've added it only to make the point about what is entirely ridiculous about sounding off on this line of reasoning and perpetuating insulting clichés and caricatures which are I believe are morally bankrupt, intellectually indefensible and self defeating.

Is this logic? "I've had bad experiences". "Those bad experiences were with Argentines". "Therefore all Argentines are bad". Doh!!

 

[Davidglen77]

Point 1. Stereotypical and in my experience incorrect to suggest no Argentine would think twice about taking any advantage.

Point 2. quoting "When in Rome do like the Roman's do" doesn't give you carte blanche to lie, cheat, swindle based on preconceptions, ignorance, inexperience and cyncism .... it means learn the rules.

But consider just because a large number of norteamericanos are gun crazy homicidal maniacs who regard killing anyone without a second thought as a god given right resulting in one of the highest murder rates in the world doesnt mean its ok for me to grab and gun and join in the bloodshed supposedly "when in Rome"

Is this logic? "I've had bad experiences". "Those bad experiences were with Argentines". "Therefore all Argentines are bad". Doh!!

Hey Phil, thanks for your perspective. However here's my response:

I pretty much said what you mean regarding the "Roman's" statement, you have to be like them (or you won't be able to survive) without major problems.

I don't think "a large number of norteamericanos or homicidal maniacs" or are gun crazy, if you take in to account population and number of homicides in relation to that number - north america is just about on par with everyone else in the industrialized world - it's funny how other countries when comparing gun violence look at the sheer "number" but leave out the part of population - that skews the numbers against the USA.

This is from Wikipedia, which is not always the most accurate but if you do further research into the issue these numbers are the closest to true figures:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate

I DO think it's logic, human beings in the best of cases should LEARN from previous experiences, or they are damned to repeat the same mistakes. I generally distrust Argentines, rarely believe anything they say to me and if I do have to do any type of business deal with them, I know upfront that it will never be the way it was stated, that goes for everything from punctuality, to contracts, to inventory, payment terms, etc. Don't blame me for this - blame them, but again that is another impossibility - accepting responsibility!