Locksmith ripoff? Cerrajero malo?

[cbphoto]

hey sam3g.. quite certain Sergio was being sarcastic.. if you read a few lines up:
"Sergio, if you hate Argentina so much, why do you live here? Isn't it better you go and hate somewhere else?"

 

[cbphoto]

Is quite surprising how many portenos know how to open a lock with card, can etc...
I have seen it in the movies... but never tried.
I guess they must be misplacing their keys often?

 

[Davidglen77]

Ok, let's be realistic. People many times say they were "ripped off" when they don't like the price of something. However it's up to you to pay or not, you always have to ask the price prior to buying anything or requesting services, whether you are in Argentina, New York City, or Boise, Idaho, if you don't, and you are in an emergency situation, don't expect to be charged a small amount of money, the world just doesn't work like that, as they say "Dorothy your not in Kansas anymore". I am not condoning price gauging, it's awful, however it's up to the consumer to protect their pocket. Nobody is going to do it for you. Here´s an example, sometimes people come into my shop and select items and bring them to the cash register, when we ring up the sale, sometimes people say "I didn't think it was going to cost that much", however the prices are clearly displayed on almost every single item but many people don't bother to look and get angry at us at the register when they come to pay and sometimes even insult us in front of other customers and while they are leaving say mean comments. It's amazing how little education and manners some people have. So let this be a lesson learned.......find out BEFORE you have to pay and don't get taken by surprise.

 

[perry]

These stories are LIES meant to make Argentina look bad. These sorts of things ONLY happen in the US. This sort of corruption is part of the way of life of the American people. Porteños are friendly and welcoming people. I'll bet the locksmith kissed you when he finished the job. That just goes to show how warm the locals are.

I find this post harsh and not at all valid. Business practices in the USA and Australia can be more brutal than anything I have ever seen in Argentina.

Sergio ask the millions of USA citizens that have been bankrupted by the USA medical system which values obscene profits over human lives.

Argentina in general is less materialistic than so called civilised societies and they value friendships and family much more.

 

[cbphoto]

Davidglen77.. I agree with you...to a point. Sure.. they should read the price. But there is a difference between getting to the register and being surprised the bag of jellybeans is 5u$s or 100u$s..

 

[sergio]

I find this post harsh and not at all valid. Business practices in the USA and Australia can be more brutal than anything I have ever seen in Argentina.

Sergio ask the millions of USA citizens that have been bankrupted by the USA medical system which values obscene profits over human lives.

Argentina in general is less materialistic than so called civilised societies and they value friendships and family much more.

Lighten up. Do I have to explain that it was meant to be a joke?

 

[starlucia]

Business practices in the USA and Australia can be more brutal than anything I have ever seen in Argentina.

Sergio ask the millions of USA citizens that have been bankrupted by the USA medical system which values obscene profits over human lives.

Well... there IS a difference between a multi-billion-dollar corporate industry protected by the most powerful lobby in the world, and local contractors who look you in the eye while robbing you blind In the U.S., some businesses bend over backwards to build customer loyalty (by special-ordering items and offering generous refund policies, for example). At some grocery stores, you can bring back any item at any time, opened and without a receipt, and receive a full refund. Price-gouging is prohibited by law, and in many states, a consumer protection law mandates that any item which rings up at a higher price than advertised will be given to the customer for free. In Argentina, many businesses and contractors seem to have this "take the money and run" attitude. Once they have your pesos, they don't care whether you ever come back, and treat customers accordingly. I watched the price of a turron sell for 19.99 pesos at Coto before Christmas and drop down to 9.99 in January -- maybe you call it supply and demand, but to me, that's legalized price-gouging.

 

[Davidglen77]

Well... there IS a difference between a multi-billion-dollar corporate industry protected by the most powerful lobby in the world, and local contractors who look you in the eye while robbing you blind In the U.S., some businesses bend over backwards to build customer loyalty (by special-ordering items and offering generous refund policies, for example). At some grocery stores, you can bring back any item at any time, opened and without a receipt, and receive a full refund. Price-gouging is prohibited by law, and in many states, a consumer protection law mandates that any item which rings up at a higher price than advertised will be given to the customer for free. In Argentina, many businesses and contractors seem to have this "take the money and run" attitude. Once they have your pesos, they don't care whether you ever come back, and treat customers accordingly. I watched the price of a turron sell for 19.99 pesos at Coto before Christmas and drop down to 9.99 in January -- maybe you call it supply and demand, but to me, that's legalized price-gouging.

Regarding the TURRÓN, I can tell you how that works from personal experience with those products. Seasonal food products are marked up about 30%, so that TURRÓN costs COTO about $14,00 pesos. After Christmas, they get marked down to cost $14,00 less 21% IVA, less ingresos brutos tax 3%, since those taxes were paid on the original item, they are selling you the item at net cost. This is done since it's better to recoup the cost of the item then have it sit there and go beyond the expiration date and throw it in the garbage. So don't think they are making any huge profits on these items because they are not. Supermarkets have VERY thin profit margins and make money thanks to volume. This is fact.

 

[RSPlayer]

A few months ago, we could not find the key to open a brand new apartment we were selling in Caballito. It was a Saturday afternoon and the realtor had called and said she had a person who just wanted to take one more look before putting down a deposit on the place. I called the local locksmith around the corner, it was 1:00 PM (Saturday) and he was just closing his shop. I asked him if he could come over and get the door open before the realtor came at 2:00; he said he would be there in a few minutes. He arrived and after about 5 minutes, could not get the door opened and said he would return to his shop and come back with another key(s). He returned about 10 minutes later and after about 1 minute got the door open, left me the key and charged me $50 (pesos).

I am from the U.S. and moved here with my Argentine wife about 4 years ago. In my experience, it has been very helpful to make as many contacts and get to know as many locals as possible. So, I have contacts (hardware store owners, locksmiths, plumbers, welders, albañils, etc.) near my home, near my office and near each job site. Sure I use Easy and go to the other chain stores, but it is nice to have these types of contacts, especially if you are a foreigner and/or new to the area. Same strategy I used at home in the States. I have found these people to be very helpful, genuinely friendly and very curious as to why I moved to Argentina. It is very easy to strike up a conversation with them and I have learned a lot about Argentina from all them.

I don’t have any suggestion for what sam3g can do now, but I would suggest to the OP and others to try and make some contacts/friends ASAP with people that may be able to help you in the future. In my case, I usually introduce my self the second or third time I am in a mom and pop type operation and ask the name of the clerk, etc. I often forget their names right away, but they almost always remember mine.

 

[perry]

Lighten up. Do I have to explain that it was meant to be a joke?

How many times can you say it is a joke when you have said the same things before and before.

Argentina is no paradise but we seem to hear a lot of negatives that are not justified under further investigation.