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CasaManzana
Nomad
Posts: 398
Registered: 7-4-2004
Location: Was Mulege:Posada Beach/now Zihuatanejo
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Mood: Naykid
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NEW SCAM at Santa Rosalia Migracion for FM3 renewals
Today at the Santa Rosalia Migracion office, to renew both our FM-3's, the two regular guys were not in so the lady (who has been there forever) did
it for us. She sorted all the bank stuff and tax statements out as usual and sent me to the bank as always to pay the $1,200 peso fee. Arriving
back at the office after the bank run, she said to come back in a week for the renewed documents...and "you need to pay me $600 pesos now". I ask why
and her answer was "for the copies". I ask her just how many copys she made in the process...she sorted through the papers and said "six but the copy
machine toner is very expensive". I said I would not pay 100 pesos/copy. She then said OK "I only charge you $400 pesos". At this point I knew I
had her game so I said "OK but I want a signed receipt". She said "I give no receipts, you just pay". I told her I was not going to pay anything
without a receipt. For a minute it was the 'Lets All Look Down At The Floor Game', then she said "OK, you go...you pay nothing". If there is more to
this when I go back to get the renewed FM-3's I will update this.
In seven years we have never had any issues there..same people/different game.
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CaboRon
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3401
Registered: 3-24-2007
Location: The Valley of the Moon
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Mood: Peacefull
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You did the right thing ... polite but firm ...
When I went to La Paz Immigration to register my address last October the clerk asked me for five hundred pesos ...
I calmly , but firmly told him I had paid at the San Diego Consulate already and would not be giving him any money.
He looked down shuffled my papers for a few min and then looked up and said "Oh, you don't have to pay"
Mordida only encourages more of the same.....
CaboRon
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capt. mike
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8085
Registered: 11-26-2002
Location: Bat Cave
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Mood: Sling time!
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she and all others like her ought to be prosecuted. 
why do some people put up with this low life scum behavior?
glad you didn't fall for it.
mexico will always be a chump 3rd rate place as long as their society and govt allows this way of doing biz.
formerly Ordained in Rev. Ewing\'s Church by Mail - busted on tax fraud.......
Now joined L. Ron Hoover\'s church of Appliantology
\"Remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over....\"
www.facebook.com/michael.l.goering |
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CaboRon
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3401
Registered: 3-24-2007
Location: The Valley of the Moon
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Mood: Peacefull
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| Quote: | Originally posted by capt. mike
she and all others like her ought to be prosecuted.
why do some people put up with this low life scum behavior?
glad you didn't fall for it.
mexico will always be a chump 3rd rate place as long as their society and govt allows this way of doing biz. |
I couldn't have said it better ....
CaboRon
edit: I should have added that this is NOT a new scam.
c
[Edited on 5-15-2008 by CaboRon]
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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
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Mood: mellow
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This lady,likely, has observed the guys she was secretary to, scam the gringos out of some extra funds (or gifts) and took this opportunity to try to
get in on it. Little crudely, but a valiant try nevertheless.
Doubt that the officers ever shared any of their ill gotten gains with her, so she decided to give it a shot on her own.
Enterprising.
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Russ
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6742
Registered: 7-4-2004
Location: Punta Chivato
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More than a few people renewing their FM-2 & 3's from here are paying the mordida and all are complaining about it. From what I hear the gal that
has been a clerk for ever is now an officer. Good for her! But the mordida is really bad policy. The office receives a large portion of the renewal
fees so mordida shouldn't be an issue other than greed and to screw the tourist because "they're all rich". Good on you for doing the right thing!
Having inmigrado status means not having to play the games any more...... I hope!
Bahia Concepcion where life starts...given a chance!
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CaboRon
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3401
Registered: 3-24-2007
Location: The Valley of the Moon
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Mood: Peacefull
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Russ
More than a few people renewing their FM-2 & 3's from here are paying the mordida and all are complaining about it. From what I hear the gal that
has been a clerk for ever is now an officer. Good for her! But the mordida is really bad policy. The office receives a large portion of the renewal
fees so mordida shouldn't be an issue other than greed and to screw the tourist because "they're all rich". Good on you for doing the right thing!
Having inmigrado status means not having to play the games any more...... I hope! |
Persons who pay the mordida are merely perpetuating the scam.....
Remember: Be Polite But Refuse
CaboRon
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Russ
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6742
Registered: 7-4-2004
Location: Punta Chivato
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Telling people here not to pay mordida is like telling them not to feed stray dogs.
Bahia Concepcion where life starts...given a chance!
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DianaT
Select Nomad
Posts: 10020
Registered: 12-17-2004
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Really glad to see you held firm. Wish we had done so in Guerrero Negro---
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CaboRon
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3401
Registered: 3-24-2007
Location: The Valley of the Moon
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Mood: Peacefull
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Russ
Telling people here not to pay mordida is like telling them not to feed stray dogs. |
There seems to be a problem with the analogies here.
I can see why you might feed a stray dog out of some sense of compassion.
But why would you ever want to pay mordida ???????
CaboRon
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capt. mike
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8085
Registered: 11-26-2002
Location: Bat Cave
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Mood: Sling time!
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i guess it's like......if you feed a stray it will always come back for more, you can't get rid of it.
same think on the mordita thing. if it continues, and people keep paying it, it never goes away.
on the BBP site the pilots are all firmly in the camp of DO NOT kow tow to mordita demands from officials at GA airports, ever. hold ground.
and it has really diminished over time. We even have examples where higher officials have fired underlings for attempting extortion against US
customers at airports.
formerly Ordained in Rev. Ewing\'s Church by Mail - busted on tax fraud.......
Now joined L. Ron Hoover\'s church of Appliantology
\"Remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over....\"
www.facebook.com/michael.l.goering |
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Paulina
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3812
Registered: 8-31-2002
Location: BCN
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I think one of the main reasons people pay the mordida when they know they're being scammed is because they don't have the time, or want to waste the
time it takes to wait it out.
It's a Mexican stand off.
Our last run in with the m. word took about an hour, but we didn't pay.
Part of the problem I'm struggling with is what role should I play in the game? The subservient female who politely waits it out, until the male
(usually) figures a way to let me go with his machismo still intact, OR do I pull the full frontal Paulina attack and risk the stand off taking even
longer?
The cop in Catavina got the Paulina treatment and it was looking like it was going to take all day. I believe we were let go because I used the
bathroom and hung out in there a bit to allow the cop to find his way out with Dern while still holding on to his dignity.
I'm going to try toning it down just a tad next time to see if it makes a difference. Maybe I'll start a new baja journal, "The Mordida Memoirs" in
which I list who, what, where and why I supposely needed to pay, as well as my reaction and the time it took to resolve the situation.
The journal itself might have quite the effect on cutting the time spent waiting to see who is going to step over the mordida line drawn in the sand.
P<*)))><
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65300
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Sounds like a great report to make Paulina!
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CaboRon
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3401
Registered: 3-24-2007
Location: The Valley of the Moon
Member Is Offline
Mood: Peacefull
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Sounds like a great report to make Paulina! |
Report ??? Write a book and publish !!
I'll come to the book signing .
CaboRon
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Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
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I hear the indignation of the righteous. Mordida is part of Mexican culture. Tell me none of you has ever paid to smooth your way over a rough
situation. Tell me you have not or would never pay more to gain access to a thing you would not qualify for without greasing somebody's palm. Tell me
you never paid anyone, anywhere to get a product/license/service quicker, easier, better, one dollar more than the price without those benefits.
Compared to Mexicans, gringos pay relatively nothing in mordida -- given that, your are not the ones perpetuating what you profess to be a deplorable
practice (until you need something special or get in a jackpot in Mexico). So why would you not use the system to gain some benefit you couldn't hope
for in another culture? Cmon, tell us the rest of the story or I'll sick the Skeeter on you.
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Natalie Ann
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2819
Registered: 8-22-2003
Location: Berkeley
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Jorge - I have never paid mordida in Mexico nor US... nor have I ever paid more than the normal amount for goods nor services. If I had to pay to get
appropriate service, it would no longer be appropriate. But then I do hold myself and others to high standards.
That said, when I hire someone for a service I want/need in or for my home, and when it is done well, I always pay more than is asked. I continue to
get outstanding service from the person and all those they refer me to. I feel that 'tips' for quality service is helpful to both parties.... mordida
does none of us any good in the long run.
mho
Nena
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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fulano
Banned
Posts: 496
Registered: 3-31-2008
Location: Ramona, CA
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| Quote: | | Originally posted by Osprey Tell me none of you has ever paid to smooth your way over a rough situation. Tell me you have not or would never
pay more to gain access to a thing you would not qualify for without greasing somebody's palm. Tell me you never paid anyone, anywhere to get a
product/license/service quicker, easier, better, one dollar more than the price without those benefits. |
I have NEVER done any of those things...and I have spent a lot of time in Mexico.
You are rationalizing your own actions.
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Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
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Nat, you'll have us going to the dictionary now. I'll say mordida is extortion, not a tip. How about money to the maitre d? What's wrong with that, to
get a better table -- not a tip, it's extortion. Maybe you will never find yourself in a Mexican business negotiation between the end you seek, a 500
dollar bill and your promise to yourself not to pay mordida. What problems have you created for yourself to make sure you have paid not one centavo
more than is required for the things you buy in Mexico? You I know to be as honest as they come but do you really think all these self-righteous
posters swore, at age 12, never to pay anyone, anywhere nothin, so help me God?.
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Pescador
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3587
Registered: 10-17-2002
Location: Baja California Sur
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| Quote: | Originally posted by fulano
I have NEVER done any of those things...and I have spent a lot of time in Mexico.
You are rationalizing your own actions. |
No, what Osprey is saying is: sometimes you tip for good service before and sometimes after.
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Natalie Ann
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2819
Registered: 8-22-2003
Location: Berkeley
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Jorge - In my book, a "tip" is something extra and unexpected paid at the END of a job very well done. I tip the workers at my house IF they've done
a great job and been kind and trustworthy. I tip the stylist who cuts my hair. After dinner I 'tip' for services and good food.
I agree with you that mordida is extortion.... and paying a maitre d for a good table is mordida by my standards. I make my reservation like the rest
of the world and most always get a table by the water/view/whatever if one is open upon my arrival.
I did not say I "promised" to never pay mordida. Alone and scared and stopped by policia - perhaps, I don't know... never been that scared. Your
question was who has never paid mordida... and my response is that I have not.
And honestly, I don't think I've created any problems for me by thinking mordida is wrong.
To each his/her own.
Nena
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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