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John, your description of the events at the Jaco hotel has me confused. You say that Master Card cancelled all transactions. Does that include the first time the hotel tried to bill you? That would be a valid charge. If that billing was refused by M.C., then I can understand why the hotel would try to run the transaction through again, perhaps even three more times. If that is the case, then you really do owe them for the night’s stay even if you did not stay. I wasn’t sure from your posting whether you stayed or not.
As for the primitive law enforcement argument, that’s no reason to not pay the bill, If someone provides a service to me, I consider it a matter of honor to pay him for that service, whether or not the police will back him up. It has nothing to do with no “honor among thieves.” It’s a matter of my sense of honor to myself.
If the hotel is highly recommended, it can probably absorb the loss without much difficulty. Some shoestring operations might feel the pinch a little more.
editer
Edited on Apr 07, 2008 06:42
Thanks Dave and Scott,
Construction won’t start on my house until next November, so I have time to consider this option. Thank you so much Scott for looking into this. Another reason I depend so much on your web site to help me do my due diligence.
editer
Actually David, you did mention working FOR someone. Here is the sentence from your first post: “If that income is not sufficient, is it reasonable to expect that Alicia could find some kind of employment doing almost anything (hotel maid, art teacher, waitress, admin assistant… anything) that would augment my income to a survivable level? “
I have half a book shelf loaded with books and maps of Costa Rica. I also have probably about 100 bookmarks for websites about Costa Rica. However, my best source of information is this website. Give it a chance. If you approach it with an open mind, you can learn a lot about Pura Vida. Patience is one lesson that comes to mind.
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Muchismas gracias, CRHB. As usual, your information is absolutely what I was looking for. God, I love this site!
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Thanks Scott,
I figured that the article was probably not very recent. That probably should have been another question. I’ll ask my contractor to find out some later figures and to look into CONCREPAL. I want to start building in late November so we have time to explore options. With the rate that things are changing in Costa Rica, maybe you should consider adding dates to future articles on the website. It’s probably too much work to date the articles already archived.
Now I’ll go check out CONCREPAL.
editer
Yeah, David. That is disappointing, but it’s pretty common. A lot of e-publications do the same thing. It would be nice if one could subscribe to both the hard copy and the pdf version at a special rate.
editer
As always, Scott, you are about two steps ahead of me. Now I want to share another chagrin on my part. I received an e-mail from Tico Times apologizing for the difficulty I had subscribing. I replied with my own apology for my terse complaint. I used my broken Spanish because the person I responded to had a Hispanic name and his apology was written in imperfect English (though it was much better than my attempts in his native tongue).
Then about ten minutes later, I received a phone call from Costa Rica. A very gracious lady called to say that they sent their webmaster my e-mail and that they would work to incorporate my suggestions. This lady spoke perfect English with a Spanish accent. I had assumed that the staff at the Tico Times was probably American, but I was obviously mistaken. We had a short but pleasant talk and I felt that the people at the Times were genuinely concerned with my complaint.
So the lesson for me is this: If I want to resettle in the Pura Vida, I’ll have to lose my gringo impatience. I thought that I was more patient than the average American, but I can see that I have a lot to learn.
editer
Now I have to eat some crow. I just got an e-mail from Tico Times saying that my subscription did go through. It would have been helpful for this to be acknowledged on their site after I submitted, but all’s well that ends well. I still think that Scott should look into creating a hard copy newspaper. With the resources he has and the forum members who seem to enjoy writing cyber-reams on wlcr.com, the endeavor could take off.
Let me know if you need any other career advice, Scott.
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Muchas gracias, rebaragon. I’m also not in Costa Rica at the moment. I’ll hold onto the numbers and give Musac a call when I get back down.
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Thanks mysticmaiden. If I have enough room, I’ll try those as well. I’m sure the nursery can fill me in about how much room I need or if I need more than one tree to guarantee fruit.
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Thanks to David and Rick. You’ve cleared up my confusion. I will of course, have my own lawyer(s) as I proceed with my relocation to Costa Rica. I tend to err on the side of caution, even if it costs a little extra cash. By the way, Rick, you spelled the word “Editor” correctly, but my forum name is “editer.”
Frank
I also was just on a Lundquist tour. Mine was in mid-January. I just want to let members know that George’s tour is NOT an easy-going, relaxed vacation. George dragged us from one building site to another. We saw cleared plantels where I wouldn’t think a building could be erected, then we visited completed homes on similar plots to see what is possible at what prices. There was constant discussion about cost per square meter to build a home to one’s tastes.
We spoke with various professionals (an attorney, real estate agents, developers, a dentist,a hospital (CIMA) representative). We visited government offices in Puriscal. We viewed the Concasa model condominium and visited with apartment renters in Puriscal. George was always pushing us because he wanted to show us more and we were always behind schedule. It was brutal, By the end of the tour, I felt like I was beaten up in a bar. This is not an enjoyable excursion.
It is also essential for anyone who is interested in moving to Costa Rica. If you go on George’s tour, be prepared to learn a LOT about how things work in Costa Rica. I’ve been to the land of Pura Vida five times before and I learned more on this trip than I had in all the previous ones put together. If you decide to take George’s tour, don’t pack swimming trunks or sandals. Bring a good pair of hiking boots. The old guy’s a mountain goat. He’ll leave you in the dust.
I want to add one more thing. My 92-year-old mom accompanied me on this trip. Of course she couldn’t handle the treks to and from the more isolated building sites, so she waited on George’s new bus with a good book while I trudged around the new constructions. George always made sure that Mom was comfortable.
editer
Edited on Feb 13, 2008 06:16
