A Letter From The Gringo Uber-Jerk Air Conditioner Guy

Mr. Winner, please! Your "opinion" has never been "humble". Please stop using that phrase in your comments.

No. I Like That Phrase: My opinions are just as humble as the next guy's. I just express them a little forcefully sometimes. However, the weight they carry are equal, right? I mean, it's nothing more than an expression of what I, as one unique individual, think about any particular subject, issue, or theme. And I choose the definition of "humble" meaning "courteously respectful: In my humble opinion you are wrong." Like now. So, pound sand. Is that humble enough for 'ya? (grin)

Don

I do have some sympathy for the guy. The "personal responsibility" argument ultimately leads to the question, why should there be any laws or courts at all? Fraud? you should have known better! Been murdered by a serial killer? hard luck, you should have been more cautious! Personal responsibility is an over-utilized argument. Yes, he should have been more careful, but this guy grew up in a different world. His age group struggle to use a TV remote properly, and quite how he managed to work out how to use a modern camcorder and post his film on youtube is somewhat of a miracle. Cut a frustrated guy some slack in my opinion. Maybe more gringos should be like him?

I watched the video. I thought the guy was going to have a heart attack as he started gasping for air at the end of the deed! But it would have been more fun to watch had he included firecrackers, sparklers and smoke grenades. Maybe had he hired a couple of young pretty ladies in bikinis he could have caused a traffic jam?

Although this event smacked of a childlike tantrum, I do sympathize with his plight. After all, what expat who has spent a reasonable amount of time in Panama has NOT been screwed by someone who unscrupulously took advantage, omitted key information, provided wrong information, or threw-up road blocks within the corrective process in order to delay or stop a duly owed refund or doing the customer right?

Customer service, doing what is right for the customer, quality assurance is almost non-existent in Panama. Now magnify this with weak expat Spanish/English language communication skills. Match this with the stereotype that all gringos are made of money with the justification that they deserve to lose some because I am poor. It is no wonder that there is a coined term known as "gotcha gringo!"

My personal experiences, for example;

1). An Italian restaurant in El Dorado placed water bottles on my table making me think the water was complimentary. We were thirsty and naturally we opened and drank the water. We asked for more water. The waitress brought back the same (opened) bottles - she obviously filled them with tap water. When the bill arrived I was charged $4 per bottle. LESSON: Nothing is free in Panama. My loss $12-$16.

2. On one of my visits to PC I stayed in a new hotel every night to learn which hotels provided the most at the most reasonable rate. I pulled into a cheap hotel on Via Espania. I asked for a room and then paid $30. They put me on the first floor with a broken window lock. Anyone could have climbed through that window. I asked for a different room above the first floor. They assigned me a room with a broken a/c. Again, I had to ask for yet another room. They told me that they had no more vacant rooms. I asked them to refund my money and I would go elsewhere. They told me no. I had already paid for the room, therefore I must take it. I threatened to call the cops and they just laughed at me and told me to go ahead. LESSON: Always inspect your hotel room before you pay. If you do pay, then pay with a credit card so that you can place the charge in dispute (in the USA) should you find that you did not get what you paid for. My loss $30, but in the end that hotel lost more.

3. I had dinner by myself in a small hotel restaurant. I looked at the menu for a while, then I noticed a woman eating a whole fried Corvena at the table next to me. Her husband was eating carne in a gravy sauce. When the waitress took my order, I pointed at the fried fish and said I would have the same fish she was eating. I even used the Spanish word "Pescara". 10 minutes or so later the waitress showed up with carne in a gravy sauce - she mistakenly thought I had pointed to the meat. In my defense, the Panamanian woman eating the fried fish interrupted and told the waitress, "no, I heard him tell you he wanted the fish. He even pointed at the fish." The waitress refused to change my order and then told me that I had to pay. Rather than fight the issue further, I ate the meat. It actually was delicious. I paid my bill but made a point to leave only a few pennies tip. Note - the Panamanian woman who defended my position apologized for the stubborn behavior exhibited by her fellow Panamanian. She told me that she was embarrassed as a Panamanian. LESSON: Not sure what the lesson is here. The waitress was wrong. I was right. In the end, I was happy with my food. Yet, I was annoyed with the lack of customer service or for no remorse or apology for the screw-up. No loss - $0, it was a wash. I appreciated the input from my fellow customer.

4. In 1998 I received my apartment security deposit refund check drafted against a Panamanian bank. When I arrived at their branch to cash the check there was a line of people extending outside. Rather than wait to cash the check, I mailed it to my credit union in the states to deposit. Big mistake. After all was said and done, I lost $75 in bank fees. My credit union did not charge me, but they had to work through a larger US bank branch to cash the international check. The US bank charged me $30 for the foreign check cashing transaction. But the Panamanian bank, that the check was drafted against, charged me $45! LESSON: Stand in line if you want your money back. My loss $75.

All of my lessons have been rather petty and small in dollar value compared to some stories I've heard. However, if you are in Panama long enough, the nickels and dimes add up.

In the end, I am surprised that we don't hear of more people blowing their fuse due to the dishonest business practices (omitting key information), customer service (compassion for the customer and refunds), attention to the details (ensuring the customer understands), etc.

But I will tell you one thing. I will not buy anything from that store. That store is tainted. Right or wrong, why should I risk doing business with them? That man's convictions convinced me. I think that store could have done more to take care of their customer.

Wake-up Panama. There is more money to be made when you have good customer service, when you go out of your way to make your customers happy, when you do a good job. If you are out to screw your customer - they will find a way to get pay-back. Pay-back is a bitch!

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO).

Rusty

Hey Don.....Mr. Venerable actions were childish, but understandable. If you are not a technical person and you plan on purchasing lets say an AC and you go to a store/shop here in Panama and you ask all the pertinent questions you can think to ask hoping that the person who seems qualified is really qualified. Many times these guys don't have a clue what they are talking about, they only want to make a sale and get rid of you. I've had it happen several times....a couple of times I got stung and a couple of times common sense told me they were wrong. I have an idea that the salesman who sold the equipment to Mr. Venerable fell into the category of not knowing his ass from a hole in the ground. Mr. Veneable being 70 something and not knowing his ass from a hole in the ground got took. It happens every day here in Panama....Gringos are fair game and Panamanians are fair game too!

I am sorry for Mr. Venables because he suffered a more expensive lesson than most of us. I do not know of any expatriate retiree who does not have a story to tell about exploitation, dishonesty, lack of customer service, etc.
Before we moved to Panama permanently we had a taste of what to expect, and it made us, fortunately, more cautious. Although I had been coming to Panama since 1970, we deciided in 2003 to spend some time here to "weigh up" the prospect of retirement living.
From Canada, via internet, we booked into the Executive Hotel and obtained the usual on-line receipt. However, when we arrived at the hotel on the scheduled day we were told that there were no vacancies. I produced my receipt only to be told, "We have a doctors' conference and so there are no rooms left." As I got nowhere with the desk clerk I asked for the manager who told me the same thing. So I replied, "This has taught me a useful lesson about Panama. A promise means nothing. A contract means nothing. There is no busness integrity." This reply hurt the manager's feelings and he protested that the hotel had an excellent reputation and he would rectify the mistake. He phoned another equivalent hotel and secured us accommodation at a reduced rate.
So there are those in Panama who value their clientele, but it was a warning to be cautious.
Several years later I bought a large generator that activates automatically in case of a power failure. I bought it from Do-it Center. When it was installed I phoned the manufacturer in the U.S. to activate the warranty only to be told, "There is no warranty on this unit. It is ten years old and must have sat in some warehouse for that time." When the machine failed to start we found the battery (ten years old) would not hold a charge. I went back to Do-it Center and told them the story. They sent two mechanics out to my house (in the country) and took the generator back to Panama. I did not expect to see it again for several weeks, but it was delivered again next day, connected and worked properly. It has worked ever since, and the kicker is that Do-it Center gave me their own six month warranty.
So, yes there are those who don't look after their customers, but there are also companies that do, and so it is really worthwhile to explore a bit and assess the attitudes and responses before contracting for anything.
In Panama, friendship is a more valuable currency than money, and if you look after your friends they will look after you. If you find a good tradesman, pass his name on to others.
I hope Mr Venables finds someone who will help him out, and discovers how to get things done in Panama. It's a great place to live once one learns how the culture works.