Playero -Back to the bad old ways!

Good for you.  It pays to know your prices!!! Now, when is the party????

You are correct in the last couple of weeks they are back to their old "rip off" ways with price increases. A container of milk is now nearly 10 pesos higher (20% increase).  Almost all items have seen an increase.

I now have also gone back to my old ways and only shop there for items I cannot get elsewhere which is not much. So now shopping at Super Pola and once a month to PP to la Sirena.

Bob K

@Bob
yeah coffee also gone up quite a bit,, so that will be LaPola item in future. As I said looks like pure greed to me. Usually prices in DR are pretty stable, like Caribe Tours for example their prices are still the same for a long, long time...but these Playero B******* are whacking things up 10-20 % at a time.

Of course the lack of competition is the problem here. we had a similar situation in England the major supermarket chains charging high prices and screwing people. Then along came the Germans, but unlike 1939 this time they saved us :-)

In Germany there are two discount supermarket chains called Aldi and Lidl, they offered really low prices and good quality merchandise and they opened outlets in UK, wasn't long before the rip-off merchants in UK started feeling the pain and lost many customers to the Germans -and had to start dropping their prices pronto!

We could do with a dose of that here!
Aldi , please invade Sosua :-)

I would love to see all the Gringos here get so angry by these blatant rip offs, that someone organises a boycott of Playero in protest, - that would get their attention! Or an Internet campaign, even the threat of action or the bad publicity might wake up the greedy rip off merchants....but alas I expect nothing will happen and people just accept it and keep paying and getting screwed :-(
Dont they have a suggestion box there somewhere?

If so I may put in a note with some "Suggestions"  for the moneygrabbing  **********!!!!

Ahem...... why can't someone be you???? Organize a boycott......

@Planner

Well,
if I thought there may be a hope, I might consider it, but people are like sheep these days, they just put up with crap and do nothing, so sadly I think it would be a doomed effort.
To succeed would take a large number and do not think many people would be prepared to do without their little luxuries.
So think it would not work..., wasted enough money on Playero ...dont want to waste my time as well !

No it would not work and they don't care.

I just vote with my feet.  However with planeloads of folks coming for vacations every week it is the first stop for supplies and food. I do think they "tip" the cab drivers for bringing the suckers to them.

Bob K

I guess it is same reason no one else has done anything then.....   I also vote with my wallet.

yep the only way i think, spend money elsewhere which makes one feel, "At least you aint screwing me any more" although unfortunately some things one can only get there,.so one has to grit ones  teeth occasionally and buy stuff there.
Just wish La Pola would get their act together and start pricing things properly, Presently its a total shambles with tons of items either not priced at all or sometimes wrongly priced!.


and rumour has it rum sales in Charamicos will increase to astronomical proportions :-) ..my fridge be the witness :-)

Yes coffee and alcohol has gone up a lot starting in January. Even the truck I buy my coffee from has gotten crazy

Bob K

Wow! I guess I was one of the poor suckers early on as well.....my cab driver would bring me straight to Playero after I got off the plane, he would even give his points card to collect all the points, but he was not so thrilled when I discovered Janet's in Cabarete and a few other markets in Sabaneta, and all along I thought he was looking out for me, needless to say, I got rid of that cabbie a long time ago!!! My Dominican girlfriend opened my eyes to some of his not so honest ways

Massagewiz...another lesson learned. But at least this one was not painful like so many lessons can be here

Bob K

Oh yes Bob,  the lessons we often learn the hard way. Unfortunately our experiences are only that,  when you try to educate others they often just don't believe you OR Need to learn on their own.............  Oh well,  that is on them..... we do what we can.

>Bob K Yesterday 00:19:19
>Yes coffee and alcohol has gone up a lot starting in January.
-----------

Yeah, another painful experience yesterday, which made one realise how expensive it is starting to get here.

Bought a few things more than usual on Amazon, sent via Miami and collected from EPS.
EPS charged me almost 2500 Pesos. I nearly fainted!

Expected about 1300-1600 max...

Still at least they are efficient and reliable, but at a very high cost!

Well, the way the Doms are whacking up crazy prices at the moment, they will price themselves out of the market one day!
I certainly will take it easy on the purchases from now on.So wont be any more trips to EPS office in the foreseeable future unless absolutely necessary!

Mmmh..Paradise sure is staring to look a little less attractive, with all the prices around here going up so fast :-(

Instead of EPS look at Encargo Pac.

Bob K

Ah strangely enough was there this afternoon, went to computer shop next door,,, should have popped in there,,damn 

still saved some money going to LaPola on way back.... saved couple of hundred Pesos buying Veg, Milk and coffee which is quite a bit cheaper there, than our fave rip off place ...mentioning no names like starting with P.......

Today is a great day at Pola with huge savings on veggies.

Bob K

Is this the Encargopac you are referring to? http://encargopaq.com/en/  Are they cheaper than EPS? How do I go about signing up with them? Do I have to be in DR? Is there an office in Cabarete? Sosua? I currently use EPS and they have been reliable out of Cabarete, but can bigger items be shipped from the states to DR? There are a few barrel shipping companies that ship from N.Y. To DR.....Is Encargopac similar to the blue barrel shipping companies or more like EPS for small items? Does that $200 tax free rule apply to food items as well, or only clothing and appliances? Thanks Bob.....I do find EPS a bit expensive at times, please fill us in on what benefits they offer over EPS. Thanks.

Yes that is the one and they have an office in the small shopping center just to the west of the hospital in Sosau.  We use them for shipping of packages and it goes by weight if shipping by air (so only small items)  and this way you do have the current $200 tax break.

Bigger items (like the BBQ we shipped last month) goes by boat and you do not get the tax break.  Here they charge you just under 1/3 of the cost of the item and this pays for shipping, taxes, import fees and delivery to your house.  Very good service.  So our 110 pound BBQ (cost $300) cost us $92 (in Pesos) to ship. It was still almost $300 cheaper than the same BBQ here.

There are now two more similar companies that have popped up in the Sosua area.

Bob K

I just went to their website Bob,  they charge  US 3.80 per pound including all taxes -  that is less expensive then everyone else it seems!!!!   I may be switching- if you say the service is good then it is!

They have an office in La Romana, wooo hooooo.

We have been using them for a couple of years and have shipped everything from dog vitamins to BBQ, Pool chairs, Linens, house wares, TVs and have never had a problem.

Bob K

Thanks for the info Bob. I noticed they have a shipping office in New Jersey for the bigger items, I will call the Florida and NJ number to get more info on registering, I like the fact that they deliver to your door. The prices seem much better than EPS.....last time I paid about $30 US for about 8Lbs to Cabarete, just some Xmas toys for my girlfriends nieces and nephews. Their service is reliable, but a bit pricey, will have to try encargopaq with a small package and sed how it goes 

Glad the info helps

Bob K

sure does Bob!

@ Bob  >hope the info helped

Yes was useful advice, I have also changed to Enpaq today!

So with the advice you gave about DeLancer etc...all these things certainly saved time and money...well, moneywise not with DeLancer Internet , which is pretty pricey, but it  was a lot less hassle signing up than with the new Claro rules, with bank account requirements, etc

Perhaps we should nominate you for a Knighthood for “Services to Expat Community”...I shall write to Queen Lizzie to see what she says,
Arise Sir Bob ....but don't hold your breath, I think Lizzie is quite busy these days :-)

Yes comparing the prices of Enpaq  which apparently includes taxes, then it is cheaper than EPS....don't know why, I always got the feeling I got screwed there.

Apart from  the sending costs  and taxes other things appeared on the bill like extra 200 Peso  for “Cargo Combustible”which I assume means combustible cargo , why they should charge extra for that I don't bloody know.

I mean it wasn't anything particularly flammable really,just some headphones, rechargeable batteries, memory card,etc.

All these costs mount up so if Enpaq includes taxes etc then they definitely seem to be worth a try. If they perform well. I'm afraid it's bye bye EDS,  you priced yourself out of the market.... like so many other Dom rip offs.

Yes I mean YOU Playero!!

Glad it is helping you "adjust"

Bob K

Start getting major cash back on all those internet purchases to take the sting out. EPS or Encargo!


And don't listen to everyone that thinks they know what is going on here.

Our first mistake, from buying our property to buying health insurance.

Lot's of bad info out here.

Yes Playero does rip everyone off during high season.

Time for a boycot would be in low season.

I will never understand, with the amount of money we pour into this economy, why the PTB don't get the value of the expats here.

Just saying.....

I will welcome you to the forums and ask for the "link" to be removed. Sorry not allowed.

you make a good point,  not all information  i right for everyone.   Tell us more about you, how long have you been here?

MASSAGEWIZ mentioned Janet's in Cabarete as a better option. It's a ride from Sosua but their prices are very acceptable. I gave the store a good tour not long ago and I've seen many items sold at reasonable prices, sometimes even cheaper than in independent stores in Gaspar Hernandez.

nearly 4 years.
I apologize for breaking the rules.

We are in Sosua/Cabarete.

Came over first time in 2009.

I should stay out of these discussions. LOL

Cheers....

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