Juta Tour Drivers Scam

[RockRobster]

Nobody was dying of thirst. Nobody had to buy a beer. In that case, it was just a worthless stop. If the non-North Americans didn't realize what the currency conversion actually was and a general idea of what a beer costs up in the hills.....well....I won't go there....

It's not good Karma to have done that. Its not good business for JUTA to allow it. But its not really a "scam"...sorry you felt so badly about it, I hope it didn't spoil the rest of your vacation.

Again, if there were two or three of you...you overpaid because you could have had a private driver....just sayin....

[M&G Montreal]

I will count on CaptainD to correct me if I am wrong, but it is my understanding that the minimum wage in Jamaica is $55/wk, with no specification for the hours or days worked. And certainly no benefits. Where I come from, a beer is waaaay more than $5 ... for local brew.

I certainly wouldn't begrudge anyone any kickback from a $5 beer in a tropical paradise that I flew to on an airplane; headed to a cushy resort to escape the cold winters where I live.

I strongly recommend you go help out at St. Anthony's kitchen; you may see a side of our lovely island you have been insulated from.

They're not ripping you off. They're just trying to get dinner for their family for another night. Or keep their kids in school for another term. The life we are priviledged to lead in Negril is not what most Jamaicans lead.

There are real scams in Jamaica (and Montreal, Toronto, New York) that are laid out for tourists. One does have to be careful. But a crummy $5 for a beer? Budget it in for your next trip. 99% of the Jamaicans cannot even dream of budgeting for a trip like that!

I hope you left a tip!

[Rob]

...it is my understanding that the minimum wage in Jamaic..a is $55/wk, with no specification for the hours or days worked. And certainly no benefits. Where I come from, a beer is waaaay more than $5 ... for local brew..

M&G,

As I wrote back January, here are the facts about the minimum wages, overtime, holiday, benefits, etc. requirements that all Jamaican employers, including myself, must follow:

"To set some matters straight and let the truth be known, raises in the minimum wages in Jamaica this century alone has seen the minimum wage increase in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012. I am not agreeing with the amount of the wages, just setting the record straight.

http://www.lmis.gov.jm/lmis.aspx?id=...inimum%20Wages


http://m.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Ne...-effect-today-


There are rules and regulations for all manners of pay including overtime, holiday, vacation and gratuity payments. These are laws that all employers must follow. If an employee states something different, then perhaps they are unaware or have some other reason to not let you know the facts.


http://www.mlss.gov.jm/download/HolidayPay.pdf


http://www.ilocarib.org.tt/projects/...ica_act5.shtml


Some basic guidelines for all Jamaican employers can be found at:


http://www.jamaicatax.gov.jm/index.p...ployer-s-guide


As a business owner in Jamaica, I have had to keep abreast of these laws and make sure that they are followed."

[M&G Montreal]

Thanks, Rob! I knew one of the pro's would set the record straight.

Bottom line - the salaries are nowhere near what we get in the U.S. and Canada and $5 for a beer is not a "rip off"! Not by our standards, anyway. It may or may not be the "norm" but it is still a small price to pay on a luxury vacation on a tropical island for a beer. No? I am not saying you should pay $20 to everyone who offers you a Welcome bracelet .... but use your judgement, and your heart!

[kimbbeck]

Luxury vacation...I know people have to eat I get that but it IS unethical to price gouge,noone has to have a beer but sometimes on this board some people turn a half closed eye to some of the day to day bull that local people try.I travel often to Negril and over the years have learned the hard way...it puts a bad taste in your mouth when you see these things happen. Why not just warn /" out the unscrupulous ones and praise and identify the one's where you get a fair deal. Even on vacation I want to be treated fairly...that's one reason why I now longer even listen to all the hard luck stories I hear...I think about all the overtime I have to work to enjoy some time in the sun, just do the right thing, tip but don't accept the rip.

[butterfly]

[QUOTE=kimbbeck;95359]Luxury vacation...I know people have to eat I get that but it IS unethical to price gouge,noone has to have a beer but sometimes on this board some people turn a half closed eye to some of the day to day bull that local people try.I travel often to Negril and over the years have learned the hard way...it puts a bad taste in your mouth when you see these things happen. Why not just warn /" out the unscrupulous ones and praise and identify the one's where you get a fair deal. Even on vacation I want to be treated fairly...that's one reason why I now longer even listen to all the hard luck stories I hear...I think about all the overtime I have to work to enjoy some time in the sun, just do the right thing, tip but don't accept the rip.[/Q I have been traveling to Jamiaca for numerous years, I feel the exact same way and couldn't have said this better myself.

[Bob-n-Sandra]

$5 beer! The same price you pay at Disneyland knew it would come to this : )

[dash]

I was just in Munich and paid 9 dollars for a beer in Marienplatz. I think the Germans in Negril weren't hurt too much by this "scam". They probably thought it was a good deal.

[Nick]

I would be surprised if funneling business to friends, cousins, wives, or parents wasn't going on here like it does everywhere else. Usually it's no problem and a convenience of sort, but five dollars for a warm beer is off the hook.

[MissBlue]

lol, dude, you can get as indignant as you wish, that is of course your prerogative - but if you could hear what people are saying in this thread, about how the free-market system works all over the world, you'd understand that there is nothing "cheating, lying, unethical, fraudulent" about this. A "scam" involves being 'tricked' in some way and there is no trickery going on here. It is nothing more than pure capitalism.... a product is offered at a price.... customer decides whether to buy at said price - or not. If they know that same product costs less elsewhere, they have the choice to buy it elsewhere. If they don't know that it's cheaper elsewhere, -or- if they do know and want it anyway, and are willing to pay said price, then merchant makes his sale. Things are sold at many different prices at many different places; your opinion is that this particular price is too high, and that is perfectly valid, but it's still just an opinion - you have free choice to exercise it by voting with your wallet. But the merchant not falling in line with your opinion does not constitute lying or fraud, just cause you don't like it.

Yes, 'buyer beware' is true the world over - but that's the free enterprise system - and that's all that is going on here. Some people might be perfectly willing to spring 5 bucks for that cold beer, even though you are not.

Where i live, gas is $3.39 two blocks from me and $3.89 a few miles up the road..... are people up the road being 'scammed' just because that merchant charges more, even though just a short distance away it's much cheaper? Nope.