Rent a car?

[Rob]

...so I end up at the Negril police station reporting the event and got a small taste of the "system".

Bluntly I felt I was treated differently because I'm white...Not waited on until everyone else, more than once hearing "white mon" mentioned, etc...

Ah, the joys of driving in Jamaica! (grin)

After living here for 20 years and dealing with "the system" for longer than that, it is very safe to say that you were treated equally if not better than everyone else. A fender bender is not a very serious incident in the scheme of things so it is a low priority to begin with, and others may have waiting much longer without your knowledge. It is not unusual for people to arrive at any government agency and have someone save "their spot" for them and to come back when it is closer to their turn.

That is part of "the runnings" that you learn...

As for the "white mon" comments, assuming you are "white", it is also safe to assume it was purely being used as a descriptive phrase - if there had been 2 "white men" there, they would have added a "white mon with the car" or some such additional description.

It is still not politically incorrect in Jamaica to describe someone by their physical characteristics, sometimes the easiest descriptions work the best....

[negrilmon]

Hi Rob, I would like to think you are correct here but I think I was delaing with some less than equal treatment. This eyewitness account below nails it.

I'm guessing they realized it was a tourist by the color of my skin.

"Hi Negrilmon I think my wife and I saw your accident. It was on Wednesday April 03 arround 2pm and you were driving a wine red 4 door sadan heading towards the roundabout. If this was you I am glad to see no one got hurt. I was very surprized of the reaction of some of the locals who also witnessed the scene. Once they realized it was a tourist they told the other driver to hurry up and leave before you even had a chance to get out of your car. It was a classic hit and run in broad daylight with lots of witnesses."

Those at the police station are locals also so I'm guessing some at the police station had this same attitude.

I don't think I'm going out on a limb to say there is some corruption in Jamaica...

[Ly Shell]

Hi Negrilmon, Sorry to hear you lost your $500 deposit. The lady that gave you the licence number just got off work at the Corral Seas Garden. I was the fellow that gave you directions to the police station. One would think when you rent a car, part of the rent is insurance especially in this case when it was cleary not your fault and you have witnesses that saw what went down. We have friends that live in the Negril area for 6 months of the year for the past 25 years and their comment was "even if you have their licence plate number, chances of pinning it on anyone is next to nil". We almost rented a motorcycle for a few days in which I have lots of experience in and I am glad we did not! Its not me I am worried about, its other drivers and the insurance and medical issues in a foreign country which is cloudy at the best of times. It sucks that you lost your deposit instead of the "car rental insurance" covering this incident.

[Mike_D]

I once witnessed an accident when my driver backed into a motorcycle outside the scotia bank. The incident was settled with a handshake and my driver walking away with the broken part that he agreed to replace. Since you are tourist, the locals correctly assumed that would not settle for a handshake and would want to go through the proper channels to report the accident on your rental car. The other driver may not have had proper insurance or couldn't afford the deductible, which is probably why the other locals told him to leave the scene when they realized you were a tourist. I'm not excusing their behavior, just offering a little insight in to their point of view. The locals do look out each other.

Fwiw, your story is exactly why we choose to hire a driver, rather than rent a car.

[negrilmon]

Spot on Mike...The locals assumed correctly that I would take the proper approach (versus the alternative). Probably best to let a local drive when this is the process...

I wanted to pass along the story so people can learn from my experience...

[Rob]

Chalis is decent company - have dealt with them in the past. This should work out okay... but dont hold your breath, it may take a while... (grin)

[negrilmon]

Chalis is decent company - have dealt with them in the past. This should work out okay... but dont hold your breath, it may take a while... (grin)

No breath being held...Been going to Jamaica since 1975...Soon come mon!

You've lived there 20 years?...Do you own property? If so, what does that legal maze look like?

Thanks again!

[Rob]

No breath being held...Been going to Jamaica since 1975...Soon come mon!

You've lived there 20 years?...Do you own property? If so, what does that legal maze look like?

Thanks again!

After 20 years, I can say that the government has really streamlined many aspects of the "legal maze" - for one, they accept PDF files which is a godsend when having to get forms to Kingston, which is still part of that maze - and even that maze is getting lesser each year.

I am owner and creator or Negril.com - starting that back in 1995 - own other things including RealNegril.com. We live outside Negril and have employed many great people who have gone on to work for major Jamaican corporations, started their own businesses and even have a few successful former employees in the States! It is always a great feeling to see our employees move on and make their own success, and we encourage it.

When you get here - lets sit back and share a few and exchange some stories!

[negrilmon]

After 20 years, I can say that the government has really streamlined many aspects of the "legal maze" - for one, they accept PDF files which is a godsend when having to get forms to Kingston, which is still part of that maze - and even that maze is getting lesser each year.

I am owner and creator or Negril.com - starting that back in 1995 - own other things including RealNegril.com. We live outside Negril and have employed many great people who have gone on to work for major Jamaican corporations, started their own businesses and even have a few successful former employees in the States! It is always a great feeling to see our employees move on and make their own success, and we encourage it.

When you get here - lets sit back and share a few and exchange some stories!

Sounds good Rob!...FYI Chalis car rental is still looking into the situation...Thanks again!

[Rambo]

I would assume that as in the US (most states) police cannot "Arrest" a license plate....I mean, its good to get the plate number BUT you will have to be able to ID the driver for a citation to be issued.......and since it will be a "Traffic" Arrest not a "Major" (Felony) charge, and monies sought by either person involved would be through "Civil Court"...and Citations issued for a traffic violation cannot be used as evidence in Civil Court................That citation is nothing more than "the belief is you violated a traffic law, and must appear to answer for it"........Its not a finding of guilty...............
yes I wrote some....not many