Juta Tour Drivers Scam

[Rambo]

"where else can you get a Red Stripe with such a view?"

and you just got off a multi-million dollar bus....we rich Americans dont 'ya know.....lol

[Irie John]

it IS overpriced, yes. but that is separate and distinct from it being a 'scam'. A shop owner can charge whatever they like - just because some don't feel said price is fair, does not mean it's illegal, shady, or unethical (which is what a scam is) - just that it's overpriced. If enough people don't buy from them, they will soon change their tune. But if they continue to make sales at those prices, well.... that's what the public will bear and they will keep the price where it is.

And they can indeed give commissions to someone who brings them sales. this is the way of the world.

The "local" price is 200 J. The "white" price is $5 US.

I know what a scam is and this is it. A scam does not have to be illegal.

I did NOT buy a beer.
The unknowing Germans on the bus paid approximately $3 extra for a beer because the driver LIED (said beer was higher at airport - it was $1 less than they paid) and acted like $5 was the "normal" price and (according to him)"a cheap price". They did not know the going price for a beer and were scammed by the driver & bar owner.

Charging more than twice the normal price is a gouge and the Driver and Bar owner are in this SCAM together. The people on the bus do not know what the beer normally sells for. Many of them possibly on their first trip.

There is no decent human being supporting the unethical actions of this driver and bar owner. They are slime.

Anyone that thinks it is ok to lie to someone so you can overcharge them 2 1/2 times for something, is a worthless human being.

I am finished on this thread. You either have morals with respect for your fellowman and understand this is wrong or you try to justify this cheating, lying, unethical, fraudulent behavior.

[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....

[Bnewb]

The "local" price is 200 J.

Not beating you up....but I'm curious how you know the "local" price was 200J? Did the bar have that price posted?

I've seen prices recently from 150J to 600J....so it goes. I don't buy at the places that I can't afford as I wouldn't anywhere...and YES, if I'm paying a higher price...that beer better be ICE cold....
Also, the driver may not have been technically lying to the Germans (if I remember correctly) one bar at the airport charges 400J and the other charges 500J.

[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!

[Bob-n-Sandra]

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

[Accompong]

Thanks Rob for the links. It is good to have the facts as there is a lot of disinformation swirling around concerning how much Jamaican workers earn. It seems to me that what I thought I knew when I was traveling to Jamaica for a vacation and what I now know firsthand from living here that has given me a greater appreciation for the complexity of everyday struggling to survive.

You can see that we are all looking for our "travel bargains" when planning our vacations but many times these "bargains" are not trickling down to the people who actually do the work to provide us with a great vacation. As an example, let's use the subject of transportation to and from the airport to Negril. We want to get the best bargain so we do our research and find that a seat on a crowded JUTA bus in dollar terms is the best bargain unless we travel like a local Jamaican and use the Route Taxi system.

When I travel I usually use the JUTA bus, Route Taxi or have a neighbor friend pick me up as I can't frankly afford to spend my living in Jamaica budget in ways other than necessities like current, food, etc. as when you have a small amount to spend you make due with less. But, even as little as I have to spend, it is vastly more than those I live around have to spend as "life is no easy in Jamaica".

If I am traveling in a group (more than one person) then taking a private taxi like Clives etc. starts to make more economical sense as having the freedom to stop where and when one wants to and the one on one relationship with the driver is priceless. In both examples, the money that the driver actually makes is a small fraction of what you spend. The people who own the buses, vans and cars have a lot of overhead with the cost of petrol, insurance, etc. and after they make their small, little is left to pay the driver.

Because there are so many cars in Jamaica, everyone with one wants to think of themselves as a driver but only those with enough money to get a Red Plate and Insurance can actually call themselves one. The competition is fierce between all the forms of transportation that perks like cold Red Stripe etc. are included to provide the personal service that we as "bargain" travelers want to enjoy. But all these perks do come at a price squeezing the owner's small even more.

Once you use the private taxis like Clives and develop a "friendship" with the driver then you rightly justify your spending the money for the service they provide but what about the JUTA drivers in the big buses? It is much like taking a Greyhound bus between cities here in the US. The JUTA bus drivers are paid to get you from Point A to Point B and the amount they are paid is not so much that offering a pit stop that gives them some money for the business they bring to other Jamaican businesses isn't just a perk but a necessity as well.

If you want to travel on the cheap, expect to pay in other ways. If you are a frequent visitor to Jamaica and you are still taking JUTA buses then you aren't making many friends among the driving community. Saving money has its place to a certain point. Your vacation should be an enjoyable interaction with the Jamaican people at all levels from the time you arrive until the time you sadly have to leave.

Spending time fussing over a warm $5 Red Stripe seems like a not so "Irie" way of spending your time in Jamaica.

Just (again) my personal opinion.

Peace and Guidance

[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.