scotiabank

exBex New member

8POSTS

10 years ago

Amazing how you can get screwed so easy. I have seven years down here and have had the same bank since day one. Last week i sold a dive tank air compressor on Corotos. The buyer deposited the two thousand dollars. I checked the ATM first and seen the deposit was made. Then just to make sure i went into the Samana branch scotiabank and asked directly to the manager if the funds had been deposited. He said yes. I explained why i needed to know that i was about to send a very expensive item on the bus to Santo Domingo and i had to know the funds were available and the fifth time i asked he turned the computer screen towards me and pointed at the funds in my account.
Two days later i had a insufficient funds in my ATM. I went directly into thee bank to see why i didnt have funds. They show me a check that was from an account closed a year ago. I said no i never accepted a check for anything.
They laughed. I sent a lawyer into the bank for a better explanation. They lied to him and said i only asked if there was a deposit made. I went through all the process to get this resolved. The police wants 10000 pesos to investigate.
It was a scam. Sure everybody is telling me i should have taken the money out of the bank to make sure it was available. You would think after seven years the manager would have admitted his mistake but nope just like everything else down here its not in them to take the blame. I now have a BHD bank account. Less two thousand bucks. AAARRGHH!!!!

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Bob K VIP Member

7675POSTS

10 years ago

Wow. In 10 years here have never heard of this happening.听 I wish I could tell you how to resolve it.

Bob

exBex New member

8POSTS

10 years ago

Actually was looking to somehow vent my anger on some blog that scotiabank may eventually read. Some bad press for them, they may want to shut me up and try to resolve this issue, is how i found this site. Probably not the site i was hoping to resolve this issue, but hey, ex-pats supporting each other about the hardships of living down here sounds like a great place to keep in touch with. Doubt i will ever see my money or the item i sold. Not the fist time a Dominican separated the white man from his possessions. I wouldn't of sold the thing if i didn't need the money so it hurts twice as much.
OK Bob thanks for the comeback.
CB

planner Dominican Republic Expert

17771POSTS

10 years ago

First welcome to the forums. I am really sorry to hear this.听 Don't involve the police is my first advice, they will take money and do nothing.听 You can go to the fiscal and听 file against the buyer of the equipment but not sure it will do much.

If you want publicity against Scotiabank听 try searching for a facebook group. That is much more public.

And go to your scotiabank manager,听 Demand PROOF of everything.听 Printouts of every single item that is in question.听 IF you do not get it, go to a lawyer and file a demanda against them.Then they will sit up and take some notice. Almost any cheap attorney can do this for you.听 What you have to do is annoy the crap out of them until they do something to get rid of you.

Hope something works for you honey.

exBex New member

8POSTS

10 years ago

Planner,
Thanks for the advice. I have acquired a lawyer, he was helping me with other problems so he has did the fiscalria thing. Also i am not one of these people who (should) be standing in front of the bank picketing. Although i sure feel i should be. I did go three times to try and get this resolved. Funny how they understand my Spanish when depositing听 money but not when i am explaining their mistake you get that same slack-jaw look with blank faces.
I will keep writing negative things on anywhere i think may be harmful for the bank. Maybe at some point they try and make good, but i doubt it. The person who deposited the bad check would for sure had been on camera. The person who took the item off the bus had to use his cedular. In all about ten minutes in the states they would have been caught. But here the police asked for 10000 pesos for gas to drive to Santiago to investigate. Been down that road before. That just opens the door for them to come by my house and ask for more money.
What fun!

planner Dominican Republic Expert

17771POSTS

10 years ago

Good luck and please keep us updated!!!

dreamtime Serial expat

271POSTS

10 years ago

Unless you forgot to write it in your post, did you inquire as to whether the deposit was cash or a check? That seems to be the main issue. If you didn't ask, it's definitely your fault for not waiting for the check to clear. If it's cash, then it's the banks fault.

exBex New member

8POSTS

10 years ago

I seen at the ATM the deposit had听 been made. I went into the bank to verify the funds were available. They said yes. I explained the situation and had to know who ever deposited the funds that it could not be taken out. I made sure they understood. Several times. Even the English speaking lady at the scotiabank info number said they should have informed me it was a check. I wouldnt even accept a personal check in the states and never down here.
My fault for trusting any Dominican even a bank manager and should have withdrawn all the funds. Im mad because someone at the bank should be accountable. No apology no nothing just laughed in my face. Every time you enter a bank down here they ask you to take off your hat. This is because one of the dozen or so cameras can watch and hear your every move. I am sure all they had to do was watch the film. Same goes for whoever deposited the check. A check that was written on a Banco Popular bank听 account closed a year ago.

planner Dominican Republic Expert

17771POSTS

10 years ago

And that is fraud and it can get them jail time!

exBex New member

8POSTS

10 years ago

#10

Planner just recieved a reply after posting on scotiabank facebook page. says please private message us. Thats what i thought. They dont need any bad press. Yeah i know its fraud. The police were able to run the persons name that took the compressor off the bus. He is a gangster by all accounts. He has done this before. They could easily have picked him up by now. But they want 10000 pesos to go and investigate. I sold the compressor because i needed the money, dont really have the funds to send four cops to Santiago and the Capitol.
I worked for a company as a Captain on a treasure recovery ship here on the north coast. Three years of accumulated treasure came to four million dollars. This government reneged on the contract and kept all the treasure. The company has since bellied up and left me stranded here. I am trying my best to make a go at it because of the house and wife and child. Just saying if i come off a little bitter is because i am.

planner Dominican Republic Expert

17771POSTS

10 years ago

#11

So sorry to hear all of this!!! I hope things work out for you!

Bob K VIP Member

7675POSTS

10 years ago

#12

wow quite the saga.

I do hope you get some resolution.

Bob K

exBex New member

8POSTS

10 years ago

#13

Bob thanks, just finished drafting a letter to Scotiabank. Cant do much more after that but at least they will hear听 my side of the story and not the story of the banks manager. And 88000 pesos is a lot of money in my life right now, so even though i cant afford a legal battle i can sure abuse my privileges on any social network about this.
They mislead me, maybe and it probably was an honest mistake but why should i take the full burden of getting some resolve.
Mad as a hornet about this right now.

planner Dominican Republic Expert

17771POSTS

10 years ago

#14

Honey 88,000听 pesos is a lot of money to听 98% of the people in this听 country so you have the right to be mad!!! Absolutely.

exBex New member

8POSTS

10 years ago

#15

Planner,
In my non-working poverty stricken last couple of years living down here i have been able to get by with at a bare minimum of a thousand pesos a day. Thats electric bill cable and all the bare necessities to live. and included raising a child.
So.... 88000 pesos equals 88 days. Back in the working and getting paid days i would have shrugged this off as just a another expensive learning experience. Not now, that mistake caused me 88 days of food for my little family.
Didnt do much for paying down my bar tab either

听

CB&family

planner Dominican Republic Expert

17771POSTS

10 years ago

#16

I听 understand completely!听听Its tough to live on little when you are used to a different standard.听听And thank goodness alcohol is inexpensive here!听

Bob K VIP Member

7675POSTS

10 years ago

#17

Losing 88 days of living expenses is hard for anyone at any level.

I do hope the powers to be at the bank can read

Bob K

gypsy401 Serial expat

659POSTS

10 years ago

#18

Exbex, glad that you're mad as a hornet not as a bee.听 Bees can only sting once then die,听 a hornet can sting many times & live to sting again.听 Keep on using thst stinger over & over again.听 They will feel the pain & recant.听 Bite on .... bite on ......

pabster1958 Member

3POSTS

10 years ago

#19

I've been back and forth between u.s and the dominican republic,,since i married a local girl in santo domingo,,,we just bought a property overthere,,and im a little uneasy about opening bank accounts overthere,,i heard a few bad things about some banks ovethere,,i was planning to open an account at scottia bank overthere,because they are afiliated to my bank here in the U.S which is bank of america,,so now im secondguessing,,,i been told not to trust anybody overthere when it comes down to money !!!

Bob K VIP Member

7675POSTS

10 years ago

#20

Actually Scotia bank here in the DR and BOA even though part of the "star" alliance has for the last few years been charging for the use of ATM machines.听 When this happened we closed our Scotia bank.

We have been using banco Santa Cruz for 12 years with NEVER a problem.听 Many of our friends also use it as well as Banco Popular.

Yes be very careful with who you trust when it comes to money issues.

Bob K

exBex New member

8POSTS

10 years ago

#21

Pabster, I was sent down here by a public trading company out of Utah. I myself am from Florida. But I used to laugh when investors or other company employees came here and told me how lucky I was to be able to live here. Yeah I guess they are right if I too was living and staying at an all-inclusive resort.
I always said yeah it is a beautiful island. But try doing something so simple like back in the states, like opening a bank account. Or anything that requires a government official. If I had to wait in line forty five minutes at a bank in States It would be the last time I waited that long and switch banks. Here it鈥檚 the norm. My first bank here was the Banco Popular. There could be six teller windows with only one teller. A line of people out the door and half way down the street and the lone bank teller talking on her personal cell phone about getting her daughter a Chihuahua. Or someone passes you on the road driving a million miles an hour going head on into traffic and running people off the road just to be standing two people in front of you at the bank. Banking is a strange deal down here. If they only seen how smoothly it works in the states I don鈥檛 think the local population would have such patience. My other favorite is waiting in line at the bank or a ATM someone walks in front of you and starts talking to a family听 member or a friend and just like that they have inserted their selves in line in front of you.
I actually like Scotiabank and have used that bank for seven years now. For sure I would recommend it over the very slow paced Banco Popular. However if they don鈥檛 give me some resolve for making a two thousand dollar error on my last transaction then I may change my tune. In my case just one person will not admit to his mistake costing me two thousand bucks and now lawyers鈥� fees and police pay-offs. The bank has told me recently they are conducting an investigation into this matter. Yeah that shouldn't take more than a year or two.

gypsy401 Serial expat

659POSTS

10 years ago

#22

Bob is right about Santa Cruz Bank.听 I opened accounts there in 2002. Never a problem.听 When I'm not on island for a while they make my accounts "inactive" no charge. When I return, I deposit 500 rd & 100 US & bingo! Active immediately.听 Great bank. I use the one in Sosua.听 All Banks in the DR are Dominican banks no matter what name they have. They use local banking laws not US laws, remember that & you'll be fine.听 Above all have fun & relax.听 Life here is a slow moving river, there are no rapids so go with the flow.......

Bob K VIP Member

7675POSTS

10 years ago

#23

That is why when people ask me what I do all day I respond with "I don't know but it takes all day to do it"

Today for an example I went to Super Pola (supermarket) to return a bag of dry dogfood that I opened this morning and was full on insects.听 They were very nice at the store but had to look up the transaction from 3 weeks ago, bend a rule of no returns after 15 days as this was 18 days and lo and behold I had a new bag of dog food. Total time to get this accomplished .....35 minutes.

Then off to the bank (BHD/Leon) to pay a few months of health insurance premiums.听 5 on line two tellers. One taking payments from someone who had at least 25 (I am not exaggerating but may be under estimating) ede norte bills she was paying for everyone in her complex. And the other had a money changer exchanging his morning haul.听 Total time to pay the insurance.....40 min.

Then to Orange to pay that bill.听 Only 2 inline and only 20 min there. So over 1.5 hours to get three bills paid.听 Yes it is a very slow river sometimes.听 But doesn't bother me for a minute.听 It is the Dominican way and exactly what I signed up for.听 Don't miss the rat race for a nano second

Bob K

planner Dominican Republic Expert

17771POSTS

10 years ago

#24

Yes patience is a must here.听 When it comes to banking - check everything, check it twice!听 When it comes to everything here -听 it will take听 2 to 3 times as long as you expect and likely cost听 2 times as much as you think. Those are rules of thumb.....听 and it serves me well.

dsdnbras New member

5POSTS

last year

#25

@exBexBack Drop. I am an American who is currently going through a finance process with Scotia here in Punta Cana. This is the second time going though such process with loan applications here in Punta Cana. The process dealing with the local Scotia branches here in Punta Cana has been so bad that last year off of the advice of a friend I was advise to do the process from Santo Domingo. In short the process from Santo Domingo was flawless and similar to what financing听 is in the states. Three months ago I applied for my second loan through Scotia Punta Cana and all I can say that it is a fricking nightmare. The local Scotia loan officers has to be the worst that I have gone through in both Punta Branches. In collaboration with other collegues it was brought attention that others have had similar experience here in Punta Cana. I have bought and sold in my life at least 20 properties and understand the home application process. I have a great credit score good debt to income ratio and have听 responded to all queries when ask to resolve something or provide more information. My main complain is the lack of accountability to follow up, explain how you are coming up with a conclusion, No status update, Confusion who my employer (After receiving three employers letters of employment). I never experience in my 61 years a complete break down of basic customer communication and satisfaction and accountability with any bank ever. Scotia happens to offer two point better听 interest rates but after repeatable bad experiences with Punta Cana I am taking my business to other banks which I already was approve for but interest rates are 2 point higher. I just want to put this out there since after venting to fellow expats I am hearing back that others receive the same experience and treatment. I would love to complain to someone at Scotia who would actually listen but not sure where to go. I am throwing in the towel but if by chance I can make the next person experience better here in Punta Cana than I has serve a purpose.

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