Scammers?

[Daniel A]

During this hiatus from cruising, I thought it could be helpful if CC members shared their stories about various scams cruisers have encountered.  Please submit anything you may know of that would help alert the rest of us to be wary when dealing with others either onshore or onboard.

 

I will begin with a scam I encountered.  I once spent a week in Saint Thomas.  Many of the shops in Charlotte Amalie only open on days when there are cruise ships in port.  A friend wanted to buy a digital camera and we went to a camera shop downtown.  During his negotiations for the purchase price of the camera, the shop worker would not negotiate price but offered a free accessory that would equal the amount of the discount being sought.  After leaving the shop, we went directly to a nearby bar, got a drink and inspected the contents of the boxes in his bag.  To his surprise, the box containing the free accessory only had a rock in it.  We immediately returned to the shop and confronted the worker and obtained the promised accessory.  It was not until later that I realized they thought we were off a cruise ship and would not discover the deception until after we sailed.  Moral: always check your purchases before returning to the ship.

[Flatbush Flyer]

24 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

During this hiatus from cruising, I thought it could be helpful if CC members shared their stories about various scams cruisers have encountered.  Please submit anything you may know of that would help alert the rest of us to be wary when dealing with others either onshore or onboard.

 

I will begin with a scam I encountered.  I once spent a week in Saint Thomas.  Many of the shops in Charlotte Amalie only open on days when there are cruise ships in port.  A friend wanted to buy a digital camera and we went to a camera shop downtown.  During his negotiations for the purchase price of the camera, the shop worker would not negotiate price but offered a free accessory that would equal the amount of the discount being sought.  After leaving the shop, we went directly to a nearby bar, got a drink and inspected the contents of the boxes in his bag.  To his surprise, the box containing the free accessory only had a rock in it.  We immediately returned to the shop and confronted the worker and obtained the promised accessory.  It was not until later that I realized they thought we were off a cruise ship and would not discover the deception until after we sailed.  Moral: always check your purchases before returning to the ship.

Better still, don’t buy expensive items in a foreign place where there is zero chance of contesting the purchase. 

[RJB]

6 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Better still, don’t buy expensive items in a foreign place where there is zero chance of contesting the purchase. 

What about disputing the charge with your credit card company?  I would. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

6 minutes ago, RJB said:

What about disputing the charge with your credit card company?  I would. 

Of course, that would work. But, the smart foreign scammer is going to offer folks a discount for a cash purchase and then direct the customer to the nearest ATM.

[PaulMCO]

Just go to Diamonds International.  Overpriced junk...

[Redtravel]

In Russia, I bought a set of 12 nesting dolls.  Paid for them.  Vendor wrapped them up.  When I unwrapped them, the inside 6 dolls were missing.   
 

[Jancruz]

My worst experience was Hong Kong..I spent over $300 at a linen store the guy had offered me a nice discount for cash off off $350..I gave him my fedex number and he was going to send them..never got anything..Luck would have it 4 months later we were back in HK..We went up to the store and bought $500 worth of goods and put it on CC and took with us..later disputed it and said he was supposed to fedex and we never got it (true enough) and never paid the 2nd bill..'didnt like doing it but felt he deserved it..

Jancruz1

[RJB]

33 minutes ago, Jancruz said:

My worst experience was Hong Kong..I spent over $300 at a linen store the guy had offered me a nice discount for cash off off $350..I gave him my fedex number and he was going to send them..never got anything..Luck would have it 4 months later we were back in HK..We went up to the store and bought $500 worth of goods and put it on CC and took with us..later disputed it and said he was supposed to fedex and we never got it (true enough) and never paid the 2nd bill..'didnt like doing it but felt he deserved it..

Jancruz1

Good for you.  Great thinking.  

[Loracpin2]

On 1/23/2021 at 7:27 PM, PaulMCO said:

Just go to Diamonds International.  Overpriced junk...

I might have told this story before but I'll repeat again for those who haven't read it.

Many year's ago one of the "special promotions" handed out when we attended the ship's "shopping seminar" was for a 2 carat tennis bracelet at Diamonds International and I thought it would a perfect gift for our Daughter's birthday.  When the salesman showed me the bracelet and I asked for a jewelers loop to look at the quality of the diamonds, his response was...."if you know how to use the loop, you don't want this bracelet." Sure enough all I saw was black carbon.  

[ShopperfiendTO]

On 1/28/2021 at 11:16 AM, Redtravel said:

In Russia, I bought a set of 12 nesting dolls.  Paid for them.  Vendor wrapped them up.  When I unwrapped them, the inside 6 dolls were missing.   
 

 

Were you on a shore excursion when this happened, and if so, was it at a store "sanctioned" by the tour company? 

 

We were on a private 2-day shore excursion in St. Petersburg and we made stops at specific stores to shop (and take rest breaks).  Our guide said that these stores had authentic/hand-made goods (e.g., nesting dolls, lacquer goods, amber goods and caviar) and the prices certainly reflected that, even when converted to USD.  We splurged on caviar and it was packed in a refrigerated bag that kept the caviar cool/cold the whole day, long enough for us to not worry about it during the tour as the stop was a little before noon.  It was still nicely cold when we got back to the ship and put the jar in our cabin mini-fridge.

 

On our last day of the excursion, we stopped at a more souvenir-driven store and while they did have a high-end section, most of the store had more massed-produced things at more touristy pricing.  That store also sold 12+ nesting doll sets, but that was in the high-end section was quite pricey so I would suspect that they were authentic too, but perhaps it wasn't.  If it wasn't that then that would be very disappointing.  I am sorry that you were scammed, I hope it didn't ruin the rest of your trip.

Edited February 18, 2021 by ShopperfiendTO

[ShopperfiendTO]

Not sure if it can be called a scam, but a few years ago we were at a tourist site and there was a street performer playing a local instrument.  He played a couple of tunes.  We enjoyed them and bought the CD he was selling which were recordings of his performances.  The CD looked home-made (CD cover clearly printed on a home colour printer), but even at that time, burning CDs was not a challenging operation so we weren't too concerned.

 

We didn't have a CD player with us so we safely packed he CD away for the rest of the cruise.  When we got home, we popped the CD into the player and then... nothing.  Well, there was a lot of nothing, but there were a couple of songs that played but the recording was terrible (choppy, low clarity and low volume for the set volume level).

 

Not sure if street performers still peddle CDs in this day and age so maybe this is no longer a thing.

 

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

Not sure if street performers still peddle CDs in this day and age so maybe this is no longer a thing.

 

Might depend on the area  & the performer

 We bought a CD from  a guy at the Busker festival in Ottawa

It was great   but you take your chances  buying from street people

[ORV]

I saw a woman taken for 3 or 4 hundred dollars on a city bus in Las Vegas with the 3 card Monte game. This was with a half dozen of us other passengers telling her to not play it and to ignore the guy. She wouldn't listen, but was looking pretty sheepish when he fleeced her in a manner of minutes and then skipped right off the bus. I always thought it was just a story you read in a book until I saw it in real life.(gotta remember I'm just a country boy), probably only my second time in Vegas. Through life I've seen a few things to convince me that ol PT was right, this was one of them. 

Edited February 18, 2021 by ORV

[RJB]

16 hours ago, ORV said:

I saw a woman taken for 3 or 4 hundred dollars on a city bus in Las Vegas with the 3 card Monte game. This was with a half dozen of us other passengers telling her to not play it and to ignore the guy. She wouldn't listen, but was looking pretty sheepish when he fleeced her in a manner of minutes and then skipped right off the bus. I always thought it was just a story you read in a book until I saw it in real life.(gotta remember I'm just a country boy), probably only my second time in Vegas. Through life I've seen a few things to convince me that ol PT was right, this was one of them. 

Not unusual.  They were all over the place in Manhattan for years.  The dealer, the shill and the lookouts a block away.  Seemed to make a lot of money. 

[hmorrow]

This wasn't exactly a scam, but I felt scammed-lol

I once bought a ring in Nassau, (emerald and diamond)- the stones fell out after we got back on the ship, but no time to go back, before we sailed.

  When we got home, they credited my credit card. (lucky for me)

[Daniel A]

19 minutes ago, hmorrow said:

This wasn't exactly a scam, but I felt scammed-lol

I once bought a ring in Nassau, (emerald and diamond)- the stones fell out after we got back on the ship, but no time to go back, before we sailed.

  When we got home, they credited my credit card. (lucky for me)

I would include that as being a scam as well as being a good caution against buying discounted jewelry in cruise ports.  (Before I get flamed by the people who do jewelry shop during cruises, I'm saying it pays to be cautious or you end up with @hmorrow's experience.)

 

Thanks for posting your experience.

[patty1955]

I haven't been scammed on a cruise but a fellow passenger was convinced I was. I keep waiting to see if he posts about it but, so far, nothing.

I enter contests. I started entering in high school and have continued for years. Now that I’m retired, I enter over 100 contest a day online. I win often enough to continue but not nearly as much as I would like.

On our last cruise, I received a call that went to voice mail. I have an app on my phone that sends me an email with my voice mail messages that I can listen to on my computer. When we got settled, I checked the voice mail and heard that I had won a trip to Vegas and would need to come into their office to collect. Obviously, I couldn’t go so I emailed them and told them that I couldn’t come in for about 10 days and would that be sufficient. I didn’t hear back. When we got to our first port (Cozumel) I turned on my phone to text my daughter so she could contact them for me. While I was texting her, my phone rang and I answered. It was from another contest that I’d entered calling to tell me that I’d won a trip to Hawaii. It all worked out and I was able to collect both prizes.

I don’t usually brag to people about winning contest since a lot of people react badly but I was so excited that I told another passenger about it at a cocktail party later that night. He was horrified and seem to be happy to tell me that I’d been scammed and hadn’t won anything. I didn’t bother to try to correct him.

[Daniel A]

9 minutes ago, patty1955 said:

I haven't been scammed on a cruise but a fellow passenger was convinced I was. I keep waiting to see if he posts about it but, so far, nothing.

I enter contests. I started entering in high school and have continued for years. Now that I’m retired, I enter over 100 contest a day online. I win often enough to continue but not nearly as much as I would like.

On our last cruise, I received a call that went to voice mail. I have an app on my phone that sends me an email with my voice mail messages that I can listen to on my computer. When we got settled, I checked the voice mail and heard that I had won a trip to Vegas and would need to come into their office to collect. Obviously, I couldn’t go so I emailed them and told them that I couldn’t come in for about 10 days and would that be sufficient. I didn’t hear back. When we got to our first port (Cozumel) I turned on my phone to text my daughter so she could contact them for me. While I was texting her, my phone rang and I answered. It was from another contest that I’d entered calling to tell me that I’d won a trip to Hawaii. It all worked out and I was able to collect both prizes.

I don’t usually brag to people about winning contest since a lot of people react badly but I was so excited that I told another passenger about it at a cocktail party later that night. He was horrified and seem to be happy to tell me that I’d been scammed and hadn’t won anything. I didn’t bother to try to correct him.

My friend's aunt is a Nun who took a vow of poverty.  For many decades she would enter every contest she could find in magazines and mailers.  It was her hobby.  She would win all kinds of prizes which is how his aunt was able to furnish Christmas gifts to her family.  Once she won a small sailboat.  I don't recall who got that one for Christmas!  Good for you!

[SargassoPirate]

We are too tight fisted to buy much of anything while traveling, plus we don't need more stuff.  However, several years ago in Ephesus as we walked out of the gates to return to the bus, there were all sorts of vendors there.  One honest guy among them had a big sign that said "Genuine Fake Watches".

 

No scam there.

[Hawaiidan]

18 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

We are too tight fisted to buy much of anything while traveling, plus we don't need more stuff.  However, several years ago in Ephesus as we walked out of the gates to return to the bus, there were all sorts of vendors there.  One honest guy among them had a big sign that said "Genuine Fake Watches".

 

No scam there.

No...being smart is not tightfisted....   Best to look at travel as travel and not an opportunity to buy things you are nor sure of from people you know nothing about,,,,,any where  you go.      Wc Fields needs to be remembered in his  words, "  NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK"  If it seems too good to be true it ain't.....

[clo]

8 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

No...being smart is not tightfisted....   Best to look at travel as travel and not an opportunity to buy things you are nor sure of from people you know nothing about,,,,,any where  you go.      Wc Fields needs to be remembered in his  words, "  NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK"  If it seems too good to be true it ain't.....

We've bought something on pretty near every trip we've been on. But not for things like jewelry, precious stones, etc. Maybe a little local painting, pottery, candleholders and the like. It's what we love about our home. Every room (I think) has things from a trip. (I've already given the daughters total permission to get rid of it all!)

[Flatbush Flyer]

15 minutes ago, clo said:

We've bought something on pretty near every trip we've been on. But not for things like jewelry, precious stones, etc. Maybe a little local painting, pottery, candleholders and the like. It's what we love about our home. Every room (I think) has things from a trip. (I've already given the daughters total permission to get rid of it all!)

We do a sh*tload of indepth research for certain itineraries where local art is especially desirable and, otherwise, hard to find. No tee shirts or fridge magnets, we are always looking for native arts/gemstones/etc - particularly when a great story accompanied the item.
Often, it’s the stuff that “knock-offs” copy and the difference in artistry (not to mention the “backstory”) is obvious - even to the unsophisticated eye.

I’ve purchased gem stones, unique other jewelry, carvings, etc  And everyone of them has been a “bargain” when one looks at the “bigger picture.”  
FWIW, we search for museum certified artists who do copies of priceless indigenous art work (when we can’t find originals). See pics for examples:

[Hawaiidan]

18 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

We do a sh*tload of indepth research for certain itineraries where local art is especially desirable and, otherwise, hard to find. No tee shirts or fridge magnets, we are always looking for native arts/gemstones/etc - particularly when a great story accompanied the item.
Often, it’s the stuff that “knock-offs” copy and the difference in artistry (not to mention the “backstory”) is obvious - even to the unsophisticated eye.

I’ve purchased gem stones, unique other jewelry, carvings, etc  And everyone of them has been a “bargain” when one looks at the “bigger picture.”  
FWIW, we search for museum certified artists who do copies of priceless indigenous art work (when we can’t find originals). See pics for examples:

 

 

Prior to a cruise out of Hong Kong I did have a suit made ( tux) and  bought loose gem stones ( no duty and 9mm mm pearls opera.....  My customs broker at the time did a lot of work in China and Hong Kong... and got me into a Gem wholesaler...  where  the jeweler stores bought from    Things you would pay   for  scary low prices  like 1/4 of the  hong kong store prices ...   Was in an unmarked building and inside  armed security and bars on the doors   All were certified  gems...   My wife  went crazy and bough cut gems  like  topaz, garnet, etc   for $4 a carat !!!!   ...       

[clo]

29 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

See pics for examples:

Wow! What is that first thing? I love it. You get it and I love it when people do. Bob got a tee from Guinness many years ago that he will still wear occasionally but, yeah, no tees. And we stopped the magnets some years ago.

[clo]

1 hour ago, Hawaiidan said:

 

 

Prior to a cruise out of Hong Kong I did have a suit made ( tux) and  bought loose gem stones ( no duty and 9mm mm pearls opera.....  My customs broker at the time did a lot of work in China and Hong Kong... and got me into a Gem wholesaler...  where  the jeweler stores bought from    Things you would pay   for  scary low prices  like 1/4 of the  hong kong store prices ...   Was in an unmarked building and inside  armed security and bars on the doors   All were certified  gems...   My wife  went crazy and bough cut gems  like  topaz, garnet, etc   for $4 a carat !!!!   ...       

So what have you done with the stones? I assume the tuxedo was worn on cruises. Men I've known have been a little disappointed in the suits they've bought in China. Too loose fitting. Glad that wasn't your experience.