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jazzyass@cololstomy.com (Cameron=A0Colostomy=A0Callistus), Wrote:
Be afraid Cammy, be very afraid...
My nightmare in Mexico
http://tinyurl.com/27du8
I posted the text from the Cameron's link for your viewing displeasure.
At least Sanders didn't have Mexicans throw cups of urine at him or
shout "Osama! Osama! Osama!" during a soccer game. This is what the US
will be if the Democrats and Republicans have their way. Perhaps it's
time to dust off that Musket?
--
Keith=A0
=A0
My nightmare in Mexico
By Wade Sanders
February 19, 2004
So, you're thinking about a vacation in Mexico ? maybe Cancun, Puerto
Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas; complete with white sand beaches and luxury
hotels. You've researched your vacation on the Internet, consulted with
travel agents or friends, and you are struck by the relative
affordability of Mexican hotels as compared to their American brand name
counterparts, even as they appear to provide many of the same luxury
appointments. This is exactly what I did not too long ago, and I settled
on a lovely Mexican hotel on the beaches of Cancun.
My trip to the Yucatan Peninsula was to be a treat for my girlfriend and
nephew. I was contemplating a marriage proposal, and he was just out of
high school and had enlisted in the Marine Corps. Romance for me and a
final fling for him.
We planned a two-week adventure exploring the coastal cities of the
Yucatan by rental car, including stops at Playa del Carmen, Tulum and
Cozumel. What we never anticipated was that the entire trip would be
destroyed by our failure to understand that the same protections offered
by an American hotel would be completely absent in a Mexican hotel. As
an attorney, you would think that I would know better. Unfortunately, I
didn't.
Our Cancun beachfront hotel was beautiful. Marble floors and comfortable
rooms with a spectacular view. Great food and an attentive hotel staff.
It seemed a perfect place to spend our first two days relaxing and
finishing our vacation planning.
Our first day we lounged by the pool. After a bit, I decided to use the
hotel's well-equipped exercise room, which included a quadricep leg
lift. I set the weight on the lift, braced my feet against the weight
and began doing repetitions. After finishing, I set the safety mechanism
to hold the weights in place, or so I thought, and prepared to dismount.
Swinging my legs to the side, I started to stand. Before I could move,
the safety mechanism failed, and the weight platform crashed down,
glanced off my side and slammed atop my legs. Stunned and in shock, I
looked down to see my left leg bent at an impossible angle, a gathering
pool of dark blood pulsing from a gaping hole in my calf. A compound
fracture of the fibula had driven the bone out through my leg. After an
ambulance ride to a local clinic for setting and suturing, I returned to
the hotel.
A faulty weight apparatus had shattered our vacation and had begun my
education in some of the differences between the rights we enjoy here in
the United States, and the absence of them in Mexico.
Assured by the hotel that my medical bills and other damages would be
fully compensated and reimbursed, I paid all those bills as they came
due. This representation was confirmed by a local official of the
Mexican Ministry of Tourism. As a lawyer I was taught to get everything
in writing, but I trusted the smiling hotel manager.
Even though my vacation was ruined, he assured me that I had nothing to
worry about.
All I had to do was get well and then provide the hotel with photographs
of my injury and copies of my medical bills, and airline tickets, and
all costs would be covered.
Eight months later, I was as recovered as I would ever be, and I sent
the hotel all it requested. After avoiding my calls and ignoring my
faxes for more than three months, they finally informed me that my claim
was not valid in Mexico.
Contrast this with the information I received from the American Hotel
and Lodging Association. If I had been staying in one of the many
American-owned or licensed hotels in the area, such as a Marriott,
Hilton, or Sheraton, I would have received the same treatment available
to hotel guests in the United States, including full compensation for
all my medical and travel expenses, and a fair amount to compensate me
for my pain.
Feeling betrayed, I contacted the Mexican Consulate in San Diego. My
calls were ignored for several weeks. When I was finally contacted by a
representative, I was told that there was nothing that could be done.
They dismissed the representations of the Ministry of Tourism, and told
me I had to seek relief from the hotel.
When I contacted the central office of the Ministry of Tourism in Mexico
City, they told me that the official I spoke with was not authorized to
make promises. They also told me to seek relief from the hotel.
Finally, the hotel referred me to its U.S.-educated attorney, who
actually laughed at my claim and seemed to delight in my gullibility.
Thus, my experience with the fairness of the Mexican government and the
hotel system left me poorer by over $10,000.
So, my friends, if you are considering a trip to Mexico and a stay at a
hotel, just remember that you are not afforded the same protections that
you will enjoy in an American-owned or licensed hotel. Know that you
proceed at your own peril.
Sanders is an attorney practicing in San Diego. He can be reached at
wade2000@cox.net
=A0=A0
_____
"Cosmic upheaval is not so moving as a little child pondering the death
of a sparrow in the corner of a barn." -Anouk Aimee, French Actor
_____
"Death is better, a milder fate than tyranny", Aeschylus (525BC-456BC),
Agamemnon
_____
"I wear no Burka." - Mother Nature
----------
The mailbox, BunnERabbit@webtv.net has been circumvented to fight spam.
To send mail... substitute ModerateMammal
----------
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Even getting it in writing in Latin America
won't help an awful lot. You will always be
impressed by the personality, sincerity, and
honesty of officials and others who will promise
everything, but that's about all there is to it.
Latin America funciona atraves de amistades.
Dealing with public officials, attorneys,
businessmen is in genral a facade. If you have
well-placed friends in Latin America, i.e.,
government, military, aduana, local registrar,
Catholic church, the police you will fare
much better. You should not visit Latin America
thinking that it is like the U.S. You will be
had. You will be short-changed at the best
banks and if you sign documents they very
often are altered depending on who one
is etc. My opinion for what it's worth. Go
there, enjoy yourself and get out as fast as
you can.
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I posted the text from the Cameron's link for your viewing displeasure.
At least Sanders didn't have Mexicans throw cups of urine at him or
shout "Osama! Osama! Osama!" during a soccer game. This is what the US
will be if the Democrats and Republicans have their way. Perhaps it's
time to dust off that Musket?
Thanks Bunn. I'm afraid I have more bad news. I'm afraid that your
politicians will give many of those urine throwing Mexicans Social Security
payments. The threat is the ongoing "totalizaiton" negotiations between our
politicians and bureacrats and those of Mexico. An agreement on
"totalization" would make hundreds of thousands of Mexicans eligible for
American Social Security even if they did not work in the US long enough to
qualify. The number of years worked in Mexico would bring up the total and
thus make Mexican workers eleigible for cash transfers from the US
government.
To qualify for American Social Security a Mexican would need to work in the
US only 18 months. And 5 million Mexicans working illegally in the US could
be eligible for the program since a provision in the Social Security Act
allows illegal immigrants to receive Social Security benefits if the US has
a totalization agreement with the illegal's country.
This is what your politicians are up to Bunn - making the ponzi scheme of
Socialist Insecurity, already headed for insolvency, a welfare program for
non US ciitzens. And guess what? You get to pay for it. You can find out
more here
http://www.worldnewsstand.net/04/article/1-6.htm
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0203/mowbray020403.asp
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1067471/posts
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A faulty weight apparatus had shattered our vacation and had begun my
education in some of the differences between the rights we enjoy here in
the United States, and the absence of them in Mexico.
Assured by the hotel that my medical bills and other damages would be
fully compensated and reimbursed, I paid all those bills as they came
due. This representation was confirmed by a local official of the
Mexican Ministry of Tourism. As a lawyer I was taught to get everything
in writing, but I trusted the smiling hotel manager.
Even though my vacation was ruined, he assured me that I had nothing to
worry about.=20
All I had to do was get well and then provide the hotel with photographs
of my injury and copies of my medical bills, and airline tickets, and
all costs would be covered.
Eight months later, I was as recovered as I would ever be, and I sent
the hotel all it requested. After avoiding my calls and ignoring my
faxes for more than three months, they finally informed me that my claim
was not valid in Mexico.
Contrast this with the information I received from the American Hotel
and Lodging Association. If I had been staying in one of the many
American-owned or licensed hotels in the area, such as a Marriott,
Hilton, or Sheraton, I would have received the same treatment available
to hotel guests in the United States, including full compensation for
all my medical and travel expenses, and a fair amount to compensate me
for my pain.
Feeling betrayed, I contacted the Mexican Consulate in San Diego. My
calls were ignored for several weeks. When I was finally contacted by a
representative, I was told that there was nothing that could be done.
They dismissed the representations of the Ministry of Tourism, and told
me I had to seek relief from the hotel.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------=
Ha! You actually believed their crap that they would pay your medical
bills? Several recent threads I spawned on this newsgroup dealt
with this specifically - the disparity in how America and Mexico
treat the respective aliens in their countries when they need medical
treatment.
Under U.S. Federal law, American hospitals are required to treat
everyone who comes through their doors regardless of their ability
to pay. As a result, hospitals in border states are overwhelmed
by illegal aliens - almost exclusively Mexicans - who get treated
then disappear without paying.
This is not the case in Mexico. An American who gets sick or
injured is refused medical treatment unless he pays up front.
The Mexican government usually deports such Americans if they
can't pay, a stark contrast to Mexicans in the U.S. who get
sick and wind up getting treated free of charge and are never
deported.
They did not deport you at the time because they suspected you
had money to pay (which you admit you did). They strung you
along to keep you from leaving Mexico for better treatment in
the U.S., because they knew you were a walking bag of money
that they could shake down for potentially tens of thousands
of dollars. You can be certain that if you had no money you
would have been put on the first bus to the U.S., even if you
were bleeding to death. In fact, Mexican hospitals in border
cities often put poor Mexican citizens in ambulances and drop
them off at American hospitals which can't refuse to treat them.
Finally, you have no legal case against the Mexican hotel, even
had you gotten their promise to pay in writing. Mexican courts
are a joke; there is no justice except for those who can pay
and even then the courts will always favor the Mexican national
or business over a foreign plaintiff. I warn you not to even
try pursuing this matter in Mexican court; Mexican "law" is so
convoluted and perverse that they could probably find something
to CHARGE YOU WITH and throw you in the dungeon to rot for the
next 50 years.
I do wonder why your American health insurance (if you had it)
didn't cover the treatment. Most U.S. policies won't cover
routine treatment in a foreign country, but will cover emergency
treatment.
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Ted Kaczynski wrote:
[...]
I warn you not to even
try pursuing this matter in Mexican court; Mexican "law" is so
convoluted and perverse that they could probably find something
to CHARGE YOU WITH and throw you in the dungeon to rot for the
next 50 years.
Ab-so-LOOOOT-ly!
A few weeks ago, Charles Nemo, an antagonist for the Democratic Party
and a regular to the alt.fan.art-bell newsgroup, claimed that the United
States is the most corrupt nation on Earth in terms of corporate and
political practices.
Of course we have our corruption here with Enron, Global Crossing,
WorldCom, ImClone, etc., but Mexico is much worse. My bride-to-be, who
lives not far from Aguascalientes, about two hours from Mexico City,
told me horror stories about corruption, Mexican style. She said before
Vicente Fox was elected president of her country, she knew of incidents
wherein those who even criticized the previous presidents were found
dead within weeks later. The drug problem south of the border is so
egregious that some of the district attorneys and police commissioners
there are actually funded by drug lords, just like in Medellin and
Bogota, Colombia. Her cousin, who was an honest, by-the-book federale
there, was gunned down by members of a certain drug cartel.
My future in-laws have offered me a position at a cybercafe they are
planning to establish, once her father sells a small beachfront hotel
located along the Pacific coast, between Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta.
I must decline the offer unless it is the absolute last resort. If I am
still unable to find a steady job here in the States as a result of
being unemployed for nearly two years, and the situation is drastic
enough for me to be forced out into the streets, then I will accept the
offer. First of all, I don't understand the Spanish and indigenous
languages; second, the laws there are so convoluted that civil rights
and liberties we take for granted north of the border are imaginary; and
third, that country is on the brink of financial collapse as a result of
the devaluation of the peso back in 1996. Some of the factories that
crossed the U.S.-Mexican border as a result of the ratification of the
North American Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) during the Bush41 and Clinton
administrations have now gone overseas to Indonesia and other Third
World countries in search of cheaper labor.
When my girlfriend and I marry at the end of April, we will stay there
for two more days until we complete the paperwork at the U.S. Embassy in
Manzanillo. After we receive our papers certifying our marriage, we
will immediately take the next bird from Guadalajara back to the
States.
Mexico is a wonderful place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.
Occasional AB (Art Bell) Listener
"Mexico: where life is cheap, death is rich,
and the buzzards are never unhappy."
--Edward Abbey (1927-89), American writer
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Occasional AB Listener wrote:
When my girlfriend and I marry at the end of April, we will stay there
for two more days until we complete the paperwork at the U.S. Embassy in
Manzanillo. After we receive our papers certifying our marriage, we
will immediately take the next bird from Guadalajara back to the
States.
No, it is not possible to bring her to live in the US within 2 days of
marriage.
Before you attempt to bring her back to the US, read this:
From: http://mexico.usembassy.gov/einsinfo.html#K
***********************************************************************
K. - I am a United States citizen and I want to marry a Mexican citizen.
What is the fastest way for her to enter the United States.
A. - Assuming you have met your intended, the fastest way for your
intended spouse to enter the United States is via a fiancee petition
(Form I-129F) and visa (K visa) which you can file for at one of four
BCIS Service Centers in the United States. If the marriage has already
been contracted, the form I-130 may be filed at one of the four BCIS
Service Centers in the U.S. Importantly, your intended spouse should not
attempt to enter on a B-1/B-2 visa if his/her intention is to reside
permanently in the United States. To attempt to do so could result in
your intended spouse being refused admission at a port of entry and
returned to Mexico on the next available flight.
****************************************************************************
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mtravelkay wrote:
Occasional AB Listener wrote:
No, it is not possible to bring her to live in the US within 2 days of
marriage.
Before you attempt to bring her back to the US, read this:
From: http://mexico.usembassy.gov/einsinfo.html#K
***********************************************************************
K. - I am a United States citizen and I want to marry a Mexican citizen.
What is the fastest way for her to enter the United States.
A. - Assuming you have met your intended, the fastest way for your
intended spouse to enter the United States is via a fiancee petition
(Form I-129F) and visa (K visa) which you can file for at one of four
BCIS Service Centers in the United States. If the marriage has already
been contracted, the form I-130 may be filed at one of the four BCIS
Service Centers in the U.S. Importantly, your intended spouse should not
attempt to enter on a B-1/B-2 visa if his/her intention is to reside
permanently in the United States. To attempt to do so could result in
your intended spouse being refused admission at a port of entry and
returned to Mexico on the next available flight.
****************************************************************************
So far I should not have a problem. As I stated in a previous post, she
already has a visa, plus she previously worked as a nanny in New York a
decade ago. I verified this information with the immigration attorney,
the INS and several other agencies.
If I do encounter some problems with the INS or the feds, I will then
make a few phone calls with people I know who can pull a few strings.
Occasional AB (Art Bell) Listener
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On Sun, 22 Feb 2004 18:59:35 GMT, "Cameron Colostomy Callistus"
<jazzyass@cololstomy.com> wrote:
Thanks Bunn. I'm afraid I have more bad news. I'm afraid that your
politicians will give many of those urine throwing Mexicans Social Security
payments. The threat is the ongoing "totalizaiton" negotiations between our
politicians and bureacrats and those of Mexico. An agreement on
"totalization" would make hundreds of thousands of Mexicans eligible for
American Social Security even if they did not work in the US long enough to
qualify. The number of years worked in Mexico would bring up the total and
thus make Mexican workers eleigible for cash transfers from the US
government.
To qualify for American Social Security a Mexican would need to work in the
US only 18 months. And 5 million Mexicans working illegally in the US could
be eligible for the program since a provision in the Social Security Act
allows illegal immigrants to receive Social Security benefits if the US has
a totalization agreement with the illegal's country.
This is what your politicians are up to Bunn - making the ponzi scheme of
Socialist Insecurity, already headed for insolvency, a welfare program for
non US ciitzens. And guess what? You get to pay for it. You can find out
more here
http://www.worldnewsstand.net/04/article/1-6.htm
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0203/mowbray020403.asp
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1067471/posts
Wanting to do something, floating balloons, writing articles about it,
is a far cry from successfuly doing the thing being discussed. Just
imagine how the idea of further obligating our SS system, with
Illegals no less, will go down with the Congressmen who actually have
to vote on it, and receive their career-ending reward from the SS
retirees.
Bush is like a Bad-Idea Buffet.
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Occasional AB Listener <iamnot@aol.com> wrote:
When my girlfriend and I marry at the end of April, we will stay there
for two more days until we complete the paperwork at the U.S. Embassy in
Manzanillo.
I think I see the hole in your plan.
miguel
--
Hundreds of travel photos from around the world: http://travel.u.nu/
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Scipio wrote:
On Sun, 22 Feb 2004 18:59:35 GMT, "Cameron Colostomy Callistus"
<jazzyass@cololstomy.com> wrote:
I posted the text from the Cameron's link for your viewing displeasure.
At least Sanders didn't have Mexicans throw cups of urine at him or
shout "Osama! Osama! Osama!" during a soccer game. This is what the US
will be if the Democrats and Republicans have their way. Perhaps it's
time to dust off that Musket?
Thanks Bunn. I'm afraid I have more bad news. I'm afraid that your
politicians will give many of those urine throwing Mexicans Social Security
payments. The threat is the ongoing "totalizaiton" negotiations between our
politicians and bureacrats and those of Mexico. An agreement on
"totalization" would make hundreds of thousands of Mexicans eligible for
American Social Security even if they did not work in the US long enough to
qualify. The number of years worked in Mexico would bring up the total and
thus make Mexican workers eleigible for cash transfers from the US
government.
To qualify for American Social Security a Mexican would need to work in the
US only 18 months. And 5 million Mexicans working illegally in the US could
be eligible for the program since a provision in the Social Security Act
allows illegal immigrants to receive Social Security benefits if the US has
a totalization agreement with the illegal's country.
This is what your politicians are up to Bunn - making the ponzi scheme of
Socialist Insecurity, already headed for insolvency, a welfare program for
non US ciitzens. And guess what? You get to pay for it. You can find out
more here
http://www.worldnewsstand.net/04/article/1-6.htm
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0203/mowbray020403.asp
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1067471/posts
Wanting to do something, floating balloons, writing articles about it,
is a far cry from successfuly doing the thing being discussed. Just
imagine how the idea of further obligating our SS system, with
Illegals no less, will go down with the Congressmen who actually have
to vote on it, and receive their career-ending reward from the SS
retirees.
Bush is like a Bad-Idea Buffet.
Of course verifying the work history and ensuring that the taxes were
paid by the illegals & their employers will be interesting. FFM
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BunnERabbit@webtv.net (Bunn E Rabbit) wrote in message news:<1903-40388F97-150@storefull-3258.bay.webtv.net>...
jazzyass@cololstomy.com (Cameron Colostomy Callistus), Wrote:
I posted the text from the Cameron's link for your viewing displeasure.
At least Sanders didn't have Mexicans throw cups of urine at him or
shout "Osama! Osama! Osama!" during a soccer game. This is what the US
will be if the Democrats and Republicans have their way. Perhaps it's
time to dust off that Musket?
--
Keith
My nightmare in Mexico
By Wade Sanders
February 19, 2004
So, you're thinking about a vacation in Mexico ? maybe Cancun, Puerto
Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas; complete with white sand beaches and luxury
hotels. You've researched your vacation on the Internet, consulted with
travel agents or friends, and you are struck by the relative
affordability of Mexican hotels as compared to their American brand name
counterparts, even as they appear to provide many of the same luxury
appointments. This is exactly what I did not too long ago, and I settled
on a lovely Mexican hotel on the beaches of Cancun.
My trip to the Yucatan Peninsula was to be a treat for my girlfriend and
nephew. I was contemplating a marriage proposal, and he was just out of
high school and had enlisted in the Marine Corps. Romance for me and a
final fling for him.
We planned a two-week adventure exploring the coastal cities of the
Yucatan by rental car, including stops at Playa del Carmen, Tulum and
Cozumel. What we never anticipated was that the entire trip would be
destroyed by our failure to understand that the same protections offered
by an American hotel would be completely absent in a Mexican hotel. As
an attorney, you would think that I would know better. Unfortunately, I
didn't.
Our Cancun beachfront hotel was beautiful. Marble floors and comfortable
rooms with a spectacular view. Great food and an attentive hotel staff.
It seemed a perfect place to spend our first two days relaxing and
finishing our vacation planning.
Our first day we lounged by the pool. After a bit, I decided to use the
hotel's well-equipped exercise room, which included a quadricep leg
lift. I set the weight on the lift, braced my feet against the weight
and began doing repetitions. After finishing, I set the safety mechanism
to hold the weights in place, or so I thought, and prepared to dismount.
Swinging my legs to the side, I started to stand. Before I could move,
the safety mechanism failed, and the weight platform crashed down,
glanced off my side and slammed atop my legs. Stunned and in shock, I
looked down to see my left leg bent at an impossible angle, a gathering
pool of dark blood pulsing from a gaping hole in my calf. A compound
fracture of the fibula had driven the bone out through my leg. After an
ambulance ride to a local clinic for setting and suturing, I returned to
the hotel.
A faulty weight apparatus had shattered our vacation and had begun my
education in some of the differences between the rights we enjoy here in
the United States, and the absence of them in Mexico.
Assured by the hotel that my medical bills and other damages would be
fully compensated and reimbursed, I paid all those bills as they came
due. This representation was confirmed by a local official of the
Mexican Ministry of Tourism. As a lawyer I was taught to get everything
in writing, but I trusted the smiling hotel manager.
Even though my vacation was ruined, he assured me that I had nothing to
worry about.
All I had to do was get well and then provide the hotel with photographs
of my injury and copies of my medical bills, and airline tickets, and
all costs would be covered.
Eight months later, I was as recovered as I would ever be, and I sent
the hotel all it requested. After avoiding my calls and ignoring my
faxes for more than three months, they finally informed me that my claim
was not valid in Mexico.
Contrast this with the information I received from the American Hotel
and Lodging Association. If I had been staying in one of the many
American-owned or licensed hotels in the area, such as a Marriott,
Hilton, or Sheraton, I would have received the same treatment available
to hotel guests in the United States, including full compensation for
all my medical and travel expenses, and a fair amount to compensate me
for my pain.
Feeling betrayed, I contacted the Mexican Consulate in San Diego. My
calls were ignored for several weeks. When I was finally contacted by a
representative, I was told that there was nothing that could be done.
They dismissed the representations of the Ministry of Tourism, and told
me I had to seek relief from the hotel.
When I contacted the central office of the Ministry of Tourism in Mexico
City, they told me that the official I spoke with was not authorized to
make promises. They also told me to seek relief from the hotel.
Finally, the hotel referred me to its U.S.-educated attorney, who
actually laughed at my claim and seemed to delight in my gullibility.
Thus, my experience with the fairness of the Mexican government and the
hotel system left me poorer by over $10,000.
So, my friends, if you are considering a trip to Mexico and a stay at a
hotel, just remember that you are not afforded the same protections that
you will enjoy in an American-owned or licensed hotel. Know that you
proceed at your own peril.
Sanders is an attorney practicing in San Diego. He can be reached at
wade2000@cox.net
"Cosmic upheaval is not so moving as a little child pondering the death
of a sparrow in the corner of a barn." -Anouk Aimee, French Actor
"Death is better, a milder fate than tyranny", Aeschylus (525BC-456BC),
Agamemnon
"I wear no Burka." - Mother Nature
----------
The mailbox, BunnERabbit@webtv.net has been circumvented to fight spam.
To send mail... substitute ModerateMammal
----------
|
| |
| |
BunnERabbit@webtv.net (Bunn E Rabbit) wrote in message news:<1903-40388F97-150@storefull-3258.bay.webtv.net>...
jazzyass@cololstomy.com (Cameron Colostomy Callistus), Wrote:
I posted the text from the Cameron's link for your viewing displeasure.
At least Sanders didn't have Mexicans throw cups of urine at him or
shout "Osama! Osama! Osama!" during a soccer game. This is what the US
will be if the Democrats and Republicans have their way. Perhaps it's
time to dust off that Musket?
--
Keith
My nightmare in Mexico
By Wade Sanders
February 19, 2004
So, you're thinking about a vacation in Mexico ? maybe Cancun, Puerto
Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas; complete with white sand beaches and luxury
hotels. You've researched your vacation on the Internet, consulted with
travel agents or friends, and you are struck by the relative
affordability of Mexican hotels as compared to their American brand name
counterparts, even as they appear to provide many of the same luxury
appointments. This is exactly what I did not too long ago, and I settled
on a lovely Mexican hotel on the beaches of Cancun.
My trip to the Yucatan Peninsula was to be a treat for my girlfriend and
nephew. I was contemplating a marriage proposal, and he was just out of
high school and had enlisted in the Marine Corps. Romance for me and a
final fling for him.
We planned a two-week adventure exploring the coastal cities of the
Yucatan by rental car, including stops at Playa del Carmen, Tulum and
Cozumel. What we never anticipated was that the entire trip would be
destroyed by our failure to understand that the same protections offered
by an American hotel would be completely absent in a Mexican hotel. As
an attorney, you would think that I would know better. Unfortunately, I
didn't.
Our Cancun beachfront hotel was beautiful. Marble floors and comfortable
rooms with a spectacular view. Great food and an attentive hotel staff.
It seemed a perfect place to spend our first two days relaxing and
finishing our vacation planning.
Our first day we lounged by the pool. After a bit, I decided to use the
hotel's well-equipped exercise room, which included a quadricep leg
lift. I set the weight on the lift, braced my feet against the weight
and began doing repetitions. After finishing, I set the safety mechanism
to hold the weights in place, or so I thought, and prepared to dismount.
Swinging my legs to the side, I started to stand. Before I could move,
the safety mechanism failed, and the weight platform crashed down,
glanced off my side and slammed atop my legs. Stunned and in shock, I
looked down to see my left leg bent at an impossible angle, a gathering
pool of dark blood pulsing from a gaping hole in my calf. A compound
fracture of the fibula had driven the bone out through my leg. After an
ambulance ride to a local clinic for setting and suturing, I returned to
the hotel.
A faulty weight apparatus had shattered our vacation and had begun my
education in some of the differences between the rights we enjoy here in
the United States, and the absence of them in Mexico.
Assured by the hotel that my medical bills and other damages would be
fully compensated and reimbursed, I paid all those bills as they came
due. This representation was confirmed by a local official of the
Mexican Ministry of Tourism. As a lawyer I was taught to get everything
in writing, but I trusted the smiling hotel manager.
Even though my vacation was ruined, he assured me that I had nothing to
worry about.
All I had to do was get well and then provide the hotel with photographs
of my injury and copies of my medical bills, and airline tickets, and
all costs would be covered.
Eight months later, I was as recovered as I would ever be, and I sent
the hotel all it requested. After avoiding my calls and ignoring my
faxes for more than three months, they finally informed me that my claim
was not valid in Mexico.
Contrast this with the information I received from the American Hotel
and Lodging Association. If I had been staying in one of the many
American-owned or licensed hotels in the area, such as a Marriott,
Hilton, or Sheraton, I would have received the same treatment available
to hotel guests in the United States, including full compensation for
all my medical and travel expenses, and a fair amount to compensate me
for my pain.
Feeling betrayed, I contacted the Mexican Consulate in San Diego. My
calls were ignored for several weeks. When I was finally contacted by a
representative, I was told that there was nothing that could be done.
They dismissed the representations of the Ministry of Tourism, and told
me I had to seek relief from the hotel.
When I contacted the central office of the Ministry of Tourism in Mexico
City, they told me that the official I spoke with was not authorized to
make promises. They also told me to seek relief from the hotel.
Finally, the hotel referred me to its U.S.-educated attorney, who
actually laughed at my claim and seemed to delight in my gullibility.
Thus, my experience with the fairness of the Mexican government and the
hotel system left me poorer by over $10,000.
So, my friends, if you are considering a trip to Mexico and a stay at a
hotel, just remember that you are not afforded the same protections that
you will enjoy in an American-owned or licensed hotel. Know that you
proceed at your own peril.
Can't believe this "lawyer" was dumb enough to travel in a foreign
country without travel insurance.
FoggyTown
"It may be only your humble opinion, sir, but it happens to clash with
my authoritative one."
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On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 02:35:35 GMT, "Frank F. Matthews"
<frankfmatthews@houston.rr.com> wrote:
Scipio wrote:
I posted the text from the Cameron's link for your viewing displeasure.
At least Sanders didn't have Mexicans throw cups of urine at him or
shout "Osama! Osama! Osama!" during a soccer game. This is what the US
will be if the Democrats and Republicans have their way. Perhaps it's
time to dust off that Musket?
Thanks Bunn. I'm afraid I have more bad news. I'm afraid that your
politicians will give many of those urine throwing Mexicans Social Security
payments. The threat is the ongoing "totalizaiton" negotiations between our
politicians and bureacrats and those of Mexico. An agreement on
"totalization" would make hundreds of thousands of Mexicans eligible for
American Social Security even if they did not work in the US long enough to
qualify. The number of years worked in Mexico would bring up the total and
thus make Mexican workers eleigible for cash transfers from the US
government.
To qualify for American Social Security a Mexican would need to work in the
US only 18 months. And 5 million Mexicans working illegally in the US could
be eligible for the program since a provision in the Social Security Act
allows illegal immigrants to receive Social Security benefits if the US has
a totalization agreement with the illegal's country.
This is what your politicians are up to Bunn - making the ponzi scheme of
Socialist Insecurity, already headed for insolvency, a welfare program for
non US ciitzens. And guess what? You get to pay for it. You can find out
more here
http://www.worldnewsstand.net/04/article/1-6.htm
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0203/mowbray020403.asp
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1067471/posts
Of course verifying the work history and ensuring that the taxes were
paid by the illegals & their employers will be interesting. FFM
Why not fine the employers an amount equal to the SS payments plus the
administration cost?
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On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 02:35:35 GMT, "Frank F. Matthews"
<frankfmatthews@houston.rr.com> wrote:
Why not fine the employers an amount equal to the SS payments plus the
administration cost?
Plus the $55K per head it will take to support the entrenched mojados that
have been lured by unscrupulous employers.
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