Warning!!! Cozumel

[Melandria]

We did some shopping in the completely safe “duty free” area in the port.   There was a tequila shop and I was looking for a specific bottle requested by my son.     I found it, and the guy agreed to 2 bottles for 100.  
 

he wrapped them in newspaper and taped them in front of us.    As he wrapped them he placed them in a bag below the counter.   
 

we signed the cc receipt, it was in pesos not USD, but we were in the safe port duty free area so thought nothing of it.  
 

this morning I checked my credit card.   He charged me 397$ (TWICE!!!!!!! For a total of almost 800$).      Then, I went to take a photo of the bottle for my son, HE SWITCHED THE BOTTLES!!!     He had wrapped them in front of us and taped them with masking tape.  so we didn’t think twice, we just brought them onboard and didn’t even unwrap til we got home.  
 

regardless of how safe a port looks or feels- be vigilant.    I should have asked Siri how much 6600 Mexican pesos were in USD….    I didn’t.   I signed the slip, thinking we were safe.  My options are now VERY limited.     I can dispute the second charge.    But ultimately I will wind up paying 400$ for 2 20$ bottles of tequila.    

[Ferry_Watcher]

Wow - so sorry this happened to you.

 

 

[Melandria]

1 hour ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Wow - so sorry this happened to you.

 

 

Thank you.   I’m posting for others awareness.    We were in the YC on MSC, so we were allowed to take the wrapped bottles to our room without any problem.     Had we not been in the YC, they’d likely have been taken by the cruise line and delivered on the last night.   I’m sure I’d be blaming MSC….     Thinking they’d mixed up peoples bottles.    
 

But they were in our possession from the moment of purchase.   So it HAD to be him.   (And the fact that he overcharged the card is just further evidence he is a scam artist) 

 

Stay safe 🙂 

[CDNPolar]

Sorry to hear this but it just reinforces that you have to be diligent always.  you say that this was a "safe" duty free, but that does not mean honest.

 

We went on a tequila tour when in PV Mexico and we liked the tasting that we had of one.  The bottle that they were pouring from was one litre, but the one that we purchased - at a price that befitted a litre bottle - ended up being only 750ml.

 

This was kind of a bait and switch because the bottles that were for sale were all wrapped and we assumed that they were one litre.  The contents of the bottle were what we wanted, we just got scammed on the size of the bottel.

 

Again, sorry to hear this...  it is unfortunate that these things happen.

 

 

[Melandria]

2 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

Sorry to hear this but it just reinforces that you have to be diligent always.  you say that this was a "safe" duty free, but that does not mean honest.

 

We went on a tequila tour when in PV Mexico and we liked the tasting that we had of one.  The bottle that they were pouring from was one litre, but the one that we purchased - at a price that befitted a litre bottle - ended up being only 750ml.

 

This was kind of a bait and switch because the bottles that were for sale were all wrapped and we assumed that they were one litre.  The contents of the bottle were what we wanted, we just got scammed on the size of the bottel.

 

Again, sorry to hear this...  it is unfortunate that these things happen.

 

 

Completely agree.     We are normally hyper vigilant to scams.    We let our guard down because it was one of those open air mall type places in the port….  Lots of security and only cruise ship passengers as far as the eye can see.   
 

I only posted to remind others of the same.     No matter how safe it feels, scammers are everywhere.   Be safe and enjoy cruising.    

[c-leg5]

17 hours ago, Melandria said:

We did some shopping in the completely safe “duty free” area in the port.   There was a tequila shop and I was looking for a specific bottle requested by my son.     I found it, and the guy agreed to 2 bottles for 100.  
 

he wrapped them in newspaper and taped them in front of us.    As he wrapped them he placed them in a bag below the counter.   
 

we signed the cc receipt, it was in pesos not USD, but we were in the safe port duty free area so thought nothing of it.  
 

this morning I checked my credit card.   He charged me 397$ (TWICE!!!!!!! For a total of almost 800$).      Then, I went to take a photo of the bottle for my son, HE SWITCHED THE BOTTLES!!!     He had wrapped them in front of us and taped them with masking tape.  so we didn’t think twice, we just brought them onboard and didn’t even unwrap til we got home.  
 

regardless of how safe a port looks or feels- be vigilant.    I should have asked Siri how much 6600 Mexican pesos were in USD….    I didn’t.   I signed the slip, thinking we were safe.  My options are now VERY limited.     I can dispute the second charge.    But ultimately I will wind up paying 400$ for 2 20$ bottles of tequila.    

I am sorry to hear this happened to you and I am sure it was disappointing for you and your son.

 

However your report does raise some questions to be of use as a warning to future cruisers. 

 

Which pier area is this a warning for? I think MSC generally docks at Langosta but I believe they have also used International and Puerta Maya. Are you sure this was the “Duty Free” shop within the port and not a third party vendor within the port area? I am unaware of a duty free in an open air area but we are usually at International.
 

There was a previous warning a couple of weeks ago - was this the same vendor?

 

 

 

I am assuming you used a credit card with no foreign transaction fees? We always charge in local currency on such a card but it is prudent to have a general idea of the exchange rate of the country you are visiting when traveling overseas. We would also get an almost immediate notification of a charge to our credit card for a significant charge.

 

I am surprised you would leave a purchase unattended in any country. Could you not have taken your photo before, or after, the transaction was completed?

 

As an aside, I haven’t cruised on MSC yet but it is interesting to learn that they have different security protocols for different classes of cabins. Does YC board at a separate entrance? I am trying to understand how and why they implement this policy.

Edited April 16 by c-leg5

[Melandria]

1 hour ago, c-leg5 said:

I am sorry to hear this happened to you and I am sure it was disappointing for you and your son.

 

However your report does raise some questions to be of use as a warning to future cruisers. 

 

Which pier area is this a warning for? I think MSC generally docks at Langosta but I believe they have also used International and Puerta Maya. Are you sure this was the “Duty Free” shop within the port and not a third party vendor within the port area? I am unaware of a duty free in an open air area but we are usually at International.
 

There was a previous warning a couple of weeks ago - was this the same vendor?

 

 

 

I am assuming you used a credit card with no foreign transaction fees? We always charge in local currency on such a card but it is prudent to have a general idea of the exchange rate of the country you are visiting when traveling overseas. We would also get an almost immediate notification of a charge to our credit card for a significant charge.

 

I am surprised you would leave a purchase unattended in any country. Could you not have taken your photo before, or after, the transaction was completed?

 

As an aside, I haven’t cruised on MSC yet but it is interesting to learn that they have different security protocols for different classes of cabins. Does YC board at a separate entrance? I am trying to understand how and why they implement this policy.

I’m not sure if it’s the exact same store.    But that is EXACTLY what happened.  
 

it was a brick and mortar store in the area that looked rather like a. Open air mall, with gates that you have to show your cruise card to get back into once you exit.     The words DUTY FREE were all over the the place.    
 

Receipt attached.  
 

(marked out hubbys name) 

Edited April 16 by Melandria

[Melandria]

2 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

I am sorry to hear this happened to you and I am sure it was disappointing for you and your son.

 

However your report does raise some questions to be of use as a warning to future cruisers. 

 

Which pier area is this a warning for? I think MSC generally docks at Langosta but I believe they have also used International and Puerta Maya. Are you sure this was the “Duty Free” shop within the port and not a third party vendor within the port area? I am unaware of a duty free in an open air area but we are usually at International.
 

There was a previous warning a couple of weeks ago - was this the same vendor?

 

 

 

I am assuming you used a credit card with no foreign transaction fees? We always charge in local currency on such a card but it is prudent to have a general idea of the exchange rate of the country you are visiting when traveling overseas. We would also get an almost immediate notification of a charge to our credit card for a significant charge.

 

I am surprised you would leave a purchase unattended in any country. Could you not have taken your photo before, or after, the transaction was completed?

 

As an aside, I haven’t cruised on MSC yet but it is interesting to learn that they have different security protocols for different classes of cabins. Does YC board at a separate entrance? I am trying to understand how and why they implement this policy.

Sorry.   To answer other questions- 

 

yes.  YC has a separate entrance.    MUCH faster embark/disembark.   As YC includes open bars (including gratuities) they don’t care if you have booze (in fact your room includes a full size bottle of your choice with mixers of your choice) 

 

we didn’t leave it unattended, we took it after he wrapped them (he had to switch them as he was placing them in the bag below the counter).   
 

we let our guard down because it seemed like a VERY safe area.  
 

we weren’t vigilant and paid the price.    I wish I had seen that other post before we went.   
 

Thank you for posting it.    (Sorry for the second response.     I got so 🤯 over the other post I answered instantly.  ) 

[c-leg5]

4 hours ago, Melandria said:

I’m not sure if it’s the exact same store.    But that is EXACTLY what happened.  
 

it was a brick and mortar store in the area that looked rather like a. Open air mall, with gates that you have to show your cruise card to get back into once you exit.     The words DUTY FREE were all over the the place.    
 

Receipt attached.  
 

(marked out hubbys name) 

Thanks for posting - at least we now know you were at Punta Langosta which might help someone else.

 

Who wrote on the US$ amounts? Perhaps that will help with your credit card company case? 
 

I assume the shop was Cruz Tequila, although I thought that was the name of a tequila brand? Sorry, I don’t drink tequila so don’t know! The duty free at Langosta is by the escalator. The receipt doesn’t appear to be from there.

[Melandria]

  Reposting as a reply 

Edited April 17 by Melandria

[Melandria]

10 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Thanks for posting - at least we now know you were at Punta Langosta which might help someone else.

 

Who wrote on the US$ amounts? Perhaps that will help with your credit card company case? 
 

I assume the shop was Cruz Tequila, although I thought that was the name of a tequila brand? Sorry, I don’t drink tequila so don’t know! The duty free at Langosta is by the escalator. The receipt doesn’t appear to be from there.

No there was an open air mall (looked relatively new) attached to that area and the whole place is duty free.   (Go up the escalator and over the walkway over the road…) 

 

lol I don’t drink tequila either.    But I had a specific photo of the bottle he wanted.  (He’s in Alaska in the military.  His wife will be here in June and she’s going to take it back with her..  no way I’m shipping this to AK haha!) 

 

When we bought it I wasn’t 100% sure of the customs laws,  I was planning on bringing home 3 bottles from Mexico, one from Jamaica, and another from the ship.     Not knowing how many is allowed per person and suspecting I may need to pay taxes on them or declare them at the port, I wrote the amount on the top so I wouldn’t forget how much was paid if I needed to declare it.    I used his pen and just wrote it on the top at the time of purchase….  Not sure it will help my case but when I call the card company I’ll let them know that.   (It’s still ‘pending’.    It has to be posted to dispute) 

 

I really think I’m pretty out of luck on this one.   But I’m still going to try. 

[crewsweeper]

Might not be any consolation to you but Hacienda Tequila is available in the US at major liquor stores, like Total Wine

[Melandria]

1 hour ago, crewsweeper said:

Might not be any consolation to you but Hacienda Tequila is available in the US at major liquor stores, like Total Wine

Oh I appreciate that, but that’s the name of the store, not the tequila he wanted.    He wanted one very specific one, and one with a scorpion in it.     I’m not a tequila drinker so I can’t tell you what was what lol.     Attached is the one he wanted..  that was the one we agreed 2 for 100.     (And the one I stg he wrapped in front of us    No lie, the sleight of hand would be impressive if I weren’t so mad!) 

[c-leg5]

1 hour ago, Melandria said:

Oh I appreciate that, but that’s the name of the store, not the tequila he wanted.    He wanted one very specific one, and one with a scorpion in it.     I’m not a tequila drinker so I can’t tell you what was what lol.     Attached is the one he wanted..  that was the one we agreed 2 for 100.     (And the one I stg he wrapped in front of us    No lie, the sleight of hand would be impressive if I weren’t so mad!) 

This appears to be coconut flavoured tequila can’t you argue that with your credit card since you were supplied totally wrong item? Did he want coconut?

 

Since you said the charges are still pending it is highly likely one will fall off. 
 

Unfortunately in the almost 20 years I have been visiting Cozumel I have read many accounts of people not arriving home with what they intended to buy, to the point I would probably unwrap in the shop before I left if I ever purchased any but I think this is the first time I have read of overcharging by so much. 
 

We have bought other liquor in the official duty free shop without problem and also at Mega during land visits. Unless it is something special (only for export) we rarely bother purchasing to come home now because our local liquor store and total wine are usually comparable price wise. 
 

In the last 5-10 years there seem to be multiple locations that have opened  for the same company and Mi Mexico Lindo ( I don’t know if they are related).

 

I really have very little interest in tequila so only take a casual interest  but it is a topic that seems to come up time and time again. 

Edited April 17 by c-leg5

[Melandria]

1 hour ago, c-leg5 said:

This appears to be coconut flavoured tequila can’t you argue that with your credit card since you were supplied totally wrong item? Did he want coconut?

 

Since you said the charges are still pending it is highly likely one will fall off. 
 

Unfortunately in the almost 20 years I have been visiting Cozumel I have read many accounts of people not arriving home with what they intended to buy, to the point I would probably unwrap in the shop before I left if I ever purchased any but I think this is the first time I have read of overcharging by so much. 
 

We have bought other liquor in the official duty free shop without problem and also at Mega during land visits. Unless it is something special (only for export) we rarely bother purchasing to come home now because our local liquor store and total wine are usually comparable price wise. 
 

In the last 5-10 years there seem to be multiple locations that have opened  for the same company and Mi Mexico Lindo ( I don’t know if they are related).

 

I really have very little interest in tequila so only take a casual interest  but it is a topic that seems to come up time and time again. 

That’s my hope- that the card company will call it fraud.     I’m going to tell them everything and let them make the decision.    It’s Barclays, they’re usually really good about making fair judgements.   If I’m to pay 400$, then I will and walk away with an expensive lesson in diligence.  I dropped the ball, I should have known the exchange rate and I should have checked the bottle.    So if that’s what they decide, I’ll accept it.  I’ll update the thread when I get an answer 😌

[crewsweeper]

Well based on the website (albeit from 2017) $100 MX for 750ml bottle is what they charge not $100 US.

Maybe you or your son can contact the distillery and see if there's a US distributor.

https://licoresfrutaleslosreyes.wordpress.com/2017/10/01/primera-entrada-del-blog/coco/

[fantavet]

Valuable post. Just shared this story with my daughter who will be visiting the port this summer with her 2 daughters. I'm sure a mother towing around 2 young kids would be an easy bait and switch target.  Also a good reminder for myself as I tend to be a little too trusting while on vacation.

[Loucat]

We-had-a-similar-experience-with-jewelry-at-this-port.Purchased-good-silver-earrings.The-seller-took-the-earrings-in-the-back-of-the-kiosk-and-returned-them-wrapped-up.

Did-not-open-this-package-until-the-cruise-ended-only-to-find-a-cheap-pair-of-metal-earrings-were-substituted.

I-think-one-lesson-I-learned-is-to-see-the-items-I-purchased-not-wrapped.

Too-much-opportunity-for-replacing-valuable-items-if-they-are-wrapped.
Cannot-think-of-any-reason-to-wrap-items-away-from-the-buyers.

There-is-little-chance-of-a-return-or-dispute-in-my-situation.