Puerto Vallarta Forum (PV Bulletin Board)

On July 5th, 2007 my husband and I took the Tropical Tour that was offered through a timeshare company, Playa del Sol Grand. Arturro was our tour guide in 2007, as well as our tour guide when we were in PV in 2006.

The tour bus stopped at a tequila gallery as well as Jymmy's Joyeria on Carranza St. Downtown. The tour guide made a point in saying that this particular store was very good to tourists and even gave a certificate of authenticity, insuring we were "getting the real thing" as he stated.

We made a purchase....$1148.53 ( US ). We received a certificate stating the gem we bought was over a 2ct tanzanite and genuine opals. When we returned home and had the ring appraised, it turned out to be a dyed quartz and fake opals. The opals were "glued" in place with a black epoxy to give them a deeper color.

We made several phone calls from US to Jymmy's in PV. He assured us he would correct the problem. He advised he had mistakenly put a sapphire in instead of a tanzanite. He said to send the ring back and he would fix it for us. We Fed Ex'd the ring back ( insured ) and we received a call from Fed Ex in Memphis, TN USA advising us that the recipient was refusing to pay Customs charges and what did we want to do ? We contacted our credit card company to dispute the $1148.53 charge.

I kept a detailed log of all the calls I made to Jymmy's in PV to try and get this issue resolved. Not once did Senior Garcia call me. I requested he call or email me on several occassions and he did nothing.

I feel we were treated infairly and even CHEATED !! Mr Garcia knew that was not a tanzanite when he replaced the stone as it had several nicks in it. He was to replace the stone with a dark tanzanite and deliver it to us at our condo at Playa Del Sol Grand.

The ring was returned to us at the advice of the credit card company. We have tried and tried to resolve this issue and receive no response/cooperation from Jymmy's Joyeria.

I am voicing my dissatisfication with every tour company that has this add in their brochure. All we wanted was to be treated fairly. We were CHEATED. It's companies like this that give tourist areas a bad name and rest assured I will post on every Puerto Vallarta website I can find, how people are cheated in Mexico. If one person reads what I've written, then maybe I can save someone else from taking a tour and being CHEATED !

You may what to try to get this resolved by contacting PROFECO (The Federal Bureau of Consumer Interests) http://www.profeco.gob.mx/

Brought the site up...it's all in Spanish. Cant read a word of it...but will try to decipher

Well of course the website is in Spanish, it's a Mexican government website.
Try using bable fish to translate it. It won't give you an exact translation but should give you enough to decipher it. Also try googling PROFECO there is probably something out there to explain this in english.

Ok, please don't jump all over me, but these two problems are so typical(in my opinion) in Mexico. (1) Unless you know the merchant personally, you, as a tourist run the risk of being cheated. That's why is is SO important to ask advice on this board especially before spending larger sums of money. And (2)"Well of course the website is in Spanish, it's a Mexican government website. " With all the English speaking residence/tourists in Mexico, you would think that there could be a little more accomodation for non-Spanish speakers. I mean, look how it is here in the States, and Canada also(?) Our governments not only accomodate non-English speakers, we pay for the translators. Go to any government office and you will have a translator provided. Any hospital. Just about all retail packaging in stores is English/spanish as well as directions. I really dislike the arrogance of the Mexican government when it comes to non-Spanish speakers. I don't know, just my venting. Thanks for listening. Merry Christmas. Chuck...

Chuck, there could very well be a english site for PROFECO but I didn't look for any. I gave the official government site. Now she knows where to start and can do her own research and see if there is anything in English.

Chuck, you have a Merry Christmas as well. All the best for 2008.

Also, I have been meaning to ask you, why do you always put 3 dots (...) after your name?

MrsSnow, sorry just re-read my last post and it sounds kind of...well you know. Again sorry, it was just one of those days yesterday.


edit for spelling

private mesage me with your phone number and ill contact you

i will personally go and pay these people a visit

if you can email me a copy of your reciept and credit card voucher ill personally involve the right people on yoour behalf

bruce

Why do I use ... after my name? Danged good question. It is so I remember how many pills I need to take in order to function with some sort of rationality . Anything else you would like to know? Take care and Merry Christmas. Chuck...

A formal complaint against any merchant should be filed with PROFECO, Mexico's federal consumer protection agency. PROFECO has the power to mediate disputes, investigate consumer complaints, order hearings, levy fines and sanctions for not appearing at hearings, and do price-check inspections of merchants. All complaints by Americans are handled by PROFECO's English-speaking office in Mexico City at 011-52-55-5211-1723. You might also complain about the lack of an English translation for the PROFECO web site.

In the case of the US offering translators and such, I guess it's because the second most spoken language in the US is Spanish, what is it... 10% of the population? Read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_in ... ted_States

In the case of Mexico, English speakers do not account for more than... what... 1% and that's too much for sure, there are ethnic minorities here that are higher than that and THEY don't have translators, so they are the ones that should be complaining, haha. I am sure that if you go to the PROFECO offices in Vallarta or Cancun there will be people to help you with the language, but to expect a general governmental website to take you into account... well, that's asking for too much. Go drink another cup of eggnog Chuck, maybe two and chill .

I do remember seeing links or some message on the PROFECO site regarding timeshares and it was in English... so maybe they are a bit accommodating.

Greetings

Mogens

more on timeshare fraudelent

-http://www.mexicotimesharefraud.info/

Ok, Mogens, but what you are talking about is an average. Close to the Mexico border, it is closer to 60% Spanish spoken and closer to the Canadian border it is closer to less that 2% Spanish spoken. Given that the U.S. is so large, the average would be 10% Spanish spoken for the whole country. NOW, There are places in Mexico, places that depend on ENGLISH speaking people for their revenue (Puerto Vallarta??) that have a greater % of English speaking people. Yes? So, why does the government not spend some cash on English speaking services? Because of arrogance? Yes? Because of lack of concern? Yes? Because Mexico is, in my opinion, just backward. Does not mean I don't love Mexico, I do, and I love her people. Just don't like the government much. You take care, Mogens, and have a Merry christmas. Chuck...

Your opinions are so general and prejudiced that they have no value. Plus you don't know how to read (a bit less eggnog?), the previous posts do inform of English services for those so full of themselves that they can't learn a bit of another language .

I'll have a fine Christmas in my 25 degree centigrade Guadalajara. Hope you enjoy yours.

Mogens

Ah, and one more thing, remember, I actually lived in a real first world country (Denmark) and everything works as clockwork, which in the end is boring, for younger people at least (or those that have experienced something different).

I enjoy Mexico despite its many shortcomings, but I insist it's best for younger people, or those that maintain a youthful state of mind, because things can be a bit irritating, specially when it comes to consumer rights and government red tape and burrocracy as I call it.

Greetings

Mogens

I appreciate the replies....no harm done, Palapa !! I may have come across the wrong way when I made the original post, and for that I apologize. After 6 mos of trying to do the right thing, it gets old of it slammin in your face. Credit card company advised that unless Jymmy's and I can work it out, I'm stuck with what I have. Been a bad experience this trip.....Doubt I will ever trust another shop outside the US.

Joy Jymmi's is at it again. March 13th bought a Topaz necklace and Topaz ring. Took it to a jewelry appraiser and the stones were colored glass. The ring was reported to be a white gold mounting and it is sterling silver instead. The gold chain was reported to be the highest quality available and its a plain old Omega. Nothing worse in America than a deceitful mexican.

Necklace $2000.00
Ring $300.00

Nothing worse in America than a deceitful mexican.

What about the deceitful Cambodian, Korean, Indian, the list can go on for every country in the world?

Personally I would not buy a $2,000.00 necklace in a foreign country when I didn't live there and had no recourse for any problems that arose after the purchase. JMHO

It could have been any country in the world but I chose mexicans as the dirtbags in this scenario. How you react with purchases and how I react with purchases are the apples and oranges comparison. Kinda like the countries of the world. You are allowed to take out of context what someone says and writes.

It could have been any country in the world but I chose mexicans as the dirtbags in this scenario. How you react with purchases and how I react with purchases are the apples and oranges comparison. Kinda like the countries of the world. You are allowed to take out of context what someone says and writes.

I took nothing out of context. You made your point perfectly clear when you painted all Mexicans with a broad brush. Not all Mexicans are dirtbags as you choose to paint them. As I said there are dishonest people all over the world and that doesn't mean everyone in the world is dishonest.

When I said mexicans I didn't mean all of the 5,000,000 on Earth. Some of those are dishonest. I don't use paintbrushes. According to Maynard G. Krebs, thats work. Dishonest people - in the past six decades, I probably met 400 or so. Certainly not indictative of the whole Earth. In context or not, you are "allowed" (yea, USA, freedom, buy jewelry there, etc) to say what you want, think what you want and write what you want. If you have a picture of yourself in a bikini, send it to me. How old are you? Single? Tell me your history. You must be young because you were up at midnight.