amelia

I still don't know what to think about the USD bankcard payment conversion in Ireland. After reading the information posted on this website, I sent it to my husband to read, and we trotted off to Ireland feeling forewarned and forearmed.

On our second night, at the Lazy Lobster in Doolin, we got our receipt with the USD translation. At first the waitress said, "Oh, it's just a courtesy." And then we read the small print: "By signing this, I agree to pay in US Currency..." We told her we wanted to pay in Euros. She said the machine wouldn't allow her to do that. We said, fine--we'll pay in cash. We had her cancel the transaction (yes, we have a receipt) and paid up.

However, afterwords, my husband said the conversion rate wasn't bad--1.27. Nevertheless, we just paid in cash the rest of the trip. Fellow guests on our bike tour ran into the same thing, though. Again, the clerk insisted that she hadn't pushed any extra buttons and that there was no way to change it--she said the system just did it everytime they got an American Visa.

So what do you think?

P_M

Can you tell us the date this occurred? I would like to look up the exchange for that date to determine how good or bad this exchange rate was.

Travelnut

Based on amelia's posts, they went to Ireland in August. The rate at finance.yahoo.com has been fluctuating between 1.21 - 1.23.

So the 'add-on' was between 4-6%, where it could have been only 1%.

One dinner doesn't break the bank... but being hit with DCC on all credit card charges (espec. hotels) adds up pretty soon... and, it's the <i>principle</i> of the thing.

ira

Hi a,

The euro hasn't been above 1.23 for some time.

mikemo

The clerk was FOS.
M

Budman

Full of what?

AuntIda

Hmmmmm...funny..given the final result I'd say it was the OP who got stuffed, not the clerk.

amelia

I think my husband said it wasn't bad because he had just exchanged a few $ for Euro at the Bureau de Change at the hostel down the street for 1.28. My point to him right way was that AT LEAST it's clear when you're getting robbed there.

We didn't have any problem the rest of the trip because we just didn't want to argue and we just paid cash. Most of our costs had been pre-paid, so this was feasible.

Part of what made me so angry was the bad taste in the mouth at departure. I had had a lovely meal at the Lazy Lobster and then I felt cheated. The fellow tour guest who saw her Visa bill at Rosleague Manor felt the same way: &quot;I thought this was the nicest place and now I feel taken advantage of--not a nice way to end my stay, is it?&quot;

payant

the blame should rest on the shoulders of the proprietors who buy the pos terminals and software from one of the companies helping them get a little 'extra' cash. The terminals can be programmed to read the country of origin and automatically post in the currency of the country of origin- perfectly legal but skirting a VISA regulation in the process. the poor waitress is caught in the middle with a few catchphrases supplied by the boss.

P_M

amelia, why did you exchange $ for &euro; instead of using your ATM card? If you are a regular on this board, then you should have been armed with that information as well. The ATM card is the best way to exchange these days, and all smart and savvy traveler's quit using exchange facilities years ago.

I'm not saying this to be unkind, but please keep this in mind the next time you travel.

Robespierre

Write LOCAL CURRENCY NOT OFFERED on the charge slip where it can't be torn off, sign it, and dispute the charge when you return.

By settling with cash, you're playing into the hands of the greedy merchant (because he avoids the Visa discount fee).

mikemo

Budman,
....Sangiovese.
M

amelia

Hey P_M--No lectures--just flat-out unnecessary rudeness. I sure didn't exchange any $. Read.

P_M

YIKES, where did that come from?!?! You said,

&lt;&lt;I think my husband said it wasn't bad because he had just exchanged a few $ for Euro at the Bureau de Change at the hostel down the street for 1.28.&gt;&gt;

I read this again and it sounds like your husband did exchange $ for &euro;.

My post was not meant to be a lecture nor did I intend to be rude. I was simply pointing out that ATMs are a much better way to exchange than using exchange facilities, and you will be hard-pressed to find anyone on this board who disagrees with that.

I have learned from your post that exchanging from an exchange facility is a worse rip-off than dynamic currency conversion. You actually got a better exchange with dcc.

I apologize if I upset you. My intention was to help.

amelia

Robespierre--Believe me, I wanted to do just what you said. I was so angry at the sheer lies the waitress was throwing my way. However, I had had an interesting conversation with Bank of America before I left. I talked to one of the service reps about this problem, wanting to know just what they wanted me to do when this happened. He didn't know about it, but was truly intrigued and was in fact, indignent about it. He said, &quot;They can't do that! No person can come the US and tell a restaurant, 'Oh, I choose to pay in Euros.&quot; He said, &quot;Hey, I'm putting you through to the Fraud department. You need to talk to them about this.&quot; Ok, I get through to the Fraud department and the lady didn't want to hear it. She said, &quot;Unless it has happened, it's not my business.&quot; And I said, &quot;But I think IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.&quot; She replied, &quot;Well, I've never heard of it, and until it happens, there will be no discussion.&quot;

?????

Yes, Robespierre, I reported her.

But in any case, we again were easily able to just go with cash once we were out of Doolin because towards the last 2/3rds of our trip, 80% of our costs were already pre-paid. And I am going to call Bank of America and I will call the Fraud department and I will make sure I find that rep!

P_M

OK, upon looking at this again, it was not a better exchange but still roughly the same.

amelia

P_M--My husband, not me,had exchanged a few dollars. I was not with him. I have used ATMs in Europe since Hector was a pup.

In his defence, though, since we were in Doolin which has NO Atms and since we were going to an unexpected concert that could only accept cash(trip report forthcoming) and since our landlady only accepts cash, hubby worried he could end up 5 Euros short before we rode the bus out of town to ATM civilization. We weren't, but still, he worried.

sandy_b

I'm confused . . . I thought Ireland used sterling in the north and punts in the south . . . what happened?

Sandy (in Denton)

xyz123

Hi Sandy in Denton...

You're about 5 years late...Ireland elected to join the common currency block and now use the euro as its currency. The punt is dead as can be the same as the French franc, the Belgian franc, the luxembourg franc, the Dutch guilder, the German mark, the Austrian schilling, the Italian lire, the Spanish peseta and the Portuguese escudo (I think I got them all) but you are right they do still use pounds in Ulster.

P_M

Northern Ireland still uses the sterling because it's part of the the UK, which never adopted the &euro;. The Republic (the south) did adopt the &euro;. This is not new, Ireland adopted the &euro; when the rest of the eurozone did--I believe that was Jan. 2002?