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They Just Don't Read or Listen about DCC Scam

They Just Don't Read or Listen about DCC Scam

Old Sep 12th, 2010, 04:48 AM
  #21  
 
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"Europeans get offered DCC in the US too."

hetismij -- That's terrible! Could you tell us where you encountered it in the US so if I am in any those towns, I can just happen drop by their hotel desks and give their managements a piece of my mind?

I'm serious.

As you can tell, this issue has become personal to me. The practice is such a total lie, it forces hotel and restaurant employees into a conspiracy situation, and it taints any lovely travel experience, whether that is a hotel stay or restaurant meal.
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Old Sep 15th, 2010, 09:24 AM
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Didn't encounter it at all in Portugal and the first time I've been asked was here in London, yesterday at Harrods!
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Old Sep 16th, 2010, 06:40 AM
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I just had an email from MasterCard in Europe asking if they can call and interview me about my very unpleasant DCC experience with 2 merchants in Spain earlier this year. So maybe they are going to crack down on it.
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Old Sep 16th, 2010, 06:47 AM
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In London in January, I had to be very firm with the hotel (Ramada) to keep them from doing it to me.
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Old Sep 16th, 2010, 06:50 AM
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Sorry if I missed a discussion of this (don't think so) but on our recent trip to Spain the ATMs would ask if we wanted our request for Euros to be charged in US dollars. I thought this must be a version of the DCC scam.

There is a slight possibility I am mixing up the Spanish ATMs with the Greek ones. Or the Turkisk ones.
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Old Sep 16th, 2010, 06:51 AM
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PS - we are Canadian so I doubt they were trying to do us a favour.
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Old Sep 16th, 2010, 07:02 AM
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AlessandraZoe we were offered DCC a couple of times, once at a restaurant in Olympia Wa and once at a hotel, somewhere in eastern Oregon.

The hotel offered it but changed to $$ when we said no.

The restaurant refused to allow us to pay in anything but €€. We stood and argued for a long, long time, but in the end we gave in.

The daughter of a friend has just returned from her first visit to the US (to Florida) and she was full of how she was able to pay for things in €€ with her CC.
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Old Sep 16th, 2010, 07:15 AM
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When you swipe your CC in Switzerland these days the machine asks you if you want to be charged in Francs (and gives the amount) or in Dollars (and also gives the converted amount) which these days is pretty much at par.

Selecting the Dollar amount eliminated the "foreign currency conversion fee" that my CC issuer charges.

DCC is, IMO, no more of a "scam" than those change bureaus who either charge high commissions or give poor exchange rates but to each their own.

Some people would say any organized tour you can do on your own is a "scam."
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Old Sep 16th, 2010, 07:25 AM
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Okay...this is all news to me and we are leaving for France and England for in 2 weeks for a month long holiday! We've been travelling in Europe for almost 20 years now and never faced this.

So do I understand that some merchants, hotels, restaurants will refuse to let you pay in Euros on your credit card? They will say that is not possible?!! Does this mean we are going back to the age of carrying wads of cash? That would be a shame!

And is this a 'big city' problem, or will we face it in smaller centres? We are going to Toulouse and then Pau.

Lea,
Calgary Alberta Canada
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Old Sep 16th, 2010, 07:38 AM
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I was in Ireland last year, and didn't encounter it anywhere, except for one shop where my father was given a credit card receipt to sigh where the amount was in both dollars and euros. We thought it rather clever, but the dollar amount was compatible with what we thought we were spending.
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Old Sep 16th, 2010, 08:23 AM
  #31  
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Lea...the merchant may ask you when buying something if you wish to pay in whatever the local currency is in the country you're in (euro in euroland, sterling in the UK, francs in Switzerland) or should they convert it to, in your case, Canadian dollars. Your answer should be NO NO NO. That is according to visa/mc rules, a merchant may not pull this scam without your consent to be scammed.

OTOH the unplesantness comes in when the merchants do not ask. What happens is they present you a sales slip and you will see on the sales slip an amount both in the local currency and in CAD. You will be asked to sign a statement that you were offered an opportunity to pay in local currency and accept the converted rate (much inflated Dukey1 no matter what you think) as final. Here is where you must tell the merchant in no uncertain terms (although politely) that you do not wish to be scammed and they are to void the transaction and do it properly i.e. in local currency. Some merchants comply. Others, and this is when it indeed becomes a scam, give all sorts of nonsensical excuses (they have no control over it despite the fact the terminal asks whether the customer wishes to be scammed, that it is too late, the transaction cannot be voided, the amount lised in your case in CAD is just an approximation or the infamous no speak English). Stand up for your rights. Ask to see the manager. If the manager persists, circle the amount in local currency on the sales slip, cross out the statement about being offered the chance to pay in local currency and write local currency not offered. Tell these crooks you will be disputing the charge with mc (or visa) and then do it. The chanrge will be charged back to them since they will not have a signed sales slip accepting the scam. Under no circumstances should you fall for their thievery and decide to pay in cash. MC/visa regs are very clear in this matter.

As far as Dukey is concerned, MCvisa use the interbank rate as published in the paper and then add 1% to the amount as their fee. Many of the large near criminal credit card banks in the USA add an additional 2% for a total of 3% but there are plenty of banks around that either just pass along the 1% fee or even eat it (Capital One, Charles Schwab). These same banks always charge a foreign transaction fee of 3% on any charge outside your home area even in your currency (their retaliation against DCC)...Most DCC scam artists charge 5% or more above the interbank rate (and part of the scdam is telling you to compare the rate they are giving with the rate listed at the bank for excdhanging cash which is usually 8 5o 10% above interbank rates)..so in this case with the additional 3% foreign transaction fee (not foreign currency fee) you're paying 8% above the interbank rate at least. So don't think for one second you are not paying a big premium for this scam.

Now forewarned is forewarned. After all this, if you wish to allow yourself to be gouged by these scam artists, that's your perogative. But my name is Tucker not sucker.
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Old Sep 16th, 2010, 04:46 PM
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Merci beaucoup Monsieur Tucker....and as I speak French the 'can't speak english' isn't going to fly!
Lea
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Old Sep 17th, 2010, 12:25 PM
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Been following this closely in hopes of handling things in easiest (and cheapest!) way possible while in Ireland. Is there any benefit to using a credit card and dealing with this (other than obvious personal preferences) over using cash?
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Old Sep 17th, 2010, 12:38 PM
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Maggie...here is my feeling on this;you're welcome to agree or disagree. First, as compared to about 5 years ago, the bad publicity about dcc has led more and more of the merchants to ask before pulling this scam. End of problem there. So I don't think it's such a big deal anymore, at least in Ireland. I hear it has become a big deal in Spain; even a reputable store like el corte ingles pulls it and there language could be a problem.

In any event, whether you're better off using cash depends on just how you get your cash and whatever charges you might be subject to in exchanging cash or getting cash from an ATM. Some have the ability to withdraw cash with no fees and at the interbank rate. Others exchange at an exchange place and pay fees up to 10 or 11% above the interbank rate.

I believe in using credit cards 100% of the time when travelling for every purchase no matter how large or how small if the merchant takes cards. I don't want to be bothered going to the ATM. Depending on countries and circumstances this might mean never once reaching for and paying cash for anything, in other countries you sometimes have to deal with minimum purchases. In some countries, credit cards are just not yet a way of life the way they are in North America. But as soon as I see a credit card decal, out comes the credit card no matter what the purchase.

I simply will not allow this scam to change the way I do stuff. I carefully check every credit card slip and watch out for dcc and when I see it, I'm not afraid to open my big mouth. But I will not allow myself to be suckered. But that's me. Others think well I'm on holiday and why should I hassle over petty things. To each his or her own.
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Old Sep 17th, 2010, 02:15 PM
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Thanks for the heads up! I had forgotten about this. It happened to me in Thailand - I was at the Legend Hotel in Chiang Rai, and they charged me in dollars, and refused to change it to baht. I can't remember the reason they told me, but it sure was frustrating.
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Old Sep 21st, 2010, 04:30 AM
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hetismij -- Darn it, I won't be going to Oregon in the near future to let those DCC scammers have it!

Dukey--wyz123's math is right. And the difference between the "scam" of the organized tour is that one is knowingly paying a cost for services. DCC is only a service to the merchant, not the customer.
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Old Sep 21st, 2010, 05:36 AM
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It would be a service to the customer if there were no added cost. I have no issues doing the math, but some people aren't that lucky, and if exchange rates are fluctuating, you not only have to do the math, but keep track of how much your relative currencies are worth that day. I'm something of a Luddite anyway, and will exchange what I think I need in currency and just peel off bills as I need them. There are circumstances in which that does not work, and I'm probably spending more in exchange fees than I need to, but I rarely charge anything except beyond a hotel, it's simple, and we're once and done.
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Old Sep 21st, 2010, 05:56 AM
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I wonder if this is being strictly offered in US $ or other currencies too?

Since a lot of non-EU tourists are from US, maybe the scam is geared to them? Or would they also offer to do it in Turkish lira or Canadian loonies?

I've never had it happen to me...yet
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Old Sep 21st, 2010, 07:59 AM
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Michel_Paris...from your name I assume you're French. It's a universal scam so if you went to a merchant in the UK that has signed up for this scam, you will find the charge slip will list both a sterling amount and an emount in euro...(of course with the establishment of the euro, you will not be scammed in Ireland...they use euro just like France)...if you come to the USA you will see an amount in USD and in euro if the merchant is pulling the scam....what happens from the numbers on the credit card, the software determines what currency your credit card is issued in and adjusts accordingly.

I will say this though. I have rarely encountered dcc in France.
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Old Sep 21st, 2010, 08:20 AM
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Very good. It keys off of the VISA country number.

I'm just a wannabe Parisian
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