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living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com
Many places, especially tourist locations charge in dollars. Or I should say, they advertise their price in dollars. You have no obligation to pay in dollars and the vendor, seller, or business has the obligation to take the equivalent in Pesos Mexicanos at an exchange rate listed that day by Banco de Mexico. There are no exceptions. Here is the law to quote when you want to make an issue of it:
Artículo 8º.- La moneda extranjera no tendrá curso legal en la República, salvo en los casos en que la
Ley expresamente determine otra cosa. Las obligaciones de pago en moneda extranjera contraídas
dentro o fuera de la República para ser cumplidas en ésta, se solventarán entregando el equivalente en
moneda nacional, al tipo de cambio que rija en el lugar y fecha en que se haga el pago.
Este tipo de cambio se determinará conforme a las disposiciones que para esos efectos expida el
Banco de México en los términos de su Ley Orgánica.
Los pagos en moneda extranjera originados en situaciones o transferencias de fondos desde el
exterior, que se lleven a cabo a través del Banco de México o de Instituciones de Crédito, deberán ser
cumplidos entregando la moneda, objeto de dicha trasferencia o situación. Ello sin perjuicio del
cumplimiento de las obligaciones que imponga el régimen de Control de Cambios en vigor.
Las obligaciones a que se refiere el primer párrafo de este artículo, originadas en depósitos bancarios
irregulares constituidos en moneda extranjera, se solventarán conforme a lo previsto en dicho párrafo, a
menos que el deudor se haya obligado en forma expresa a efectuar el pago precisamente en moneda
extranjera, en cuyo caso deberá entregar esta moneda. Esta última forma de pago sólo podrá
establecerse en los casos en que las autoridades bancarias competentes lo autoricen, mediante reglas de
carácter general que deberán publicarse en el Diario Oficial de la Federación; ello sin perjuicio del
cumplimiento de las obligaciones que imponga el régimen de control de cambios en vigor.
Also, tipping dollars is not convenient for the waiter, gas station attendant, etc. especially when they are not in a border city. If you give a guy a a one dollar or five dollar tip, he then has to find a casa de cambio to exchange it. It can be a PIA to do that if that was his only dollar tip of the day. Obviously, because we live here, we never pay for anything in dollars. If the seller/vendor were to do so, we would just walk away.
But the problem is not paying in dollars. The problem is pricing in dollars. And then converting to pesos at the current rate. It only acceptable way is pricing in pesos...and then converting to dollars at the current rate. If you are buying anything priced in dollars, you are paying too much ad the seller is ripping you off. It is that simple.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. My point though, is that the law provides for advertising in dollars, euros, or whatever currency but that the buyer cannot be obligated to pay in foreign currency and that the seller has to accept the price at the current day exchange rate. Not right in the end though, and that is why we don't shop or eat in places that charge in dollars. They are paying the same price for labor, utilities, product but making money on the exchange rate.
ReplyDeleteWe ran into this at the Paa Mul RV Park near Playa del Carmen where they insisted on $40 US per night. We insisted on paying in pesos and the cashier made a big show of phoning the bank to get the conversion. It was as if we were the only people paying in pesos. Their restaurant menu listed prices only in dollars as well.
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