ATTENTION UW PHOTOGRAPHERS:

[Mike Walker]

please keep everyone updated

I'll definitely update - Mexican prisons have wifi right?

 

[Schwob]

Again, the customs officers take credit cards to pay the "use fee" on you UW housing. You should receive a receipt.

Might you be willing to try to dispute the charge with the credit card company as extortion and see what happens?

That policy is a shame and a scam.
Rethinking all those thoughts about diving in Mexico some day not too distant as we speak...

 

[eleniel]

We didn't see anyone being checked for camera equipment when we flew in to Cozumel last month (we were there for most of October). If I had known this was going on I would've asked some of the people we were diving with if they'd had any issues as several had much more impressive setups than we did. I have a DSLR but don't bring it often due to weight so instead had a SeaLife, my dive buddy uses a Kraken housing for his phone so we aren't exactly likely to be targeted by this absent my big camera.

 

[NightShade00013]

Might you be willing to try to dispute the charge with the credit card company as extortion and see what happens?

That policy is a shame and a scam.
Rethinking all those thoughts about diving in Mexico some day not too distant as we speak...

This is exactly my thought. Use a credit card and as soon as you are through customs dispute the charges or report the card stolen. That or pack your credit cards and hand them a prepaid card with 5 bucks on it and tell them the bank must have something messed up because you are out of the country. They are targeting big ticket expensive items because if you can afford to buy them you can probably afford to be fleeced.

I was in Cozumel on October 23rd through a cruise line and had zero issues however coming off the ship. I was only on land for about an hour total the whole time I was there but the security at the port was more interested in possible food items when i was coming off to go to my meet up location. Dog didn't even smell the beef jerky I had in my bag either. But I had not opened it up yet so I guess that saved me.

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

This is exactly my thought. Use a credit card and as soon as you are through customs dispute the charges or report the card stolen.

so....your solution to this problem is to commit fraud......holy cow.. (shakes head)

can we keep the suggestions serious please..

 

[Jcp2]

It’s one difference between Canada and the US, dating back to the beginning. One asks nicely for permission, the other revolts.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

Yikes. I'm looking hard at going down to Cabo for makos and blues in March; sounds like the sharks in the water will be the least of my concerns. I shoot a TG-5 with a Nauticam housing, strobes, and a wet lens.

 

[Mike Walker]

Use a credit card and as soon as you are through customs dispute the charges

I would suggest waiting until you are back outside the country and have little desire to go back if you go down this path.... wouldn't want to have problems going in the other direction.

so....your solution to this problem is to commit fraud......holy cow.. (shakes head)

If the customs agent is misinterpreting the law it is hardly unethical to seek a refund. Whether through the CC company is the right path (or an effective path) is not clear - but they are the most direct path. Finding an appropriate reason code may be tough but the the CC claims reps can be pretty helpful when it's obvious you've been screwed. You might be able to make a roundabout argument that paying duty you don't actually owe is a counterfeit service...? Don't lie to the CC company - but there is certainly room for some creative reasoning...

(Also, it's then typically up to the merchant to justify the charge - I suspect that Mexican gov't might prefer to just let those ones slide rather than justify their questionable interpretation of their own laws. At the very least they might have to come up with their own creative reasoning....)

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

That's clearly not the section I was referencing and I think you are probably aware of that...so let's not muddy the waters by bundling it in with other comments:

Fraudulently claiming that you credit card was stolen for any reason is both inadvisable and detrimental to regular honest people.

 

[Mike Walker]

That's clearly not the section I was referencing and I think you are probably aware of that...so let's not muddy the waters by bundling it in with other comments:

Well, it is the text you directly quote in your post... ???

Fraudulently claiming that you credit card was stolen for any reason is both inadvisable and detrimental to regular honest people.

There's a difference between reporting a card stolen - which would be fraud - and proceeding with a chargeback which is a dispute resolution process that is offered to the consumer as one of the benefits of using a credit card. By accepting credit cards for these fees the Mexican government opens themselves up to this risk; the balance being that they lubricate the process of extorting large amounts of money from unsuspecting travelers who may not be carrying enough cash. Ultimately it is up to the credit card company to pick a winner as both you (the consumer) and the Mexican government (the merchant) are contracted to the CC company with the CC company designated as arbiter. So long as only facts are presented (even if creatively framed) there is no legal or moral compromise here.

I think you are confusing legitimately assessed duties based on published laws and 'protection' money paid to border agents gone rogue. When they fight dirty it is not unreasonable to respond in kind.