10-02-2014, 03:25 PM
On the previous reach, I had met a local named Tony who rented scooters at a good price including the one Midiri was using. I kept in touch between trips and asked if I could get one for $10 a day for 12 days -- about half market price, but considering he was an independent and it was low season, I thought he might do it, and sure enough he agreed.
As the trip got closer, I continued to keep in touch and asked several times if we were all good, and he said ya mon. A few days before, I called and asked if he needed anything from the USA -- big mistake, Jamaicans are NEVER shy about asking for stuff -- and he asked for t-shirts. Since I was getting a good deal, I took good care of him and bought him four new Hanes t-shirts, nice ones, in the wrapper.
That cost me an extra 12 bucks or so, plus I told him I would tip him if everything worked out. When I got to Negril, he took the shirts but also asked for an extra 20 dollars, saying he had agreed to give me the bike for too cheap. I shrugged and gave him an extra 20, making it 140 for 12 days, plus the shirts.
Then, after a few days, I checked in and said thanks for the deal and that I was enjoying the scooter. Big mistake again, he said he wanted 20 more dollars again, but this time I said bite me, I will tip you at the end.
Then, the bike started messing up and kept stalling. He wanted to pick it up from me, but since I didn't even know where he would be taking it plus I had paid in full in advance, I said no, I will just deal with it.
Oh by the way, in the meantime, I made arrangements for Midiri to rent Seastar Garrett's scooter, so Garrett would not be left in the cold. I wanted to be loyal to Garrett, but I also wanted to save 120 dollars over 12 days.
Then, as the trip was winding down, Tony says the deal was for 11 days, not 12 -- a blatent lie -- and so we argued about that, too. I thought I had a good point when I said: "Then why, if the original deal was $10 a day, did I pay a total of 120 dollars at the beginning? Do the math, dude."
Overall, the whole thing was a bad experience, though technically I did get the best deal in my long Negril history of renting Scooters. But god I had to work for it.
As the trip got closer, I continued to keep in touch and asked several times if we were all good, and he said ya mon. A few days before, I called and asked if he needed anything from the USA -- big mistake, Jamaicans are NEVER shy about asking for stuff -- and he asked for t-shirts. Since I was getting a good deal, I took good care of him and bought him four new Hanes t-shirts, nice ones, in the wrapper.
That cost me an extra 12 bucks or so, plus I told him I would tip him if everything worked out. When I got to Negril, he took the shirts but also asked for an extra 20 dollars, saying he had agreed to give me the bike for too cheap. I shrugged and gave him an extra 20, making it 140 for 12 days, plus the shirts.
Then, after a few days, I checked in and said thanks for the deal and that I was enjoying the scooter. Big mistake again, he said he wanted 20 more dollars again, but this time I said bite me, I will tip you at the end.
Then, the bike started messing up and kept stalling. He wanted to pick it up from me, but since I didn't even know where he would be taking it plus I had paid in full in advance, I said no, I will just deal with it.
Oh by the way, in the meantime, I made arrangements for Midiri to rent Seastar Garrett's scooter, so Garrett would not be left in the cold. I wanted to be loyal to Garrett, but I also wanted to save 120 dollars over 12 days.
Then, as the trip was winding down, Tony says the deal was for 11 days, not 12 -- a blatent lie -- and so we argued about that, too. I thought I had a good point when I said: "Then why, if the original deal was $10 a day, did I pay a total of 120 dollars at the beginning? Do the math, dude."
Overall, the whole thing was a bad experience, though technically I did get the best deal in my long Negril history of renting Scooters. But god I had to work for it.