Oct
5

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Lost Radio Part 4

Category: Insurance in Costa Rica, Living in Costa Rica, The Dark Side Tags: , , , Leave a Comment

Well we are almost over the hump.  This week I got the new locks installed along with a new radio that I now take out every time I leave the car unattended.  Next week we are going for the paint job for the damage that was done by the bone head trying to jimmy my lock.  We are also going in for more security for the car.  We found out that unless there is an earthquake our alarm doesn’t go off, so what good does that do me.  This new alarm system will activate if someone tries to break my lock or my window.  Honestly I thought that I already had that but apparantly not.

Now I have this stack of receipts and legal documents (the sworn statement that I didn’t call INS when the car was broken into actually had to be signed by my lawyer, already gave one statement to the INS saying the same thing???) and another document that shows that I actually own the car…..all of this falls into the WHY catagory which I explained why I don’t go there.

So now my WONDERFUL Insurance Agent, Eric Morales is going to take all the documents and receipts to the INS for me so that I don’t have to go down and experience the frustration.  You gotta love him for that.  I have to write ANOTHER letter stating that it is ok for him to represent me and pick up the check for me but that we worry about next week after we get the final bills on the work done.

Apparantly lawyers here are used to all the paperwork because when I called Sergio (my lawyer) he knew exactly what I needed, this made my life much easier.  All I had to do was give him a few specifics then he ran with it and produced this legal size paper that looks official with all it’s stamps or timbres.

You must have good lawyers and good insurance agents that look out for your best interest or you can really get into trouble here but that is a subject for a different day.

I’m basking in the glory of this whole process almost being complete.  And I never asked WHY once.

Sep
24

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Lost Radio Part 2

Category: The Dark Side Tags: , , Leave a Comment

To follow up on the story of my lost radio…I figured out how they broke into my car and it was quite ingenious as it prevented the alarm from going off.  The bad guys broke the lock.  Looks like they took a screwdriver and broke the mechanism.  Now I wouldn’t think this would open the car but then I’m not a thief so what do I know about these things.

I started the process to get the loss paid for by the INS (insurance company of Costa Rica).  The first part was to go to the police station to report my loss.  This was fairly simple and went along fairly quickly. The police station was in central San Jose and since we arrived early, the whole process took under an hour.

Then off to INS in Pavas.  This was a little more complicated and far more paperwork to complete.  When my cell phone rang, I was told to turn it off as your not allowed to talk on cell phones while in an INS building.  Who knew?  We were at the INS office for an hour and a half with only 5 people in line in front of us.  Told you there was a lot of paperwork.

Nothing was resolved during this visit to the INS.  Now we have to call some kind of inspector to schedule an appointment to look at where the radio used to be.  This is supposed to happen this week.  I don’t know what the next step is past that but will continue when I have more information.  Still no radio, still no money to buy one.  Pura Vida

Sep
19

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Lost my radio

Category: The Dark Side Tags: , , , , Leave a Comment

Sounds like a song doesn’t it.  Unfortunately for me it’s not.  I lost all my songs with my radio yesterday.  We can’t nail down where it happened but know that it was in Escazu in one of two guarded parking lots.  So much for paying the watchingman to watch my car.

We were very fortunate that all we lost was the radio.  Last time someone wanted my Pioneer pop out radio, they popped out my window to get it.  This time I’m not real sure how they got into the car, whether they jimmy’d the lock or Lord only knows how.  My window and door were in tact.  I have seen crow bars taken to door frames to bend an opening big enough to get a hand through and unlock it….breaking the window would have been easier I think.

This is a common problem with car radio’s in Costa Rica, your likely to go through 3 or 4 depending on how long you have the car.  We have an alarm and everything too so it’s a mystery.  Makes me wonder if the doors really lock when you hit that security button on the keychain.  I know to check for it next time.

Another point to this story is that the radio and my car is insured with INS (the country’s monopoly on insurance).  But to get this paid for you have to go through so much red tape it’s a royal pain in the neck or so I have been told.  I’m going on Thursday to start the process so I will write again once it is done to let you know how much fun I had.

One side note…I should have called the traffic police 800 800 8000 to report the radio being stolen from where it happened.  Problem was I didn’t realize that it was gone until I was on my way home.  This would have made my Thursday go a little quicker as I wouldn’t have to start out at the police department in San Jose.

More on the story of my radio later…