Iberostar Cozumel dock fees!!!!!

[CozumelAntonio]

Up until recently the only hotels charging to pick up guests at their docks were the Park Royal and the Wyndham/Sabor/Aura/Reef Regency, funny that these are supposed to be "all inclusive" properties.

Well you can now add IBEROSTAR COZUMEL to that sad list. Up until about a month ago we picked up guests at IB without any problem, and we all believed Iberostar recognized that the pier is a hotel ammenity that it's guest had a right to use in the lodging fee they had paid to stay there. Well it appears they got stupid.

This is most likely the doings of Dre$$el, the onsite dive op there, as there was some Argentinian there shooing our boat off, screaming like a mad man to get away from the pier and the shore, apparently this foreigner doesn't know what Zona Federal means in Mexico. It's really sad that Dressel is using this very unprofessional means to try to get business, as I am sure most divers staying there use the more experienced and established dive operators. Because Dressel has a corporate program to hire/train DMs and Instructors in a work-for-Certification contract arrangement (as in you get room and board, you become a DM or OWSI, but have no pay for the duration, basically enslaving you to them) most of their staff is constantly rotating, and thus they have new DMs all the time, they are usually foreigners that DO NOT KNOW THE REEFS!!!! So it's not surprising that most divers that stay there don't use Dressel.

I encourage everyone (specially those who stay there) to send an email in protest to their corporate PR person in Spain: concha.ramos@iberostar.com or to the General Manager of IB Cozumel Axel Paskel: dir.cozumel@iberostar.com.mx

 

[cicopo]

Have to agree that it's a stupid move on their part. Thanks for letting us know they've gone down that road.

 

[greylion]

Sign of the times I guess? Just like airlines charging baggage fees. I don't like it, but in this depressed economy businesses of all kinds are trying to squeeze every peso they can out of their operations, so I wouldn't be surprised to see more of it unless the local authorities outlaw it somehow? I wish you well.

I've stayed at the Iberostar of couple of times and enjoyed my stay there. We dived with Dressel one of the times and had no issues with them, but they are mostly foreign dive masters.

 

[charlesml3]

I'll protest it in my usual way by refusing to book my annual group trip to Cozumel with any operation that charges pier fees.

I wonder would would happen if you just tied up there anyway with the guy yelling. What's he going to do? Call the police? Please.

-Charles

 

[deepstops]

Maybe I missed it but how many pesos are they attempting to charge?

 

[CZMDM]

" thus they have new DMs all the time, they are usually foreigners that DO NOT KNOW THE REEFS!!!! So it's not surprising that most divers that stay there don't use Dressel."-Antonio

I once ran into some old friends and they were staying at IB and had already paid for their diving there. They wanted me to come with them and they paid for me to go diving.

We went to Cedral. We started at the platform and after about 5 minutes it was easy to see that the DM was confused as to our exact location. We started to miss the reef and the cave by about 30 yards to the caves East side (nothing but sand), so I signaled my friends to follow me so they could see the cave & the reef and we cut over to it and went through it. To make a long story short the DM blew up on me when we got back to the boat and proceeded to tell me how he had a whopping 3 months of diving experience in Cozumel and what the hell did I think I was doing.

Now it would be fair for anyone to say that I was wrong in not following the DM, no matter what and in general I would agree. But I also think in all fairness and truthfulness the DM should at least have a general idea of where the reef is.

 

[CozumelAntonio]

Maybe I missed it but how many pesos are they attempting to charge?

Can't tell you, before we find out how much, we have to fill out the following in a letter to them:

Nombre del propietario y/o representante legal en Cozumel: ____________________________
Nombre del capitán de la embarcación: _____________________________________________
Nombre del o los tripulantes de la embarcación: ______________________________________
Numero de matricula de la embarcación: ____________________________________________
Nombre de la embarcación: ______________________________________________________
Domicilio Fiscal: ________________________________________________________________
R.F.C. con omo clave: ___________________________________________________________
Nombre de su tour operador dentro del Hotel: ________________________________________
Nombre de contacto: ____________________________________________________________
Teléfonos: ____________________________________________________________________
Correo electrónico: _____________________________________________________________
Nombre de su aseguradora: ______________________________________________________
Numero de póliza: ______________________________________________________________

I really believe they have gone overboard, and I'm even suspecting they pretend to levy a "monthly" fee, which is absolutely ridiculous, why would any operator pay a fee for 30 days, when they have maybe only a few days out of a month that they have IB guests. I really think they're shooting themselves in the foot, when I spoke with someone there they mentioned the need to renovate the wooden dock, so it appears IB wants to defray some of their maintenance costs on dive operators. What about when the grass hut at the restaurant needs maintenance?? Who do they try to get a few bucks from to fix that?? So why would the pier be any different?? Bad business practices imho.....

 

[Christi]

This was the same thing they tried to do several years ago - and many of us flat out refused and many people complained.

My question now, as it was back then - why is it ANY of their business what insurance agency or what my insurance policy number is??? At least this time they aren't asking for tax returns!!!!!!!

The point is that ANY boat with marine park permits and monthly despachos (permits) from the Harbor Master HAS insurance. I'll provide that info to the authorities that have reason to ask for it - but to another dive operation??

I know that most operations will not pay the hotel pier fees - there are probably a couple that pay it for fear of losing customers. People need to understand that this is a fee imposed by their hotel - not the DIVE SHOPS - we are not the ones who choose accommodations for our divers. However, when we DO make hotel arrangements for our divers, the pier fees are included. Additionally, for those of us that use the Aldora pier, this is an alternative we provide to our divers free of charge - because this is a service we provide for those staying at the downtown hotels or in town, etc. This is not to be compared with hotels trying to charge outside dive ops or their guests for pier usage.

So dive shops simply need to be up front with their divers about which hotels charge fees, then the divers can make their educated choice about where to stay.

 

[DiverG]

So what does the hotel/dressel do if a hotel customer refuses to pay the fee?

 

[pidgiepoo]

We always stayed at the Iberostar..but will definitely reconsider if we have to pay the $3.00/day/person dock fees. Guess my question is...will the dive op boats allow us to wade in the water near the dock and pick us up?
There are four of us in my family diving and those fee will add up quickly, so we would be willing to wade in the water a few feet,and climb a ladder to get picked up...if nothing else, just for the principle!! Does anyone know if we can do this??