The next morning, I left Boca Beach pretty early, around 6AM. The road quickly climbed back into the mountains and the narrow winding roads typical of this part of the coast. After nearly half a day of traveling, I came out of the mountains right into downtown Puerto Vallarta. Following the main highway, Mex 200, through town, just behind the hundreds of hotels right along the beach, I noticed that PV has a very rocky shoreline. I wanted to spend a day or two in PV and there are several RV parks that allow big rigs. Since Mex 200 passed right by Wal-Mart I stopped in to do my weekly shopping and filled a basket. When it came time to pay, the machine wouldn’t take my ATM card (debit). So I paid cash, $600 pesos. Then I wandered over to the ATM machine and tried my card again. Wouldn’t work and I could tell that there was something wrong. My credit card wouldn’t work either. There I was, deep inside Mexico, with just 10’s of pesos left. I didn’t know anyone in PV, didn’t have a working phone, knew that I’d have to call my credit union to get it straightened out, but didn’t look forward to trying to use the Mexican phone system. Likely as not, my call would be dropped several times before I’d get through. I also did a through review of all the local RV parks and none of them seemed as friendly as I’d like…since I had very little cash left, and I knew it would take up to a week to get my cash card unfrozen, if that’s what the problem was (it could have been a case of identity theft – and my account could have been cleaned out). Or worse yet, needed to be replaced. I decided to make a run for Mazatlan. I had filled up with diesel earlier in the day, paid cash, had my groceries, and a few tens of peso’s in my pocket so I thought I could make it to Mazatlan without needing any more cash over the hundred or so I had on me. And I have friends in Mazatlan, who work at a RV park.
It’s early, around 2 pm, so I decide to make a run for Tepic while I’m considering my options. I’m too far from Mazatlan to make it there in one day, so I need to find a place to stay overnight. Tepic looks like the place and driving gets me closer to Maz. So, I’ve been through Puerto Vallarta. Damn. I wanted to spend a week there but couldn’t risk it.
Mex 200 got a little better after PV so the trip to Tepic was easier then along the coast and I made good time. There are two RV parks in Tepic but neither seemed inviting so I found a nice Pemex station and spent the night there.
Next morning at 7ish, I take off from Tepic and run into more mountain climbing but with slightly wider roads. (I have used only ‘free’ roads since Puerto Escondido since the toll roads are usually just slightly better then the free). Then I get on the Mex 15 hiway and the travel is much easier for the rest of the trip to Mazatlan, the land flattens out, the road widens and is straight.
When I arrive in Mazatlan, I explain my money predicament to Rosa at La Posta RV Park and she doesn’t have a problem with me staying without paying for as long as it takes to get my account straightened out. Whew.
After I set up my satellite dish, I got on the internet and checked my accounts. They looked healthy so then I emailed them asking what was going on. They answered that the accounts have been frozen because of unusual activity but wouldn’t tell me what that unusual activity was. They suggest that I need to call the company they contract with to get it reactivated. WHY! I didn’t screw up, why should I have to call them?
Two days later, I finally get my computer phone working and call the people. They tell me that the account isn’t frozen. The idiots that did that are working for a company called ‘Falcon Fraud’ so if your bank or CU uses them, call and complain while you can, get them fired before you have a problem. This is the second year in a row that they have frozen my accounts for weak reasons. Both times in January, do they have a quota? I call the CU back, get shifted from one staff member to another and finally give up. Next day I call the CU and get the person I had asked for the day before. She calls Falcon Fraud, gets it straightened out. I didn’t need to call them after all. So, finally, I have money again. ASSHOLES!
B-t-w, I’ve sent two nice emails to the president of my CU asking questions, still no answer after four weeks. Jackass.
I’m in Mazatlan, enjoying the weather while I watch the news showing all my friends and family struggling with the snow and ice in Oregon and Iowa. I’m very happy I’m here, with money.
Here’s a shot of the front entrance to the park:
Then Rosa (Rosita) & Ismeal drive over to say hi before they go home for the night:
And where I’m parked:
Credit card activity from another country for as long as youv’e been there could set off warning flares.I think they were trying to help you not lose a whole lot of money.If someone stole your identity and bled you dry,you would really be hollerin’.I have no explanation though,why your credit union gave you the runaround.I would be an ex customer after I got home.Plenty of other banks around.When i sold my last motorhome,the people from Utah needed to do some creative banking to get their money transfered from their credit union to their Wells Fargo account.The CU manager hand carried all neccisary papers and checks over to Wells Fargo for them. I was amazed.
I was here in Mexico for 2 months before they decided that the cash card usage was suspect. And my cash withdrawls had been on a steady decine, week to week, since my arrival. I just think that Falcon Fraud is incompetant…my expirience with them twice now has shown me that. I’m surprised that Edwards FCU is part of the problem but I’ve found that they are growing so fast that’s probably the real reason for their stumbles. But there is a gal there that is always very helpful.
Ultimately, despite the pain in the arse and the red tape, they are trying to protect your accounts. You’re just one of those unlucky motherfuckers who gets overprotected, rather than one of those unlucky motherfuckers who needs to have his accounts frozen due to real fraud but gets overlooked. Gah. Can’t win for losin’.