The Guadalajara Reporter

Letters to the Editor - December 17, 2014

Dear Sir,

Christmas season is for giving and caring for others. I would like your readers to know of the unlimited kindness given to me, a 90-year-old expatriate, and long-time resident of this delightful community.

On December 16, I was feeling unwell, was aware of my clinical signs and symptoms (I am a retired nurse practitioner) but could not come up with a possible diagnosis. In desperation I quickly visited Dr. Juan J. Lastra Berriozabal, our family doctor for almost 19 years. On hearing my report, Dr. Lastra immediately diagnosed me with fulminating fall-bladder. Without any hesitation, he asked his wife and son to quickly take me to Chapala for an ultrasound which confirmed his diagnosis. Dr. Lastra closed his clinic and, with his wife, drove me to a surgical clinic in Guadalajara where an emergency cholecystectomy was performed by laparascope at 11 p.m. I was discharged the following evening at 8 p.m. And guess what... it was Dr. Lastra who came to take me home personally! But not only that ... I had arrived in Guadalajara with no cash, so could not pay either for the surgery or the hospital care. Immediately, Dr. Lastra assured me that he would pay my bill and that I could repay him as soon as I had time to visit my bank. Thank you Dr. Lastra, friend and medical advisor, not only to your own Ajijic community, but also to us retired gringos and particularly to me on that momentous day when your incomparable kindness without any question, saved my life.

Albert E. Slocombe

Dear Sir,

We arrived in Guadalajara on January 9 around 9 p.m.  While paying for our taxi in the airport, I inadvertently left our passport wallet on the counter.  We discovered the loss when we reached our home in Vista del Lago.  

The next morning we returned to the airport and began our search.  The men who assisted us listened carefully and were sympathetic and efficient. One phone call finally provided the breakthrough.   We recovered all of our valuables at the taxi ticket stand, right where I had left them.  We got everything back – our passports, my permanent residency card, our tourist visa receipts and a quantity of dollars.  Everything was returned to us, and for that we are so grateful. All credit to the folks who work at Taxi Aeropuerto Guadalajara.  

Margaret and Bob Skinner

Dear Sir,

I am writing to you in regards to your January 11 article on how to renew the license plate fee for your Mexican-plated vehicle. Your article was both inaccurate and incomplete.

You stated that the renewal fee could be paid at any bank or OXXO. I went to my bank, Bancomer, where I have had an account for over one year and the bank manager had no idea how I could pay there. I then went to the nearest OXXO and they said they could not accept my renewal payment.

I went online to the government website you included in your article. I was able to complete the first four steps of the 5-step process, but was unable (after four attempts, using three different web browsers) to complete Step 5 – which is the the actual payment of the 387-peso fee. The government website could not connect to their online payment system after multiple attempts.

You also did not include how to get the window sticker for your car that proves that you have paid the renewal fee for the current year. Neither the bank nor the OXXO, or even the online government website, have the ability to give you the window sticker.  

Lee Steele

Editor's note: The Jalisco state government has spent large sums  advertising the different ways that refrendo (car registration) can be paid without having to stand in line at a tax collection office (see graphic below). We suggest that last week’s article be read carefully.  As stated in the article, only Banamex branches are currently accepting payment without a receipt that has been previously printed out from the Secretaria de Finanzas website.  Again, as stated in the article, OXXOs only accept payment with this printed out receipt that includes the full amount owed (including traffic fines) and a barcode that they are able to scan. Whether every single bank branch or OXXO in the state of Jalisco is connected to the system and is able to do this is beyond our capacity to confirm. Suffice to say, most branches in Guadalajara appear to be accepting payment.  This newspaper can confirm that many people have already paid their refrendos at different OXXOs and banks in the metro area, as well as online. The fact that you were unable to complete the online payment on your computer does not make our information incorrect. And finally, as stated in the article, if you have paid online or in a bank or at an OXXO, the tarjeta de circulation and window sticker will subsequently be mailed to the car owner’s home address.  If none these options provided by the Jalisco state government seem to work for you, then you have the further option of going to a recaudadora (tax office) and standing in line.