I catch Paraiso dock master Chepo this morning. I smile, walk up to him, face him squarely and ask him if he knows Trip Advisor, he looks a bit confused and says not really… then eventually says yes. I ask him if he knows Google reviews - he looks confused so I add, when you use Google to locate a business, reviews are almost always available - maybe he says. I skip asking him if he knows Active Captain and go on to ask him if he knows Facebook. Oh yes, he knows Facebook. Good I say, I’m one of their top reviewers; I post regularly on Trip Advisor, Google, sailing blogs and Facebook. He starts to look a little nervous. I tell him that I am very unhappy about being cheated out of $100 so I am going to post a 1-star review about this business on every review site. No no no, he says… I continue… asking, Do you know what happens when a business gets a 1-star review? He looks at me. I say, owners of that business get very concerned. And you may hear about that 1-star review because in it I am going to mention that you [I point at his chest] cheated me [I point at mine] out of $100. No..no..no.. he says again, I talked with your husband yesterday about the fees. Everyone charges a different amount.

[No longer smiling, perhaps the bitch wings appeared] I say I have an email from Eric [point next door] just last week detailing the check in costs. Yes, he says, but every marina charges something different. I ask: does the Port Captain charge a different fee? No. Does Immigration charge a different fee? No. Does Customs charge a different fee? No. So all of the official fees are the same. Yes he says, but the office fees, they are different depending on the marina. I wait... [looking him directly in the eye with an unfriendly glare] He stammers, my, my office fee is $100, and then recounts the fees. I verbally add them up as he goes. He stops, then admits official fees are $120 which means the total including his outrageous $100 is $220. Where is the $80 I ask. Tips, he says… tips, waving his arms here and there. Sometimes officials don’t come if they are not paid a tip [this is utter BS, we’ve checked with Julio several times and they have always arrived “promptly” ] I asked your husband if he would like to pay tips and he said yes. [Blatant Lie.] I stare at time a few more seconds. Then say, soooo, "people" [air quotes] had an extra Merry Christmas on MY DOLLAR?!? He looks away. I walk away.

Official fees to check in (not including TIP which we already have) is $120, which means he overcharged us $80 or $130, depending on how you look at the service fee. 1-star reviews / cautionary information will be posted on Trip Advisor, Active Captain, Facebook Rio Dulce Cruisers forum, Isla Mujeres Cruisers forum, Google and everywhere else I can think of that would benefit others that follow in our wake. If you know of cruisers planning to head this way, please pass this information along in your personal communication...

Avoid Paraiso Marina / Chepo! He is not an honest person.