Doing Business
Successfully In Costa Rica
Doing business
successfully
involves two
very important
concepts will
guide you to a
successful
venture in Costa
Rica, that also
be applied to
just about
everything you
do in Costa
Rica: one,
mañana does not
mean tomorrow,
and the process
is more
important than
the results.
Having said, let
us explain some.
Mañana literally
translates to
tomorrow. But,
in Costa Rica
mañana and
tomorrow are two
very different
things. We can
meet friends
mañana, or set
that important
meeting to
mañana, but in
neither case
does it mean we
will actually
see each other
tomorrow.
Costa Ricans are
event driven
rather than time
driven, that is
more importance
is place on the
event on hand
than the time of
meeting
tomorrow. It is
a very difficult
concept to grasp
for most North
Americans,
especially when
it comes to
doing business
in Costa Rica.
The other
concept, the
process of
things, is
evident
especially when
dealing with
governments or
large
corporations,
where emphasis
is placed on
getting things
done in the
right order,
than the
achievement of
the end result.
For instance, a
legal document
without the
accompanying
stamps is not
accepted as
valid. Making an
appointment to
have your car
inspected by an
Riteve is more
important than
to show up at
the empty
station to have
your vehicle
inspected. Try
to get passed
the first line
of the Riteve
defense line if
your name is not
on the
appointment
list.
Once you have a
good grasp of
these two
concepts then
you are ready to
do business
successfully in
Costa Rica.
Now that you are
armed with that
knowledge and
have practiced
their use, here
are some
important facts
to keep in mind:
Banking
The Costa Rican
banking system
is divided into
two groups -
public or state
banks and the
private banks.
The choice of
which to deal
with is
personal.
However, there
are differences
to keep in mind.
Public or state
banks - the
Banco de Costa
Rica (BCR), the
Banco Nacional (BN)
and the
Bancrédito -
still function,
for the most
part, that they
are doing their
customers a
favour. Although
there has been a
shift to a more
customer service
oriented way of
doing things,
old habits die
hard.
Public banks
have crazy
hours. Some open
early in the
morning and then
close early in
the day, while
others open late
and close late
or early. Some
state banks now
also open on
weekends,
including
Sundays, like
the mini
branches in big
department
stores like EPA,
but offer
limited
services.
Getting into a
public bank like
the BCR can be
unnerving to
newcomers, as
security at the
door will check
handbags, have
you take
everything out
of your pockets
and give you the
third degree.
Once inside,
take a number
and wait. This
line is for
this, that one
for that, never
the one you are
waiting on.
Then there is
the glass that
separates the
good guys (them)
from the bad
guys (you).
At the private
banks, things
are different.
Banks like
Scotiabank offer
a North American
style of
environment,
eliminating the
glass
partitions, the
strict security
at the door and
for the most
part are
customer service
oriented. That
differs from
branch to
branch, but
generally offer
a more human
aspect to
banking.
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