So, I figured I should share some of my more entertaining experiences from Morocco. During Spring Break, my camera (which I bought about a month before) stopped working. Since it was my second camera to break in Morocco, I wasn't thrilled.
A week ago, I headed back to the Marjane in Fez to get the camera fixed. Joel, another exchange student from West Point, came with me. First, we went to the grande taxi station in Fez. There are two Marjanes in Fez and we specified which one to go to, but somehow, ended up at the wrong one anyway. It was ok, since Joel needed to buy a camera. I showed the salesman my warranty, but he said that I could only repair the camera at the store where it was originally purchased.
After Joel got his camera, we headed to the original Marjane. I showed the camera to the salesman and pointed to the lens, which wouldn't retract back into the camera. He literally tried to shove it back in by forcing it with his hand, covering the lens with fingerprints in the process. Then, he concluded that the problem involved the battery. Naturally, I assumed the battery could be replaced, under the warranty. Wrong. According to the salesman, "The battery is not covered by the warranty. It is not part of the camera." This made no sense to me. Then, I asked him how much a new battery would cost. He thought for a second and then said, "Two hundred dirhams." Since he seemed to pull the number out of thin air, I asked if there was any sticker or price tag with the same number. Then he told me I couldn't buy a battery from him and would have to wait a week. The whole time, Joel was translating what I was saying into Arabic. The man spoke some, but very little, English.
Then, Joel mentioned that the man had damaged the lens while he was trying to shove it back into the camera. "That is not under the warranty, either," he proclaimed, with a blank stare. At this point, he snapped photos of us, which he apparently thought provided evidence of the lack of damage. Then he said, "If you leave now, I'll give you the battery for free." So basically, he was aware that he did something wrong. He told us he was "doing us a favor." Joel told him we wanted a new camera. This did not go over well. The man took back his offer, saying, "You don't like the camera, so I don't like my offer anymore." At this point, I was beyond frustrated. He asked Joel to leave and go to an office nearby to get a battery.
I figured that maybe if Joel wasn't there, it might be easier to get what I wanted. Bingo. As Joel walked away, the man pulled out a new battery, charger and case, offering each of them to me for free. He mumbled, "For you, not for your friend." I was baffled. All along, I thought Joel's Arabic would help us out. The man's English improved remarkably once Joel left. I didn't complain, since I had gotten what I needed for free. However, I am not convinced that there are many places in Morocco where bargaining and a tad of corruption aren't present. The salesman cursed Joel in Arabic and at one point asked, "Your friend, is he from New Jersey?" So not only did he speak English, but he seemed to be oddly familiar with American culture. This country never ceases to amaze me!
A week ago, I headed back to the Marjane in Fez to get the camera fixed. Joel, another exchange student from West Point, came with me. First, we went to the grande taxi station in Fez. There are two Marjanes in Fez and we specified which one to go to, but somehow, ended up at the wrong one anyway. It was ok, since Joel needed to buy a camera. I showed the salesman my warranty, but he said that I could only repair the camera at the store where it was originally purchased.
After Joel got his camera, we headed to the original Marjane. I showed the camera to the salesman and pointed to the lens, which wouldn't retract back into the camera. He literally tried to shove it back in by forcing it with his hand, covering the lens with fingerprints in the process. Then, he concluded that the problem involved the battery. Naturally, I assumed the battery could be replaced, under the warranty. Wrong. According to the salesman, "The battery is not covered by the warranty. It is not part of the camera." This made no sense to me. Then, I asked him how much a new battery would cost. He thought for a second and then said, "Two hundred dirhams." Since he seemed to pull the number out of thin air, I asked if there was any sticker or price tag with the same number. Then he told me I couldn't buy a battery from him and would have to wait a week. The whole time, Joel was translating what I was saying into Arabic. The man spoke some, but very little, English.
Then, Joel mentioned that the man had damaged the lens while he was trying to shove it back into the camera. "That is not under the warranty, either," he proclaimed, with a blank stare. At this point, he snapped photos of us, which he apparently thought provided evidence of the lack of damage. Then he said, "If you leave now, I'll give you the battery for free." So basically, he was aware that he did something wrong. He told us he was "doing us a favor." Joel told him we wanted a new camera. This did not go over well. The man took back his offer, saying, "You don't like the camera, so I don't like my offer anymore." At this point, I was beyond frustrated. He asked Joel to leave and go to an office nearby to get a battery.
I figured that maybe if Joel wasn't there, it might be easier to get what I wanted. Bingo. As Joel walked away, the man pulled out a new battery, charger and case, offering each of them to me for free. He mumbled, "For you, not for your friend." I was baffled. All along, I thought Joel's Arabic would help us out. The man's English improved remarkably once Joel left. I didn't complain, since I had gotten what I needed for free. However, I am not convinced that there are many places in Morocco where bargaining and a tad of corruption aren't present. The salesman cursed Joel in Arabic and at one point asked, "Your friend, is he from New Jersey?" So not only did he speak English, but he seemed to be oddly familiar with American culture. This country never ceases to amaze me!
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