Anyone have any experience with Cuenca Real Estate Agent Renan Gonzalez?

[GORDON SIDWELL]

[GORDON SIDWELL]

Is it customary in Ecuador to pay for a rental through Western Union? I am trying to rent an apartment in Cuenca from an Ecuadorian real estate agent for a one month visit. She tells me that I need to send her the full payment by depositing the money to her name through Western Union. She then gave me her Western Union ID number. Having never done this before, I am just being extra cautious!

[COUNTRY EXPERT – WENDY DECHAMBEAU]

I’ve not heard of Renan Gonzalez and I didn’t turn up anything on her when I searched the internet either. I would be leery about sending money to anyone you don’t know.

When we came to Ecuador five years ago, we arranged to rent a house before we arrived and were not asked to pay anything until we showed up at the door. Personally, I wouldn’t agree to send any money in advance and would look at finding a different apartment if that turns out to be a deal-breaker.

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

I’ve lived in Cuenca for almost 7 years and have never heard of this person. ‘Nuff said.

[GORDON SIDWELL]

Here’s a “what if”. What if we had already paid in advance for our lodging in Cotacachi and/or Cuenca, and upon arriving in Ecuador this weekend, we were to discover that we had been “taken to the cleaners”. What recourse, if any, would we have to retrieve our funds paid in advance?

[COUNTRY EXPERT – WENDY DECHAMBEAU]

You would have similar recourse to that in the United States. You could file a police report and hire an attorney to get your money back. But, to successfully recover your funds you would need good documentation. It would be best if you had a receipt from the landlord as well as written or e-mail confirmation that the funds were being sent as a deposit on lodging.

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