Can Canadian resorts refuse Canadian funds for payment?
 

Having read the thread asking for resorts that charge in Canadian I'm wondering how a resort owner in Canada can refuse payment in Canadian.

Surely these resorts are open to Canadian fisherman...are they supposed to convert their currency to USD when vacationing in their own country? Are there separate rates for visitors from the US? How can that be legal???

I can see resort owners offering to accept USD as a courtesy, but a Canadian resort must have a Canadian price and if the exchange rate makes paying in Canadian currency more advantageous than how can they refuse to accept their own country's legal tender??

I've never heard of this before and it seems completely ridiculous to me.

Any resort owners that can explain this??

I'm not a resort owner, but it seems to me that resorts have a right to set the price as they want. If they say 1000 U.S., you can't roll in with Canadian, or pesos or dinars and expect one to one. I suspect, that when they get Canadian customers they accept Canadian, but at the current exchange rate.

Overwelmingly the customers are Americans, I fished out of two lodges last year and negotiated a price in Canadian dollars.

The first was opening weekend which is our May long weekend, but the week before the US one. We were one of three groups in a lodge that could hold 100 or more. We paid roughly the US price in Canadian dollars, but the lodge was empty.

The second was the last week of july which isn't primetime and we paid somewhere close to the same before exchange, but again the lodge wasn't full.

In both cases, we were the only Canadians there.

Most Canadian fishermen are cheap and can fish the lake without the lodge's help. Unless you live in Southern Ontario, there is so much water to fish using public launches etc we won't pay a premium for a place to stay.

I'd bet that as long as the Canadian tax man is getting his correct cut, the govt doesn't care what currency a lodge uses. I'd be curious if some lodges charging in US $ give Canadian residents a break. Especially if they had been long time clients. In reality a Canadian would be paying close to 30% or more now, than 4 or 5 years ago. I say that because a couple years ago when the rates flipped, I mentioned to a Canadian at the lodge that it must have cost him a lot more that year. His answer was no. These were long time clients. I doubt any lodge owner would fess up to it as it sure would put him in a bad situation with American clients. But I can also understand him taking care of long time clients.

A few years ago I asked that specific question to a resort owner at Lac Suel. I pulled into a dock at a resort (I was not a guest) and filled my gas tank. The per liter gas price was clearly posted on a big sign pointed toward the lake. When I went to pay I pulled out Canadian and was informed that the resort only accepted US. I asked what Canadians do and he replied that he rarely gets anyone who comes off the lake to buy anything, and if they do, they are from the States like me. So I guess the owner can make his own rules. Besides who are you going to call to force the guy to take Canadian.

On a more positive note most of the resort owners are so customer friendly that I am sure they would take a YEN from a group of fisherman if they could exchange it.

When US was close to CAN..,I used currency interchangeably at gas stations, restaurants etc.....once they drifted apart,I noticed some places would give change back as everything was still on par. When asked was told this was the policy. So now I use credit card for everything whether paying for my Resort stay or bag of chips and soda at the gas station. My CC does not charge me for foreign transactions so it is all good .

There are many folks who own resort property (ies ) in foreign countries where they may not be residents full time or have established residency of any kind. They can charge whatever currency they choose to accommodate their client base wishes, as well as , their personal financial needs in order to make a business model work; unless laws regulate that practice differently in the said country.

I have paid Canadian dollars to resort owners who are Canadian, I have paid US dollars to resort owners who are Canadian, I have paid US dollars to resort owners in Canada who are American, I have paid US dollars to resort owners in Mexico who are American, I have paid US dollars to resort owners in Mexico who are Mexican, I have paid pesos to resort owners in Mexico who are Mexican.

When I get to take bucket list fishing trips to Austrialia and Costa Rica, I will expect to pay either in the country's currency or in US dollars. That is the norm in most cases.

The whole concept of what currency one will pay is pretty simple. The currency published and agreed upon with the resort owner is the currency they will accept . If one doesn't have that aspect in writing from the resort, shame on the person who is paying the bill.

PjShorthorn :rock-on:

[QUOTE=Baseline;5264249]A few years ago I asked that specific question to a resort owner at Lac Suel. I pulled into a dock at a resort (I was not a guest) and filled my gas tank. The per liter gas price was clearly posted on a big sign pointed toward the lake. When I went to pay I pulled out Canadian and was informed that the resort only accepted US. I asked what Canadians do and he replied that he rarely gets anyone who comes off the lake to buy anything, and if they do, they are from the States like me. So I guess the owner can make his own rules. Besides who are you going to call to force the guy to take Canadian.

On a more positive note most of the resort owners are so customer friendly that I am sure they would take a YEN from a group of fisherman if they could exchange it.[/QUOTE]

If you were in Canada, and asked the guy to fill up, and the price was indicated but not the currency, and after filling up you were told that it was USD, I really can't see how this would be legal. If they're so interested in appealing to American customers why quote the price in litres vs gallons??

In general you can call the Ontario better business bureau or Ontario consumer protection, but in your case, I'd have handed him canadian funds and taken off and let HIM figure out who to call.

(Unless there's a sign saying USD and even then he'd have to take Canadian funds at the days current exchange rate)

I have never heard of a resort not accepting Canadian currency. The gas issue is about the same. Our price is in USD's... however, I remind everyone off the lake of that prior to pumping.


I'm not sure it would be illegal... but it would be a dumb business practice. I do charge in US, but as many have pointed out... I will take a fare price of anything that I can convert.


Payment is payment. I may charge a little more for handling euros, yen or pesos than I would USD or Canadian, simply because it would cost me time and money to exchange them... but believe me, I will take it.




It's like the old riddle... what's heavier 10 LBS of feathers or 10 LBS of lead.


They weigh the exact same. One just takes more to reach the same result.

Wow...now I'm really blown away
 

I just called a random lodge on Lac Seul whose website advertises in USD. Explained that I'm from Quebec and wondering if I'd have to get my money exchanged to pay for a trip there.

The answer totally shocked me...He said that for his Canadian clients (of which he gets very few) he charges the same rate in Canadian that you guys pay in US..."For my fellow countrymen".

As an American I'd never be able to enjoy my vacation knowing I'm getting fleeced for 30% of my trip versus other guests enjoying the same services.

Choose your outfitters carefully or just come to Quebec where everything is charged in Canadian funds. We have good fishing too.